Netflix is now airing all the seasons of the iconic sitcom, Friends. The TV show with legions of fans all over India and the world is now being watched for the first time by some audiences. Some people, such as millennials are watching the show with new eyes as adults after having watched it as children when they understood few of the nuances. Now, when one thinks about it, Friends is problematic in several ways.
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Each time there was a flashback to Monica and Rachel's school days, the fat jokes came on. Not only that, it was assumed that because Monica was fat in those days, she was also extremely unattractive.
Chandler's character was always mistaken for being gay and he was clearly uncomfortable with this. Joey would be horrified at the idea of male homosexuality with regard to himself. However, the idea of female one-on-one action – even the relationship between Ross Geller's ex-wife Susan and Carol being titillating was a constant leitmotif.
Chandler is traumatized and dysfunctional about adult relationships because he grew up with a cross-dresser dad among other things. And of course, all crossdressers have to be in a Vegas show!
He had a crush on Rachel when she was in school; he was paranoid about her with Mark. More than once, he abandons an existing relationship when another prospect comes along. Oh and he dates his own teenaged student when he is in his 30s! Creepy much?
He routinely objectifies women, hits on them indiscriminately and appears to have little respect for the women he is seeing. Him saying how you doin’ may be cute, but it is also kind of creepy!
Remember how she hired a male assistant choosing him over a highly qualified female assistant simply because he was gorgeous? Say it with me – creepy!
There were only two non-white characters of note in the entire series – all ten seasons! One was Julie and the other Dr Charlie Wheeler – both were girlfriends of Ross brought into the show for the sake of conflict creation.
Where do I even start! Rachel is helpless because she is a spoilt rich girl. All she wants to do is shop using her dad’s card. She cannot throw a ball because she is a girl. Phoebe has to flash the boys so she can win the game. And Monica, Rachel and Phoebe want to get married – because they are women of course.
Boys don’t play with dolls (Ross was horrified that his son wanted a Barbie). Ross cannot handle the fact that his daughter’s nanny is a man. Men who carry bags are feminine. The show is full of gender stereotypes.
Most of the characters in Friends have little clue about current affairs, general knowledge and so on; particularly Joey. Not only is it OK to be ignorant, it is apparently hilarious!
All this said, what we need to remember that this is a comedy show and it is a product of its time – the 1990s. So long as we watch it, switch off our sets or phones and leave those little bits of regression firmly in the past, I think we can enjoy what is essentially a story about friends and loyalty and some enjoyable personal quirks. Let’s not make heavy weather of it shall we?
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