Some Friends debates are eternal, like whether Ross Geller and Rachel Green were really "on
a break" and who actually wrote the "Dr. Monkey" joke.
While matters like those may never get settled, the Friends fan community has managed to put
together some very workable theories about other unresolved elements of the series.
Let's take a look at some of those Friends theories that might actually be true.
Secret lovers
There was never any question that Phoebe and Joey had a special bond.
They enjoyed each other's company, no matter how weird the activities, and they were also
known to flirt quite often.
"Hey, how you doin?"
But despite the others pairing off into convenient couples, these two wild cards never quite
take it there, apart from sharing a few stray kisses along the way.
However, there's a very good chance that the two took comfort in each other's arms when
no one else was looking.
After all, the heat between them was always very authentic.
And the two always seem to have a running inside joke in play that the others aren't
privy to.
Phoebe also seems to get especially offended whenever someone insults him.
"HEY.
You could do a lot worse than Joey Tribbiani."
As it turns out, actor Matt LeBlanc even pitched the idea of exposing a secret sexual history
during the show's run.
He told People Magazine:
"Towards the end we actually pitched the idea that Joey and Phoebe had been having casual
sex the entire time.
We'd go back and shoot all the historical scenes and just before a moment that everyone
recognizes, there's Joey and Phoebe coming out of a broom closet together.
But they were like, 'Nah.'"
Hey, just because we didn't see it play out in an episode doesn't mean we can't figure
out where such scenes would belong in the next binge session.
"You think you and I should hook up?"
"Oh, we do.
But not just yet."
Low-key hero
Another theory that seems to check out is that bleach-haired barista Gunther was the
one who made sure all of Rachel's friends had prime seating at Central Perk every day.
It was unusual for the sextet not to have the big orange couch to themselves, and the
early episodes show a visible "reserved" sign posted on the coffee table to explain away
their constant domination of the comfy spot.
The theory is that as a gesture of his affection for Rachel, Gunther makes sure the spot is
always ready for her and her friends when she wasn't working to save it for them.
Otherwise, it's hard to believe that such prime seating would almost always be available
to them, no matter how many cups of espresso Chandler buys.
Subtle genius
One of the all-time best moments on Friends is when Phoebe masterfully corners Ross into
walking back on his claim that evolution was a scientifically-proven fact rather than a
working theory.
"I can't believe you caved."
"What?"
" … you just abandoned your whole belief system."
And that's just one of several scenes where Phoebe surprised her pals and audiences alike
with some extremely intellectual ideas.
"I like to think of myself as the puppet master of the group."
As a result, some fans have come to the conclusion that she's a secret genius.
Consider how she speaks French and Italian on command.
"Le ise bellina."
"Wow, Phoebes, you speak Italian?"
"I guess so!"
She also has very astute observations about classic literature, despite her lack of formal
education, and she has an appreciation for very eccentric forms of art and music.
Plus, she is self-taught in activities such as guitar and learned to survive the mean
streets as a young girl on her own.
Perhaps she said it best herself when he told us:
"I may play the fool at times, but I'm a little more than just a pretty blonde girl with an
ass that won't quit."
Maybe her missing middle name was actually Einstein.
Cold feet fever dream
Rachel's decision to leave Barry at the altar is the catalyst that ultimately brings the
friends together.
So, there are some who believe she may have simply imagined everything that happened to
the six of them — including her own happy ending with Ross — in a moment of all-consuming
doubt over her pending nuptials.
She's certainly been known to daydream in the past, and her imagination has proven to
be rather vivid.
She also did know Monica, Ross, and Chandler for years beforehand, and she certainly knew
that Ross had a major crush on her back in high school.
So, it stands to reason, their whole star-crossed lovers routine may have been dreamed up long
before she ever stepped foot in that coffee house.
If true, that must've been some gravy boat she was looking at before her wedding.
Deadbeat dad
After Friends' eighth season, we never get to see Ben Geller again.
As far as we know, no harm has come to Ross' eldest child, but once Emma comes into the
picture, Ben disappears from the show for good.
The actresses portraying Ben's moms think the pair simply moved the family to England
and raised Ben with some new adoptive siblings across the pond, but some fans believe there's
a more sinister story afoot.
The theory is that, at some point Carol and Susan had enough and filed to have Ross' parental
rights reduced or perhaps even eliminated.
Maybe it was after they taught him all those pranks or when Ross had a nervous breakdown,
or maybe it's just a matter of how little time he actually spent with Ben.
The fact that Ross is also constantly getting married and divorced may be ammunition for
the pair to prove he provides an unstable home life, and when he impregnates Rachel
and has her move into his apartment while he's dating someone else, that may very well
be the last straw.
That fire was no accident
The firefighters who investigate the blaze at Rachel and Phoebe's apartment may think
it's Rachel's hair straightener that sparked the fire, but some Friends fans believe the
blaze may not be accidental.
When Phoebe decides to start collecting her twin sister's paychecks from her career as
an adult film star as payback for Ursula using Phoebe's name, she may have just given her
home address to some sick and twisted individuals.
Perhaps these people lost money on the deal and decided to scare her a little by planting
the straightener in a position that could burn the house down as a message to Phoebe.
The fact that both events happen within the span of two episodes certainly seems to support
this sinister theory.
Case studies
Phoebe Buffay might seem like the only one of the group with mental health issues, but
if you look closely enough, each and every one of the six friends has some particular
emotional or mental affliction that they have to work through on the show.
Monica has major insecurity issues thanks to her parents, and that later manifests in
some very obsessive-compulsive tendencies.
And Ross seems to exist in a perpetual state of depression after Carol leaves him, resulting
in unbridled jealousy and massive relationship troubles — not to mention, there's his whole
rage-out at work episode that lands him in therapy.
"You threw my sandwich away.
My sandwich?
MY SANDWICH?"
Meanwhile, Rachel's a little narcissistic and obviously has some kind of complex about
dating doctors like her dad, and Chandler has such severe social anxiety that his entire
personality is a defense mechanism.
"He's so funny.
I wouldn't want to be there when the laughter stops."
Joey might just be a nymphomaniac, and Phoebe has some moments of obvious delusion and freely
admits to being a little schizophrenic.
"I can hear traffic and birds.
I can hear the voices in my head again."
If the theory holds, apartments 20 and 21 may very well have been the unit numbers of
their group hall at a long-term treatment facility, which would certainly explain the
giant community-sized apartment space!
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