FRIENDS is one of the first things Bear and I bonded over. He loves the show even more than I do, and can recite most of the episodes word for word. As teenagers, we watched every new episode together, even if that meant one of us had to tape it and wait to watch with the other person.
In 2004, we even kinda crashed a FRIENDS series finale viewing party hosted by a local radio station. You see, the radio station had advertised the viewing party for weeks, and on the day of the FRIENDS finale, Bear and I arrived at the restaurant really early to get good seats.
Instead, we found that the 'viewing party' was basically FRIENDS being played on the bar TVs.
Small TVs.
In a loud, smoky, uncomfortable bar. Most of the people there looked like regulars who were having a drink after work.
Bear and I were so disappointed. The radio station had advertised FOOD! FUN! FANS! TRIVIA! PRIZES!, and by then we didn't have time to make it home before the show started. We had no choice but to watch the series finale of our favorite show at the bar.
Luckily, just as we got settled at a table and resigned to our fate, we spotted a local radio personality walking into a private room off the bar. We approached the assistant manning the door and asked what was going on. Come to find out, the viewing party was something you had to win tickets for, and somehow, despite both of us hearing the ad over and over for weeks, we'd not realized it was winners-only (I'm still not sure about that part. I NEVER remember hearing anyone actually win the tickets. Weird much?).
Sure enough, a winner showed up with her husband and 2 extra tickets, so Bear and I were able to attend! We ate free food, watched the series finale on a big screen surrounded by a room full of die-hard fans, and knew the answer to every trivia question flung at us during the commercial breaks. We won a t-shirt, a mug, and another mug (which we gave to the lady who'd let us use her tickets) and then stopped answering questions to give the others a chance.
It was, in a word, AWESOME.
And why do I love FRIENDS so much?
Because of the characters, hands down.
Everyone can find a bit of themselves in Ross, Rachel, Phoebe, Joey, Chandler, or Monica. They are so dynamic, so real and complex and human, that you can't help but love them. Even when they are doing something they shouldn't (you were on a break, my foot, Dr. Gellar!), you can't help but understand and care about them.
Throughout the series, I cheered on neat freak Monica and emotionally damaged Chandler as they navigated marriage, I teared up every time neurotic Ross and spoiled Rachel almost got back together, I cried as kooky Phoebe bore triplets as a surrogate and desperately wished to keep just one baby, and I always, always wished lovable, sandwich-loving Joey success and happiness.
You find yourself very, very invested.
There's been a lot of talk recently about compelling characters in literature, and it got me thinking... it doesn't get much more compelling than the FRIENDS group, and those characters are obviously not of the literary type.
Compelling characters are everywhere, from our favorite TV show to popular (or not-so-popular) music to our crazy uncle two states over.
Not just in books, everywhere.
A nice reminder that life is full of lessons that we as creative people can tap into and apply to our work if we only keep our eyes and hearts open.
Who are some of the most compelling (non-literary) characters you can think of? Which FRIENDS character are you most like? (I'm definitely a Monica.)
A note: Unfortunately, I've found it necessary to turn comment moderation back on. Hopefully this will eventually prove unecessary, but for now, sorry, guys. :(
