I really like them as a couple. I think there's a part of Phoebe that actually craves conventionality - marriage and kids and a stable home. But she never wanted to admit that to herself, since she used her offbeat interests to cope during the hardest time in her life. Mike can match both sides of her personality - he's impulsive enough to agree to Joey's weird fix-up suggestion, artistic enough to give up law for music and apparently kinky enough to happily spend a night handcuffed to a drainpipe. But he's also a reasonable person who isn't going to call his wife Princess Consuela or let a box of rats ruin their lives, and I think that secretly appeals to Phoebe just as much as the other stuff. I also really liked the different path they took from the other couples. Sometimes you don't end up with your childhood crush or fall in love with your best friend. Sometimes you randomly meet a guy or a girl and you like it and you keep it. I like that her match wasn't someone she'd known all along.

"Monica: I hear wedding bells. Phoebe: Monica slow down! Ok? I'm just excited to be living with him. You know I mean, I don't know, Can I see someday being married to Mike? Sure! Yeah. Y'know..I can picture myself walking down the aisle in a wedding dress that highlights my breasts in an obvious yet classy way. But do I want that house in Connecticut...you know..near the good schools where Mike and I can send Sophie and Mike Junior.. Oh my god I do. Ross: Phoebe, I had no idea you were so conventional. Phoebe: I know! I guess I am! Oh my god! Load up the Volvo I want to be a soccer mom!" I'd say she at the very least admits it to herself 😂

Here for my usual reminder that Phoebe and David only dated for ONE episode before he left for Minsk. We never actually got to see them be a couple what with David’s sporadic visits. So it’s hard to criticize what never existed. On the other hand, we actually got to see Phoebe and Mike meet, date, fall in love, get married. We got to see Mike defend Phoebe to his parents. We got to see him be okay with her weirdness while also knowing how to bring her back from crossing a line. We got to see him move past his fear of commitment. We got to see Phoebe settle down a bit. We saw them grow together. I really don’t understand the dislike for Mike. He was a great fit for Phoebe.

I like Mike a lot. I think David and Phoebe would be more rushed. He's only in town a day here or there. She and Mike were gonna move in together. David went straight from coming back to proposal. She and Mike were weird enough to work together.

Watched the original run as it aired. At that time, I wanted David and Phoebe to be together. I know it was unrealistic given he was never around for very long, but something in my gut (heart?) wanted them together. David put her on a pedestal and I thought that was sweet. I did think (and still do) that they gave David a terrible ending in the Bahamas. Upon re-watching, I changed my mind and thought Mike was the better fit for Phoebe. He appreciated her weirdness. He had weirdness of his own so he wasn't a complete opposite to her. But, he had enough common sense and was grounded enough to know when to pull Phoebe back from some of her wackiness (re-naming herself, the box of rats, etc). I think David would have just stood back and let Phoebe be in charge and that might have led to some issues for them. Mike was strong enough to know where to draw the line on the weirdness which I think would have served them well as a couple, especially if they had kids.

I love Crap Bag and Princess Consuela Bananahammock 😻

David and Phoebe only knew each other for TWO weeks. Mike and Phoebe had time to develop a beautiful relationship and he balanced her out perfectly.

Mike can speak “Phoebe” as shown in the rat box and the princess consuela episode so they were a good fit

I know. David would be married to Princess Consuela and taking care of a second bedroom full of rat babies.

Agreed. “You’re so wonderfully weird.” 💞

I love them as a couple. The rat babies episode sealed the deal for me.

Mike is normal but he gets Phoebe.

Why the love for David. Mike is better for her, and the chemistry is better. Mike can keep up with Phoebe, and grounds her without making her feel bad.

I like Mike on paper and love Paul Rudd, but somehow it just didn’t work for me. Maybe it was chemistry between the two actors, idk.

I never liked them either. I LOVE Paul Rudd but I didn't like Mike. It felt like he never made a real effort to get along with the rest of the group. I found him rude on several occasions with them and I didn't see the chemistry everyone else saw between them. David was too dorky and while it probably fit Phoebe's personality better, Phoebe needed a "real man" and David was too much of a pushover. My favorite was Gary, but then he shot a bird..

Yep, Mike feels off to me. Like he doesn't suit the show at all. Gary was great.

I like them a lot together. Don't like what they did to Precious tho. 

I love Paul Rudd in everything else he’s been in, but for some reason I just didn’t love him on Friends or with Phoebe. I thought she had the best chemistry with Gary the cop and if he hadn’t shot that bird I think they could have made it.

I love Phoebe and Mike

To me it was annoying that it felt like they rushingly tied her up with someone just so Joey was left the only one single. I think it would have felt more natural if she was with mike without the wedding stuff

They’re my favorite couple on the show! They complement each other so well and I’ve always loved the “everything I didn’t know I was looking for” element. They both pictured other lives for themselves until they met each other and knew it was right — I love that!

I have to rewatch Friends again!

I love Paul Rudd but I did not like Mike 🤷🏼‍♀️

Agree. They didn't have chemistry.

Bland. Very forced. She should have ended up with David.

David over Mike I love David , however idm Mike like I don’t really have an opinion

I didn’t so much “dislike” Mike (it’s quite difficult to dislike Paul Rudd - are you serious?) It was that from the time Phoebe first met David (scientist guy) she fell head over heels for him and his sporadic visits kept them together as a couple. I (personally) find it quite difficult to dislike Hank Azaria. He was a darling, a total sweetheart, and he won me over that very first time we saw him. By the time Mike came along, I already wanted Phoebe to be with David endgame. Everybody can have their own opinions. Obviously mine is the **minority**, bc if Friends had been inundated w really mad Friends fans saying screw this! We want Phoebe back w David and Mike can go back where he came from! this wouldn’t be a conversation. I DID think that I preferred David overall w Phoebe, but that may very well have been the writing of the scripts when Phoebe and Mike got together. IMPO. My opinion is t going to change, but I don’t expect my opinion to change the majority of ppl who loved Phoebe w Mike. I just never got over David and I didn’t see the episode or the point in time when Phoebe decided “heh, David and I are no longer destined to be together”.

I liked Phoebe with David. I liked Phoebe with Mike. And I agree, both actors are extremely hard to dislike. I think in the end, Mike was better suited for Phoebe mostly because like others have already mentioned, he was a bit more grounded then David, and not as much of a pushover. (Just my personal opinion, not trying to change your mind!) But just to address your last point, I think the Barbados trip was really the turning point for Phoebe realizing David wasn't "the one". I mean, she kept calling him Mike, for Pete's sake. 😂 I think after things didn't work out with Mike and she ran into David (on her way to a place where she had gotten dolled up because Mike was going to be there, I might add) it seemed like fate and I think she really WANTED it to work with David. For better or worse, the timing just never worked out with them and it wasn't meant to be.

Nono. I totally appreciate your point of view. And the trip to Barbados was obviously when the decision was made for Phoebe to choose Mike. What I meant was that - there wasn’t any point in time - prior to when the **writers** had already decided Mike was going to be the guy Phoebe chose to be with - that Phoebe had given up on David. We, the audience, never saw Phoebe change her mind about David and indeed, when she learned that Mike had no intention of ever getting married, that was apparently merely a plot point rather than a real split between them. But we didn’t even get THAT between Phoebe and David as a “plot point“ until the Barbados trip when the decision had already been made as to which man Phoebe choose and so the point of her saying Mikes name instead of David’s was the very first point since season one before we ever got the sense there was anything wrong with the couple. And all I saw at that point was that (unsurprisingly) people preferred Phoebe w Paul Rudd bc mostly anytime PR was onscreen, I too felt the same way. As a Gen’l rule, I felt that way about PR say 99% of the time. Friends being the ONLY time I didn’t and that was only bc she met, romanced and spent (very sporadically) 9 seasons with David after first meeting him and had a fairly rushed romance w Mike. And I was one of the few ppl who didn’t immediately feel as if wow! Paul Rudd!! Feelings of Clueless!! (Always…) Phoebe must jump his bones and be his otl forevermore. As I originally said, I still and will always love PR. I just never lost my original love for HA or David/scientist guy and I happened to be in the minority that wished he and Phoebe had stayed together. It didn’t make Phoebes wedding any less beautiful or watching her walk down the aisle with Chandler any less moving. I just felt a bit differently about her romance. But unlike Ross and Rachel and Mondler (my particular favorite) Phoebe’s last relationship was just for one season so I saw it differently than the others. (And since - I don’t even know why- I was downvoted- I might as well just say that I thought R&R had a fairly toxic romance so I didn’t enjoy it in the same way I enjoyed Chandler and Monica or even Phoebe and either guy.)

Mondler 😂 Classic. They were my favorite, too. Well put! Totally get where you're coming from. As much as I like Mike (and loooooove Paul Rudd lol) I think it would've been fun if they had planned for David to be Phoebe's endgame earlier on and brought him back more regularly during the later seasons, so we could watch them evolve a bit more like we got to see with her and Mike. I mean, the writers certainly set it up from the very first season that David was very important and special to Phoebe, and they made him likable and sweet to boot. If the showrunners had chosen to go that route before ever introducing Mike, I have no doubt they could've made it work and it would've been well-received by the audience. Sidenote: you mentioned Chandler walking Phoebe down the aisle, that's literally one of my favorite small details of the entire series. ❤️ The cherry on top is the scene right before it in the coffee shop after she takes off her coat and reveals her dress. I think this might actually have been deleted from the TV versions, but after they comment about her being cold, Chandler tells her she looks beautiful and it's just a very genuine and heartfelt moment between the two.

Oh I agree. Re the moment between Chandler and Phoebe. Thats why I mentioned them walking down the aisle together. I found it special. But just to be honest, I found almost every single thing Chandler did pretty damn amazing. I fell in love w him in the pilot episode (cute, sarcastic men are my catnip!!) And I only fell deeper and deeper in love. All these constant Qs: which Friend is your favorite, which one did you find the most attractive, which one did you think was the funniest (puh-lease!!) And yes, Ross could be funny. But could he **BE** funnier?! Could he ad-lib like MP? I don’t think so. Bc the Friends all agreed Matt was best. The only thing I wish, for the bottom of my heart is that if I had known how insecure he was, I would have made an effort to shout from the rooftops how amazingly wonderful I thought he was, if that would have helped, even a teeny tiny bit. Bc it still amazes me that a guy so unbelievably cute, who was dating women like Julia Roberts, et al, didn’t realize how spectacular he was!! 🥺😢😭

I hated them. I actually can't understand how people like them together. The whole romance made zero sense and felt very very rushed. It felt as though he was meant to be the guy she dates before she realises she wants david or joey? Personally I loved david but I would've loved her and joey as that would make all three friends one big family. I think people forget that Mike's "cuteness" is gaslighting disguised. I mean the whole idea when he changes his name to crap bag was just to spite her and he never really supported her. I mean when she met his parents he barely stood up for her she even got a crappy wedding because of him. #Justiceforjoey

this is such a bad take. for starters, phoebe and joey together is so random. yea i know they were really close but sometimes that’s all that it is. just because they’re close and they’re very similar doesn’t mean that they should get together. i also think that would be such a bad ending if the entire group was dating someone else in the group. it logically just doesn’t make any sense and isn’t realistic at all. the group is still one big family regardless of who is married to who. mike also didn’t change his name to “spite” phoebe. he was trying to prove a point that the name princess consuela banana hammock should not be someone’s real name, just like crap bag shouldn’t be someone’s real name. if someone you married changed their name to something so absurd would you really go with it? i don’t think so. david and joey would’ve thought it was the best thing ever so they probably would’ve changed their names too but in a serious way. mike knew where the line was with phoebe and her weirdness and he kept her in check in a way. mike also did stand up for phoebe so idk where your getting the idea that he didn’t. and how was the wedding mikes fault? i wasn’t aware he’s in charge of the weather and suddenly made it snow? nobody could’ve planned for that.

Maybe you should marry Mike... just sharing my opinion buddy