Ostensibly, it was Ross and Rachel’s on-off relationship and Monica and Chandler’s eventual wedding that gave Friends most of its relationship arcs through 10 seasons, but when the time came to wrap the show up, it’s hard to deny that Mike and Phoebe’s wedding seemed the only point of genuine, progressive growth. All the other friends found love with each other in ways that were expected if not predictable (except Joey, who is another story all unto himself and worthy of psychological study), but Pheebs–weird, off-beat Phoebe Buffay who’d never had a chance at a proper family–Phoebe found love with someone who was just as off-beat and good-humoured as her, and with her family of friends by her side, she finally found someone with which to start a whole new family. Bonus points for one of the prettiest open-air weddings ever held within a 20-minute sitcom.
