Pop culture fanatics would agree that very few sitcom friendships could stand up to the camaraderie of Joey Tribbiani and Chandler Bing from Friends. That was until the epic cop BFFs Charles Boyle and Jake Peralta from Brooklyn Nine-Nine came into the picture. Charles and Jake’s friendship is one of the most adorable and feel-good fictional friendships to have been ever written.
There are many differences between the two pairs of BFFs. Joey and Chandler were roommates but had very different professional lives. Whereas Charles and Jake are both cops and work partners, but do not live together and are also on completely different ends of the spectrum when it comes to personal lifestyles. But what makes them similar is how much both Joey and Charles have done to sustain their friendships through the years.
Charles: A Constant Source Of Positivity
Charles has always been hugely appreciative of Jake as a friend and is constantly making efforts to make Jake feel loved. This is something that is often missing from male friendships, as people tend to not communicate their love for each other.
Jake is not particularly vocal about how much he cherishes his friendship with Charles. But Charles is essentially a huge anchor for Jake’s well-being, as he is basically a cheerleader and hype man rolled into one, and he also lets Jake be himself.
Joey: Sees Chandler’s True Potential
Joey sees Chandler for who he really is, which is remarkable since, unlike Ross, he did not grow up with Chandler. In fact, Joey and Chandler met when they were both in their early 20s, but struck an incredible friendship.
Chandler is in many ways an anti-Joey: he’s socially awkward, he’s not very smooth with women and is insecure about his identity. However, Joey makes Chandler feel good about himself, despite having almost nothing in common and even though Chandler is often been judgmental of some of Joey’s traits.
Charles: Makes Jake A Better Person
Fans have noted how Charles is constantly trying to make Jake a better person and a more conscious cop. Considering the line of work they are in, having a partner and friend like Charles is an asset because Charles is sensitive and also very aware of how Jake can sometimes let things go out of hand.
One of the biggest examples is when Jake’s former friend Stevie plants drugs in a perp’s home and Charles makes Jake call him out and also makes him realize how blind he has been to who Stevie really is.
Joey: Works Towards Their Friendship
Unlike Charles and Jake, Joey and Chandler do not spend most of the day together in the same line of work. In fact, they are as different as two friends can be. Chandler works in corporate data analysis, whereas Joey is an actor, and they disagree on many things.
But Joey is the one who does the most work to sustain their friendship and there have been many instances where he has proved that he cares about their relationship a lot more than Chandler. As loyal as Joey is, he also insists upon transparency and complete honesty in their friendship.
Charles: Take Big Risks To Save Him
Charles and Jake are cops, so their friendship obviously involves higher stakes than Joey and Chandler’s. Charles has taken some major risks in the line of duty and off it, just for Jake’s sake. Charles is completely selfless when it comes to Jake, often prioritizing his needs over his own and disobeying superiors for Jake’s sake.
This may baffle some fans, but Charles is acutely aware of Jake’s personal hang-ups and how he grew up without a father and his issues with forming relationships. So, many times Charles is just simply taking preventative measures so Jake won’t get hurt.
Joey: He’s Sensitive To His Situation With Monica
Joey has always been an incredible wingman to Chandler and he’s always rooting for him to be happy. He was also a source of support when he started seeing Monica.
Though Joey had a tough time processing the fact that two of his closest friends were in a relationship, he was naturally happy for them. He was also very aware of Chandler’s history with women, his commitment issues and knew about his anxieties about dating a close friend. He helped Chandler and Monica out immensely, even if that meant taking a few bullets himself.
Charles: Calls Out Jake’s Toxic Patterns
Fans have often noticed that although Charles loved Jake unconditionally, he never shied away from letting him know when he was making a mistake. This is great on many counts, but especially because in male friendships there’s often a lack of verbal communication, and things are often swept under the rug.
But Charles made a point to let Jake know whenever he was doing something wrong – like when Jake was getting obsessed with his work at the cost of his own life and hurt himself multiple times trying to solve a case. Or when Jake would not see how his father was just using him.
Joey: Makes Peace With Janice
BFFs often fall out when one person can’t deal with the other’s partner. And while Joey simply couldn’t stand Chandler’s long-time girlfriend Janice, he knew that he could not distance himself from Chandler based on his issue. In fact, at Chandler’s request, he even spends time with Janice, just so they would get along better.
But even after Joey realized that he really didn’t like Janice, he was honest with Chandler and did not stand in the way of their relationship because he could see that Chandler wanted to be with her.
Charles: Extremely Vigilant About Jake’s Lifestyle
Charles Boyle is essentially a dad, a nanny, an overbearing mum and a brother wrapped into one. Remember the time he wrapped a breakfast bar in Jake’s pocket to make sure he was getting his daily dose of fiber? There are many instances where Charles looked out for Jake to make sure he’s living right, and fans have loved how vigilant Charles is about his friend’s lifestyle.
It has been pointed out by fans that Charles has no sense of boundaries and is definitely too involved in Jake’s life, but there have been times when Jake has appreciated how much Charles thinks about his well being.
Joey: A Great Roommate
Not all BFFs make for great roommates. For instance, Charles and Jake are probably not wired to share a space together – remember the stakeout debacle? But what’s remarkable about Joey and Chandler’s friendship is that they have maneuvered their lifestyle in a way so they could share several things together, be it their love for www or Pizza nights.
Joey loved living with Chandler and actually tried his best to give him the space he needed and fans have often talked about how they two had such a great living arrangement, even though they had such different professional lives.
