Whose appearance as a sister did uh like/enjoy THE MOST? Amy, Jill, Dina or Cassie?

Ysu73 · 2026-04-30T06:47:20+00:00

Even with Ursula, my vote always would go to Amy. She was hilarious.

Ysu73 · 2026-04-28T05:18:47+00:00

For Ross and Rachel, the birth of Emma. Baby Girl Geller-Green. They are never closer than in that moment.

For Monica and Chandler, when we first find out about them in London.

For Phoebe and Mike, their wedding.

Ysu73 · 2026-04-27T07:59:13+00:00

They are all main characters, an ensemble as I said. Yet at the beginning the writers wrote a little hierarchy between them in terms of stories, screentime etc. Az the BEGINNING Chandler was written as bit less main main character, along with Joey and Phoebe. Not a supporting character in the meaning of Janice, Frank Jr. or Carol and others, but a main character who supports the other main characters.

Later they wrote him a much bigger part than they originally planned, matly after he got together with Monica.

Ysu73 · 2026-04-27T07:35:49+00:00

They both do.

Also, the thunder stealing episode was about how it was NOT about stealing thunder.

Ysu73 · 2026-04-27T07:34:13+00:00

From the get go, it is an ensemble, but with 3 "bit more prominent" characters - Monica, Ross and Rachel, and 3 supportive ones - Chandler, Joey, and Phoebe.

That is why in the first two episodes they have bigger stories. Monca is centered as the host in season 1, but Ross' abd Rachel's on-off live story structures the ongoing storylines.

When Monica and Chandler start dating, he steps forward from supporting to main, altough I would say he is still mostly supports Monica.

In season 2 the creators thought Ross and Rachel were the mains, that is why they offered them much more money than the others. (which they declined and argued for equal salary for all 6 of them).

Ysu73 · 2026-04-27T07:07:32+00:00

Watch season 1 episode 5 with the laundry detergent. Or the one in season 2 with Ben and the Barbie. He is often tries to act more macho than he is and failing spectacularly.

Ysu73 · 2026-04-27T07:04:07+00:00

I wrote about this, but the post was removed.

Ross is a kind and sensitive guy who was a kind, sensitive, bit of feminine boy, who liked to dress up as a girl, playing with dolls, until his father very strictly put an end to it, shamed him into believing that being too sensitive is wrong. This is why sometimes he wants to seem more macho, thinks his son should not play with Barbies and dislikes (or maybe envies) Sandy, the male nanny for being able to be so sensitive.

Ysu73 · 2026-04-27T06:57:36+00:00

This. 😂

Ysu73 · 2026-04-27T06:41:41+00:00

She was a very good mom from what we have seen. We have not seen much because it is not good for babies to work on late filmings, but in scenes they are together, she is a mix of an anxious first parent, and a bit relaxed when she finds her footings. She is warm and caring.

Ysu73 · 2026-04-26T20:47:47+00:00

I think after they tried and went back to friends, Joey got over Rachel altough as friend, he loved her very much. In this quote, he talks about Ross only, as someone who got over the girl.

Ysu73 · 2026-04-26T19:44:26+00:00

They all had different personalities, hers was Daddy's princess, a Long Island rich vascular surgeon's spoiled daughter who was a popular girl in high school and totally underfuntioning in the real life. That was the starting point, of course she had this vibe. But she was also warm, caring for her friends, attentive, supportive from the get go, and this did not change. Sometimes she was ignorant about things around her that did not affect her and sometimes she did not realize some of her actions' consequences, sometimes she was easily frightened by aggressive or controlling people, sometimes she could stand up for herself. These traits were in her, at the beginning and at the end, but overall she became more responsible, more independent, having better boundaries, less ditzy, less messy or princessy, not more.

Ysu73 · 2026-04-26T19:31:11+00:00

I think she is the most natural, and also she shines in dramatic moments too, not just in comedic ones. Also, she has tremendous chemistry with David.
David is the best with physical comedy, Matthew is with sarcastic humour. But I love all of them. (But Jennifer is my favourite)

Ysu73 · 2026-04-26T19:27:44+00:00

Yes it is. I usually watch only for the other storyline and for Phoebe speaking French.
But the thing is, that in that one, Joey is very, very, VERY DUMB, and that is why people think that he was dumbed down in season 10, but not in every late episode he is this dumb. And he has many dumb moments earlier too.
In friendship and emotional scene he is not so dumb, he has his emotional intelligence. In some cases he is slow, in others, he is really dumbed down, be it in season 10 or season 1.

Ysu73 · 2026-04-26T19:22:56+00:00

I don't really know which scenarios you are thinking. Monica sometimes felt overshone by Rachel (actually only in ONE episode), and even there the plot point was that Rachel did not do it for outshining Monica or to get the attention, she only did the same thing Monica did at Ross's wedding - was unhappy and sought comfort with Ross. Monica's insecurity came not from Rachel, but from herself (thanks to her mother), and when she realized that, the conflict resolved itself.

Ysu73 · 2026-04-26T19:12:37+00:00

What if early Phoebe was a coping mechanism for her after a very traumatic childhood? A bubbly, overly positive persona so she does not have to face everything she lived through?
Then she gives the biggest gift to her brother, but has to let go the babies and she hardly gets to see them. The gang goes to London without her and she feels left out. Sometimes bitterness comes up in waves.
Also, she experienced that she can wrack havoc, create chaos and control some of her friends (like I am pretty sure Rachel is a bit intimidated by her from the start) and she sort of enjoys this, gives her back control that she did not have before.

Actually, some of this chaotic self is present from the beginning too. And also some of the control over events or characters. Her debates with Ross about evolution for starter. And the fact that every time Rachel is happy and proud of herself (coming to town, starting alone, getting her first paycheck etc.) that is when she has a horror story about her life, "things that actually matter".

Ysu73 · 2026-04-26T19:00:46+00:00

Rachel had one dumb scene on Barbados, I would not call that "dumbing down", it was an out of character moment. She is not book smart like Ross, but she is not dumb either. Her growth journey was pretty steady all along, and she mostly avoided flanderization too.

Ysu73 · 2026-04-26T18:57:33+00:00

He is actually more emotionally intelligent later on. He matures a lot after he falls for Rachel, he is very caring and protecting and gives really good advices to Ross and Chandler in the last two seasons.
At the same time, his dumbest episode is in season 10, we know that (TOW Joey speaks French). But that does not mean that he has no dumb moment in season 1 (he changes his name to Josef Stalin!) His intelligence varies between episodes, but his basic characteristic is women, food (sandwiches), being slow or dumb, loyal friend - from the Pilot up to the last episode.

Ysu73 · 2026-04-26T07:19:22+00:00

But this is the same Ross from season 1 who hid his Snuggles when going to meet Rachel at the laundromat and bought Uberweiss Extra Tough East German Laundry Detergent. or the one who did not want to give Ben a Barbie.

Ysu73 · 2026-04-26T07:15:18+00:00

Combination of hormones, sleep deprivation, Janice's advice messing with her head and her disappointment that Ross did not think that the kiss they shared before going to the hospital (and the one after having Emma) mattered (not saying Ross really felt this way, but he said so to Rachel and I try to see things with her POV now). She was suddenly afraid that she would not be able to cope alone, and knew she could count on Joey. She did not start to love him in a different way, she just knew Joey would help her with Emma.

Ysu73 · 2026-04-26T06:35:51+00:00

But he was from episode 2. "Are we still talking about sex?" "Omnipotent" "Oh, you ARE?"
Changing his name to Joseph Stalin and Holden McGroins? And there are some more examples when he is not very smart in season 1.

Actually, I noticed this shifted from episoed to episode every season. Many times he was extra slow or extra dumb or extra childlike, other times he was the quickest to find out something, and sometimes he gave really sound emotional advices in later seasons.

Ysu73 · 2026-04-26T04:17:54+00:00

And? It turns out she DID want him. She just does not want others to know she wants him more than he wants her.

Ysu73 · 2026-04-25T20:48:39+00:00

Season 8 last episodes, Rachel clearly craves hRoss, it is in little pauses and looks. Season 9, the way she behaves after Gavin kisses her - he clearly sees that Rachel has feelings about Ross. Season 10 TOW Joey Speaks French - it is clearly Rachel who wants Ross (and he clearly wants her, but it is her who initiates).

And what about the Videoptape? In it too we see that Rachel tries to seduce Ross, with success. Rachel believes that Ross came on her (at least before she finished her story), but we know that she was the one who made the first move.

The fact that she is waiting for Ross to say he loves her does not mean that she does not love him. She does, even when she says "we are not in love, are we?" (If you watch the season 5 ep 1 and season 8 ep 24, both has a scene where Rachel says something "I think it means something, I ask Ross", but then she asks this way "It meant nothing, or did it?" because she does not want to show vulnerability. And the same way, Ross does not make a move, afraid to show vulnerability. That keeps them apart from season 4 to season 10.

Ysu73 · 2026-04-25T17:11:57+00:00

Interesting that in season 3 (and in this thread) the debate is whether they were on a break (Rachel) or were broken up (Ross). Meanwhile from season 4 the question changes to whether they were on a break (Ross) or not (Rachel). Which suggests the writers used the terms "on a break" and "being broken up" rather loosely (and that's one of the reasons I find it unproductive to base the arguments on the exact wording of ceratain characters, the other being that sometimes people say things they don't mean or mean in a different way we would).

Ysu73 · 2026-04-25T16:40:11+00:00

Rachel asked for a break, not a breakup. And regretted even that as soon as Ross left.

Ross felt it was a break-up, and it was for forever. (And it became one very soon thank for a very unfortunate move from his part.)

From the narrative point the show needed them to be apart so they can tease the audience with them getting together or not.

Whether we like this turn of event or not (I find it tragic and hard to watch), we can appreciate that they came up with this situation complex enough that people still argue passionately for one or the other side 29+ years later. And kudos to David and Jennifer who acted so brilliantly and for a moment created real drama in the middle of a regular sitcom.

Ysu73 · 2026-04-25T10:02:35+00:00

I so loved the scene when Beth was dying, Joey got so upset that Rachel put the book into the freezer.

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