Pheebs and Joey- Good friends, not a good couple

Phoebe and Joey are very funny, but the writers of Friends have to know
when to stop with the infinite romantic mixing-and-matching of main
characters (Rachel and Ross, Monica and Chandler, Rachel and Joey, Joey
and Ross). Although they really work well together, they just aren't
compatible. Phoebe is zany and literally a hippie, and Joey is tough,
funny, slightly stupid - a true New Yorker. To fully imagine what they
would be like as a couple, one would have to mix up the ABC Tuesday
night lineup a bit to make "Dharma and Regis."
	Adding a Joey and Phoebe relationship sends "Friends" from a comedy to
a prime-time soap. Out of six friends, or at least well- acquainted
people, there are three couples.
	Joey and Phoebe would become a new "Mondler:" they would become
literally Siamese twins, connected at the hip, doing everything
together. As we witnessed, "Mondler" changed both Monica and Chandler,
in an arguably negative way, as the R+R relationship changed both Ross
and Rachel. Therefore, a J+P relationship would change Joey and Phoebe.
(No, I don't mean that Joey will gain a lot of weight and get glasses,
or be nicknamed "Mental Tribbiani," or that Phoebe will become very
screechy and possessive of Joey, or cause Joey to get divorced twice.)
Besides, changing them would be changing the show, and "Friends" beat
both "Everybody Loves Raymond" AND "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" in
the Nielsens this week, so they must be doing SOMETHING right.
	Think about it this way. Joey and Phoebe are the most consistently
funny characters on "Friends." They are "the funny ones." Knowing the
writers of "Friends," any Friend-to-Friend romantic relationship
involves dramatic, sobby lines and/or saying "I love you, honey,"
numerous times, and/or a messy breakup that involves tears, looking out
apartment windows for long periods of time, and screaming at someone in
a non-comical way (i.e., not just screaming when tackling a drunken
uncle :-) or when someone wastes pastrami). People expect Joey and
Phoebe to be FUNNY, not melodramatic or sappy. Now that Chandler has
been devoured by Mondler, they really are the funniest Friends, and do
you want that to go to waste?

Dan

PS- Please reply.

You the man :) Thats exactly my opinion and I didn't even have to write it down myself.

<Tries to think of some suitable witty comment but fails> He is indeed. :)

Lethargy rules!

Always CC

You could reply, you know.

Ok, I'll reply. You have a very good point about the role of Joey and Phoebe. I agree that they should keep their stories "light" and not drag them down in sappy relationship stories. That hasn't been their role for the show up to now. Their being funny is because they have been able to stay outside of the emotional baggage that serious relationships would cause.

So I do agree with you there.

Laurie