The One in Which I Talk About Friends

            “Friends” is a great sitcom in my opinion. If nothing else it’s an iconic show. Not only is it humorous but it also has good, well-developed characters. Throughout the show’s decade-plus long run, we see six very different characters grow together and ultimately prosper through ups and downs as they navigate their lives in New York City.

            One criticism of the show is that it’s not realistic. Granted, there are plenty of TV shows that lack any sense of realism, but “Friends” seems to be picked on in this regard (maybe because it is such a famous show). Many people point out the fact that Monica’s apartment is huge (especially for New York City) and would probably have extremely high rent; this would probably be seemingly very high especially at the beginning of the show, when Monica is first starting her cooking career and her roommate Rachel works at a coffee shop. To be fair, many TV shows feature characters who live in really nice apartments or houses, no matter what socio-economic status they’re supposedly in.

            Here are a few glaring, unrealistic features I’ve noticed in the TV show “Friends.” To be fair, this doesn’t ruin the show for me at all. Its just stuff that I’ve noticed after rewatching many episodes of “Friends” throughout the years.

1.     The Writer Killing Off Joey

By the time season two rolled around, friend and actor Joey gets a job on the soap opera “Days of Our Lives,” portraying the character Dr. Drake Ramoray. Joey being Joey, he makes one stupid, arrogant remark to Soap Opera Digest, in which he states that he makes up most of his own lines (in reality he slightly tweaked them on set). One of the “Days of Our Lives” writers, in a fit of anger and rage, kills him off in his next episode.

While I can understand the writer being upset, I honestly don’t think he would have had that much power. If a writer is hired to write for a television show, whether it is a sitcom or a soap opera, they probably have to keep things in mind like what the fan favorites are as far as characters, or what the actor’s contract says as far as how many episodes they get to be in. I’m not saying that this is necessarily fair; I’m just stating the more realistic reality.

If the writer turned in an episode in which one of the actors died, it’s quite likely that the producer (who typically has the real power) would say, “Look, Joey has a contract for the next two seasons. If you kill him off now, he could sue us. And there could also be a dip in ratings if he goes away. I’m sorry that he bruised your ego in such a ‘prestigious’ publication like Soap Opera Digest.”

2.     Joey Not Having a Monologue

Speaking of Joey, he’s not necessarily the most professional (or talented) actor.

When he eventually returns to “Days of Our Lives,” he’s often late to the set, forgets his lines, and (Joey being Joey) sleeps with every female extra.

            One example of Joey’s non-professional behavior would be in the episode “The One With the Cake.” His longtime agent Estelle calls him at the last minute, saying that there’s an audition he could probably still make, as long as he has a monologue prepared. Joey then says, “A monologue? I don’t have a monologue prepared?”

            Okay, if you’re a professional actor, you should have at least three or four monologues prepared. All fully memorized, with the acting and the cadences down to a tee. That way if you have an audition coming up, you have multiple monologues in which you can showcase your range and acting ability.

3.     Ross Not Knowing Statistics Related to Condoms

One of the hallmarks of “Friends” was the on-again, off-again relationship

between Rachel and Ross. In the episode “The One Where Rachel Tells…” she tells Ross that she’s pregnant and that the baby is his. Ross is at first confused by this because they used condoms, but Rachel informs him that condoms, “Only work 97% of the time.” This is news to Ross, who is then upset that the warning isn’t in bigger writing on the condom box, and begins to call customer service at the condom company.

            Ross is a lot of things on the show “Friends.” He often mistreats Rachel. He’s arrogant. He doesn’t have a whole lot of common sense. He’s more often than not socially awkward to say the least. But the one thing you can’t say about Ross is that he’s unintelligent.

            How could Ross, a man with a PhD, who is a professor and a paleontologist, and skipped at least one grade, not know that condoms aren’t 100% effective?

            Again, none of this really ruins the show for me at all. It’s still a fun, funny show with loveable characters. These are just instances of reality vs. fiction that I find particularly glaring.

Note: If you'd like to check out my fantasy novel in progress "The Princess of Infinite Tomorrows," check it out at https://princessofinfinitetomorrows.blogspot.com/.