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Anyone who has ever watched a sitcom has probably heard of Friends; the show, which first aired in September 1994, has a cult following that continues to grow even twenty-five years later.
Of course, with ten seasons of fantastic comedy writing, likable characters, and so much material about living, loving, and working in New York City, there is a slew of fan theories circulating on Reddit, Tumblr, and Twitter regarding the deeper meaning behind the show.
3 Friends Fan theory that are quite wild
1) All of it was Rachel's dream
When a keen-eyed Friends fan pointed out that Rachel was the only character with her eyes open in a DVD box set that showed all characters sharing a bed, there were several theories strewn about regarding the artistic thinking behind this decision.
One Twitter user had a particular theory that has only gained more stead as time passed.
The theory suggests that the entire show was really a stress-induced hallucination Rachel experienced the night before her wedding day—a.k.a. the day the show premiered.
"She devised a dream in her imagination including the five other Friends characters as a way to escape her spoiled, trapped future life, the trauma of her wedding the next day.”
“At 5 a.m. on the morning of her wedding day, she partially awakens from that dream. The entire series was her anxiety nightmare.”
2) It's nothing but a Psych Ward
What if Central Perk wasn't a coffee shop, but a mental institution's cafeteria? According to one theory, all six primary characters have personality problems. They're kept in a rehab center and can only move between their rooms (i.e. apartments) and the cafeteria (i.e. Central Perk).
This theory also explains the group's hostility toward newcomers. They're not taunting Monica's new boyfriend; they're attacking anyone who attempts to remove one of their associates from the mental institution.
3) The one where it's just hallucinations by Phoebe
Phoebe regularly alluded to her upbringing on the streets and the fact that her mother was a her**n dealer. And, if Twitter user @strnks had his way, Friends' closing scene would have revealed that she never found a way out of that life.
“I’d have ended Friends by revealing it was all the meth-addled fantasy of a homeless Phoebe as she stared through the window of Central Perk.”
“All 10 seasons were merely her fevered imagination, projecting herself into the lives of the other 5. All she ever wanted was…Friends.”
Fortunately for those who didn't agree with such a terrible conclusion, co-creator Marta Kauffman debunked the hypothesis, calling it the saddest thing she'd ever heard.
