Friends: Ursula and the History of the “Evil Twin” 

I always felt like the friends never gave her enough credit for overcoming what she went through. having a dad who abandoned her, a mom who killed her self, left with barely any family, & having to live on the streets at a super young age and fend for herself. Yet, she made a living, still managed to be as optimistic and caring as she is, and get her life together. Props to pheebs

The way Lisa Kudrow portrayed her was so effortless

I always thought Phoebe and Ursula have basically the same random, creative personality, but Phoebe chose to embrace compassion, and Ursula decided to cut off her compassion for others.

There's literally no limit to breaking down each character in Friends. Next you should do the significance of each room. No joke, I would love that

Oh I'm so glad you did this. I never thought Ursula was evil, just a darker, more realistic (albeit extreme) version of what happens to people who grew up in such bad circumstances.

Her name is Ursula...I mean yeah she's totally evil but super entertaining.

One thing I've always been curious about Phoebe's past: she says her mom committed suicide when she, Phoebe, was 14, and that after that, Phoebe was homeless. And yet early seasons of "Friends" show Phoebe living with her grandmother. Why didn't Phoebe live with her right after her mom's suicide? But then I realized a possible solution: after Lily's suicide, young Phoebe suffered a mental breakdown and ran away, not realizing she could have a home still. It wasn't until years and years later that Phoebe finally came to her senses and moved in with her grandma. But I also wondered, did Ursula go to live with the grandma after Lily's death? Or did she run away and live on the streets too? And also, did Ursula think of Phoebe running away as abandoning her? That could make a lot of sense of the resentment Ursula may hold for her sister. If they did a "Friends" reboot, I hope they delve more into the Buffay's sisters' relationship, and finally give them a reconciliation. Also, bring back Phoebe's birth mother, because that was another wasted relationship.

Phoebe is a twin that gave birth to triplets. Think about that. Quadruplets on the way?

There's also the cliche in fiction where twins have the same personality and may even dress the same like they're clones.

Malcolm in the Middle is criminally underrated but the parents would make great subjects for a video.

20:10 That was a really horrible move on Joey’s part. He was using Phoebe’s likeness to Ursula as a way to get the affection of the latter. He also completely rejected the fact that it was also Phoebe’s birthday as well and didn’t get her a gift. He acted like she didn’t matter.

Phoebe's portrayal of trauma is actually pretty true to life with how common it is to adopt toxic positivity. The way she assumed Rachel's bad experience after the wedding is the same as her own deeply troubled upbringing is classic for someone dealing with childhood trauma. Same with her catching the fall of the guys Ursula dumps. She might have this mindset that she can save the world from experiencing the same heartbreak she's had to endure. I think Ursula's habit of checking out either mentally or emotionally is equally as fitting for their upbringing.

Okay, this makes me want a show called "Phoebe and Ursula"

Ursula is truly the kind of broken that can’t be fixed. She’s not a sociopath imo, she’s more if an avoidant narcissistic type of personality. She’s way more tragic than Phoebe because she is a hollow shell of a person who has given up on what generally makes ones life fulfilling (love, morals, passions, etc)

As a twin myself, I've always found the way twins are presented in media to be interesting. It's almost always either "evil twin" or "twincest". Both feel weird to me, but I'll take an evil twin story over incest any day.

A bit awkward watching this while in a car with evil twin driving.

I never noticed Janice in parent trap lol 24:10

As a twin, I always find this trope very problematic.... Not because the things you talk about in the video (that makes me look to the trope on a very different way). It's because in a more literal interpretation (at least for me in childhood), it looks like everyone in media is saying: "you are exactly the same as someone else, so the ONLY way that you could have your own identity is being the exact opposite of your sibling". Buuuut.... If your identity is based on a reflex of a others person behavior, how you could say it is YOUR identity? It's a paradox @~@

Lisa Kudrow's actual sister was Ursula's/Phoebe's stand in in behind-the-head camera shots. Also, actors usually like playing someone outside of or exploring other aspects of their normal character. Lisa liked that about Phoebe and Ursula, but when she read the script with Ursula's first appearance on Friends, she was shocked saying "Oh, that's kinda mean!"

I think you mean if only she got therapy for all that trauma you pointed out. Plenty of great point but that line is just... take it from someone with trauma, she would need a lot of therapy to be more like Phoebe. Also if Phoebe were real I’d assume she’s compensating. I often find myself casually bringing traumatic events into conversation because I’m so used to it that I forget how other people see it, Phoebe seems to have that habit too. Being overly optimistic isn’t always healthy, I think they’d both need therapy to find a middle ground.

I like to think that really Ursula's worst traits are only as a way to shield herself from being vulnerable around Phoebe. She's scared of having a connection she doesn't own, that she can't control, that she can't be free of. Its why in Mad About You she's more of an airhead and more like Phoebe, while when she's on Friends she's being confronted with another life that she doesn't want to be a part of... so she contextualizes her feelings in ways that are meant to be antagonistic. I have a strangely similar relationship with my brothers. To my friends I am a kind, affable, fun loving guy who enjoys their company. When I am around my brother my only desire is to not be around my brother.

Omg can u do Mike vs Phoebes other lovers? What makes Mike different than her other relationships? Why would she just reject one guy who just proposed to her to Mike? I think it could bring on how love can be messy

The twist: There never was an Ursula

As a twin, it got really old being asked "who's the evil one?"

The special effects on these scenes are pretty underrated. The way they interact is pretty flawless even today.

I never thought it was possible for Lupita Nyongo to look scary ... she has the cutest face ever.

Phoebe has so much energy and imagination, if she put all that into some professional setting, whether artsy or corporate she would be more successful than all her friends. Plus she cares. She’d be a Branson type of CEO.

Could you do a video analyzing Lorelai or Rory Gilmore as characters (not just hair lol)?

My twin sister died before we were born. We were identical. I can't go a day without thinking about her, and a part of me knew I was a twin even before I found out. It clicked in a way nothing else did. It was like being told something I already knew, but somehow hadn't ever been told before. The twin bond is an instinctive part of me, the only difference is that I don't have my sister to share it with. You absolutely cannot imagine the loneliness this causes unless you yourself lost a twin. It's so difficult to spend your life knowing you're missing something and find out you'll never find it. I never got to speak to her, but I miss her so much and I grieve for the amazing childhood I would have had with her by my side. Even if she and I ended up hating each other, at least I would have known her and understood where those feelings came from.

its weird that they portray Phoebe as all light rather than explore her dark side, like how she consistently competed with her sister who wasn't even competing with her, how she tried to steal her sister's fiance and the guy who was stalking her sister, or how she couldn't let Joey date Ursula. It was like she felt a need to be seen and chosen by the men she knew wanted Ursula instead.

Reminds me of Sam's twin sister from Icarly. Only Sam was the "evil" one while the sister was girly and nice.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: y’all gotta do a video on mike hannigan! Such an underrated character imo

Ursula's reaction is realistic but I find Phoebe's reaction as something incredible because being able to care and give so much love despite life throwing her under the bus metaphorically is a symbol of strength. Ursula's is of course much closer to reality but her complete detachment may also hint at denial or closed off . Maybe I'm wrong but that's my viewpoint. Nevertheless , I wish Phone had put some effort into reconnecting with her twin. Ursula's " I don't care" could be a shield she uses to protect herself from hurt . Perhaps all she needed is a push from her twin to finally start healing.

It took me 6 minutes to realise you wouldn’t be mentioning the little mermaid

You know what’s kind of funny is that iCarly does the opposite with Sam and her twin

14:20 I got pretty creeped out by the part where you said that in Madagascar and Nigeria, they kill twin babies because they think twins are bad luck. 🙄

Please do Crazy Ex Girlfriends characters

Not my favorite topic for a video (evil twin episodes of sitcoms are terrible in my opinion), but I love this channel. This level of insight into pop culture and the arts is nearly unmatched on youtube.

Can you do a video on Gossip girl, like a special on each othe main caracters especially Blair Waldorf.

Opposites. But at the same time their personality is SO ALIKE. When the two women that new Ursula and thought phoebe was Ursula in the coffee shop, phoebe reacts to strangers exactly the same as Ursula would. They’re both super blunt and straightforward because of their crazy childhoods. They just LOOK at the world differently.

bro i LIVE for the friends videos

Oooohhhh....I didn't know friends and mad about you was the same universe

I've always been fascinated by Mark Twain's use of the trope, although more of doppelganger switcheroos than twins, in "Prince and the Pauper" and "Puddin 'Head Wilson".

I was today years old when I found out Ursula was on another show, which is great because I'd like to know more about her but its different writers so they might not explore Ursula in the same way friends does

The funny thing is that whenever I rewatch Friends I always forget that Ursula exists. Then when I see her on screen she becomes the best part of the episode. That's how good Lisa Kudrow is at playing both her and Phoebe.

When I think of Evil twin I always think of Blackfire

"That's right. He's not Drake. He's....Hans Ramoray! Drake's evil twin."

I can't believe you didn't mention Vampire Diaries Elena and Katherine

Phoebe is generous and giving to a fault. *proceeds to show a clip from the episode where she's trying to scare Rachel out of Joey's apartment*

Please do character analyses on Orphan Black and Haunting of Hill House! And not just the clones.

I would love to see you ladies take on the show Dark, on Netflix. It's an amazing show with a lot going on and its very overlooked!

This video is showing that when you remove the laugh box, these twins life was terrible and traumatic. I have more sympathy for Ursula now.

"Two seperate evil twins". I think you just mean evil triplets 😂

My twin isn't evil... I guess that means I'm the evil one

Okay but I feel that it's worth noting that Henry Jekyll isn't exactly a good person in the novel, he just acts like a respectable gentleman. Hyde was, at least in the beginning, a way for him to act upon his more banal and primal desires without ruining his precious reputation, as was all too important in the victorian upper class society. However, it eventually got out of hand and he gradually found himself being controlled by those desires and thus his other half. It was a satire on the hypocrisy of the wealthy elites of victorian England and their hypocrisy, not a story about good and evil.

Phoebe is the strongest and best character on friends no doubt

Lisa Kudrow did a great job portraying both Phoebe and Ursula. Even though they were twins, they were two different characters.

Characters who mirror or are inversions of each other are fascinating and are some of my favorites to create in my own work (although, being a twin myself, I've always found the "evil twin" trope hilarious).

Kind of funny, there was a bogeyman in my neighbourhood but he had a twin who was kind. but obviously whenever we saw either we ran lol

24:10 I’m nearing my 30s and I just found out Janice is in Parent Trap. WTF. My childhood has changed forever.

I keep on thinking The Takes icon is the Telemundo one! 😂

I never saw Ursula as evil just more realistic than phoebe, albeit mean. I love Phoebe but honestly she’s a lot to deal with sometimes. Ursula just wanted to move on with her life and cope by herself. Phoebe only visits Ursula when she wants something. Overall, Ursula chose self-reliance, phoebe chose friends

Lisa Kudrow has already said in interviews that since she was already playing the Ursula character on Mad About You, which aired on the same network, the writers of Friends decided to add the Ursula character as Phoebe’s twin as an in-universe explanation for why audiences were seeing the same person on two different shows. Lisa Kudrow added that as Friends went on, the writers began to write Ursula as meaner and meaner due to resentment of having to have Ursula character on the show.

The voice over woman has a beautiful voice

I always found their names to be unique because one is "bright" and the other is a "she-bear." One is particularly open and bright while the other has this apathetic tough exterior.

I've never really thought how much I've prejudged Ursala. My father and his older brother never really got on. My uncle is gifted but squandered it, my father had to work so hard. I've met him so rarely but never gave him a chance.

It would have been a cool idea to not have Phoebe and Ursula be twins but rather the same person. Especially since it was the Friends writers who changed Ursula’s personality. The idea that the character could be living a double life would have been interesting.

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I think that Ursula is actually an imagined projection of Phoebe. I think all of the friends just go with it when Phoebe changes into Ursula, and all of her interactions with Phoebe during those transitions are actually not real, but a part of 'ursulas' imagination. All of the friends let her be because she was mostly normal short of these MPD episodes and fixing Phoebe to return her mind to one might actually break her spirit so they just deal with her short bouts of psychotic relapse.

24:10 I like how Janice sneaks a cameo even in this video LUL

Shadow self

I have a twin and I've recently realized that I'm the evil one.

they’re not twins but this reminds me of Helga and Ulga from Hey Arnold

You should do the psychology of Rachel’s sister Amy, cause she had many flaws about her and she acts like she is the perfect sister

Thank you for the video, love all the analyses you post, very well thought out and researched! I have a request, I am a classical musician and since I was young I noticed that villains are very often depicted with classical music and other markings of what used to denote a cultured person. I kind of hate it, as much as I kind of understand it, because the directors want to associate the villain with aloofness and feelings of superiority which is how classical music makes a lot of people unfamiliar with the style feel. I remember first noticing this when I was watching the sequel to Beauty and the Beast, “Bells Magical World”. The villain is literally an organ and his P.I.C. is a fife (a small high-pitched type of flute). In Pirates of the Carrabian the face tentacle character, forgot his name, plays the organ in his alone time. These are just two examples that come to mind, the archetype of a cultured villain is everywhere. There’s always a bit of cognitive dissonance when the villain is shown listening to their classical music because I love the style and don’t see anything villainous about it, also it might as well be me blasting Bach in my room at night. Thank you for reading, and for the awesome content!

A video about Ursula? I love you guys! !! This channel's creativity knows no limits! !!

Me: *watching videos on Friends posted by The Take* The Take: *posts* Me: OK. Are you reading my mind?

So Chaplin *was* aware that his mustache was identical to Hitler's.

Funny I never saw Utsula as evil or even that opposite- just a different approach to life

We are our own evil twins.

The video I never knew I needed.

"I had a crush on all you guys! Well, except for Ross and Chandler," including Rachel and Monica DEFINITELY

Omg is that Janice at 24:10?? Lolol

The Thirteenth Tale gives an interesting view on the topic. It's all about good and evil twins, their connection and mysteries

It’s hard enough portraying one character for 10 seasons but to portray 2 characters and slip in and out so effortlessly in between just highlights how versatile Lisa is as an actress

Got a twin and one time, my colleague thought it was me at a grocery store and kept waiving to my twin, when me and my colleague met at work, she was mad at me and had to explain haha

Please never stop making these in-depth Friends analysis videos

My granddad was the evil twin. The story goes he used to get his pocket money, change his t-shirt, then collect his brother, Paddy's money. When Paddy went to get his own money, he was scolded for being greedy. Years later, my granddad arrived early to meet a girl Paddy had set up a date with. My granddad took the girl out while when Paddy arrived, he was left thinking the girl stood him up. Apparently the girl was gorgeous. My granddad still laughed about it over 40 years later.

I love this channel so much! The playlist of friends is my background sound whatever im doing. Please do videos about harry potter!!! ❤❤❤❤

One thing I wondered was - how was Ursula's youth? Considering her mother killed herself when she was a teen, did she also end up on streets with Phoebe? I'd say probably not, since she's never mentioned there, but where was she? Was it the final straw that tore them apart? Was this troubled past the reason why she became so cold-hearted? So many questions...

Phoebe's compassion comes from her 5 best friends. I think Ursula doesn't care about compassion and other good things because she has no close people, none teaches her anything about life and love

Honestly i would totally watch a full 3 seasons of a phoebe spin off

Because pheobe isnt evil herself? She is prone to violence and crimes. She has always been the one to physically attack others. She had mugging days and she locked someone on a pipe and left them there. She then legit no joking wanted to plant pcp in her friends room and call the police. Hell ursala does bad things to her sister but you might have to face that she isnt the evil twin.

This was really cool to watch! Wow, there are so many examples of evil twins--too many to fit one video. I kept waiting for mention of Data and Lore (Star Trek), and afterwards I also remembered Miley's evil twin cousin in Hannah Montana.

LOVED this! Totally unrelated to Friends - but can you guys do Girl, Interrupted?

Okay, I'm not mad that you didn't use a clip of Willow/Vamp!Willow when you were talking about doppelgangers, just disappointed. Also, they're sisters two years apart in The Shining, not twins. Silly pickiness aside - this was awesome. The analyses of Friends that you do are always my favourites, as they bring such great insight into a show that could be viewed as a 'candy' show. Looking forward to more!

Love your Friends videos. Thanks for your in-depth analysis

I never knew the back story on Ursula! Great video as always :)

I find your analyses of Friends characters very insightful! Thank you!

Ursula's style of emotional detachment gets rewarded in our society. Isn't that the American truth? Wow. I love that observation.