You’ll remember the stark difference between Emily’s personality in Seasons 4 and 5. In the former season, she was much nicer and you could see why Ross fell in love with her; in the next season, though, she was a vindictive and manipulative woman who showed Ross no sympathy for his mistake despite several attempts on his part.
This was because the actress fell pregnant and didn’t film full appearances. Emily instead was always shown talking on the phone. Had gone on and to New York as initially planned, we could’ve had a proper closure to her character. Emily could have been more than just a jealous wife; we may even have felt some sympathy for her.
Hurt: Rachel and Joey
Thankfully, for everyone who watched the show, the Rachel and Joey storyline fizzled out just as inexplicably as it began. Thedisliked the story, and made no attempts to let it be known.
The showrunners still went with the idea and we have to live with the fact that these two were involved, even for a brief time. It’s a relief the two never went all the way as this would have destroyed Rachel’s eventual reconciliation with Ross. It would have also hurt the group dynamic because Ross and Rachel were always meant for each other. Joey went back to being the lovable friend we knew him for, without any romantic intention toward Rachel.
Saved: Phoebe’s Dad Stays On
For the few scenes we saw Phoebe’s dad in, he seemed to be an awkward person who couldn’t handle the pressures of society. It’s too bad the show never indulged us in a relationship between Phoebe and her father; it would’ve been interesting to see how she coped with finally having the presence of a father in her life.
Unfortunately, the man’s one appearance was limited to just that and we never heard from him again. Phoebe mentioned she was only in touch with her stepfather in prison, meaning that Frank Buffay Sr bailed on her once again. missed a good opportunity showing Phoebe, Ursula, and Frank Jr Jr interacting with their father.
Hurt: Phoebe and Joey Silently Involved
We have no idea what possessed Matt Leblanc and Lisa Kudrow when they suggested that a throwaway line be added to the show that would’ve informed the audience that Phoebe and Joey had been on a casual basis for a number of years.
It would’ve permanently shattered the image of the perfect friendship Joey and Phoebe enjoyed. Of all the characters on the show, Phoebe and Joey’s relationship was the purest; one nobody wanted to turn into a romantic or physical one. Thankfully, the idea was shot down and in canon, Phoebe and Joey were only the best of friends and nothing else.
Saved: Phoebe’s Mom’s story continued
In the same vein as Pheobe’s dad disappearing, Pheobe’s mother – also called Pheobe – vanished without a reason given. Unlike Frank Sr, Phoebe made another appearance in her daughter’s life when she lent her dog to her.
This was a random appearance, one which gave the idea that Phoebe’s mother would be making more visits to her in order to show us how they were now firmly in each other’s lives. But it wasn’t to be, as she was never in any of Phoebe’s milestone moments; not even at her wedding. Seeing Phoebe with her mother – who was a kook like her – would have given us several moments of hilarity and given Phoebe some much needed familial happiness.
Hurt: Chandler and Rachel As Love Interests
Chandler and Rachel barely ever interacted after Chandler’s relationship with Monica began. So you’ll be surprised to know the show initially intended for Chandler to end up with Rachel!
was supposed to be a testing ground for audiences to picture Chandler being with Rachel. As you’ll recall, the episode showed Chandler hoping to date Rachel in the past, only for it to not work out, although a fantasy sequence at the end suggested there was a chance. But audiences didn’t react positively and the idea was shelved. It was a good decision, because the two never had any romantic chemistry.
Saved: Phoebe in England
Due to the actress becoming pregnant in real life, Phoebe was in the storyline. This was in the form of her carrying the children of her brother (it makes sense in context), and it prevented her from traveling to London for Ross’ wedding.
If plans had gone as originally envisioned, we’d have had Phoebe in England. She was still the most involved in hijinks even from America as she clashed with people on the phone, but imagine how hilarious it would have been seeing her in England. She would’ve definitely been a stark contrast to Emily’s uptight family and would’ve landed herself in awkward situations.
Hurt: Kathy moving away
Kathy ultimately turned out to be a friendship-wrecker and an awful person who was not nice to her boyfriends when things got too serious. She went with Chandler when Joey wasn’t fitting her fancy, and then was unfaithful to Chandler when he couldn’t trust her.
According to the actress herself as told by her in the Season 10 DVD, she and the female actresses on the show had to the producers to have Kathy written out as her going on an acting tour out the country as opposed to being unfaithful to Chandler. But it’s a good thing it wasn’t approved because that wouldn’t have been a fair enough reason for them to break up.
Saved: Phoebe’s roommate appears
In Season 6, Phoebe said Rachel and she couldn’t live together because she had a roommate called Denise. This seemed to be a throwaway joke as Phoebe is known to be flaky and would say anything. But, a few episodes later, Phoebe announces Rachel can live with her because Denise was moving away.
This casts doubt if Denise actually did exist. If she did, it would’ve been fun to see her on the show as someone as kooky as Phoebe was needed to tolerate living with her. Joey was already interested in the idea of Denise and having him hitting on her would’ve been a fun watch.
Hurt: Gunther without a speaking role
You must have noticed that in the first couple seasons Gunther didn’t do much other than lurk around the background or have a line or two about coffee. It was at the beginning of Season 3 that he went totally in love with Rachel and we’ve all loved him for it.
Originally, though, Gunther was permanently supposed to be a lurker . The actor was only hired because he was the only one who knew how to work a coffee machine. Over two decades later, we’re happy that the planned silent Gunther was turned into the crazy Rachel-obsessed one.
Hurt: Financial divide
n the first season, we had a few distinct episodes that showed the financial divide between the friends’ group. Phoebe, Joey, and Rachel were the “poor” friends while the other three were better off financially. This was an issue in the one with Ross’ birthday as the matter of payment brought a rift between the friends.
After that episode, though, the financial problems never were a point of contention for the group. Some of them still had money issues, but it was never something they argued about. It’s a good thing this wasn’t expanded upon as we needed this group to stay strong through the worst times to show us just how much they loved each other.
