Friends: The One About The Good Times
By Rico Diego
With the passing away of Matthew Perry on the 28th of October, 2023, I wanted to take this opportunity and write about what the TV show Friends meant not only to me, but also what the TV show has meant to SVU students as well.
The TV show Friends first aired September 22, 1994. I was born in the year 1999 and remember flashbacks of seeing the show every now and then as a kid. It wouldn’t be until my senior year of high school that I actually sat down and decided to watch the show.
What the show did for me was give me an escape from reality. I would have a bad day then remember being excited to watch the show and hear iconic lines such as “We were on a break!” or “Joey doesn’t share!” The show taught me that life can be filled with laughter despite the harsh times. They experience the everyday trials and joy that life throws at them that make the show so relatable, like:
Rachel getting her first paycheck only to discover taxes:
Friends making fun of our situations:
When someone asks for a bite of your food:
Any moment with Chandler:
What Friends has done for SVU students:
Despite the show only being a sitcom, it was able to offer to the viewers so much more than just laughs and giggles. Mikki Prowess, a junior, said, “Friends helped me grow as a person. It showed me the different paths that life presents you, and that there are different ways to do things in life.”
Maddison Beech Holm, one of the workers in Hilltop, said, “I started watching Friends when I was a young girl, and have seen the show over and over again. It helped me when I was super sad. After Rachel got broken up she still got up and worked her way up to where she was at the end of the show. It showed me that everything happens for a reason.”
Student Body President Benjamin Whitted watched the show as a kid, and he said it helped him understand friendships, how to laugh at life, and how to develop a sense of humor.
Ashley, a first-year student, started watching Friends when she was four years old. She was attracted to the show due to it being a sitcom, and fell in love with it. Her favorite scenes from the show were “Pivot!” and the episode where Ross decides to wear leather pants only for them to shrink. What she really appreciated about the show was that it helped create an escape from reality. She used it as the comic relief in her life where she would take a small break by watching the show.
While the show was great at making us laugh, it also showed many of us what it would be like to have good friends, and another look at what life could be like. Matthew Perry’s passing was very unfortunate. But — while many sitcom TV shows will come and go — Friends will retain a special place in the hearts of SVU students.
