Although there were way too many notable characters on Friends to mention all of them,
we ranked the endings of some of the most significant players,
taking into account where they started, where they wound up, and what happened to them along the way.
Poor Emily Waltham wound up being the person most damaged by Ross and Rachel's off-again,
on-again relationship. At Emily's wedding to Ross, seeing Rachel distracts the groom,
and he accidentally says Rachel's name during his vows.
"I, Ross."
"Take thee, Emily."
"Take thee, Rachel."
Emily goes through with the wedding, but then immediately runs away, mortified by the actions
of her new husband. Later, Ross convinces her to try to make the marriage work, but she's so
jealous of Rachel that she forbids him to see her or even to keep anything she ever touched.
Ultimately, Emily's conditions prove too much for Ross,
and their brief marriage ends. However, that's not the last we hear from Emily.
"I'm getting married tomorrow. Well, maybe I am.
I keep thinking about you and wondering if we made a mistake."
Ross doesn't take her up on the offer to get back together,
but Emily's ending doesn't speak to a character who's moved on in a healthy way.
David was introduced in the first season of Friends, and quickly hit it off with Phoebe,
only to reveal that he would soon be leaving the country to pursue scientific study
in Minsk. The two briefly reconnect years later, when David comes to town for one night,
and Phoebe drops everything to see him, saying he could be the love of her life. But he returns to
Minsk yet again, and Phoebe finally moves on and falls in love with Mike Hannigan.
David makes his last appearance in season nine, returning to the United States for good
after realizing that the scientific breakthrough he was attempting to achieve in Minsk was,
in fact, impossible. He prepares to propose to Phoebe, but Mike proposes first. David is
left alone, without the woman he loves or the scientific advancement he'd worked for. It's
a pretty sad ending for a character who never seems to have things turn out the way he wants.
Despite their significant age gap, Richard Burke and Monica quickly fall in love in season two,
but soon realize they want totally different things in life.
Monica wants to have children of her own, but Richard's kids are adults,
and he doesn't want any more. After some painful deliberation, the two reluctantly break up.
Several years later, Richard decides that he's willing to have children if that's what it takes
to be with Monica. But by then, Monica has fallen in love with Chandler, who also wants
to get married and have children. Accepting that Monica already has everything she wants,
Richard stops trying to pursue her. As far as we know, he never remarries,
but eventually winds up selling his apartment to buy a much larger apartment
with a view of Central Park. So even if he remains alone, he'll be alone in style.
The story of Phoebe's teenage half-brother, Frank Buffay Jr., takes a surprising turn
when he tells Phoebe that he's fallen in love with his home economics teacher, Alice. Alice
is several decades Frank's senior, but despite their scandalous age gap, the two get married.
Shortly after tying the knot, Frank and Alice hurry to have children,
using Phoebe as a surrogate. Much to everyone's surprise, Phoebe becomes pregnant with triplets,
and Frank and Alice are thrilled. However,
in the final season of the show, Frank comes to Phoebe with an unusual request.
"I just was thinking that, you know, maybe you could take one."
But when pressed to pick one, Frank realizes he can't bring himself to part with any of his
children, no matter how exhausted he is. While we're glad that Frank comes to accept his role as
the father of triplets, it's a little concerning that he's so overwhelmed that he comes to the
brink of giving away one of his children. We hope he and Alice eventually find a better balance.
Gunther is a permanent fixture on Friends, although he never gets much of a story
of his own. The one exception is his long-standing crush
on Rachel. For most of the series, Gunther has strong feelings for her and experiences
significant jealousy towards the men she dates. Occasionally, this ventures into creepy territory,
but in the series finale, Gunther finally tells Rachel about his feelings.
"I know you're leaving tonight but I just have to tell you, I love you."
Even though she doesn't reciprocate, he seems at peace. That makes us hopeful
that he's realized that pining for a woman who doesn't love him
isn't good for him, and that he'll be content to move on with his life.
Janice begins as Chandler's girlfriend, but she continues popping up long after their
relationship ends. In season eight, Janice shows up unexpectedly in the hospital where
Rachel is giving birth, revealing that she's also having a baby with her new,
mostly deaf husband, Sid. Sid's limited hearing makes him the perfect match for Janice,
whose nasal voice and distinctive laugh prove off-putting for most other characters on the show.
"Squeeze your legs together and cover the baby's ears."
Janice also appears in the fertility clinic where Monica and Chandler are trying to conceive,
saying that she and Sid are trying to have another baby.
Janice's last appearance is as a homebuyer who considers purchasing the home next door to
Chandler and Monica. She decides against it when Chandler pretends to still have feelings for her.
All in all, Janice seems to have done pretty well for herself,
finding a husband she loves and raising a family while always remaining true to herself.
One of the most stable relationships throughout Friends is between Ross' ex-wife, Carol,
and her partner, Susan. Shortly after Ross and Carol's son Ben
is born following their divorce, Susan and Carol get married.
They have a healthy marriage in which they keep up a friendly relationship with Ross.
The series never gives Carol and Susan a definitive ending, but it checks in on them
from time to time, mostly in the context of their shared custody of Ben with Ross.
Mostly, Carol and Susan appear to have a loving and supportive relationship,
which only intersects with Ross when they have to share parenting duties. Otherwise,
the couple doesn't seem wrapped up with Carol's ex at all — which is probably how it should be.
Of the core group of friends, Ross' ending — while perfect in his own eyes — comes in at
the bottom of the stack. Professionally, he gets a tenured position at New York University. He also
continues to share custody of his son with Carol, although Ben lives with his mom most of the time.
On the romantic front, although Ross dates many women throughout the series,
he consistently carries feelings for Rachel. They have a daughter together, Emma, in season eight,
but don't remain romantically involved. However, in the series finale, as Rachel
prepares to take a job in Paris that would mark a huge step forward in her career, Ross realizes
that he's still in love with her. He asks her to remain in New York with him, and Rachel agrees.
While Ross is overjoyed with her choice, it's hard to overlook that Ross' happy ending
comes at the cost of Rachel's career. We can't help but wonder if it ever crossed Ross' mind
to offer to go to Paris with Rachel, instead of begging her to give up her job to stay with him.
"Why do we always have to do everything according to your timetable?"
Loveable idiot Joey Tribbiani is the only friend still single by the show's finale, and of the six
main characters, he probably undergoes the least amount of growth. Joey spends years waiting for
his big acting break, which never really comes. His biggest success is as Dr. Drake Ramoray on
Days of Our Lives, but his character is killed off, only to be brought back to life several
seasons later. Joey is nominated for an award for his performance, but never rises beyond that role.
Romantically, Joey tends to avoid serious relationships, but is instrumental in some
of his friends' relationships, and officiates two of their weddings. He ends the series on
his own for the first time, without either a roommate or best friends across the hall.
Overall, Joey's ending is pretty anticlimactic, with him serving more
to support his friends' conclusions than getting a definitive ending of his own.
Rachel Greene begins Friends as a spoiled runaway bride with no marketable skills, and struggles as
a waitress before transitioning into a successful career in fashion. Once she's got her foot in the
door, Rachel gradually climbs the professional ladder, and ultimately gets offered a job with
Louis Vuitton, which requires her to move to Paris. She makes arrangements to move, along with
her daughter, and is on the plane to leave when Ross proclaims his love for her in the finale.
After getting off the plane to stay with Ross, Rachel ends the series romantically happy.
However, after flaking out on the Paris job, one has to wonder whether she's shot
herself in the foot professionally. The finale doesn't grapple with this question,
but considering how much of Rachel's arc focuses on the hard work she puts into her career,
it's a little disappointing to see her give that all up in the finale.
The free spirit of the group, Phoebe Buffay spends the entire series as a masseuse who
enjoys performing original songs at Central Perk. However, while Phoebe doesn't go through any major
professional changes, she does experience some big life events. In season four, she agrees to act as
a surrogate for her brother and his wife, and she gives birth to triplets. Then, after having mostly
casual relationships, Phoebe meets Mike Hannigan in season nine, and the two soon fall in love.
An easygoing piano player with a similarly quirky sense of humor to Phoebe's,
Mike proves the perfect complement to Phoebe's eccentric nature.
The couple gets married by Joey in season ten in an impromptu outdoor ceremony,
and in the series finale, Mike tells Phoebe that he'd like to have a baby.
"You wanna make one of those?"
"One, how about a whole bunch?"
"Really?"
"Yeah. Ooh, we can teach them to sing and we can be like the Von Trapp family!"
Her ending is fitting for a character who never compromises who she is,
but isn't afraid to move on to the next big thing.
Despite none of his friends having a clear idea of what he does for a living, Chandler is one of the
most professionally stable friends throughout the series, building a successful career in data and
statistical analysis. However, Chandler doesn't like his job, and after accidentally accepting
a promotion that requires him to commute to Tulsa four days a week, he leaves his field
and starts over as a junior copywriter at an advertising agency. While this is technically
a step back for him professionally, it's also the first step towards a career he actually enjoys.
Romantically, Chandler goes through a number of unsuccessful relationships before falling
for Monica. Starting as best friends proves to be exactly what they both need, and the two perfectly
balance out each other's neuroses. Monica and Chandler get married in a wedding officiated
by Joey, and Chandler becomes a father in the series finale, when he and Monica adopt twins
and move to the suburbs to raise them. It's a huge amount of growth for a character who started
out immature and afraid of commitment, and it's a tremendously satisfying way to wrap up his story.
Monica begins as a struggling chef who longs to fall in love, settle down, and start a
family. Over the following ten seasons, she makes significant strides in every area of her life,
although each is hard-won. Professionally, after a string of less than successful career moves,
Monica ultimately accepts her dream job at Javu, an upscale Manhattan eatery.
On the relationship front, Monica first finds love with Richard, but makes the hard decision
to break it off when she realizes he has no desire for more children. Eventually,
she falls for Chandler, and the two get married. However, after a year spent trying to get
pregnant, they learn that they can't conceive and decide to adopt instead.
The couple is chosen by a young pregnant woman named Erica,
who doesn't realize she's carrying twins until she's already delivered the first baby.
"Twins! Twins!"
"Chandler, you're panicking."
"Uh-huh. Join me, won't you?"
After adjusting to the shock of twins, Monica and Chandler end the series preparing to move to the
suburbs to raise their children. It's the perfect ending for Monica's control-freak character, with
nothing happening exactly the way she planned, but with her still getting everything she ever wanted.
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