The world-famous actress Lisa Kudrow, recently spoke about her time on NBC's coming-of-age sitcom, Friends. She told The Daily Beast that the show's core cast got along really well and that their relationship was "respectful." Kudrow, who played the quirky Phoebe Buffay for a decade made fans laugh regularly with her witty and wise commentary on relationships, friendships, living in NYC, love, and everything else that the sitcom touched on.
What makes Phoebe a stand-out character is her emotional intelligence, empathy, and sensibility. Her friends, Monica, and Joey shared these personality traits, and together their circle of friendship was a place of warmth for those who needed extra love, care, and empathy.
Judy Geller
Judy Geller played an insensitive, overbearing mother to her youngest, Monica. She triggered her daughter's anxiety by relentlessly criticizing her lifestyle and choices. Judy lacked the empathy that her husband Jack had.
Although Jack made amends with Monica for unconsciously favoring Ross over her, Judy never really accepted responsibility or navigated her and Monica's relationship with care. Her ive-aggressive behavior indicates that she lacked the emotional intelligence, and comion that her husband Jack, and daughter, Monica personified.
Ross Geller
Ross Geller had many skills, but emotional intelligence was not one of them. He was a book-smart person with poor social skills, and he insulted his friends' grammar, without even realizing he caused them embarrassment.
Ross became paranoid when Emily and Susan traveled to London, simply because he hadn't coped with being cheated on by his first wife, Carol. He avoided dealing with his emotions, and worst of all, he was an insecure partner. Ross couldn't understand and reflect on his emotions nor did they feel the need to learn the skill, either.
Chandler Bing
The gang's funnyman, Chandler Bing, was a good roommate to Joey, and briefly to Eddie, as well. He was friendly and ive, and he knew how to manage his relationships and set boundaries with people. He tried to break the ice when Eddie moved in with him in season 2 by inviting him to play foosball and watch an episode of Baywatch. He took his time to process his emotions surrounding his parent's divorce and absentee parents and wanted to set a good example for his children.
Chandler comforted Rachel over a failed romance with his co-worker in season 4. His home became a safe place for her after her ex and their friend, Ross got engaged to Emily. Chandler was a kind, comionate person, and in many ways, is considered Friends' main character. His compelling character arc offers plenty of life lessons about handling emotions and embracing the authentic self.
Janice Hosenstein
The fan-favorite character, Janice Hosenstein, is best ed, among other things, for comforting the first-time mother, Rachel after she gave birth to Emma. Janice ired Rachel's courage and made sure to tell her that parenting a child was an extraordinary act.
Janice was also a great girlfriend to Chandler, especially after he told her he was being transferred to Yemen for work. She made sure to stay with him until he got on a plane and promised to write to him. Her other irable qualities included concern, care, and using her body language effectively. She always showed appreciation for Chandler and his group of friends whenever they got the chance to hang out.
Jack Geller
Jack Geller, was a great father, and a person who defied regressive norms for a social change in Friends. He stepped up and paid for half the costs associated with Ross' rehearsal dinner and wedding to Emily in London. He was a self-aware, expressive man who did not hesitate to tell his daughter he wanted to be buried at sea.
Jack had always provided for his family, not just financially, but emotionally as well. When he found out Ross was a little worried about becoming a parent, he comforted him and offered to make up for the lost time and do more stuff together. He also came to see Monica when she broke up with her boyfriend, and his close friend, Richard and gave her a seasoned person's perspective on how difficult relationships were. Jack is one of the Friends gems with strong social skills, and a sense of self-awareness.
Rachel Green
Rachel Karen Green started her Friends journey as a fairly self-centered and spoiled person, but with time she embodied the grace and strength of character that her friends possessed. Though it took her some time to understand her own needs, and emotions but once she did, there was no looking back. She was courteous enough to return Barry's wedding ring in person, and what's more, gave a beautiful wedding toast on his and her former maid-of-honor, Mindy's wedding.
Rachel's character arc is one of the very best in Friends, and with time, she became more and more self-aware. At the end of the show, she'd grown into a comionate woman and a loving friend who knew what she felt at various stages of life. It's for the same reasons she opened her home to her spoiled sisters, and tried to help them through their tough times.
Joey Tribbiani
Joey Tribbiani was a highly comionate person with an ability to manage emotions in a healthy way. His empathetic responses include having a heart-to-heart with Rachel after Ross came back from China with, Julie and later, comforting Monica when she was going through a breakup with Richard. He was entirely correct when in "The One With Ross' New Girlfriend," he remarked he could sense when women were sad and vulnerable.
Joey had the perfect emotional response to the various upheavals he and his friends went through. Of all his friends, he took Chandler to his movie premiere because he wanted to pay him back for his love and . He was genuinely sad when he learned of his agent, Estelle's ing. He was also mindful of the boundaries with his friends, and their families and his trait of his set him apart from the other men in the group.
Monica Geller
Throughout her Friends journey, Monica Geller's integrity drove her actions and affected her life choices. Unlike her high school friend, Rachel, Mon was a self-aware woman at the show's beginning. She recognized the power she had over her friends, and not once did she misuse that. She put a roof over the runaway bride, Rachel's head, notwithstanding the fact that she wasn't invited to her wedding. Monica also looked past Rachel's poor apartment hygiene because she wanted to see her do better and stand on her own two feet. She was there for her friends, brother, and husband every step of the way.
As an emotionally intelligent person, Monica always acknowledged the steps her partner, and later, husband, Chandler took. Monica also knew room there was immense room for self-improvement and worked on herself for a happier future. She let go of Richard with grace, and her arc offers plenty of life lessons to Friends fans.
Phoebe Buffay
Phoebe Buffay ranks high among the most likable Friends characters, due to her optimism, the art of managing relationships, and the ability to empathize with friends. Early on in season 1, she made clear that the global issue of world peace was near and dear to her heart, and that she cared deeply about Earth's rainforest cover.
Phoebe was also a sympathetic person, in that, she also tried to understand her friends' situations from her own perspective. In the show's pilot episode, she comforted the runaway bride, Rachel on her wedding night by narrating what it felt like being on her own. When Monica found out Phoebe had in the past tried to cut her out, the latter stepped up, owned up to her mistake, and communicated effectively. Phoebe would diffuse also tension in the most difficult situations, thereby acting like the show's vehicle of comic relief.