The finale episode of the popular sitcom FRIENDS is still one of the highest viewed episode in the history of American Television. But the one thing every FRIENDS fan feels after watching that episode is, many stories have been left incomplete by the makers of the show.
Here are certain ways in which the original end could have been different in order to make the audience more convinced that the show was really over.
Monica getting pregnant
Towards the end of the show, it was pretty apparent that Courtney Cox was pregnant in real life. To make that less obvious, the ending of FRIENDS could have been altered by making her character, Monica Geller-Bing, pregnant in the reel life.
Chandler at one point during the show says he wants four kids, one boy, twin girls and another boy. Moreover, it had never been said that Monica and Chandler can never get pregnant. The doctor had said that they could keep trying but there was a good chance it may never happen. Hence, it wouldn’t have been a contradiction to the plot even if that had happened at the end.
Rachel could have moved to Paris
In the original story, due to Ross’ proposal and her own feelings, Rachel stayed back in New York City to be together with Ross. But in another alternate end, Rachel could have actually moved to Paris. She would have spent a year there, regularly meeting Ross due to Emma, and would have realized how much she loved him. Then she would return to NYC after a year in Paris, fulfilling her dream of living in the fashion capital of the world, and then would fulfill her wish, along with every FRIENDS fan’s, by getting back together with Ross. Maybe even marrying him. (see #3)
Ross and Rachel could have gotten married
Ross and Rachel, Rachel and Ross; one hell of sea-saw it indeed was. This story deserved a better end than them getting back together. And with Ross as one of the parties, marriage wasn’t that far-fetched an option. In the original end, the story is still hanging as to whether they got back together permanently, do they screw up again, and many other questions. Most of these would have been satisfactorily answered if they had gotten married at the end of the show.
Phoebe and mike could have gotten pregnant
The story of Phoebe and Mike also took a back seat towards the end of the show. It could have been kept almost in the same line as the others by announcing Phoebe’s pregnancy on the show.
This was implicitly done in the follow up of the show, Joey, where Joey says all his friends were having kids and moving on. But announcing the good news during the airing of this show would have satisfied all Phoebe fans. The original end just focused all its attention on the two couples of the show, Monica and Chandler and Ross and Rachel. This came as a disappointment to many since all the friends deserve an equal farewell by the writers and the makers of the show.
Joey could have found a girl
Another character which took a back seat towards the end was that of Joey. Except his scenes with Chandler and the Duck Jr. and Chick Jr., there was nothing significant he was made to play in the final episodes of the sitcom.
He, being as charming as he was, should have at least found a girl for himself at the end of the show. However clichéd it might have been to end the series with each of them having someone to be with, it would have also come as a satisfactory end to many. The original series at the end keeps his story hanging too, which is kind of sad due to the sheer respect and love Joey had won with his performance in the show as a womanizer but equally charming and lovable guy.
They could have not made Joey
Following FRIENDS up with Joey was one of the biggest mistakes committed by the makers of the shows after the completion of FRIENDS. This was later accepted when the show was soon cancelled from prime time television. The attempt to keep one character alive, in a totally different city and with a totally different storyline turned out to be a miserable failure on the part of the directors and Matt Le Blanc himself. They could have chosen a better end of Joey’s story (see #5) and could have ended him along with the other characters in the FRIENDS show itself. Joey, however awaited it was, was just a drag on which couldn’t be tolerated by the audience for much longer.
