Welcome to The Friends Theory, where we overthink sitcom moments to make sense of real life.

This week: Joey’s comeback, why perfection is overrated, and how your mess might actually be the best part of your story.

3-minute read. Bandages encouraged.

The One Where We’re Back (Sort Of)

Insights from “The One Where Joey Loses His Insurance” (Season 6, Episode 4)

🎬 Picture it:
Joey’s lying in a hospital bed on Days of Our Lives, head wrapped like a burrito after falling down an elevator shaft. He’s supposed to be in a coma.

The cameras stop rolling, he sits up, grins, and declares:

By any objective measure, he’s not “back.” His career’s hanging by a thread. His character’s unconscious. He can’t even turn his head under the bandages.

But Joey doesn’t hide the mess. He claims it. He takes the bandages—the evidence of disaster—and uses them as proof of his comeback.

And you know what? That’s the move.

Ever Been Here?

Last week, I skipped this newsletter. Life caught up with me. Truth is, it still is.

Flood damage. Job loss. Big decisions ahead. My body basically pulled the emergency brake (about time 🫠).

The classic response? Wait until you’ve got it together before declaring you’re back.

But the Joey response? Make the mess work for you.

I’m not “back-back.” I’m Joey-back: wrapped in metaphorical bandages, figuring it out as I go, declaring progress even when it doesn’t look polished from the outside.

Because here’s the truth:

Think about it:

• The career change that terrifies you? That’s your origin story.

• The relationship that didn’t work out? That’s your plot twist.

• The burnout that forced you to slow down? That's you learning what matters.

Everyone's trying to present a finished product. But what people actually connect with— what helps you and helps them —is seeing someone still figuring it out.

Try This On - The Disaster Rebrand

What if you stopped waiting until your life looks Instagram-ready?

What if you took the bandages, the burnout, the chaos… and used them as the proof you’re moving, growing, becoming?

The Disaster Rebrand looks like this:

• “I’m not failing → I’m learning at an accelerated pace.”

• “I’m not behind → I’m building something new.”

• “I’m not broken → I’m being rebuilt stronger.”

Joey didn’t wait for his storyline to resolve before announcing his comeback. He sat up in the middle of the mess, bandages and all, and said: “I’m back.”

Not because it was polished. But because it was true.

Final Thought- Your Mess, Your Story

Being “back” doesn’t mean powering through exhaustion.

It means telling the truth about where you are—even if it looks a little bandaged, messy, or half-baked.

Because when you say it out loud, you take the pressure off. You give other people a way in. And you remind yourself you don’t have to hide the hard parts to keep moving.

So if you’re showing up today with tape, bandages, or duct-taped confidence, call it what it is. That’s not hustling through — that’s how a real comeback starts.

More sitcom therapy next Tuesday,
Lucy xx

P.S. If you're making a bandaged comeback, start here👇

Thanks for reading The Friends Theory. I appreciate you so much ❤️