Friends fans always have one theory after another going on. But viewers might have clocked something that only those with a keen ear may notice.
With the recent Friends: The Reunion taking place, you might have decided to jump back to some of the classic episodes to reminisce over the sitcom.
During the nostalgic binge though, you might have noticed that Rachel's voice had changed from season one.
Others have definitely spotted it, and a lot of people as well. All over Reddit are threads of people asking why Rachel started off as "super high and whiny" before becoming "low and nasally" in later seasons.
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Below is a collection of three clips: one from the Friends pilot episode, one from 'The One Where Everybody Finds Out' in season five and a snippet from Friends: The Reunion trailer. Can you hear the difference?
You can watch the clip below:
Some responses cite the character arc that Rachel goes through.
"It changed along her character I think. She started as a spoiled whinny brat and ended up as a successful self-sufficient woman", said one commenter.
A Quora thread hoped to find the truth and asked: "The voice of Rachel from FRIENDS changed after season 1. Why? Is it commonly noticed?".
Matt Mahoney, who has a BA in Speech and Language Pathology & Acting, claims to have some answers.
Mahoney said: "Watching season 1 and season 2 again so find differences, it's mostly an acting choice".
"In a sit-com setting, you're making decisions as the seasons progress. As Jennifer Aniston progressed in her acting career on Friends, she made choices".
"As actors get used to their characters, they start to feel more like another part of them. She probably got used to Rachel, which made the character easier to find, sometimes making decisions she made on her first day of shooting more muted and more like Jennifer".
Some people even noticed physical reasons why Rachel's voice sounds the way it does in season one.
One commenter on the Quora thread said: "Rewatching the series now, I'm noticing more and more how she doesn't open her mouth when she talks? It's like she's gritting her teeth at the back a bit, so no words really come out nice and clearly".
Others claim it's just a sign of aging, noting that Jennifer Aniston was only 25 when she started the show.
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There definitely seems to be a difference. I should do some thorough research and watch the Friends reunion again.
Featured Image Credit: Warner BrosTopics: TV and Film, TV News, Jennifer Aniston, Friends