Joey Tribbiani Is A Manchild, And He Got Worse With Every Friends’ Season
One catchphrase is not enough to build a character.
Although Friends is still very popular with the general public, in recent years people have found it more problematic with each viewing. Of course, it's okay to look at some things through the prism of the time in which they were made, and it wouldn't be fair to expect the 90s show to meet the ethical standards of 2023.
But no matter the time period, there could be no excuses for bad writing. And Friends had no shortage of characters and storylines that could have been much better thought out than they ended up being.
One character from the main group stands out the most. While other friends seemed to grow up, change their behavior, and explore new possibilities, Joey Tribbiani never stayed the same either. The only catch is that he didn't improve in any way, he just got dumber with each season.
From a person who was always academically challenged, but had his own charm and was sort of street smart, Joey degenerated into a walking, talking comic relief with one catchphrase and little to no personality behind it.
A character who could show off his ingenuity by unlocking a car without a key and making witty comments became a plot device.
While some fans of the show agree that Joey has become the worst character on the show, incapable of doing anything right, others feel that the problem goes deeper.
Though Joey's case may be more prominent, as his token trait was mostly used for the cringiest jokes throughout the show, he may have fallen victim to the same writing pattern that took over the majority of the group.
Every character except Rachel and Chandler ended up being a poor caricature of themselves, with Monica being even more neurotic, Ross whinier, and Phoebe much meaner.
For those who watched the sitcom ongoing, the change wouldn't be that noticeable. But if you're binging the show or rewatching episodes at random, you can't help but notice the difference.
If you want to try and find the exact point in time when the characters stopped developing and went backward to double their flaws, you can re-watch Friends on Netflix or MAX.