Whether you love it or love to (tell people you) hate it, Friends was a cultural reset in its time.
Airing 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004, the show made household names of its stars, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer.
And while some moments in the series have aged poorly, with homophobic and fat-phobic jokes littered throughout the seasons, almost 20 years on from the finale airing, the characters are still just as good as ever.
Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Joey, Chandler and Ross were ultimate friendship goals, as a six-strong group of pals living it up in New York City and seemingly spending most of their working hours sipping lattes in their local cafe.
Watch the final scene in Friends. Post continues after video.
But was there more to the Friends characters than meets the eye?
Were the characters shaped by biblical references? Ugh, maybe!
In a theory shared on Reddit, someone reckons that the Friends characters are based around the Seven Deadly Sins and, actually, this theory kinda sorta... checks out?
Chandler is Sloth.
"I associate it to Chandler," the poster's theory began. "He doesn’t like his job but stays there for eight years, also being lazy in general." This is true. Chandler does stay in his job (as a transponster??), which he hates all the way up to season nine of Friends when he finally quits.
He also routinely spends hours on his recliner alongside Joey. In his love life in the early seasons, he also often had a lazy approach to relationships – for instance, he stayed with Janice for a long time simply because he couldn't be bothered breaking up with her.
Rachel is Greed.
Without a doubt, Rachel is the character the most synonymous with greed.
"She is introduced as the rich, materialistic girl," the Redditor said, adding that the character continues with a 'similar level of materialism throughout the show, like her love for shopping."
Rachel is most motivated by money, as she was raised in a rich family, but her dad cut her off when she decided to not marry Barry. While Rachel eventually becomes far less greedy as the series unfolds, there are still glimmers of the old Rachel that come through, like when she admits she returns the gifts that Ross gave her when they were dating.
Phoebe is Lust.
This is a bit of a stretch, as Phoebe's character is so much more than just lust – but she is known for being open about her sexuality in the series.
"She is always going on dates with different people and often says sexual comments and kinky stuff," the user wrote. "I know it’s debatable to give it to Joey, but she says a lot more lusty comments than Joey."
Never forget the time Phoebe tried to seduce Chandler in an attempt to force him to admit to his secret relationship with Monica. And in another scene, she tells Rachel that the "strongest tool" at her disposal is "my sexuality".
Joey is Gluttony.
"He is always eating nonstop... like the time he ate the whole turkey," the Redditor shared.
This sin needs no explanation. Look no further than the time Joey ate his date's dessert.
Monica is Pride.
If obsessive cleanliness was a sin, Monica would claim it, but Pride is the next best thing. Along with being prideful about the state of her home, she's also the person who is the most competitive and eager to win... literally anything she competes in.
"She hates losing and claims she is the best at everything," the user said.
Ross is Wrath.
"You ate my sandwich? MY SANDWICH!!" This outburst led to Ross being put on sabbatical at his museum job. Ah yep, Ross is about as wrathful as one can get.
"He has a very short temper, for example, being sent on leave at work," the theory says.
Of course, Ross isn't angry all the time. But out of the six characters, he is the most known for exploding in anger, from the above response when a co-worker ate his Thanksgiving sandwich to the time he freaks out when he discovers Monica and Chandler had been sleeping together.
That being said, is Ross known as an angry guy? I'd argue no. Which brings us to the final sin...
The final sin is up for debate.
As there are only six friends and seven deadly sins, this means that envy is the odd one out. The Reddit user believes that the final sin could be attributed to two different entities: Gunther, who spends the bulk of the series being jelly of whoever is dating Rachel, or... the viewer.
The audience's 'envy', says the theorist, comes from watching on and feeling jealous of such a tight-knit group of six friends.
I don't know about this. Ross also has his share of envious moments: he's envious of Susan's relationship with his ex-wife Carol and his relationship with Rachel ultimately collapses over his intense jealousy over her friendship with Mark.
Is Ross more envious than angsty? Or maybe he's both?
If any character possesses two sins instead of one, the divisive Ross fits the bill.
Just a thought!
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