Friends’ Phoebe: Why Her Dream of Motherhood Actually Makes So Much Sense

Phoebe Buffay is the quirkiest Friend, unafraid to walk (or run) to the beat of her own drum. And while some may have been surprised by her desire for a more traditional family in Friends’ later seasons, if we really take a closer look at her character it actually makes a lot of sense. Here’s our Take on why Phoebe would make a great mom, and how her journey of discovering herself over the show’s ten seasons led her down this path.
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CHAPTERS
00:00 Why Phoebe would make a great mom
00:36 She's already the mom of the group
04:25 She wants stability and family
09:45 Imagining Phoebe as a mom
CREDITS
Executive Producers: Debra Minoff & Susannah McCullough
Chief Creative Director: Susannah McCullough
Associate Producer: Tyler Allen
Writer: Jessica Babineaux
Narrator: Jessica Babineaux
Video Editor: Carson Bradley

[@thetake]

WATCH MORE - Want more Phoebe? Here's our TAKE on why she's the mystery ingredient of the friend group soup: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oIfUqnyYj9OtjJY

[@TV_Rosso]

Can you do a video on interabled relationships in movies and tv. I am a physically disabled man who wants to see good representation of a healthy interabled relationships on screen

[@bartmann81]

One thing that was overlooked about Phoebe is that she is the only one outside Ross who ever showed any intellectual curiousity. She learned herself speak French and went to a course on the Bronte sisters. I think stimulating learning is also an important part of being a parent.

[@signalfire15]

Chandler had an intellectual curiosity too. I would say Chandler and Phoebe were the two who thought “outside the box” most often. For example - the conversation they had about Phil Spiderman and why Donald Duck doesn’t wear pants. And also, when you could hear their “inner thoughts,” Chandler and Phoebe’s were the most out there.

[@theredqveen]

this is a wild take lmao

[@bartmann81]

@@theredqveen why is that?

[@trinaq]

Yes, Phoebe craved stability from her unconventional childhood, so it makes sense that she'd fall for a grounded, chilled out guy like Mike, since he reined in her craziness, while humouring her as well. Also, she'd simply want to settle down once she got older, though her kids would certainly be as quirky as she is.

[@incognitouser8256]

Phoebe would be that cool mom who knows when to put her foot down… And will never abandon her children❤❤😊

[@Star2Be5394]

Phoebe's optimism is one of the things I love the most about her. She has every reason to be bitter and judgmental due to her upbringing and past experience, and yet she's still such a positive, hopeful, and loving person.

[@tessincolor]

I always forget that the characters were in their late 20s when the show started and it always makes me feel a lot better about myself and my life plans. Phoebe came such way from the start of the show and is definitely the best character of the 6 :)

[@JenandTonic95]

Phoebe's greatest moment for me was when she was pregnant and she called out Rachel for her high school crap that nobody really cares about 🙌🏻

[@jaxjaxattaxx]

As someone who is a huge nerd, influencer and Cosplayer, who lost their grandma to suicide, and went from being horrifically abused and forced to have an abortion, to someone planning children with their husband, I feel this. It’s hard being the “ fun quirky” one, especially when people think we don’t want what other people do. We are fun and quirky. But sometimes we just want the same things as everyone else. ❤

[@theredqveen]

and sometimes we don't. the ending to friends was disappointing because they all got the same ending, marriage and kids. it's like the show didn't even consider the other possibilities

[@viridianacortes9642]

I’m glad you got what you wanted. 😊

[@ChildOfDarkDefiance]

I never thought that was odd. It made a lot of sense that she'd want to make a family. It made sense that she'd want to be the parent she didn't have, that she'd want a partner that would be stable & responsible parent & partner.

[@LeahWalentosky]

Phobe is the crone. If Monica is the mother, this makes Phobe the grandmother of the group, with more life experiences she has wisdom the group needed.

[@namanh8439]

I would definitely love to see a spinoff/prequel of Phoebe when she was living on the street and how she grew to become this Phoebe. Such a great sitcom premise

[@johnypanta6208]

I would live to see a Sequel series where Phoebe and Mike have a crazy family dynamic and the rest of the cast make guests appearance on the show 😅...imagine how wholesome that show would be!!!😊😊😊

[@namanh8439]

@@johnypanta6208 that would be lovely! With your premise i can totally imagine storylines of Phoebe trying to fit in with Mike's upper class lifestyle, while overcoming from judgements from his family's peers. Meanwhile, Mike learned how to appreciate the beauty of minimalism of life - the same dynamics of Jack/Rose in Titanic.

[@ChutneyRomero]

When you were the last one to know that you were Phoebe the entire time. Proud realization. Grateful.

[@destinydarrling9276]

I think Phoebe would have been an amazing loving mother who is kind and fair but sets boundaries and knows when to put her foot down. She’d never purposely hurt or abandon them. 🥰

[@PokhrajRoy.]

Phoebe and Mike as Parents would be chaotic and they’d go viral on TikTok.

[@lane6216]

Phoebe is the only character who has aged well. The more you watch the others, the more you realize how snobby and entitled they all are.

[@elladickson586]

Okay, but Joey 🤭

[@TheDarxpixie]

​@@elladickson586 I hate what they did to him in 'Joey'. They basically made him ...not Joey. The opposite.

[@elladickson586]

Yeah, but that wasn't in the show, show.@@TheDarxpixie

[@Showtunediva]

Phoebe was my favorite character on Friends.❤

[@aurora6920]

How are they snobby or entitled?? They don't seem like they act above anyone, just a group of friends who have drama as it's a show. But they didn't act superior like you're suggesting.

[@kerrajohnson3203]

Phoebe as a mom would have been so much better than Joey in LA.

[@viridianacortes9642]

Reboot!

[@deliverancetwo]

Phoebes character always resonated with me. She’s kind of quirky and goofy like I am but very serious about life I like her and her character.

[@ignaciozafra1223]

I've always thought that a prequel about Phoebe's life before friends would be an amazing show!!

[@zenagitana]

I always thought the writers of Glee missed the casting of the century by not making Lisa Kudrow Brittany's mom.

[@johnypanta6208]

Phoebe stayed true to herself no matter what. She always had a positive attitude on life and knew when to enforce boundaries. She deserved a "normal" life with a husband and kids. Without her the show would be boring to watch...just imagine F.R.I.E.N.D.S. without Phoebe...

[@Dopecheetah]

I love Phoebe! She was the absolute fcking best!

[@hinkhall5291]

She seems like the less uptight (Monica) and less shallow (Rachel) of the bunch yet with a tinge of responsibility. Totally open minded and understanding. Really good mom material. Mike seems like fun dad material. His best quality is rolling with the punches or the weirdness that Phoebe offers. Although, totally fun parents seems like a fun thing but trust me, you don’t want hippy dippy parents. As a kid you need some fucking boundaries. My buddy Seth had hippy dippy parents and it was a revolving door of new _uncles_ and _aunts_ and drug usage. My friend pined for normal parents.

[@samriddhigupta5514]

Mike isn't really hippy dippy. Going along with Phoebe's craziness doesn't make him hippy. It makes him normal as we see his life before Phoebe when they visit his parents, which is miserable.

[@SunShine-qk4rb]

Great video.Can you look at the tv show Mom please? Maybe do a character assessment or something.also, will and Grace

[@quackistan]

She WAS a mom.. to Kimmy Schmidt

[@kennek1976]

that would have been a great series

[@Marianth94]

“She’s only 29” Thanks!

[@oooh19]

People seemed older back then

[@hippolyte90]

I think the healthy relationships of her brother Frank Jr. and Chandler and Monica inspired her as well.

[@lordeflockatee3399]

I have been the Phoebe 🌻

[@emilysragz]

She was 29 at the beginning of the show? I thought she was around Monica's age, like 26 or something. I didn't think she was almost 40 at the end of the show.

[@JB-ys2cp]

She was 29 in real life but her character was supposed to be 25/26/27 I think

[@emilysragz]

@@JB-ys2cp that's what I thought!

[@CaregivingVlogs]

I am so the mom is my friend group and with my siblings. 😅

[@martynapasnik2219]

Can you do a film about Indian adaptations of Austen? I mean Gurinder Chadha's Bride and Prejudice and Rajshree Ojha's Aisha.

[@Trask698]

2 years ago you said Phoebe's ending was mundane and disappointing for a quirky character like her. You can't have it both ways. In the video "Why the Friends Ending Is Actually Sad", you badmouthed every aspect of Phoebe's ending, how it was boring, vanilla, how it didn't suit a character like her who had so much more quirkiness to give to the world, like somehow she was destined to be some weird superstar or entrepreneur or something and instead chose to settle, squandering her potential. And now everything makes sense and she's make the natural choice and this is where her story was going all along? You mean, the answer we had all ALREADY COME TO when watching the show? You can't have your cake and it eat it too, not without acknowledging it. But let's pretend that video doesn't exist, shall we and pretend we were on Phoebe's side this whole time? Yeah, obviously Phoebe would be a great mom and had the ending she always wanted, that was always the case, I just wish you had come to that conclusion before you decided to attempt to spoil the view of ending, along with all the other Friends. It's not a great video..... Should have been more like this one. You know, actually getting the point?

[@sidous471]

Did you know that opinions can change? Wow. Crazy right?

[@Trask698]

@@sidous471 Granted, that is true, and it has been two years, that's fair. I just wish they would have acknowledged that in some way, it's such a flip between the two perspectives it can seem like they're just ignoring the first one entirely despite it being such a controversial take, or just doing both to get views on both possible reactions for more clicks. If they just forgot about the first one, so be it, but it's such a critical video it seems unfair to just leave it unmentioned, especially when they tend to be negative on positive shows.

[@ant713m]

"Phoebe's secret wiseness"?😂 the English is hilarious on this channel now. Have they not heard of wisdom? 😂

[@fortune_roses]

*Aquarius* or *Pisces* anyone? ☆_☆

[@shawncarter5434]

Pisces♓️

[@fortune_roses]

@@shawncarter5434 nice

[@user-eb4oz3qp5z]

Me.

[@HeyNimbus]

*Wait a minute, didn't you guys make a video a while ago saying that actually Phoebe's ending was terrible because wanting family, true love and things like that didn't make sense in her arc?* *If I'm not mistaken, it was in the same video that they said that the end of Friends was horrible and pointless...* *_Maybe because you received a lot of criticism from people pointing out "woke videos (like that Harry Potter one)", now you've changed. Finally._*

[@HeyNimbus]

​@@user-cx1sx9wp5r Totally agree. The problem is that I feel like, instead of what you said, the channel has a clear agenda. However, when they saw the negative engagement and comments of people not liking it, they quickly changed their opinion to something like what was seen in this video. It doesn't seem authentic at all to me. Soon they will release a video talking about how Ted Mosby is actually an amazing guy and the ending of that show was wonderful

[@khadraabeeb5007]

Omg why does Phoebe stops playing guitar some seasons 😂

[@tabathastaples7884]

Shepherd's Chapel Network !!!!!!! Stay Humble / It's Never Luck !!!!!!! Amen

[@schadenfreudeegoism7485]

The take u need to analyse mask girl!!!

[@VladaArt]

Not everyone has to be a mom. So it was refreshing that at least in the show Phoeby didnt have kids. Not every woman has to be a mom.

[@alicedamiano7718]

I've only managed to watch half of this. Sorry, but no. Phoebe can become a great mom and more "traditional" than she's been all along, but in this video you're describing her as "the one that" way too many times, for things they all do, like supporting each other and giving advice to each other. It seems forced.

[@theredqveen]

i still think it's disappointing that all the female friends want marriage and babies by the end

[@kennek1976]

ross and Rachel are probably divorcee again by now so b happier. and Ross was trash anyway

[@everestjarvik5502]

I don’t think I’ll ever understand why anyone would actively seek out a little pile of snot and piss that screams all the time and never lets you sleep. Just because they become an actual person if you live through the horror for a few years? Doesn’t sound worth it tbh

[@greentree211]

This channel just keeps getting worse and worse… I sure do miss the intelligent analysis that Screen Prism used to bring to the table

[@villanelle2.0]

The take is really out of ideas at this point

[@Beyoncessister]

Phoebe and Mike=ENFPxINFP love connection ❤🥲 With that combination it’ll always be quirky, passionate and forever interesting. As an INFP, I value the ENFPs and esp the ones in my life bc you guys just get me even without words and I usually don’t have many of those 😭💕

[@alekadelacruz8592]

Phoebe gives people like me who has an unconventional life that there is hope for us to achieve love and happiness 😇🫶

[@ChutneyRomero]

You are not alone.

[@rohanpurohit4217]

No she wont

[@Quilly-Sammy]

Well, maybe give the video a watch and see what you think afterwards. :3

[@rohanpurohit4217]

@@Quilly-Sammytrue , good advice but my opinion is based on the show which i have viewed alot of times. Her flaky personality and quirkiness wouldnt be too nice for kid growing up. Time after time she has proved herself non dependable and her traumatic past sure has filled her up with lot of issues and insecurities.

[@prven5620]

Stfu seriously. Who made you the expert of motherhood

[@theredqveen]

​@@rohanpurohit4217and she's quick to violence! not great for a kid

[@rohanpurohit4217]

@@theredqveenyes thank you. Getting angry on ross just coz of a dream. Not being serious about her career and for no reason she was always mean to chandler. She needs help to deal with all her trauma.

[@kkO_oki]

idk i feel like if phoebe wouldve been a mom she might have been like the mom lisa kudrow plays in unbreakable kimmy schmidt🎢