Top 10 Times Friends Told Us Life Was Gonna Be This Way... But It Wasn't
#10: Divorce Is Quick ‘N’ Easy
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Ross’ divorces became a running gag throughout the show’s ten seasons. In reality, though, they’re typically no laughing matter. For starters, it takes much more than just calling your attorney or asking your soon-to-be ex to come to your workplace to sign a document. In fact, dissolving a marriage can take about a year, depending on technicalities, including how long it takes for both parties to agree on a settlement. The show also largely dismisses the emotional aspect. After all, this is the person you thought you’d spend the rest of your life with. The divorces in “Friends” are very much a rose-tinted version of most people’s reality.
#9: Part-Time Parenting Is a Thing
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If you thought one day you’d have kids and still have plenty of time to just hang out, you were probably a “Friends” fan. Ask any parent, and they’d likely tell you they barely have time to themselves, let alone to spend hours chatting with friends in coffeehouses. You’re responsible for a whole other human (or humans)! Naturally, they are likely to take priority over your social life. Still, although Ben and later Emma occasionally appear at the friends’ social gatherings, they’re largely out of the picture. In fact, by the later seasons, we were even asking, whatever happened to Ben? The truth is becoming a parent creates a cosmic lifestyle shift.
#8: Quitting a Job with No “Pla-”
We all have days where we just wanna pack it in and call it quits. But then we remember that we have rent, bills, and other expenses, and the fear of losing that financial security helps us plow on. So, it was pretty irresponsible of Chandler and Joey to urge Rachel to quit her job at the coffeehouse. It was even more careless of her to follow through, especially with no financial backup to fall upon. Couldn’t Chandler have offered to read over her resume or put out some feelers instead? Just the idea of not having a stable income gives us palpitations. We’re all for job fulfillment, but real life has other plans, and they ain’t cheap.
#7: Living Across the Hall from Your Besties
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The last time we can recall living that close to our friends, we were probably at college. After that, life took us all in different directions, and we’d consider ourselves very lucky if we were even within walking distance of our pals. Still, growing up watching this sitcom, we dreamed of the days when our best friends lived several mere footsteps away. Of course, that’s not how life works, and for various reasons, such as money or familial responsibilities, it’s unlikely that the same accommodations will suit everyone. We’d also find it pretty irritating if anyone barged into our home without knocking, regardless of how close we are.
#6: Your Lobster Was Right There All Along
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Ah, the age-old ‘love was right under your nose’ trope! Much of the series is dedicated to the gang navigating the highs and lows of the dating world. Yet, Ross and Rachel and Monica and Chandler ultimately discover that they didn’t need to look outside their friendship group to find “the one.” Ross waits almost a decade for Rachel to reciprocate his feelings, marking the start of a long, on-again, off-again relationship. Meanwhile, Monica and Chandler unexpectedly go from friend zone to end zone. Look, we’re not saying it never happens, but for most of us, it’s nothing more than a fantasy. “Friends” sure left us with some idealistic expectations for finding love.
#5: The Streets of New York Are Filled with Hot Singles
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Speaking of unrealistic dating expectations... Did you ever walk down the street, hop on a bus or meet some hunky doctors at the hospital and then wonder why no one’s practically throwing their phone number at you? After all, that is what happens on “Friends,” right? We can barely find a decent match on the apps, yet this lucky bunch is incredibly skilled at picking up dates wherever they go. Central Perk seems particularly filled with eligible suitors just waiting to be hit on. We just want to know where are the adorkable scientists, ambitious tech millionaires, or hot strangers in coffee shops that we were led to believe we’d meet someday?
#4: Money Is No Big Deal
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Money isn’t always the most comfortable subject to discuss, but it does affect a whole lot, from where we live to how we spend our leisure time. Amazingly though, despite the glaringly obvious pay grade discrepancies between them, this issue doesn’t often arise - or at least it isn’t talked about much. Perhaps that’s why they spend so much time at Monica’s or at Central Perk. A simple cup of coffee would’ve cost roughly a dollar, while eating at Monica’s is free (unless you’re Moncia). And surely Chandler supported Joey enough to list him as an expense. This unrealistic expectation still burns—both our souls and the money in our bank accounts.
#3: You’ll Still Be Hanging Out with the Same People in 10 Years' Time
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Think back to your life 10 years ago. Are you still friends with all the same people? Do you hang out as often as you used to? Are you still as close as you were back then? It’s highly unlikely that you answered yes to all of the above. Life is messy and unpredictable, and circumstances and people change. Plus, as much as we’d like to be there for our friends through the good times and bad, we can’t always be available for every milestone or life-altering event (xref). If hindsight’s taught us anything, it’s that the gang’s friendship isn’t just unrealistic; it’s unhealthy and doesn’t leave much space for personal growth.
#2: An Unrealistic Work/Life Balance
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For a group of people with steady jobs and Joey, they seem to have an awful lot of free time. We’re absolutely advocating for the importance of a healthy work-life balance, but they seem to take that to the other extreme. The gang can be seen chilling in the purple apartment or at Central Perk at seemingly any and all hours. Seriously, when do they work? And how have any of them managed to hold a job? Or fund their coffee-drinking habits! After watching “Friends,” we couldn’t wait for this apparent abundance of free time. But the reality is we count ourselves lucky if we sign off from work on time, and even then, we’re pretty much spent.
Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
Coffee Over Cocktails?
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Mid-Week Breakfast with Friends
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The Real New York Is Far More Gritty
This Clean, Tidy & (Almost) Crime-Free City Isn’t the Big Apple We Know
Monica’s Weight Loss
This Poorly-Aged Running Gag Set Unrealistic Standards for Health & Fitness
A One-Night Stand with Your Bestie Leads to Happily Ever After
It Could End Well... Or, It Could Make Things Super Awkward & Even Ruin Your Friendship
#1: You Can Rent a Nice New York Apartment on Any Salary (Or No Salary at All)
Monica’s roomy two-bedroom apartment in Manhattan’s West Village is the stuff of dreams. Or at least it was before we started wondering how on earth she, or any of its other inhabitants throughout the series, could afford it. She explained that she inherited the rent-controlled apartment from her grandmother and reportedly was only paying $200 a month. As idealistic as that sounds, it still doesn’t quite explain how a chef, whose career got off to a rocky start, a poorly-tipped waitress, and at one point even Pheebs, could afford this plus expenses. Don’t even get us started on Joey across the hall! Can someone point us to this magical neighborhood where money’s no object? We’ll start packing.
