Review
Friends left a couple of loose ends and plot holes after 10 seasons, and it completely forgot about one important part of Phoebe Buffay’s (Lisa Kudrow) story. Created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, Friends arrived to make TV history with its success and some behind-the-scenes achievements. Throughout 10 seasons, Friends the many highs and lows in the personal, social, and professional lives of Monica (Courteney Cox), Chandler (Matthew Perry), Joey (Matt LeBlanc), Phoebe, Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), and Ross (David Schwimmer), as well as the conflicts between them.
Although Friends spent a lot of time focusing on the chaotic Ross and Rachel relationship, it took its time to explore the backstories and families of all six characters. All the main characters in Friends had family issues, all of them different, but only two came from broken homes: Chandler and Phoebe. However, Phoebe had the most complicated family backstory in Friends, and though she got her happy ending with Mike (Paul Rudd), the show completely forgot about a huge part of her story after setting it up.
Friends Completely Forgot About Phoebe's Biological Mother
Phoebe’s Biological Mother Was Phoebe Abbott
Friends explained early on that Phoebe had a very difficult childhood and teenage years, with her mother, Lily, killing herself and her stepfather being in prison, which is why she lived with her grandmother at the beginning of the show. However, when Phoebe started getting curious about her family background, she visited a friend of her parents, Phoebe Abbott (Teri Garr), to learn more about them. This visit resulted in a huge surprise for Phoebe, as she learned that Phoebe Abbott was her biological mother.
Of course, this was very difficult for Phoebe to process and only left her with more questions about her past, but after realizing Abbott was one of the few family links she had, she started to open up to her. Phoebe Abbott only appeared in three episodes of Friends, but in her final appearance, she offered advice to Phoebe as she wasn’t sure whether to be a surrogate for her half-brother, Frank Jr., and his wife, Alice, showing that they continued to build their relationship.
Friends forgetting about Phoebe Abbott felt unfair, as her relationship with Phoebe was an important part of the latter’s story and development.
Phoebe Abbott wasn’t seen again after that, but in season 5, she sent an heirloom to Phoebe (a fur coat), showing that they kept in touch. However, Phoebe Abbott didn’t attend Phoebe’s wedding, nor did Frank Jr. and Alice, Phoebe’s father Frank Sr., and her twin sister Ursula, though it’s understandable that she wouldn’t have invited the latter two. Friends forgetting about Phoebe Abbott felt unfair, as her relationship with Phoebe was an important part of the latter’s story and development, and it ended up feeling incomplete.
Phoebe Buffay Had The Most Tragic Backstory In Friends
Phoebe Didn’t Know Phoebe Abbott Was Her Mother Until Season 3
What makes Friends forgetting about Phoebe Abbott even worse is that Phoebe had the most tragic backstory. With the reveal of Phoebe Abbott being her biological mother, Phoebe learned that Frank Sr., Phoebe Abbott, and Lily were in a polyamorous sexual relationship that resulted in Abbott’s pregnancy. After Phoebe and Ursula were born, Phoebe Abbott left, and Frank and Lily got married, though they later divorced and Frank abandoned Lily and the twins.
Although Phoebe met Frank Sr. at her grandmother’s funeral, they couldn’t reconnect, so her only family links were Frank Jr. and Phoebe Abbott.
Lily remarried some time later, but her husband went to prison at some point. Lily killed herself when Phoebe and Ursula were around 14, and Phoebe ended up living on the streets for many years (it’s unknown what happened to Ursula during that time). At some point, Phoebe moved in with her grandmother (Lily’s mother), who never told her the truth. Although Phoebe met Frank Sr. at her grandmother’s funeral, they couldn’t reconnect, so her only family links were Frank Jr. and Phoebe Abbott.
Friends Forgot About Other Family Members Of The Main Characters
These Friends Characters Simply Disappeared
Unfortunately, Phoebe Abbott isn’t the only family member Friends forgot about. The most notable one is Ben, Ross’ son with Carol, who made his last appearance in Friends season 8, before his half-sister, Emma, was born. Ben was rarely mentioned after that and the Geller family seemed to forget about him, leading to theories about Ross losing Ben’s custody due to his anger issues and emotional instability.
Other forgotten family members are all of Joey’s sisters (most notably Dina, who asked Rachel for help as she was also pregnant) and Frank Jr., who only appeared again when he visited Phoebe with the triplets and vented to her about the difficulties of raising three kids, but he didn’t attend Phoebe’s wedding. Friends left some family plot holes, and while most are harmless, others, like Phoebe Abbott’s disappearance, affected some characters.
