Down the Memory Lane Through Friends Reunion

 

I must have been in seventh or eight grade when my classmate Karan told me about a certain episode of some show. He was telling me about two friends who were having sex (a foreign concept to me back then, and unfortunately still is!) and they trying to hide this from the rest of their friends with the help of their mutual friend. I found it funny, mostly because of the way he was describing it. And me, who only had the idea of serials being those that my mom used to watch, was intrigued.

Up until then, I had only watched children's shows and whatever came on DD Metro and other stuff, so when my father got cable, I surfed through all channels, and then I came across a show, and I thought, "Oh yes, this was the show he was talking about... I remember it was called Friends."

And that was where it began.

I believe it was being aired in Star World, and it showed episodes everyday from Monday to Friday, and I remember religiously sitting in front of the TV watching it. I never understood what drew me towards the show, but nevertheless, it was the only show I watched (apart from the animes in JetX, Dragon Ball Z, Pokemon and whatever came up on Cartoon Network, which was of course, the golden era of animated shows).

I always thought I would bag a role in that show one day (yeah, I wanted to become an actor back then), but then I learned that the show got over, so I would watch the reruns. Later, in 11th grade my father got me a computer, and through a friend, I got a very low quality of all episodes of Friends. I had that set for the next 6-7 years, until I got better version of it, which I still have with me.

I would get my laughs, but that was it for me. Being the perfect student and perfect son and model citizen shit, the show was just for some laughs for me. But then, by around my eleventh grade, I started failing in my endeavors, my studies...many things. I was becoming 'imperfect', and started causing troubles to people around me. I was a bully, and I was hurting people. I was air headed and big headed. Mostly, I believe, I was not able to grasp whatever was happening around me, and I was reacting in accordance to that. And my friends got alienated from me, and the ones who stayed got into different schools.... And I made it worse upon myself so much, that people just stayed away from me.

But the show stayed with me.

Then came college, and with it came depression. Then I dropped out, got a job, and the string of failures followed. I couldn't make it anywhere properly, I was marked as an example of what one shouldn't be, and I yearned for attention so badly, that I just made it worse for myself. 

And the show still stayed with me.

In time I realized why it stayed with me. Unlike other shows, where there were perfect characters as leads, (and if they were imperfect characters, there was someone else who would come and complete them), I was watching a show where people were wrong, imperfect and even stupid, and yet made through the day, because they had each other. And as I learned that I was successfully pushing people away, I desired for someone to stay or stick with me, like they did.

And the show stuck with me. Still does.

There were times when I had decided to end my life. There were times when I had just wanted to stop. And then I would watch an episode of Friends, just to take my mind off it, and I would end up bingeing the whole show. In the past 15 years, I have binged the show at least once every year, and that is not including the number of times I would watch individual episodes. In other words... The show stopped me from taking any drastic steps several times...still does! All I do is turn on an episode, and then I got to The One Where It All Began, and then I continue forward. And by the end of it, I would be reborn.

The show never had perfect characters. Everyone were flawed. You just cannot get along with them at all. But yet, they were good, they nice...they were relatable. Because in reality, that's what we all are, imperfect people trying to make it in an imperfect world. And so every time the song 'I'll be there for you!' would play on screen, it felt like the song was for me, and I believed those words...I still do!

And today, I just saw the Reunion. And I found myself laughing, crying.... something I haven't done in a while. I am not certain if the crew ever knew how much of an impact they created on a crazy idiotic boy, and how much that idiot is still relying on their show. But that doesn't matter, because I know how that show was there for me, and will stay there for me.

Thank you, FRIENDS, for being there with me...

I promise.. yours will be the last show I will ever watch...

And it is something I know for certain...