Settle a debate - Monica & Richard's relationship

[loie]

Cute couple with an emotional story or is it icky and weird?
What's your opinion on it when you watch Friends?

I’m with x2boys in that, whilst he’d obviously known her as a child, it’s nit as though he’d waited until she was 25 to make a move. Their relationship started in the here and now. Yes it’s a big age gap, and had the Richard part been played by a typical 50 year old man in the vein of her father it would’ve been ick. But let’s face it Selleck was cast specifically to throw that possibility of centre. Who wouldn’t?

Both - cute, but ruined by the fact that he k we her as a child!

I think Richard knew Monica as a child a bit, but she didn't register on his radar as she was a daughter of a mate. And no, he didn't recognise her as an adult in her late 20s, as she was a child when he last saw her. I wouldn't recognise the children of people I knew 15 years back, who are in their 20s or early 30s now.

Also, Monica was quite fat as a child/young teen if you remember, and looked quite different after losing 70 pounds. If you recall, Richard was shocked when he realised who she was.

I know several girls who lost weight at 16-17 y.o. (like 40 to 60 pounds,) and they were not only unrecognisable to when they were a fat child/young teen, but they were also much more attractive to men.

Including me. In my teens, I was 12 and a half stone, and 3 to 3 and a half stone overweight, (and that was classed as quite fat some 30+ years ago.) I lost about 40 pounds, (so about 3 stone,) and looked completely different.

I also dressed differently, had my hair cut and styled, and looked much better. At 12 and a half stone I didn't care what I looked like, because I was fat and therefore unattractive by default (according to society and everyone who called me a fat cunt.)

About a year after I lost the weight, (when I was 18,) a lad from school who was 2 years older than me, and used to call me fat-tank, whale blubber and 'the blob' was on his stag night, and started hitting on me. He didn't recognise me, and when I told him to shove off, he said 'you don't know what you're missing!' I said 'I know your fiancee Kelly, and I will tell her you've been letching over me.'

Long story short, he wanted to know who I was, and my mate said 'it's foxy from school.' He looked shocked and said 'oooh, you should have lost that weight years ago, you're way more fuckable now.'

Wow, if I had lost weight YEARS ago (I was only 16-17 when I lost it by the way,) I could have hooked HIM. What a loss THAT was. NOT!!!

Unsurprisingly, the marriage lasted 3 years. He kept cheating on her. Shocker. I wish I had told Kelly he had tried it on! Bet she wouldn't have believed me anyway though!

Do you have small kids? Do you have mates who bring their kids round and they play together?

Imagine the DH of one of your current friends dating your daughter once she’s in her 20s.

Eww.

@crazyasafox I had the same behaviour from men when i went from 21 stone down to 11

The same ones who treated me like shit previously started paying me attention, started hinting at NTA sex. (im married but they didnt give a shit about that either)

This is why i didnt buy the storyline where Monica was chiding Chandler and niggling at him for being a few pounds overweight.

Someone who has endured bullying and abuse (or even being treated as "lesser" for being bigger as Monicas mum actually did to her) would not treat someone else the same way.

Weird because he knew her since she was a child.

icky and weird

Icky but only because its her dads close friend.
I actually think they made a better couple than Monica and Chandler but could never move past the fact its her dads best friend

two consenting adults. she was 25, so not even young. nothing ick about it

This, I thought they were a great couple and really suited to each other.

Do you have small kids? Do you have mates who bring their kids round and they play together? Imagine the DH of one of your current friends dating your daughter once she’s in her 20s. Eww

She's not a kid anymore though. She's a fully grown adult well into her 20s, going on for 30.

Yes, crazy, the whole thing about Richard not recognising Monica was very much grounded in the back story of Monica's transformation from fat (and therefore ugly) to svelte and beautiful. Richard definitely mentioned it when they reconnected as adults. I always thought we were to understand that Richard was indeed a very close family friend; the lack of recognition was very much about Monica's physical transformation.

The family friend aspect did present a serious ick factor, but the characters always acknowledged it and Richard was just such an all-around good egg. So I could overlook it!!!!

Altho I LOVE Chandler, Monica was much better suited to Richard.

Yes but she wasn't because Richard didn't want anymore kids.

I wish people would stop ruining Friends for me!!! Stop over analysing you guys!!

@limekiwi I agree.

I didn’t find it creepy cause he knew her when she was younger. Since then he clearly forgot her and didn’t meet her for several years considering he didn’t recognise her.

Plus I love Tom selleck so I am biased. But I thought Richard was a good character and I liked their storyline and showed a mature relationship compared to Ross and Rachel etc.

inappropriate relationship as he probably knew her since birth.

But tom selleck was hot!

@redspider1

I know what you mean! Whatever you do don't Google the 'Phoebe theory'!!

Weird. He was supposedly her parents' friend.

And I agree with a pp, all the posters saying 'yeh, todally cool, two adults'' - let me see your face when your daughter dates your husband's friend.

And I agree with a pp, all the posters saying 'yeh, todally cool, two adults'' - let me see your face when your daughter dates your husband's friend

When your child is nearer 30 than 20 though, surely you need to accept it's got absolutely bog all to do with you as a parent who they can and can't see? That you need to back off a bit and let them make their own decisions?
They're not a child anymore!
He didn't recognise her when she went for her eye appointment any way, so they obviously hadn't seen each other for years.

Thought they looked ridiculous together. It looked like she was dating her father.

I think it's a bit ick.

I'm glad phenomenal ended up with Mike. I didn't warm to her relationship with David.

"Phenomenal"

Pheobe