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Phoebe Buffay is the most eccentric character on Friends, and this wild theory fan theory sets out to explain why.
All six of the main character on Friends have distinct personalities, but the wild card of the bunch is undeniably the eccentric Phoebe Buffay, memorably played by Lisa Kudrow. Yet, even the most devoted viewers of the NBC sitcom don’t know a lot about her past. Sometime before the series begins, Phoebe was Monica’s roommate. Her mother committed suicide; her father walked out on her; and she does not get along with her identical twin sister, Ursula. Beyond that, large swaths of Phoebe’s history are shrouded in mystery, or else are so bizarre we’re left to question their veracity. One fan theory posses a reason for that: Phoebe was once an American spy in Europe.
The theory, posted on Reddit, begins by pointing out that Phoebe not only speaks English, but also French and Italian, and on the series actually dates a foreign diplomat she ran into at the United Nations while giving out massages. Essentially Phoebe has the skills to fit into high society in New York, yet doesn’t because her eccentricities seem to preclude her. While the theory doesn’t mention it, there is a two-part alternate-realty episode in Season 6, in which Phoebe is a Wall Street broker instead of a masseuse and busker, which shows that, at some point, she could have had a much different life.
The theory addresses how Phoebe mentions she’s been barred from international travel; however, there is an issue with that piece of evidence. When the gang travels to England for Ross’ marriage to Emily, Phoebe doesn’t go with them. Nevertheless, she would have attended had she not been pregnant. So while, at one point, Phoebe commented about her limitations on overseas travel, it’s not the ironclad evidence the theory presents it to be.
Continuing the theory, we arrive at Phoebe’s relationship with Gary, the police officer who discovers some “really weird stuff” in Phoebe’s file, which she prohibits him from divulging to her friends. That’s particularly interesting, because Phoebe is otherwise an open book to her friends, and has no qualms sharing weird parts of her life with them. So the theory suggests that piece of her past Phoebe has been hiding is her career as a spy.
Specifically, the theory suggests she was a spy in Cold War-era Czechoslovakia, where Phoebe said she once lived. Her criminal past may have drawn the attention of a federal agency that realized her skills could be adapted for the career of a spy. The theory even attributes her iconic fake name, Regina Phalange, to her spy persona. Then things get really wild as the theorist offers an explanation for how Phoebe got out of the spy game.
Essentially the theory attributes Phoebe’s wild personality and quirky, if not downright strange, behavior as scheme she concocted in order to quit the spy business. Basically, she acted so off-kilter that her duties as a spy were revoked, because getting out of the intelligence business is no easy feat. So by getting herself removed, she was in the clear. Well, not in the clear exactly, because she has to maintain the ruse. That explains the continued wacky behavior of making horrifying art, dating her sister’s stalker and running through Central Park in a bonkers sort of way.
The theory is a lot of fun to think about, but it’s likely not true — and that’s probably for the best. Phoebe is a strong, independent person, and one of the most endearing things about her is that she’s always true to herself. It would be a shame if it were all fake. Plus, while it’s true that not much of her life is shown in flashbacks in the same way we see glimpses of Ross and Rachel’s pasts, we are still given a sense of where she came from and how hard she worked. Her life was sad for a long time, but she survived that, and became strong and self-sufficient in ways the others in her circle weren’t, and that is commendable.
While the theory that Phoebe was actually a spy prior to the events of Friends is fun to consider, ultimately it’s likely not true. Instead, Phoebe is just a New Yorker with a distinct charm and personality.
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