Monica Geller altered the trajectory of the entire series, having life-changing effects on its characters. Summarizing the role of Monica in the series, Martin Gitlin wrote in his book "The Greatest Sitcoms of All Time" that while her friends "were ... just out to make the most of their social lives", Monica "sought to keep the others in line" while searching for "Mr. Right", who surprisingly turns out to be close friend Chandler. Several years before Monica and Chandler became romantically involved, Cox once joked in an interview that if her character were to ever have sex with another main character, it
Monica Geller comedy". Contactmusic.com's Sophie Miskiw commended Cox for portraying Monica with "endearing neurosis". As a character, Lifetime described Monica as "neurotic yet lovable". Bustle's Emma Lord wrote, "I can't imagine why anyone wouldn't want to be Monica Geller", describing her as a "smart" and "savvy" character. Admitting that Monica is "probably not our favourite character", TalkTalk described the character as "wonderfully neurotic", while Nick at Nite reviewed her as "just as lovable as she is neurotic" despite her overbearing personality. Howard Rosenberg of the "Los Angeles Times" was receptive towards the entire cast, especially Cox and her character, both of whom