Monica Geller

A hardworking chef Monica is introduced in the pilot as one of five close-knit friends who live in New York City, including her older brother Ross (David Schwimmer), neighbors Joey (Matt LeBlanc) and Chandler (Matthew Perry), and former roommate Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow). When her privileged, inexperienced childhood best friend Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), with whom she had long lost contact, suddenly arrives in her neighborhood unannounced as a runaway bride after abandoning her own wedding, Monica allows her to move in with her while she attempts to reorganize her life, and the two reconnect. Monica's catchphrase is "I know!" Relationships Richard Burke Monica begins dating Dr. Richard Burke (Tom Selleck), an older man who is also one of her father's best friends and 21 years her senior, during the second season. However, the couple mutually agree to end their relationship after realizing that Richard does not want children, his own having already grown up (and had children of their own), while Monica aspires to eventually raise a family of her own one day. Initially supposed to have been a casual, one-time thing which grew more recurrent, Monica and Chandler eventually develop feelings for each other, but attempt to conceal it from their friends for as long as possible. and ultimately settle upon adoption as an alternative, deciding to adopt the yet-to-be-born child of expectant single mother Erica (Anna Faris). The couple is very much surprised when Erica gives birth to twins, and name the boy Jack after Monica's father, and the girl Erica after her birth mother. At the series finale, Chandler, Monica, and the twins leave the New York City apartment for a house in Westchester. == Development ==

president Warren Littlefield shortly after their short-lived sitcom Family Album was canceled by CBS. Monica is based on Kauffman herself. When Friends first aired, the majority of its earliest episodes revolved around Monica, At first, NBC executives worried that audiences would react to Monica's role unfavorably, thus they decided to survey the studio audience and ask them whether or not they thought that having Monica sleep with someone on their first date made her character too promiscuous. Don Ohlmeyer, then-president of NBC's west coast division, was particularly adamant about his stance against Monica's role in the pilot, which he considered "casual sex". Kauffman recalled Ohlmeyer specifically expressing that Monica deserved to be dumped, a statement by which the writer was greatly offended, dismissing Ohlmeyer as a misogynist. Ultimately, the results returned in favor of Monica; audiences liked the character nonetheless, and the episode aired unchanged. In the series finale, Phoebe certifies that each character shared Monica's apartment at least one point during their lives. Because Monica and Joey were initially conceived as the show's two most sexual characters, Crane and Kauffman had intended for them to be the show's main couple, before ultimately replacing them with Ross and Rachel. However, there were incidents on the show referencing a possible intimate relationship between the two, such as Monica's initial attraction to Joey when he moved in and Monica's intent to sleep with Joey in London rather than Chandler. Those events proved only to be humorous, nonetheless. Summarizing the role of Monica in the series, Martin Gitlin wrote in his book The Greatest Sitcoms of All Time that while her friends "were ... just out to make the most of their social lives", Monica "sought to keep the others in line" while searching for "Mr. Right", who surprisingly turns out to be close friend Chandler. Several years before Monica and Chandler became romantically involved, Cox once joked in an interview that if her character were to ever have sex with another main character, it would most likely be Chandler. Crane and Kauffman had never intended to pair off Monica and Chandler with each other, and only decided to expand upon the idea of a relationship between the two friends upon realizing that viewers had "fallen in love" with the notion of Monica and Chandler as a couple. The idea of Monica and Chandler's romantic arc surfaced much earlier in the series from writers Scott Silveri and Shana Goldberg-Meehan, who observed the characters' chemistry in the season two episode "The One Where Ross Finds Out", in which an idle and unemployed Monica is temporarily acting as Chandler's personal trainer. While each character very much approves of their union, Monica's parents initially resent their daughter's feelings for Chandler due to an age-old misunderstanding involving Chandler. Monica and Chandler's relationship is the antithesis of Ross and Rachel's because it remained "healthy and strong until the series ended", while the other couple was relentlessly on-and-off. Similarly, Slate writer Ruth Graham observed that "Chandler is painted as a self-loathing loser with women, until he finally snags Monica at the end of Season 4." Meanwhile, Silveri believes that Friends ultimately ran as long as it did due in part to Monica and Chandler's romance, explaining, "if the center of Friends had remained Ross and Rachel, you would've seen a much shorter shelf life for the show"; Monica and Chandler's arc is believed to have extended the series by approximately three years. When it finally came time for them to write the finale, the idea of the couple adopting newborn twins was conceived at the last minute simply "for fun". They were named Jack and Erica – after Monica's father and their birth mother, respectively. The twins are born three minutes and forty-six seconds apart. Although the surprise addition of Monica and Chandler's twins was generally well received, critics questioned the fact that the babies are brought home from the hospital the same day as their delivery Casting Monica is portrayed by American actress Courteney Cox. Crane and Kauffman had written the role of Monica with comedienne Janeane Garofalo in mind, because they were drawn to her "edgier and snarkier" voice. Actress Jami Gertz was also offered the role but declined, while actress Leah Remini auditioned for Monica prior to guest starring as a pregnant single mother in an early episode. Kristin Davis also auditioned, and later guest starred in the episode "The One with Ross's Library Book". A close competitor for the role of Monica was actress Nancy McKeon; Littlefield recalled having greatly enjoyed Cox and McKeon's auditions equally, and left the final decision up to Crane and Kauffman. main character Jerry Seinfeld's girlfriend, the producers offered Cox the role of Monica's spoiled best friend Rachel because the actress "had this cheery, upbeat energy", which was significantly different from how they had envisioned Monica at the time. Cox lobbied in favor of playing Monica instead because she was drawn to the character's "strong" personality, but the producers feared that she was not "tough" enough for the role, which was offered to actress Jennifer Aniston, alongside whom Cox would eventually co-star. Before finally being cast in Friends, Cox's burgeoning success as an actress had heavily relied on her physical appearance. Unlike her previous roles in projects such as Family Ties and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, the Los Angeles Times Steve Weinstein believes that Monica was the first major role in which Cox was cast based on her abilities as a comedic actress as opposed to her beauty. As the most experienced cast member at the time, Cox advised her co-stars to remain open to each other's ideas, notes and suggestions, while giving them permission to tell her "If I could do anything funnier". Preferring to be treated as equals, the entire cast negotiated for universal salaries, demanding that Warner Bros. accommodate their request of $100,000 per episode in season three, increased from their original inaugural season salary of $22,000 per episode. temporarily refusing to renew their expired contracts. The studio eventually complied, and by season 10 each actor was being paid $1 million per episode, Cox was 29 years old at the time she was cast, making her the show's second oldest main cast member, Additionally, this distinction makes Cox older than her on-screen brother, actor David Schwimmer, who portrays her older brother Ross, The actress would deliver Monica's lines emphatically. Although each character is depicted as an avid coffee drinker, spending much of their free time in a coffee house, Cox herself does not drink coffee, and was only pretending to drink it out of mugs on the show. Kauffman believes that Cox's own cleanliness closely resembles her character's; at times the actress would clean her co-stars' dressing rooms. The actress enjoyed portraying Monica as she was able to "bring more of my own personality to her, and I've never really been able to do that before." At one point, Cox had begun to regret her decision to accept the role of Monica over Rachel due to the character's lack of strong storylines; she eventually relented once Monica and Chandler became romantically involved, thus her character's storylines gradually began to improve. The opening credits of the season six premiere "The One After Vegas" features an inside joke in which Cox's new surname "Arquette" is attached to the surnames of each cast and crew member. At that same time, her character and on-screen husband were going through the process of adopting a child. the same could not have been done for Cox because Friends had already long-established that Monica is incapable of having children. Therefore, the crew attempted to conceal Cox's pregnancy using a combination of baggy, loose-fitting costumes and props instead. == Characterization and themes ==

Codependency and neuroticism At the beginning of season one, Monica is 25 years old. Rita Loiacono of SheKnows Media believes Monica was the show's most fully realized character from the beginning of the series because her "quirks were developed to a tee." As the group's "unofficial den mother", Monica fulfills the role of their mother hen, and is thus often perceived as the most level-headed member of the sextet, with Ken Parish Perkins of the Chicago Tribune identifying Monica as the show's most grounded character. Jill O'Rourke of Crushable described her as "the glue that held the group together." Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly believes that Monica serves as "the solid center in a circle of wacky pals" due to her "sunny" personality, combined with the fact that she maintains a steady job while appearing to possess the most common sense. Furthermore, Tucker identified Monica as the show's "straight woman". Bustle's James Tison agreed that Monica is the show's most relatable character. Describing her as "ultra-competent", Natural Living Todays Emily Nussbaum likened Monica to the fairy tale character Snow White, on whose homemaking skills the five other main characters heavily rely, similar to the relationship between Snow White and the seven dwarfs. Although Monica began Friends as the show's straight person, the writers eventually made her funnier by incorporating aspects of Cox's own personality into the character, in addition to writing wittier material for her. Identified by Ayn Bernos of Thought Catalog as "the epitome of a ... control freak", Refinery29's Kelsey Miller summarized Monica's personality as funny, uptight, loving, and competitive. A very organized character with a signature Type A personality Monica is known for being a "neat freak" obsessed with cleanliness – especially when it comes to maintaining the impeccable condition of her apartment – neurotic, extremely obsessive-compulsive, and competitive in nature, personality traits that are exaggerated for humor and comic relief; the writers did not begin to take full comedic advantage of Monica's neuroses until the show's first Thanksgiving episode. By the show's final season, Monica's personality has been "exacerbated for comedy" to the point of which she becomes borderline "cartoonish". Family and childhood; career and love life Monica has a complicated relationship with her parents Jack (Elliott Gould) and Judy Geller (Christina Pickles), Entertainment Weekly called the character's relationship with her parents "esteem-sucking". while acting much kinder towards Ross, whom she favors. Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 author Vincent Terrance believes that Monica's competitive nature originates from having grown up constantly competing with Ross. Kriti Tulsiani of IBNLive described Monica and Ross' relationship as "A blend of love and sibling jealousy with an urge to irritate each other to the deepest core of existence", with Ross often making fun of his sister's weight and Monica teasing him about his several failed marriages in return. However, ''Television's Changing Image of American Jews'' categorized Monica as a "masked" Jew, explaining that "the smart, funny, and insecure Ross seems more Jewish" than Monica, who the author dismissed as "china-doll like" in appearance and demeanor. portrays Monica's hypercritical mother, Judy Geller. Although Monica and Rachel have remained best friends since high school, they are very much opposites. While both characters share similar economic backgrounds, they grew up on "different ends of the high school social order", with Rachel being a popular cheerleader and Monica "deal[ing] with body and control issues due to being an overweight child and teen." a trend that nearly coincides with her constant rotation of boyfriends in an ongoing search for the "perfect match". Michael Hogan of The Guardian believes that the character's "competitive, perfectionist, obsessive-compulsive nature made her ideally suited to a career as a chef." The running gag of an overweight Monica is often used as a recurring backstory for the character throughout the series, first explored in the second-season episode "The One With the Prom Video" via flashback. One of the character's childhood nicknames was "Big Fat Goalie" when she played field hockey. While overweight, Monica is depicted as having very low self-esteem, binge eating often, and constantly seeking attention. Media and the Rhetoric of Body Perfection: Cosmetic Surgery, Weight Loss and Beauty in Popular Culture author Dr. Deborah Harris-Moore believes that Monica's tendency to come off as a control freak originates from her childhood struggles with weight gain, explaining that the character ate excessively in order "to cope with her emotions". Possessing a very strong will, the character tends to exhibit outstanding perseverance when it comes to what she expects out of her relationships, jobs, and life in general, oftentimes refusing to settle for anything less than what satisfies her. while the Chicago Tribunes Ken Parish Perkins observed that Monica "often misfires when shooting for Mr. Right." Cox described Monica as goofy, angry, and sarcastic, while referring to her as the show's most sexually active character despite her "goody two shoes" image. Ashley Hoffman of Styleite believes that her character initially "dressed like a tourist trying to look like a New Yorker", frequently sporting jeans, overalls, and cargo shorts. With a wardrobe comprising dresses and pants equally, Monica's fashion sense, much like Rachel and Phoebe's, "was a little bit normcore, a little bit corporate-casual." Elle's Mahalia Chang observed that Monica did not follow trends of the time as much as Rachel, preferring to boast mom jeans, "boxy" sweaters, sneakers and flannels. == Critical reception ==

Four months before its premiere, Friends failed NBC's confidential research report, which cited the unlikeability of its six main characters as a possible factor. Although the report acknowledged Monica as the only character with whom test audiences identified somewhat positively, NBC admitted that reception towards the character was "well below desirable levels for a lead" nonetheless. while ''The Baltimore Sun's David Zurawik described her acting as "terrific". John Kiesewetter of The Cincinnati Enquirer'' praised Cox's ability to "deliver both verbal and physical comedy". Contactmusic.com's Sophie Miskiw commended Cox for portraying Monica with "endearing neurosis". As a character, Lifetime described Monica as "neurotic yet lovable". Bustle's Emma Lord wrote, "I can't imagine why anyone wouldn't want to be Monica Geller", describing her as a "smart" and "savvy" character. Despite admitting that Monica is "probably not our favourite character", TalkTalk conceded that she is "wonderfully neurotic", while Nick at Nite reviewed her as "just as lovable as she is neurotic", despite her overbearing personality. Also writing for the Los Angeles Times, Glenn Whipp lauded Cox's tenure on Friends, enthusing that the actress successfully "took a character loaded with obsessive-compulsive quirks and a goofy, overly competitive nature and fashioned a flesh-and-blood woman". Alec Harvey of The Birmingham News described Monica as a "very, very funny" character. Kayla Upadhyaya of The Michigan Daily appreciated the fact that "Cox brought moments of sincerity and severity to Monica". However, The Washington Post panned Cox's performance as "degrading", while Mike Ryan of ScreenCrush dismissed Monica as a "fairly normal, but boring" character. In 1999, Cox was nominated for an American Comedy Award for Funniest Supporting Female Performer in a TV Series. Although continuously praised for her performance, Cox never received an Emmy Award nomination for her role on Friends during its entire run, although each of her five co-stars did. Both female castmates Lisa Kudrow and Jennifer Aniston remain the show's only main cast members to have won the award, whose multiple nominations Cox especially "had a hard time not taking ... personally", admitting to having been "hurt" by the snub. A number of media outlets cite Cox among several successful television actors whom they believe deserve but are yet to win an Emmy Award. The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences' failure to acknowledge Cox prompted Jenna Mullins of E! to ask "if Hollywood has something against honoring a fantastic comedic actress like Cox." An article in The Birmingham News cited "The One Where it All Began", "The One With Two Parts: Part 2", "The One with the Prom Video", "The One with Chandler in a Box", "The One with the Embryos", "The One with All the Thanksgivings", "The One Where Everybody Finds Out", "The One On the Last Night", "The One with the Proposal", "The One with Monica and Chandler's Wedding" and "The Last One" among Monica's best episodes; Cox herself acknowledged "The One with the Embryos" as her personal favorite. Despite consistently warm reception towards Cox and her character, some aspects of Monica's characterization have been criticized. The second season episode "The One Where Dr. Ramoray Dies" sparked controversy due to one of its storylines revolving around Monica and Rachel arguing over which roommate will win the last remaining condom in their apartment in order to have sex with their respective boyfriends, Richard and Ross. Rachel eventually wins the condom in a game of rock, paper, scissors, forcing Monica to abstain for the night. Megan Kirby of xoJane questioned the negative effect the show's fat jokes would have on its overweight viewers, writing, "What does this mean for the girls like me who never become thin? Are we relegated to side roles and stereotypes in our own lives? Of course, this isn't true. But I think it sometimes, dark and secret: The fat girl doesn't get to be the protagonist." Emma Tarver of Feminspire reflected that Fat Monica "made me think as a child that I was unworthy of love, was going to be mocked relentlessly by my friends and family for my weight, and should never bother flirting because I would just disgust every man I looked at." Contrarily, Kelsey Miller of Refinery29 received Fat Monica positively as "proof I could overcome my disgusting plumpness and be seen as lovable, too". In spite of these complaints, Fat Monica proved so popular among audiences that the writers would resurrect the character for a total of four flashback episodes, each of which aired featuring Cox dressed as Fat Monica and eating a doughnut while dancing after the show had finished taping much to the amusement of the studio audience. Although she only appears physically in four, Fat Monica is referenced in approximately half of the show's episodes, and has since proven popular enough to be adapted into an internet meme. == Legacy ==

Impact and commendations According to Elle, the combined popularity of Monica and Cox established them both as television icons during the 1990s. Additionally, baby name books commonly associate the name "Monica" with the character. As the role in which Cox "found fame", Us Weekly believes that Cox "made television history during her 10 year stint playing Monica". Meanwhile, Steve Weinstein of the Los Angeles Times credits Cox's comedic performance with helping dispel stereotypes that "Pretty women aren't supposed to be funny". The Daily News deemed Cox "one of the more successful 'Friends' since the show ended" thanks to her consistent television and film roles. By both starring in and producing the sitcom Cougar Town, which has been reviewed as her "best gig since ... Friends", Cox became the series' first main cast member to achieve long-term television success post-Friends. According to a Hollywood Reporter poll, industry professionals – actors, writers and directors – voted Monica the 47th best fictional female character. ChaCha collectively ranked Phoebe, Rachel and Monica the 11th, 12th and 13th best female television characters of all time. Maria Tallarico of Cosmopolitan observed that a number of Monica's storylines, including one in which she unintentionally has sex with a high school senior, "probably wouldn't fly on TV today". According to Dustin Levy of The Diamondback, Monica inspired "any ensemble cast in a sitcom with a female character who is bossy or neurotic", citing Scrubs Elliot Reid and Happy Endings Jane Kerkovich-Williams as examples of Monica's influence. In her article "5 Signs You're A Real-Life Monica Geller", Ayn Bernos of Thought Catalog identified the character's personality as the reason "all perfectionist fans of this iconic TV show have asked themselves this question at least once in their life: 'Oh my god, am I a Monica Geller?!'" The Guardian ranked Monica fifth on the newspaper's list of "The 10 best fictional chefs", placed the couple second on its ranking of the greatest Friends couples, with author Sydney Bucksbaum writing, "It's hard to imagine a time when Monica and Chandler weren't together, but it took them four seasons to actually get together. From then on, it was clear that they were meant to be." Tim Gerstenberger of TV Overmind echoed this sentiment by ranking Chandler Monica's best boyfriend, awarding him an 'A' grade. Gerstenberger penned, "I would not be able to face myself every day if I did not rank Chandler the best of Monica's boyfriends from Friends. The two ended up getting married, which just goes to show that some one night stands are meant to last." Monica and Ross' relationship was also influential. According to Kriti Tulsiani of IBNLive, the characters "provide a perfect exception to the myth that one cannot find a best friend in their sibling particularly when they are of opposite sex ... they have broken all the conventional boundaries of a brother-sister relationship." Immediately established as one of the show's primary settings, Steffani Cameron of BuildDirect wrote that Monica's "apartment was unlike anything else on TV. It was full of color, clutter, and personality. It was a space cobbled together of kitsch and class, and it was just magic", citing its windows, color and openness among her favourite things about the apartment. Based on its total number of bedrooms, open kitchen concept, large living space and balcony, real estate agent Sydney Blumstein estimates that the apartment would be worth approximately 2.3 million in 2015. In terms of its size and affordability, the apartment has frequently been the subject of scrutiny; critics constantly question how Monica, a chef, and Rachel, a waitress, were able to afford such a luxurious home based on their relatively low incomes, often dismissing the show's explanation that this is due to an illegal sublet courtesy of Monica's grandmother who moved to Florida. Hollywood.com's Abbey Stone ranked it television's 10th "most ridiculous" apartment, in addition to inspiring a generation of women. TheTalko contributor Taylor Hodgkins agreed that both Rachel "and Monica ... became cultural icons ... due to the fact the characters became fashion icons ... For those of us who thought of ourselves to be fashion mavens, we loved to tune into Friends to see what Monica and Rachel had in their closets week after week." Describing Monica's wardrobe as "classic and elegant", Stylist observed that the character's first season bob cut was imitated by several woman, However, Cosmopolitan identified Monica's hairstyle as "Iconic in its own right", including in its list of "20 iconic Friends hairstyles". Monica also became well known for accessorizing sweaters using scarves; BuzzFeed ranked Monica's wedding dress seventh on the website's list of the "28 TV Show Wedding Dresses You'll Always Envy", while Brides ranked it the ninth greatest wedding dress in television history. Us Weekly included it on their list of "Celebrity Wedding Dresses: TV & Movies". Lauren Bravo of Grazia wrote that although "It's hard for us to process some of Monica's early outfits ... there's a lot of great stuff to be pilfered from Monica's pleasingly preppy wardrobe", despite its heavy tailoring. Meanwhile, The Daily Telegraph cited several of Monica's outfits and hairstyles among the newspaper's list of "Friends best fashion moments". In recent years, fans' appreciation for Monica's wardrobe has grown following the series' availability on Netflix, with The Guardian journalist Jess Cartner-Morley observing that audiences "were all too busy admiring Rachel's hair and Chandler's jokes first time around to notice Monica Geller's love of mom jeans and hair barrettes. But the world has finally caught up with the poster girl for 90s normcore", to the point at which it rivals Rachel's. Crowning her the "unlikely style icon" of summer 2019, Cartner-Morley observed the characters' influence on the outfits of several celebrities, namely Bella Hadid and Harry Styles. In 2019, Business Insider compiled a list of Monica's 16 most iconic outfits, with author Paige Bennett writing "As a professional chef, Monica had to adhere to a strict dress code at work but when the apron came off, Monica donned a sleek yet down-to-earth wardrobe that can still be appreciated today." Elle named Monica "The Best-Dressed Character On 'Friends'" in what Mahalia Chang called a controversial, "potentially-unpopular opinion" as most fans give this designation to Rachel. ==See also==