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22 September, 1994 – that’s when the first episode of Friends first aired. Over 25 years, Monica, Chandler, Joey, Ross, Rachel and Phoebe have continued to entertain us because the show never gets old. Feeling low? Watch Friends. Hanging out with friends? Watch Friends. Missing your friends? Watch Friends. Friends is for every occasion. So to mark 25 years of the hit sitcom, let’s go back to The One Where It All Began – the first episode of season one and the first lines that each of these six friends ever said.
In the very first cold open, Monica is seen sitting on the now iconic orange couch at the gang’s usual haunt Central Perk with Joey, Phoebe and Chandler. Everybody is curious to know a more about the mystery man she is dating and Monica says, “There is nothing to tell, it's some guy I work with.” Later in the episode it’s revealed to be a long-standing crush of hers whom everyone refers to as ‘Paul the wine guy’.
Joey doesn’t let Monica’s comment slide so easily. He alludes to her presumably sketchy dating history saying, “Come on, you're going out with a guy. There's gotta be something wrong with him.” A struggling actor who is constantly looking for jobs and an absolute womaniser, he is one of the funniest characters on Friends.
Establishing his role in the group as “the funny one”, Chandler jumps into the conversation and prods further: “So does he have a hump, a hump and a hair piece?” When you look back at this and then think of how Monica and Chandler fell in love and got married later in the show, nothing seems impossible.
While it’s pretty easy to remember each of these character’s backstory, Phoebe has a pretty complicated and colourful past. We keep getting random snippets of it in the show through flippant statements she makes during conversations.
Ross Geller, palaeontologist and hopeless romantic, walks into the coffee shop after finding out his ex-wife Carol has moved out of their apartment to be with her new lover. All he has to say to his friends is a sad “Hi”.
Rachel’s introduction is the most memorable. She bursts into Central Perk in her wedding dress, shortly after leaving her fiance at the altar. She explains she’s looking for her BFF from high school (who she never invited for the wedding), Monica, since she’s the only one she knew who lived in New York City.
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