# Something that always bothered me about "Friends" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 23, 2017, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-that-always-bothered-me-about-friends/782832 "2017-03-23T13:37:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2017, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-that-always-bothered-me-about-friends/782832/41 "2017-03-24T10:52:34Z")
She’s also the woman who dumps Adam Sandler at the altar in The Wedding Singer ---
**Author:** ![Evan\_Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@Evan\_Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evan_Drake)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2017, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-that-always-bothered-me-about-friends/782832/42 "2017-03-24T13:20:39Z")
> [@chorpler](#): > > And it became a plot point in the episode where Mr. Treeger yelled at Rachel and Joey got mad at him, because he pointed out to Joey that Monica and Rachel were illegally subletting a rent-controlled apartment and that he was going to report them and have them evicted … unless Joey helped him learn to ballroom dance. > [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > I remember this coming up fairly early on, there was someone like the building super who couldn’t be allowed to find out that the grandmother was dead. Mr Treeger was played by **[Mike Hagerty](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Hagerty)**, one of the unsung troops who one recognizes from sitcom to sitcom of the period. Unlike most of them though, for him this was a semi-regular part. And he was good. However, despite the fact **Friends** was one of the earliest of sitcoms to embrace a fairly well-off set of primary characters \*, I was disquieted by the class prejudice they displayed to the super, and others. From the beginning he was a comic character, partly because he was fattish and moustached no doubt, but mainly due to his lowly status. He could have been an autodidact genius \*\* for all they knew, but was not treated seriously at all, unlike say the parade of boyfriends throughout who looked good. It seemed snobbishly unamerican. - Not as wealthy as modern sitcoms; but also to embrace a fairly well-off set of primary actors — the episode where they longed to win a lottery was ironic in that all six of the actors were already pulling in enough to make a lottery unimportant. \*\* Mr. Hagerty would have made an excellent hero for **A Confederacy of Dunces** , had it been filmed. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2017, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-that-always-bothered-me-about-friends/782832/43 "2017-03-24T14:19:57Z")
I don’t know what’s scarier: the fact that this conversation is so easy to fall into about a show that has been off the air so long… …or the fact that I am watching the show on Netflix with my daughter and we literally _just_ watched the shows in question over the past couple of days. I watched the shows and my daughter and I were talking, then I clicked on the SDMB and saw this thread, and I thought in my Chandler voice “could Friend _BE_ any easier to step back into??” Jeez - They figured out something on that show that just worked. And yeah, Ross hooking up with the copy girl so quickly always seemed a bit off, more to serve the ongoing series vs. a Ross thing to do. But the overall series worked, so hey. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2017, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-that-always-bothered-me-about-friends/782832/44 "2017-03-24T14:32:32Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > Chandler had a steady, corporate job and at one point was promoted to some management position and of course Joey was the guy on the gonorrhea poster 😛 A transp-- transponster! Oh, wait, that’s not even a word. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2017, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-that-always-bothered-me-about-friends/782832/45 "2017-03-24T18:38:59Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > And yeah, Ross hooking up with the copy girl so quickly always seemed a bit off,… Was he drunk? Or just in dump-shock? Anyway, I’ll bet it happens a lot, he just got caught. And they were on a break, but “We’re on a break” can be interpreted in different ways depending on whether you or your recent partner gets laid first. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2017, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-that-always-bothered-me-about-friends/782832/46 "2017-03-24T18:42:37Z")
And bonus question! Who is Chandler’s TV Guide addressed to? ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2017, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-that-always-bothered-me-about-friends/782832/47 "2017-03-24T18:45:24Z")
> [@Evan\_Drake](#): > > I believe they offered that explanation in the first season — on the other hand if R & M’s grandmother was the rent-control tenant and then in that same season she died, wouldn’t her tenancy die with her ? Was it ever made clear that the grandma who rented the apartment was the same grandma who died(Althea)? ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2017, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-that-always-bothered-me-about-friends/782832/48 "2017-03-24T19:00:01Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > And bonus question! > > Who is Chandler’s TV Guide addressed to? Miss Chanandler Bong! ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2017, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-that-always-bothered-me-about-friends/782832/49 "2017-03-24T19:00:16Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > And bonus question! > > Who is Chandler’s TV Guide addressed to? _MS_. Chanandler Bong! ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2017, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-that-always-bothered-me-about-friends/782832/50 "2017-03-24T19:01:03Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > Was it ever made clear that the grandma who rented the apartment was the same grandma who died(Althea)? I don’t think it was as they were emptying her apartment after her death when all the sugar packets fell on Ross’ head. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2017, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-that-always-bothered-me-about-friends/782832/51 "2017-03-24T19:03:56Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > _MS_. Chanandler Bong! Nope, it is Miss. I WIN!!! The big apartment, apparently. ---
**Author:** ![Evan\_Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@Evan\_Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evan_Drake)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2017, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-that-always-bothered-me-about-friends/782832/52 "2017-03-24T19:06:23Z")
> [@enalzi](#): > > Was it ever made clear that the grandma who rented the apartment was the same grandma who died(Althea)? Seems to alternate ( I just googled it ): _It wasn’t Nana (Judy Geller’s mother), it was the Jack’s mother. There were a few questions about that back in season 1 when Nana died (twice). One of the producers, Alexa Junge, confirmed this for us during season 2. It was again confirmed in episode [3.06], when Monica told Joey that the apartment is her grandmother’s, who’s moved to Florida. (Whereas Nana lived in the New York area until she died.) There was one inconsistency (read: “glaring error”) around this point in episode [10.16], when Chandler found handcuffs in the closet and later everyone found out they belonged to Nana, the former tenant of the apartment. This couldn’t have been true, since it wasn’t Nana who lived there. But other than this one time, the writers and producers have been pretty consistent about this._ **[Friends FAQ](http://www.friends-tv.org/faq.html#3.32)** Come to think of it Ross and Monica didn’t _look_ like brother and sister, particularly since she was the tiniest of the cast. And he was the largest of the friends. > [@TriPolar](#): > > Was he drunk? Or just in dump-shock? Anyway, I’ll bet it happens a lot, he just got caught. He was very unlucky — thanks to Gunther being despicable. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2017, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-that-always-bothered-me-about-friends/782832/53 "2017-03-24T19:15:01Z")
Also, since we are having this Friends discussion here, weren’t Ross and Monica the least Jewish Jews on TV? If it wasn’t for Elliot Gould being there father and that one Christmas episode with the Holiday armadillo, you wouldn’t even know. Unless Rachel was also Jewish. Then she was the least Jewish Jew ever. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2017, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-that-always-bothered-me-about-friends/782832/54 "2017-03-24T19:23:51Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > Also, since we are having this Friends discussion here, weren’t Ross and Monica the least Jewish Jews on TV? If it wasn’t for Elliot Gould being there father and that one Christmas episode with the Holiday armadillo, you wouldn’t even know. > > Unless Rachel was also Jewish. Then she was the least Jewish Jew ever. Good point. I mean, it’s perfectly believable that they’d be nonobservant but then why even tell us? Seems a missed opportunity too; Jews, particularly ones from NY are comedy gold 🙂 (a stereoptypical one). If anything, Dr. Green seemed more of the stereotype, especially the episode where he was a bad tipper. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2017, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-that-always-bothered-me-about-friends/782832/55 "2017-03-24T19:33:53Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > Unless Rachel was also Jewish. Then she was the least Jewish Jew ever. She specifically says she isn’t when Phoebe sings the line “Spin your dreidel, Rachel.” ---
**Author:** ![Sterling\_Archer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Sterling\_Archer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sterling_Archer)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2017, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-that-always-bothered-me-about-friends/782832/56 "2017-03-24T19:38:39Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > 1. It turns out Ross was right all along. Mark tells Rachel he actually was into her after all, whatdya know? But quickly things moved on to “We were on a break” so that all gets kind of forgotten. > > Before the later seasons when he became completely pathetic I liked Ross so this always bugged me. Ross was right to be suspicious of Mark, but Rachel never gave him any reason to be suspicious of HER… until that fateful phone call where he hears Mark in the background. And still, Ross jumps to conclusions too quickly. I was always more on Ross’s side too in the whole kerfluffle, but he is not blameless. Dude needs to chill, but it’s hard when you’re dating up several levels. ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2017, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-that-always-bothered-me-about-friends/782832/57 "2017-03-24T20:18:11Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > I didn’t think she said they weren’t on a break, but just that on a presumably temporary break, what he did wasn’t acceptable. It’s either a break or not. A very common (perhaps the most common) reason people ask for a break or “temporary separation” is to try out other people. In my experience, it’s also not uncommon for the one asking for the break to be unsuccessful and for the dumpee to just fall into other romantic situations without trying. it happened to me. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2017, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-that-always-bothered-me-about-friends/782832/58 "2017-03-24T22:11:01Z")
> [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](#): > > It’s either a break or not. Of course it was a break. It was diagnosed as a break by none other than[Dr. Gregory House](https://youtu.be/Dkb0kNyZVCo?t=24), the world’s greatest diagnostician! ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2017, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-that-always-bothered-me-about-friends/782832/59 "2017-03-24T22:51:39Z")
It’s never Lupus! ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2017, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-that-always-bothered-me-about-friends/782832/60 "2017-03-24T23:03:04Z")
> [@CandidGamera](#): > > Why does Ross, the largest Friend, not simply eat the other five? > > 😃 This is literally the only thing I think about when I consider the show. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-that-always-bothered-me-about-friends/782832.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-that-always-bothered-me-about-friends/782832.md?page=4)