The Dark Friends Theory That Explains Why The Group Is So Close

If you've ever laid claim to a sofa inside a coffee shop to discuss life's frivolities with the people you're close to, then you're probably a big fan of NBC's "Friends." In 2002, "Friends" was ranked number 21 of the top 50 greatest shows of all time by TV Guide. Starring Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc, and Matthew Perry, "Friends" sees a diverse group of people share their life experiences and struggles too often hilarious effect.

Summoned by the mighty clarion call of The Rembrandts' "I'll Be There for You," Rachel Green (Aniston), Monica Geller (Cox), Phoebe Buffay (Kudrow), Joey Tribbiani (LeBlanc), Ross Geller (Schwimmer), and Chandler Bing (Perry) cover the spectrum of professions and personalities. The group respectively contains a fashionista, chef, musician, actor, a paleontologist, and a data processor, and their general demeanor is just as varied. Most fans probably never questioned the nature of the group's interpersonal relationships and their fondness for each other, but one "Friends" fan theory on Reddit casts an interesting light on the gang's dynamic.

Providing an in-depth analysis of each character and their relationships with their mothers, Reddit user the_imhotep_show felt that a slew of mommy-based issues bound the group together. They stated that Rachel has a mother who had accepted her traditional matriarchal role and played a part in it, which caused Rachel to rebel against the system and leave her fiancé at the altar. They continued by saying that Monica has an overly critical and dismissive mom, Phoebe has an abused mom who is emotionally unstable, Ross has an overbearing mother, Chandler has disinterested parents who couldn't care less, and Joey has immature parents who have a superficial attraction.

Redditor Offkira generally agreed with this theory but specified that it could just be parental issues instead of specific mommy issues. They added, "I mean, maybe what binds them together is that they're all extroverts, so they thrive on being a part of a community." dilqncho observed that they all have mother issues, but doubted how much it brought them together as friends. They thought that if anything, it should have made them incompatible, and stated, "Honestly, most people have some sort of (realized or unrealized) issues stemming from the way we were raised. Parents are human, and as much as they love us, they're not immune to mistakes. As we grow up, it's up to us to not let that affect us too much." 

This fan theory may or may not have merit, but one thing is for certain, and that is the entire crew of "Friends" has exceptionally different parents.