An empty apartment, six keys left on the front counter, Ross and Rachel finally made up, Monica and Chandler had twin babies, Joey’s acting career took off, and Phoebe married the man of her dreams. Friends gave us 10 seasons of worthwhile comedy, emotion, and so much perspective. Yet, in the end, we felt certain plots could have been better catered to. We have a love-hate relationship with the writers for making our wishes come true and for missing out on some plotlines.
Here are five instances of perfectly wrapped plot points, and the bizarre ones that weren’t done well.
Wrapped Up: I Want A Baby
In “The One With The Birth,” Monica got the baby fever by being around the maternity ward and seeing so many mothers come out with their newborns. The mother hen of the group always wanted a baby. And she made that known to Chandler.
At the end of the series, Monica and Chandler ended up being parents to two twins, a boy, and a girl. They left their New York apartment for a calmer family life in Westchester. A place where their kids could ride their bikes and an ice cream truck could go by.
Not Wrapped Up: Ben
Speaking of Children, Ross’ baby boy, Ben, disappeared from the series. Was it because Emma was born and Ross loved his daughter more? Conveniently, Ross forgot about his firstborn. Did Carol and Susan move to another country? Does Ross care about him? What happened with Ben?
Nevertheless, it would have been nice to see little Ben play with his baby sister, Emma. It would have also made up for a very sweet, heartwarming subplot. Too bad a child was just… kind of lost.
Wrapped Up: He’s Her Lobster!
Rachel and Ross, Ross and Rachel. Will they, won’t they? These two people had a dating history was tumultuous. Ross liked Rachel in high school, Rachel didn’t know. Ross saw Rachel years later and pined over her again, Rachel didn’t know. Ross went to China and Rachel finally knew. Ross came back with Julie, Rachel lost her head. The two of them finally got together, until one of them slept with the girl from the copy machine place.
Long story short, they had a baby together, and just when Rachel was about to take off for Paris with Emma, Ross and Phoebe drove to the airport to tell her - The plane doesn’t have a left phalange! Ross confessed his love for Rachel, but she left anyway. Moments later, she appeared at Ross’s door saying she got off the plane. And the lobsters were back together in eternity. Unless they were on a break.
Not Wrapped Up: Phoebe’s Birth Mother
In “The One At The Beach” Pheobe finally learned the truth about her birth mother. The poor girl deserved to know where she came from, and it turned out that her birth mother quit on her and her twin sister, Ursula. When Phoebe first met her birth mother, we thought something would become of it. But nada! Other than giving her a puppy and teaching her the pain of losing a loved one (which Phoebe gladly discarded), she just disappeared from the scene. Guess she took rejection pretty hard.
Wrapped Up: Estelle’s Death
Joey’s agent Estelle Leonard - the first black man to fly solo across the Atlantic - died. It was alright for showrunners to write her off, considering how bad of an agent she was for Joey. She lost him the part in the TV movie that Joey would have been perfect for, amongst other things. She kept taking her responsibilities as Joey’s agent for granted.
For Joey to be able to move to L.A and pursue his acting career more seriously, he had to let go of Estelle and her services.
Not Wrapped Up: Javu’s And Monica
When did Monica and Chandler decide to move to Westchester County, what happened to Monica’s job as the head chef at Javu’s? Wasn’t this job something she just had to do, something she stayed back in New York for, whilst Chandler moved to Tulsa all alone? Hello, the owner of the restaurant wanted to hire Monica, he was looking for her personally.
So when Mondler made the collective decision to leave their lives behind in New York, it wasn’t clear what Monica was going to do about Javu’s? Or even Chandler, considering he’d just stepped into the world of advertising.
Wrapped Up: Marcel And Ross
This subplot was wrapped perfectly, early on. Marcel the capuchin and Ross were so adorable together. They went on strolls, he was Ross’s plus one at the New Year’s Party, Ross fought the love of his life, Rachel, when she let Marcel get away. Ross loved his monkey very much, and we are not talking metaphorically. When Marcel hit puberty and kept humping everything, Ross knew it was time for him to let his monkey go. Marcel ended up being in a dangerous zoo, followed by becoming a big movie star. Ross and Marcel bid the perfect goodbye to each other after the movie was shot.
Not Wrapped Up: Tag Jones
Tag and Rachel dated each other, and the whole thing was unethical. Rachel hired Tag in place of Linda just because he was cute. Tag was Rachel’s novice assistant but within some time, he developed quite an ethic for work. Tag and Rachel broke up in “The One Where They All Turned Thirty.” Rachel left him on account of his young age, and due to them wanting different things from life.
But it’s bizarre that Tag almost completely disappeared. He was also Rachel’s assistant. We’d love to know more on that, did she unethically fire him too? Why did Rachel act so surprised to see Tag in “The One With The Red Sweater?” Wasn’t he around anymore?
Wrapped Up: Phoebe And Mike
Phoebe and Mike got married in a fairytale setting, had a hell of a honeymoon, followed by a minor altercation over Princess Consuela Bananahammock/Crap Bag. Mike was present when the twins were born, and we got a real shot at Phoebe and Mike’s married life. They went places together. After Jack and Erica were born, Mike talked about having kids with Phoebe. Phoebe jokingly suggested they whisk away one of the babies in her coat pocket. Phoebe wanted a whole bunch of children with Mike. The couple could teach them to sing and they could be like the Von Trapp family. What a beautiful ending that was.
Not Wrapped Up: The Birth Mother
Erica lived with Chandler and Monica for her last trimester. She was taken to the hospital right from their apartment since she was on a visit to New York. It’s obvious that almost all of her stuff was in their apartment. Now the odd thing is that, after the birth of baby Jack and baby Erica, everyone in the gang forgot about her. Like the birth mother never existed. She went to church camp, and that is all we know.
One could argue that the agreement didn’t include taking care of Erica after birth. But what about the children she was giving away, shouldn’t Monica and Chandler have called her, as they promised they would? Also, what about her stuff at Monica and Chandler’s? Considering the two packed everything, where did they keep her stuff?
