It’s been 27 years since Friends premiered. At the time, the present appeared like a easy, straightforward sitcom to sink into. In quite a lot of methods, it was simply that. Whenever you take a look at the sequence as an entire, although, it was far more than that. The event and progress of the characters, in each good and unhealthy methods, drove the present ahead and stored followers coming again for extra. It’s straightforward to see which character had the most improvement and progress when wanting again at the pilot and the Mates finale. Fans largely agree that Rachel Green modified the most. She went from a spoiled daddy’s lady to a self-sufficient businesswoman.
How previous was Rachel Green when Mates started?
The age of the Mates characters at the begin of the sequence and the finish is just a little complicated. It looks like the writers didn’t all the time think about pre-existing information into their writing. Nonetheless, we will work out a common age for Rachel. In “The One Where They All Turn Thirty,” Rachel turns, you guessed it, 30. The episode aired in 2001, seven years after the sequence premiere. Provided that data, Rachel ought to have been 23 years previous in the pilot episode.
There’s a little downside with that, although. In the first season of Mates, Monica Geller constantly states that she is 26, which implies Ross Geller ought to have been about 28. Rachel and Monica had been classmates, so they need to be round the identical age, give or take a yr. Based mostly on different clues all through the sequence, we will assume that Ross was 27, Monica was 25, and Rachel was 24 when the present began.
Rachel in the pilot and Rachel in the sequence finale are two very completely different individuals
Rachel at 23 was a lot completely different than the 33-year-old Rachel, who ended the sequence by coming again for her real love after being supplied a once-in-a-lifetime job alternative. She, at 23, was a spoiled Daddy’s lady who didn’t perceive what having a job meant and had no thought what taxes had been. When she stumbled into Central Perk, she was egocentric and demanding. As season 1 wore on, the entitlement began to put on off, however she was nonetheless pouty and tough when she didn’t get her method.
By the finish of the sequence, Rachel was not solely self-sufficient, however she was a thriving skilled and mom. Fans can argue that Rachel was additionally the character who needed to do the most work to get to the place she was. Rachel had the comeback story of the century whenever you take a look at it that method. Whereas Phoebe Buffay and Chandler Bing had tough upbringings, neither had been coddled nor babied into prolonged adolescence. Rachel was, so when she selected to go away Barry, she had quite a lot of catching as much as do to get on the identical degree as her friends. She did that, after which some.
Not everybody agrees that Rachel Green had the most character improvement in Mates
Whereas many Mates followers agree that Rachel grew and adjusted the most throughout the present’s 10-season run, some suppose Chandler had the most improvement over time. His progress was only a bit extra delicate. As a result of the character improvement was extra delicate and immediately tied to his romantic relationship with Monica, it doesn’t all the time get the credit score it deserves. Nonetheless, Reddit customers argue his progress was extra substantial than Rachel’s improvement.
Let’s check out it, although. In season 1, Chandler is financially steady however extremely emotionally immature. He’s additionally extraordinarily insecure and fails to see his romantic failures as a mirrored image of his emotional immaturity. Whereas his quips are humorous and well-timed, they’re typically used to masks his deep insecurity and childhood trauma. By season 10, not solely is he a very good husband however he’s matured professionally. Chandler had additionally grown into somebody reliable and considerate. Admittedly, he’s much less humorous and much much less sarcastic, however that’s indicative of his progress, too.
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