Bidding Adieu To F.R.I.E.N.D.S!

Ever experienced anything that leaves you with a feeling of contentment and craving at the same time? If no, then watch the last episode of the popular American sitcom, F.R.I.E.N.D.S and you’ll know what I am talking about.  Even though the show ended long back in the year 2004, I never got a chance to watch the last season of the 10 year long series (Partly because I got too busy with my engineering studies to find time for anything else and partly because I knew that watching the last episode of that series would be absolutely depressing).  Finally, I mustered up the courage to put myself through the joyous pain of watching it’s last season. And before I knew it, my journey had reached it’s last checkpoint.

In mid 90’s, Marta Kauffman and David Krane conceptualized a simple story which revolved around a group of friends in Manhattan. No extravagance, no nonsensical animosity, no unrealistic portrayal of characters, no absurdity; Just a simple story of six friends from different family backgrounds, with different passions and interests, having one common thread that binds them together- Friendship. Because of it’s light-hearted humor and easy-to-connect-with plot, the series became extremely popular worldwide and is still considered to be one of the finest T.V shows in television history. The six lead characters: Monica-  A bossy and competitive chef but a loving and caring woman , Rachel- first a waitress and later a fashion enthusiast, Ross- A Paleontologist and a clumsy, socially awkward guy , Chandler- A man with sarcastic sense of humor who works God-knows-where 😛  , Joey –  A struggling actor and a strong womanizer who is adored by everybody for his sheer dumbness and Phoebe- A quirky masseuse who occasionally sings (badly) her own, weird songs  were loved by people all over the world and soon, they became an inseparable part of my life too. The show went on gaining more and more fan following with every passing year till it reached it’s last episode which broke all the previous records and became ‘the most watched entertainment telecast’.

I knew that the grand finale of the show would mark the end of the magic that the series had created-which was precisely the reason I didn’t watch it before. Now before you label me as an emotional fool who got too attached with a stupid tv show, let me tell you something. Staying away from your family for more than four years and waking up every morning just to find a new problem gaping at you is as frustrating as spending most of your time in pleasing incompetent professors and getting a contemptuous treatment form tyrannical viva-externals. Thanks to engineering, I got a chance to experience both. One such typically sad day, I returned home from college after my vivas, cursing the external and my life for being so unfair. And just to make myself feel better, I decided to start watching the last season of F.R.I.E.N.D.S.  I knew that the charm would work this time too. And as expected, within the next five minutes, I found myself laughing uncontrollably. The addiction continued to increase and soon, I reached the last episode which was an apt ending to the series. There are very few moments that make you smile and bring tears to your eyes at the same time. This was certainly one of those moments for me. The magic had ended and I was left with a sudden realization of how amazing my life is because of my friends. At the same time, the harsh realization of parting ways with my friends dawned on me. Just like the characters in the show, we had our own jokes, our own laughs. And we had our own share of fights, disagreements and quarrels. But no matter what, we were always together; constantly looking for a chance to ridicule each other and trying to cheer each other up during tough times. But next semester will be my last six months with them and then, we will embark upon a journey to the ‘real world’ which is going to be more harsh and ruthless than any incompetent professor or viva-external we have ever dealt with.  We won’t be together, but the laughs we shared and the moments we spent together will always be a source of hope and joy for all of us. While going through various pics on our facebook timeline, we’ll come across familiar faces smiling at us and soon, we’ll be smiling too, completely lost in nostalgia- far away from the harsh realities of the world. I hope that just like the characters in the show, we too laugh till our last moment together and part ways with a sense of beginning of a new chapter in our lives. Thank you, friends, for all the awesome moments we’ve had in the past four years. And thank you F.R.I.E.N.D.S, for making me realize how beautiful my life is because of my friends. You both have been just amazing!

Sanket R Deshmukh

An electronics engineering student. A passionate reader. An amateur artist. A keen follower of current affairs. :)

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