Out of every character on Friends, Phoebe had the best ending. Over the course of 10 seasons, viewers got to really know the main characters in Friends, and in some cases witnessed some real character development in them. The series did its best to give closure to the arc of each friend, but Phoebe’s ending stood out the most in the end.
The series followed the lives of six young adults (Phoebe, Monica, Rachel, Joey, Ross, Chandler) in New York City, and all the ups and downs that come with adulthood. All six friends had very different backgrounds, and were very different from each other, but that’s exactly what brought them together. One of the characters that became a fan favorite was Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow), the “weirdo” of the group. Phoebe was eccentric and silly-witted, yet very sweet and with a good heart. She also had, by far, the most tragic backstory of all, and also the best ending.
Phoebe (and her twin sister Ursula) grew up with their father, Frank, and their adoptive mother, Lily. Frank abandoned his family and later remarried another woman. Meanwhile, the twins’ step-father was sent to prison and Lily committed suicide. As a result, Phoebe lived in the streets and never went to high school or college, and resorted to mugging to survive. She never really had a family (even though she was close to her grandmother), with Ursula going her own way and her real mother, Phoebe, out of the picture for most of her life. Phoebe found a home with the rest of the friends, and by the end of the series, she was starting her own family with Mike Hannigan (Paul Rudd).
Friends managed to give closure to every major aspect in Phoebe’s life, most notably her relationship with David (Hank Azaria), and showed that she remained close to her brother Frank, his wife Alice, and their triplets. By the end of the series, Phoebe had a family, though not a traditional one. Monica and Chandler (and their kids), Rachel and Ross, and Joey were Phoebe’s family, and she was starting her own with Mike after getting married in season 10 – a wedding in which each of her friends had a role, with Chandler even serving as a father figure by giving her away.
In the end, Friends made up for everything Phoebe lacked in her early years, without her losing her essence or compromising her beliefs and personality. Phoebe was by far the most authentic of the group, which was a big part of her appeal, and unlike other characters, her ending was a truly satisfying one.
Next: Rachel Deserved A Much Better Ending In Friends
