Serious confession time: I had never seen every episode of Friends until this year. I didn’t watch TV growing up, so I watched it sporadically during my childhood at sleepovers, but never saw more than a few episodes. I missed a lot of key lessons from Friends over the years. And when I finally got a Netflix password, I didn’t have time to find Friends online, because I had all of Arrested Development at my fingertips and I was busy rewatching the 30 Rock pilot. (Can you blame me?)
Anyway, on January 1, 2015, I finally got my priorities in order. I became attached to the characters and invested in the saga of Ross and Rachel. Here I am, 3 months and 2 weeks later, just a girl who aggressively ignored her social life and all other television commitments in order to watch 10 straight seasons of Friends. I have no regrets. Especially since I finished right in time for the season premiere of Mad Men. You know the people who can’t have too many commitments because they'd rather just focus on one assignment? Well, that’s my relationship with TV. Which is why I had to ignore every other show and hone in on Friends.
Your reaction might be disgust rather than admiration, but I am, nonetheless, pretty proud of this accomplishment.
The only problem is now I have no idea what to do with myself.
Like, what’s next in my life? Where do I go from here? The future, for the first time, seems uncertain and it scares me.
So if you're coming to the end of Friends on Netflix, I feel your pain. Here are the 7 withdrawal symptoms you'll experience while finishing Friends on Netflix:
1. Acknowledging the passing of time
When you get to the last season, they really show you that they’d moved into 2004. They make a Beyoncé reference. Not a Destiny’s Child reference, you guys — a BEYONCÉ reference. We get it, Friends, you’re still relevant.
2. Denial
In which you go back and watch the pilot again. And then you watch a bunch of interviews with Janice, followed by the episode where Monica and Chandler get together, just to prolong getting to the end.
3. Need for productivity
You judge yourself and realize you REALLY need to leave your apartment. So you go do laundry. Or walk around the neighborhood. Or grab a drink with a friend. And then you decide enough time has passed and you’re allowed to go back to watching Friends.
4. Bargaining
When you negotiate with yourself about how best to ration the last few episodes.
5. Browsing for a new show
In which you decide to set your sights on a new television goal to ease the heartache and answer some of the “what's next?”-type questions in your life.
6. The one where you just want to put Rachel back on the plane
GO TO PARIS HE’S NOT WORTH IT.
7. Despair
In which you lament and eventually end up with a morose Tears for Fears song stuck in your head. You don't want it to be over. You're not ready to say goodbye.
Though now that you mention it, I should really get caught up on New Girl.
Images: NBC; Giphy(3)
