The Dark Friends Theory That Has Fans Discussing The Seven Deadly Sins
Fan theories: every TV show or movie seems to eventually generate one. To wit, NBC's legendary sitcom "Friends" has inspired a passel of theories, some of them have been so widely disseminated that they've encouraged members of the show's staff to speak up and deny they could ever be canon. Still, it's fun to imagine a world where Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston) dreamed up the show before marrying Barry, or envisioning a universe where Monica isn't a biological Geller due to her mother's long-ago affair with another man.
But one new theory connects the show to the Seven Deadly Sins — a pretty common subject for sitcom fanatics. Fans have applied this Biblical principle to every television show from "Spongebob Squarepants" (via Mental Floss) to "Game of Thrones" (per Reddit). Per MeTV, one of the most popular versions of the Seven Deadly Sins theory revolves around the main characters from the classic sitcom "Gilligan's Island." The twist viewers have put on the topic for the "Friends" universe, however, is quite unique. Here's what the fan theories subreddit has to say on the topic.
Which Friend represents which sin?
A fan declared that all six of the "Friends" represents a different sin, with Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry) embodying the concept of sloth, "being he doesn't like his job but stays there for 8 years, also being lazy in general." They assigned greed to Rachel, due to her moneyed background, her tendency to love material things, and her well-documented shopping habits. Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc), naturally, is gluttony due to his extreme love of food and eating. "[He] is always eating none stop without end, like the time he ate the whole turkey." Playful singleton Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow) is attached to the sin of lust, since she "often says sexual comments." Ross Geller (David Schwimmer), meanwhile, represents wrath due to his frequent emotional outbursts and displays of anger. The original poster weds the idea of pride to Monica Geller (Courteney Cox), as she "claims she is the best at everything or [a lot] of things throughout the show."
And who would be envy in this wicked confab? None other than Gunther (James Michael Tyler), who is jealous of Ross for winning the affections of the woman he has a crush on, Rachel.
Fans responding to the theory seemed to enjoy it, though u/Lurkerfun2019 would have shuffled Monica into the gluttony slot, Phoebe to pride and Joey lust. The most pertinent comment comes from u/arrggg, who said "Maybe Envy is us the audience?" Anyone who lacks friendship — or who has tried to rent an apartment in New York City — would agree.