On Friends, there were not a lot of huge, long-lasting arcs for the characters on the show. For the most part, arcs were resolved over the course of the episode with career ambitions and flirtatious relationships making up the bulk of the ongoing storylines.
That being said, there were still plenty of short-lived character arcs for everyone's favorite somewhat-dim, food-loving soap opera star, Joey Tribbiani. Portrayed by Matt LeBlanc, Joey's arcs on Friends typically revolve around acting and eating, but he always has time to show his beating heart, too.
10 Best: Dating Janine
When Elle Macpherson turns up on Friends as Janine for five episodes in season six, she seems primed to be one of the few women Joey actually sincerely commits to.
Instead, they end up calling off their dynamic when Janine admits to disliking Monica and Chandler. One of Joey's best qualities was how loyal a friend he was and this was an arc that helped show how he always put his friends above the women he dated. There may not have been a fruit basket at the end, but he still showed how pure his heart was.
9 Worst: Dating Rachel
While the romantic Janine arc was a seminal moment for Joey, the romantic arc he shared with Rachel was not. Joey and Rachel always made good friends on the NBC comedy, but pairing them up as a couple was a total misfire.
For one, it happened way too late in the show's run. For another, the writing completely bent over backward to justify why these two would date each other, even when there was no previous inkling that they had any chemistry in that way.
8 Best: Dr. Drake Ramoray
There are tons of acting roles and auditions in the orbit of Joey Tribbiani over the course of Friends. However, no amount of butt doubles or evil twin brothers can usurp the glory of his first, most prominent acting spot: Dr. Drake Ramoray on Days of Our Lives.
From his misguided soap opera acting advice to his eventual careening down an elevator shaft, Joey's turn as Drake was a delightful one for Friends. It's telling that this is the part most associated with his character arc.
7 Worst: Guest Spot
While the story arcs of Joey on "Mac and C.H.E.E.S.E," Law & Order, and Pyramid were delightfully silly, the turn that brought him back to Days of Our Lives was one of his worst arcs. Dr. Drake Ramoray was great, but "Jessica" Ramoray was not.
Ultimately, his feud with Susan Sarandon's Jessica Lockhart was just too contrived. Instead of mining old hits from Friends, the show should have moved forward with Joey.
6 Best: Thanksgiving Love
As mentioned, no sitcom character loves food quite like Joey Tribbiani and there's no denying that the mini-arc over the course of the show about Joey's love of Thanksgiving has to be one of the best.
From always keeping an eye out for the hottest Thanksgiving party and sporting stretchy pants to gorging on Monica's cooking, Joey was rarely as fun as he was during the Thanksgiving episodes of Friends. Only Bob from Bob's Burgers has an equally fantastic arc concerning the holiday that can rival Joey's.
5 Worst: Sharing Food
While Thanksgiving was a shimmering moment in the history of Joey and his adoration for food, there is another arc that is more shameful. In "The One with the Birth Mother" in season 10 of Friends, Joey says he "doesn't share food" and breaks up with a woman over it.
Not only is this an incredibly immature and bizarre way for him to act, but it's also out of character. There were many times when Joey shared food on Friends. This was a sign that he was becoming Flanderized on the series.
4 Best: Reading Books
Speaking of becoming Flanderized, Joey is supremely stupid by the end of Friends, whereas he was merely a bit slower and dimmer, but still clever, in the show's early days. This is evidenced by season three's "The One Where Monica and Richard Are Friends."
In this installment, Joey shares his love of The Shining with Rachel in exchange for reading a favorite of hers, Little Women. Ultimately, he ends up showing an affinity for both books, demonstrating a lovely arc where Joey just enjoys reading.
3 Worst: Speaking French
The worst instance of Joey's Flanderization is in the final season episode, "The One Where Joey Speaks French." Here, Joey attempts to learn the language from Phoebe, but he genuinely cannot replicate the phonetic utterances she delivers in his apartment.
Yes, LeBlanc delivers the gibberish endearingly, but this makes absolutely no sense for his character. Joey was never this outwardly dumb and it makes it seem like he simply cannot function as an adult human being.
2 Best: Identical Twin
Joey's sillier endeavors were better reserved for arcs like his plot in "The One with Unagi." In this installment, he befriends an actor named Carl, whom he attempts to pass off as his identical twin to secure money from participation in a medical research project.
It's a completely inane idea, but Joey's belief that he and Carl look identical is very amusing and still realistic enough to not be absurd. It's definitely one of the best Joey arcs and episodes of Friends.
1 Worst: An Apartment All His Own
When Joey moves out of his apartment with Chandler, it results in some fun moments between Chandler and Eddie. However, the arc embarked upon by Joey is far from as fun as the scenes happening elsewhere.
Ultimately, Joey acts immaturely by the end of this arc and even makes Ross feel guilty enough to spend money on a porcelain dog statue to make Joey feel better. It's an iconic statue, but the arc to get there was far from Joey's best.
from ScreenRant - Feed https://ift.tt/3mNiPWy
0 Comments