The greatly loved tv show Friends ended over fourteen years ago now! That certainly feels strange, doesn’t it? There few TV shows that have survived the test of time quite like Friends has. Sure, some of the storylines wouldn’t work with modern audiences, but it still warms our hearts and makes us laugh. Because of its great popularity, fans have been very vocal about wanting a reunion.

Show creators have insisted that they will never bring the show back, explaining that the characters have moved on from their time at Central Perk. Since the show was about the time in your life when your friends are your family, the characters ended the run with their own families and careers. They simply don’t have time to hang out in a coffee shop anymore! It never made much sense during the show's run.

It’s understandable that fans would want to see more of these characters. They were on TV for so long and meant so much to so many people. But eagerness for a reunion comes from more than just nostalgia. Since joining Netflix, fans have binge-watched the show over and over, finding more and more unanswered questions. From storylines that went nowhere to moments that were just never fully resolved. Since it’s unlikely that we’ll see a Friends reunion, fans have been left to speculate exactly how these plot holes and scenarios would have played out.

25 The One With Their Names

Perhaps the most obvious question that fans were left to ponder upon is simply the full names of the six friends. We learn the middle names of the friends as they are casually mentioned throughout the series. Rachel is Rachel Karen Green and Joey is Joey Francis Tribbiani. Much to the delight of Ross and Rachel in season eight, it’s discovered that Chandler’s full name is Chandler Muriel Bing. Ross may make fun of him for this, but his middle name Eustace is arguably more laughable.

But what about the other two members of the gang, Monica and Phoebe?

Fans have been left to speculate, with little canonical information, what their full names were. Phoebe admits that she doesn’t know herself. Her sister sold her birth certificate to a Swedish runaway, leaving the mystery of Phoebe’s middle name open and unsolved. Monica, however, mentions in The One with the Bullies that her middle initial is “E.” Her full name was never revealed and although fans have speculated the names Elizabeth, Erin, and Ethel, nothing has ever been confirmed. During The One With The Race Car Bed we learn that Phoebe and Joey don’t know Monica’s middle name either, so we can assume that it’s something embarrassing!

24 The One With Phoebe’s Love Interests

Phoebe racks up many romantic conquests over the show's ten-year run, before marrying Mike Hannigan in the final series. When Phoebe starts dating Mike, she gets upset by Ross pointing out that she’s never had a serious relationship (except for scientist guy David whom she was in love with, and police officer Gary who she was preparing to move in with).

But with Phoebe, dating has often seemed a bit of a mystery. Several times in the series she connects with guys only for them to never be mentioned again. Such as Clifford Burnett, a man with a broken leg she meets in a hospital. After tricking Cliff into revealing personal information, the two admit that they have a connection and that doesn’t happen for them very often, implying that they will date. Earlier in the show in The One With Chandler's Dad, Joey comments that Phoebe has been dating her boyfriend Jake for a while, although this is the only episode where he appears.

This is in contrast to the rest of the gang whose relationships get conclusions, with the exception of the promiscuous Joey who we know had no interest in a committed relationship. So, what happened with these guys? What did Phoebe do to them…?

23 The One With David’s Future

While many of Phoebe’s love interests seem to vanish into oblivion, the ones that she keeps around seem to suffer much worse fates. David is one of Phoebe’s earliest love interests, first appearing in season one, during The One With the Monkey. Over the course of the episode, Phoebe falls in love with him but convinces him to move to Minsk to further his career. Over the series, David crops up again, his passionate reunions with Phoebe showing how much they still love each other, along with Phoebe’s devastation when he leaves. In season nine they get back together, but Phoebe chooses her future husband Mike over David at the end of the season.

The worrying thing is, after this, David basically sums up how terrible his life has become. Going to Minsk ended up ruining his career since he spent all his grant money but achieved nothing. He’s broke, he’s lost the love of his life and lost a toe to frostbite! Maybe this doesn’t matter to everyone, but I need to know that David is okay! After David leaves Barbados, we don’t see him again and are left to guess his fate.

The way the series left things with this character was very dark and a happy conclusion could really have lightened things up.

22 The One With Ross’ (First) Divorce

During the pilot episode, the character Ross is introduced when he walks into the coffee house giving a depressed “Hi.” It’s then revealed for the first time that his wife Carol left him after realizing that she was a lesbian and had moved her stuff out of the apartment that day. At this point, nothing seems amiss. Ross is just a poor guy going through a divorce who wants to find the next love of his life.

But down the line fans began to ask the question: when exactly did Ross and Carol split up?

When the series begins, it’s implied that they had only recently separated since Carol had only then collected her things and, more notably, revealed in the second episode that she was pregnant with Ross’ son Ben. Yet in season three, The One With the Flashback, set a year before the pilot, Ross learns that Carol has been having an affair with her future wife Susan. So, what happened between then and the pilot? Did they work on their marriage for a year, knowing that Carol was a lesbian?

A fan theory suggests that Carol and Ross spent time together when she went to pick up her furniture, an emotional moment that Susan forgave. But this has never been confirmed and it’s remained a mystery when Carol and Ross truly separated.

21 The One With Phoebe’s Dad

Phoebe’s father was a mystery for most of the series. It was established that Phoebe’s father Frank abandoned her and sister before they were born, but over the series this becomes questionable.

In the second season during, The One With Phoebe’s Dad, her grandmother Francis reveals that Frank (her father) lives upstate. But when Phoebe finally gets the courage to knock on her father’s door, his wife reveals that he abandoned her and her son Frank Jr years ago, the same way he abandoned his first family.

Towards the end of season three, Phoebe discovers that she is really the biological daughter of Phoebe Abbott who was in a polyamorous relationship with her parents. When Frank turns up at Francis’ funeral, he reveals that he sang to Phoebe when she was a baby, subconsciously giving her the tune for Smelly Cat. So, he couldn’t have run out on her before she was born.

Since Phoebe’s birth mother and her father appear so little in the series, they don’t elaborate further on who left when and how old Phoebe was and what exactly happened between the “three losers.” Phoebe’s parentage is never fully explained and is left a mystery to the fans.

20 The One Where Denise Left

For the first half of the series, Phoebe lived with her Grandmother Francis in her apartment. After Francis passes away towards the end of season five, it’s assumed that Phoebe lives by herself. Yet in season six when Rachel asks if she can move in with Phoebe, Phoebe insists that she has a roommate named Denise (whom she talks about all the time?). Later when Rachel finds out that Ross didn’t annul their marriage she refuses to move in with him. At this point, we learn that Denise has gone out of town until December 26th and Rachel is now free to take her room.

Trouble is, Denise never comes back…

Rachel moves in with Phoebe knowing she will have to give up the room when Denise comes back. True, there was a fire at the apartment during season six forcing Rachel and Phoebe to move out. After the apartment is repaired, Phoebe insists that Rachel should still be her roommate... so what happened to Denise? Did she find her own apartment after the fire?

In The One in Vegas: Part One, Phoebe says that she lives alone, so when exactly did Denise move in and where did she go?

19 The Ones After Ross Says Rachel

One of the biggest cliffhangers in television history came at the end of season four when Ross accidentally says Rachel’s name at the altar instead of Emily’s. Rachel later reveals that she is in love with Ross, but quickly tells him to forget she said it, admitting that now that he is married she has to get over him. But Ross saying Rachel’s name is never resolved or discussed.

Emily eventually divorces Ross since she no longer trusts him around Rachel, and still Ross and Rachel don’t talk about their feelings.

Granted, the majority of the series is Ross and Rachel not discussing their feelings, but given that this was such a major point in the show's run it really deserved an honest and real conclusion. Did Ross really just say Rachel’s name by accident? Or was he really imagining that it was Rachel there with him? And if that’s true then why didn’t he just admit that to Rachel when she confessed her love for him? Why don’t they discuss it after Ross and Emily separate? Later in season six, Phoebe tries to convince Ross that he is still in love with Rachel and it becomes clear that he is. Yet again, the plot line halts and is never resolved.

18 The One With Ross’ Memory

All of the friends on Friends has questionable love lives and most of us have embellished our stories in our youth, but Ross takes things a little too far. Over the course of the show's ten years run, Ross can’t seem to get his story straight on how he did one particular thing. In the first series during The One With George Stephanopoulos, Ross is depressed over the anniversary of the first evening he hung with Carol. Later he confesses that it was the first time he ever spent with anyone and that he has only seen Carol. It’s very sweet of Ross to hold that memory so close, but some moments in the series suggest that this wasn’t the case.

In season seven, The One With Rachel’s Assistant, Chandler reveals that Ross got close with the cleaner who cleaned their dorm. So, what exactly is the story here? Other friends seem confused by Ross’ story as Monica insists in The One with the East German Laundry Detergent that her brother didn’t tell her all the details, despite her full knowledge of his date with Carol. So, Monica knew Ross spent time with this cleaner, but he didn’t?

True, we don’t know the stories of all the gang, but with so many twists in Ross’ story, don’t you want to know the truth?

17 The One With Rachel’s Future

The show's ending was sweet, wasn’t it? Rachel getting off the plane to be with the love of her life. It was the ending everybody had been waiting for since the beginning of the series.

But it does leave one huge unanswered question. What will Rachel’s job be now?

Rachel worked really hard to get her job at Ralph Lauren. She was unfairly fired after interviewing for a job at Gucci but luckily runs into her old friend Mark who finds her the job in Paris. Ross attempts to get Rachel’s Ralph Lauren job back but eventually convinces Rachel to go to Paris. After all that, there is no way Mr. Zelner is taking Rachel back! Since her interview with Gucci went so badly, by turning down that Paris job Rachel has pretty much stuffed her career. What is she going to do after the series ends? Will she have to call Mark again and beg for another job in New York?

Some fans insist that she became a full-time mom, but after how hard she worked to progress in the fashion career, working her way up from nothing, that’s a really depressing thought. Besides, she has a nanny! I guess we’ll never know where her career went after the end.

16 The One With Mark’s Interest

Rachel worked very hard on her fashion career, but so much of it depended on luck. She got her first fashion-related job through Joey and her job at Bloomingdales when she met Mark at Monica’s dinner during season three.

Ross becomes incredibly jealous of Mark, despite Mark having a girlfriend and not making any advances on Rachel. While Ross’ jealousy was incredibly creepy and showed his trust issues, Mark revealed after Ross and Rachel broke up that he had always had a crush on Rachel. They go on a date, but Rachel confesses that she doesn’t feel the same way about Mark and only dated him to get back on Ross.

But the knowledge that Mark did have a crush on Rachel does ask the question: Did he offer to help her find the job because he hoped to date her? He could have just been nice or hoped that helping find a new employee would put him in good favor with the higher-ups, but he does an awful lot for a stranger.

It’s doubtful that he offered her the Louis Vuitton job out of feelings for her, however, given how long it had been since they had seen each other and the fact that by season ten he has married and has twins.

15 The One With Rachel And Chandler

How two main members of the Friends line-up met has been an enigma to the fans for years.

During the pilot, Rachel and Chandler are introduced to one another as if for the first time. (Monica saying, “this is Chandler” and “you remember my brother Ross?”) Later in season three, it’s revealed that Monica introduced the two of them in the establishment that became Central Perk. Rachel even had a dream about him on the way home. It doesn’t mean much, Monica didn’t know about this dream and probably wasn’t thinking of the brief encounter.

Later, however, we learn that they spent two Thanksgivings together at Monica and Ross’ parents' house when they were in college. (Or in Rachel’s case the last year of high school.) During the final series, during a flashback to a college party, it’s revealed that the two of them shared a kiss at a party. Monica and Ross were at all these events, so there was no need to introduce the two of them like strangers.

At this point, we just want to know where these two actually met? (I also remember Rachel saying she thought Chandler was gay when they first met. Was that at the coffee house, Thanksgiving or sometime before that?)

14 The One With The Flexible Degrees

Speaking of college, do you know what any of the friends actually studied while they were there? Or was it all forgettable parties? Four out of six of the friends attended college, Chandler, Ross, Monica, and Rachel.

But the writers were never clear on where they went to college or even what they studied.

Ross presumably studied paleontology and worked towards his Ph.D., but where he studied was never revealed. Given Ross’ (almost) straight As in high school and his reasonably wealthy parents, we can assume it is a school of high standing, but close enough to Long Island for Monica to go to a party there. For these reasons, a popular guess is Columbia University.

If this is the case, then Chandler also went to Columbia and studied something related to advertising and statistical analysis and data reconfiguration. Rachel went to college, studied psychology for a while but switched majors as she couldn’t find any good parking spots next to the building. Where she went to college and what she ended up studying is never revealed, except that she is “qualified for nothing” in season one. (So maybe she dropped out?) Given that flashbacks are set during their college days and how often college is mentioned, one would think these questions would be answered.

13 The One With Mr. And Mrs. Geller

Judy and Jack Geller are two of the most notable recurring characters in the series. Parents of two of the gang and grandparents to Rachel and Chandler’s children, a lot of ties lead back to them. Over their many appearances, little snippets of backstory are given. But the full story of their relationship is never given, and inconsistencies make us question what really happened.

In season seven, during The One With Rachel’s Book, Jack claims that he proposed to Judy after discovering she was pregnant. Yet in The One Where Rosita [Perishes], Jack claims that Ross was a “medical marvel” and that they didn’t think Judy could have children. Further confusion comes in The One in Massapequa when Judy and Jack celebrate their 35th wedding anniversary, with Ross being thirty-three at the time.

Now, Ross’ age is more inconsistent than any other character in the series, so we can’t focus too much on that, but the rest hints at a rather interesting backstory. Since Jack doesn’t finish his story on how he and Judy met, he could have been leading up to the tragic ending of Judy losing their first baby and discovering that she has an inhospitable environment (which she would pass on to her daughter). Fans can fill in the gaps, but it seems the truth will always be hidden.

12 The One With Monica’s Mother

From early on in the series, Judy and Jack’s favoritism over Ross is made very clear. Even when Ross reveals that Carol left him and that she’s going to have his baby, the heat is still put on Monica. Judy, in particular, is very critical of her daughter, criticising her relationships, her job, and her clothes. This is likely due to Judy’s mother Althea being overly critical of her. Jack isn’t innocent of his daughter's emotional distress but confesses and apologizes for his behavior during The One Where Rosita [Perishes], giving Monica his Porsche as a peace offering.

Judy, however, makes no such gesture.

The closest Judy comes to apologizing is in The One with the 'Cuffs, where she admits she was wrong about her daughter’s cooking abilities. Given how Monica was always the ‘mother hen’ of the group, cooking Thanksgiving dinners for them and taking care of them, it’s very unsatisfying to have her abuse unresolved. In later seasons, Judy’s criticisms of her daughter become less harsh, possibly due to Monica getting married and becoming a Head Chef, but Judy never admits to her behavior. Judy’s abuse is thought to be the cause of Monica’s OCD, although again this was never confirmed.

11 The One With Janice And Yemen

This isn’t really an unresolved question, but it’s a storyline that never seems to go anywhere.

I don’t care what anyone says, I think Janice was a really good girlfriend. She’s fun, she’s caring, she’s sensitive, and she buys Chandler presents ‘just because.’ Besides, Chandler isn’t exactly boyfriend of the year! But no matter what you think of her, Janice is the most memorable love interest from Friends and lead to some very hilarious moments. Such as Chandler faking that he was being transferred to Yemen in season four to get out of getting back together with Janice (resulting in him actually boarding a plane to Yemen).

When Janice briefly dates Ross in season five, she still believes that Chandler is in Yemen but doesn’t ask why Chandler hasn’t been answering any of her letters (which she sent to Yemen Road, Yemen). However, when she comes back in season seven during The One with Ross' Library Book and finds out that Chandler and Monica are engaged, she doesn’t mention Yemen. She doesn’t ask when Chandler came back or what happened to him while he was there. Chandler faking a long distance move was the stupidest thing he ever did, so it’s bizarre that the story doesn’t get a proper conclusion.

10 The One With The Couch

A popular fan theory for Friends is that Gunther, Central Perk's loveable (unless you’re Rachel) manager, reserved the gang’s favorite sofa in their favorite coffee house. This came around when some fans noticed a ‘Reserved’ sign on the coffee table on front of the couch. It makes sense.

There is no way the gang would be able to get that sofa in a busy New York coffee almost every time they went there.

And it gives Gunther a good view of Rachel while he works. This was, however, never discussed on the show. The gang have the couch picked out from the very beginning of the series, before Rachel joins them and starts to work there. As a manager, did Gunther have the power to reserve it almost every single day? What happened when Gunther wasn’t working? Although it might have been a good move on the manager's part given how often the gang is there.

It also explains why Rachel gets so annoyed whenever other people are sitting on the sofa. It’s a very small point in the series, but the coffee house was the most notable set in the entire series. It’s bound to raise some discussion amongst fans.

9 The One With Helena Bing

One of the show's storylines that is criticized today is the gang's treatment of Chandler’s parent Helena. The friends refer to her with male pronouns when she is out of sight, refer to her exclusively as Chandler’s Dad and refer to her as a “man.” Some fans, however, protest these accusations, saying that Helena was never confirmed to identify as female and that she was just a drag queen.

Early on in the series, Helena is implied to be a gay man. Helena and her wife Nora announce to their son that they are getting a divorce because Helena had an affair with the pool boy. Chandler’s treatment of his parent is pretty appalling, it being revealed in season seven that he rejected all of Helena’s attempts to get in touch with him. When we actually meet Helena, she is treated like a woman and presents herself as such. At her son’s wedding, she is invited to the bridal party to get ready in Monica’s hotel room. She is also played by cisgender female actor Kathleen Turner (who Matthew Perry still calls Dad). It’s true that the word “trans” is never said out loud, but there is enough evidence to suggest that’s how Helena identifies. I guess if she appeared more we’d know more.

8 The One Where Joey Shares Food

“Joey doesn’t share food!” That’s probably one of the most quoted Friends lines of all time. Except it’s not quite true.

This quote comes up in season ten during The One With the Birth Mother when Joey rejects a date because she takes food off his plate while they are at dinner. But there are times beforehand when Joey does indeed share food. In The One Where Rachel Goes Back to Work in season nine, Phoebe asks for a bite of Joey’s muffin and, while he is hesitant, does agree. Much earlier in the show's first season, during The One With the Dozen Lasagnas, Joey and Chandler share a lasagna while discussing their new table.

So, the question that’s raising is a rather worrying one: What happened to Joey to make him not want to share food?

Joey loves food, he can out eat everyone else in the show, even eating most of a turkey during the season eight Thanksgiving episode. But refusing to share food completely is a big step, even for a person as greedy as Joey. Did a traumatic incident from his past resurface, making him more protective of his food? Or maybe he just got greedier as he got older.

7 The One With Phoebe’s Record

Phoebe can be a dangerous individual. Yes, she’s mostly kind, fun, and sweet, but she can turn violent very quickly. This is understandable given her history. After her mother passed away, Phoebe lived on the streets which we know was a really rough time, as it would be for anyone. To survive out there, she must have done some pretty dangerous stuff. But what she actually did has been left as a mystery.

Interest regarding her criminal record came up when she met charming police officer Gary who, when turning up at Monica’s apartment mentions that he looked up Phoebe’s record and commented that she had done some “weird stuff.”

All we know about Phoebe’s criminal background is that she once mugged Ross, and presumably some other people, and has previously been in an interrogation room. But mugging hardly lives up to “weird stuff,” and no information was given to what happened in the interrogation room. Since Gary’s appearance, fans have been questioning what could possibly be on Phoebe’s record, but over the five remaining seasons of the show, no freaky crimes were ever revealed. The only thing we really know is that you should never mess with Phoebe Buffay!

6 The One With Phoebe’s Missing Brother

Phoebe’s brother Frank Jr was a big part of the early series. Phoebe meets him after turning up at her father’s house, hoping to meet him for the first time. Later, Frank Jr comes to New York looking for Phoebe after his mother kicks him out of the house, telling him he is too young to marry his ex-teacher, Alice. The couple play a big part in series four and five when, after discovering that they cannot conceive naturally, ask Phoebe to be their surrogate.

Trouble is, with many important people in the friends' lives, as the series progressed we saw Frank and Alice less and less.

And, again, like many people in their lives, no explanation is given for their disappearance. You would think that someone who carried your triplets for you is the sort of person you’d want to keep in your life. Even though the storyline was only written to accommodate Kudrow’s real-life pregnancy, the long-term weight of it probably wasn’t considered at the time. The triplets and their parents rarely appear throughout the series, but the biggest issue is that none of them appear at Phoebe’s wedding! What was so important that you couldn't go to your sister’s wedding?