“Friends” is one of the most beloved sit-coms that ever aired on television. And that was mostly because of the great cast and characters that were on the show. Rachel, Ross, Monica, Chandler, Phoebe and Joey are the coolest gang of New York and they all had great moments. So I listed the reasons when and why these characters were at their best. And their worst.
Why Rachel is the best:
Supporting Ross
Rachel has always been a very loyal and supportive friend. When the gang is throwing a going-away-party for Ross’ girlfriend Emily, Rachel supports him. Even though it might have been hard for her due to their history, Rachel told Ross that what he has with Emily is special.
She chased her dreams
Rachel could have easily settled down and marry Barry, to never work a day in her life. But she worked hard and eventually landed some great jobs, becoming a full-fledged career woman.
Her sense of style
Rachel has style, she knows fashion and is a trendsetter. That’s how she eventually got into the fashion world herself. And we all know that her hair was a big thing over the years.
She got off the plane
When she was offered a dream job in Paris, she took it. But after an intimate moment between her and Ross, Ross tries to stop her. And Rachel eventually returns.
Why Rachel is the worst:
She was a bully in high school
Rachel was super popular in high school. All the boys liked her and all the girls wanted to be her. Well, not everyone liked her, because she was a typical high school bully.
She tried to stop Ross and Emily’s wedding
She was the one who broke it off with Ross, but she still hated the fact Emily was getting married to Ross. By making the good decision to not attend the wedding in London, she eventually went anyway to try and stop the wedding. She didn’t, but her being there made Ross say the wrong name at the altar.
She takes advantage of Phoebe
Rachel very often takes advantage of Phoebe’s innocent nature. Even if she’s wrong, she would lie to get her way. For instance the moment where she lives with Phoebe and they have an apartment fire. It’s Rachel fault, but Phoebe thinks it’s her fault. When Phoebe stays with Monica and Chandler and Rachel stays with Joey, Phoebe eventually wants to switch because she is sick of Monica’s tidiness. But Rachel doesn’t switch, even though it was her fault.
She asked Ross not to date people
Rachel and Ross are about to have a child together. When they go shopping for the baby, and Ross flirts with the cashier, Rachel becomes jealous and askes him to stop dating. But she dates herself, which is pretty selfish.
She is a lazy roommate
Monica is a clear homemaker, but when you live together with someone you tend to help out a bit. But Rachel simply doesn’t. She is a very lazy roommate and doesn’t do any work around the house.
Why Ross it the best:
The holiday armadillo:
We all love Ross’ enthusiasm, especially when it comes to teaching his son Ben the importance of Hannukah. To get his attention, Ross decides to dress up as a character to teach him about the Festival of Lights. Except there were no relevant costumes. So he dressed up as an armadillo.
He bought Phoebe a bike
When Ross finds out Phoebe never had a bike as a kid, he buys her one for no reason. And that is one of the sweetest gestures Ross has ever made.
He has a cool job
Even though his friends always make fun of his nerdy job, him being a paleontologist is actually really cool. And he is very passionate about his field of work and not afraid to show it.
He is a great boyfriend
Although he has three failed marriages, whenever he is in a relationship with a woman he gives his all and does everything to make her happy. It could be a bit too much sometimes, but you can never say Ross doesn’t care about the relationship he is in.
Why Ross is the worst:
He dated his student
Ross was always judgy about the people his friends were dating, but he dated one of his student. Which is terrible. And he wasn’t very respectful towards her father either.
Sleeping with the copy girl
Although I agree with Ross that they were in fact on a break, him sleeping with the copy girl is still one of the worst things he did. Since he had sex with the first girl that hit on him right after breaking up with his dream girl Rachel. And him going to all that trouble to hide it from Rachel was also not his best moment.
He is homophobic
Okay, it was the 90s, but come one. He hated the fact that his son Ben played with a Barbie doll instead of a more ‘manly’ toy. Ross made Rachel fire the nanny, because he was a man, and even assumed he was gay because of that and the nanny being very sentimental. And don’t even mention how awful he was to Carol and Susan, because they were gay.
He lied about smoking pot
Ross’ parents have always disliked Chandler, because they think he smoked pot when he was younger. When it was actually Ross who did that, but he always hid the fact. Even when it could help our Chandler and Monica’s relationship when the Gellar’s visit.
Why Monica is the best:
She let Rachel move in with her
After Rachel ran out on her wedding, Monica offered her to move in with her, even when they hadn’t seen each other in a very long time. Monica doesn’t think twice and tells Rachel she can live with her.
Her cooking skills
Her friends would probably starve without her. Monica is a great cook and she is very passionate about food. After having some crappy cooking jobs, she eventually became a head chef and a successful one.
She encouraged Chandler
When Chandler was struggling with his job he clearly hated, Monica encouraged him to quit his job. She later supported him, both financially and emotionally, through his unemployment and helped him find his dream career.
She is tidy and organized
This is probably what I like most about her, since this is exactly me. Monica kept her apartment clean. Even when they had to switch apartments for a while, Monica made sure that the tiny place she and Rachel would be living in was cozy and welcoming.
She is honest
Monica has never been afraid to tell the truth and doesn’t sugar coat things that aren’t cookies. And it could sometimes be harsh, she was right most of the time and it eventually helped her friends.
Why Monica is the worst:
She bosses Chandler around
It’s clear that Monica likes to be in charge, and there is nothing wrong with wanting to have control. But she simply bossed Chandler around and Monica rarely listens to him. He had no say in their wedding and Monica doesn’t always treat him the best. She even wanted Chandler to spend all of his savings on the wedding. Not even mentioning the fact that she didn’t notice Chandler started wearing glasses. And she even laughs at the idea of another woman finding Chandler attractive. You’re mocking yourself girl!
She hid lottery tickets
When the gang decides to play the lottery, they all pitch in and buy a bunch of tickets. After the number reveal, the friends find out that Monica hid some of the tickets that she bought just for herself. And she was planning on keeping the money for herself if she won.
Opening the wedding gifts
Chandler having no say in the wedding was only the beginning. When all of their presents are just sitting there, Monica and Chandler agreed to open them together. But Monica opens them all on her own.
She is extremely competitive
Monica is competitive, and not just a little. Especially wjen it comes to her brother Ross, but overall she turns anything into a game, bet or competition. Her competitiveness eventually cost her and Rachel their apartment.
Why Chandler is the best:
He makes the best jokes
It always surprises me how unappreciative the friends are of Chandler’s jokes, because he is without a doubt the funniest of the gang. He always manages to break the ice and makes an awkward or sad moment happier.
His love for Monica
Chandler has to put up with a lot of crap when it comes to his relationship with Monica. She bosses him around, but Chandler stays with her anyway. Chandler does everything to make her happy, he was even willing to give up all his life savings to give Monica her big dream wedding. And Monica and Chandler are in fact the best couple on the show, not Ross and Rachel.
His loyalty to Joey
Chandler and Joey are serious friendship goals. Chandler has always been there for Joey and he is clearly lost without him. Look at the time Joey moved out or later when Chandler moved in with Monica. Chandler always supported Joey financially as well and never asked anything in return. Oh, and that time he stayed in a box to prove his loyalty to Joey.
He is awkward
Chandler represents the everyday man. Someone we can easily relate to, because of the awkward moments he often gets himself into and we all had experience with at least one of them. And this also makes him awkwardly adorable.
Why Chandler is the worst:
He wrote about Ross passing away
Ross and Chandler played on each other on their college alumni website. At first they wrote ridiculous jokes about each other, but Chandler eventually wrote that Ross had died. And although Chandler is funny most of the time, this was his worst joke ever.
Moving to Yemen
Chandler had a relationship with Janice, a few times. When they run into each other and he starts dating her again, he clearly states that he can’t stand her. And to get rid of her, Chandler tells her he has to move to Yemen. He actually goes there, paying a lot of money for a trip he isn’t even going to enjoy. He could have just been honest to Janice, even if she is annoying.
He hates dogs
Chandler always claimed he was allergic to dogs, but he had lied about it his whole life. Simply because he doesn’t like dogs. And it’s clear that it is a very unpopular opinion. How can you not like dogs?
He forget which sister
After making out with one of Joey’s sisters, Chandler forget which one it was. He tries to bluff his way through it, but eventually Joey and all his sister find out.
Why Phoebe is the best:
She loves animals
Phoebe is very passionate about animal rights. She is a vegetarian and is against fur.
Her musical talent
Her biggest passion is her music. Phoebe often plays at Central Perk and she writes her own music. Although not for everyone, she stays true to herself and never lets money or fame give up on that, when she clearly had the opportunity.
Her confidence
Phoebe is super confident. She is quirky, has very strong beliefs and opinions and is open about what she stands for and who she is. Phoebe never tries to be someone else, she is always herself and doesn’t care about what other people think of her.
Having babies for her brother
The most selfless act of Phoebe is carrying triplets for her brother Frank and his wife Alice. Even though she knows she won’t be keeping the baby’s, she is willing to sacrifice nine months of her life to make Frank and Alice’s dream come true.
Why Phoebe is the worst:
Getting mad at Ross for no reason
Throughout one episode Phoebe is furious at Ross, even though she doesn’t remember why. Pretty unreasonable as that already is, it’s made worse by the later reveal that it was something that happened in a dream.
She kissed David while being with Mike
Phoebe’s big love before Mike was David, the scientist guy that had to go to Minsk for work. When he returned, David thought he and Phoebe could have the same kind of romance they had before, but he finds out about Mike. She kisses him anyway. Weird thing, Mike was actually really understanding about it. Yay for Mike, not yay for Phoebe.
Pairing Monica with her soulmate
Phoebe claims she has met Monica’s soulmate, but Monica is already married to Chandler. And Phoebe brings it up right in front of him and actually introduces them to each other. Also in front of Chandler!
She mugged Ross
Phoebe mugged Ross. They were teenagers and not friends yet, but still. It’s a pretty bad thing to do.
Why Joey is the best:
He gave up meat
When Phoebe was pregnant, she was craving meat. But since she is a vegetarian, she couldn’t do it. Instead, Joey gave up meat during the entire pregnancy, so that no extra animals would have to die and Phoebe could admit to her cravings.
He can keep a secret
Joey might not always understand what’s going on, but when he does he can keep a tight lip. After finding out about Monica and Chandler’s relationship, Joey managed to keep his friend’s love affair a secret until Rachel found out about it.
He took dance lessons with his super
In order for Monica and Rachel to keep their apartment, Joey agrees to take dance lessons with the super of the apartment building. Since this Mr. Treeger isn’t very comfortable with the ladies, Joey offers him a helping hand and he eventually starts liking the dancing.
He gave Hugsy away
Joey is very fond of his stuffed penguin Hugsy. When Emma seems to like Hugsy too, Joey gives up his bed time pal so Emma can have him.
He wanted to pee on Monica
When Monica is stung by a jellyfish, Joey is the one offering to relief her from the pain by peeing on her. Chandler eventually does it since Joey can’t pee when people are watching, but he is still the one that volunteered to do it in the first place.
Buying the Christmas trees
When Phoebe gets upset that the Christmas trees will go into woodchipper when they aren’t sold, Joey buys them all. That’s such a lovely gesture.
Why Joey is the worst:
He’s not respectful of women
Joey is a ladies man, he knows how to woo them and seduce them. But he often doesn’t call them back or even forgets their name. And he also objectifies women.
He eats all the food
Joey doesn’t really chip in in his own household, Chandler paid for most of the things he owns. But he also very regularly eats everything in Monica and Rachel’s fridge. Joey just takes whatever he pleases and never replaces it or pays them. And he didn’t share food, but happily ate of someone else’s plate.
He never paid back Chandler
Chandler paid for a lot of stuff: groceries, furniture, things to get Joey’s acting career going. And even though Chandler never asked for anything in return, Joey never even tried to pay him back.
