How you doin', reader?
Could I be making a more requested post? After all, it's over a year from the first time a friend of mine asked me to post my favorite F.R.I.E.N.D.S. episodes - looking at how long it took, I suppose we were on a break or something. But it's never too late to pivot to discussing one of the most celebrated sitcoms of our time - a series that always cheers you up if it hasn't been your day, your week, your month or even your year. I'm hoping my readers will like it - otherwise it's just a moo point.
(If you didn't catch all six references, you're not a true fan).
And a spoiler alert is in order, if there still remains a soul alive who hasn't seen F.R.I.E.N.D.S.?
Here are my honorable mentions: The One where Rachel Finds Out (Season 1 Episode 24), The One with the Flashback (Season 3 Episode 6), The One where Ross Got High (Season 6 Episode 9), The One with Monica & Chandler's Wedding (Season 7 Episodes 23-24), The One where the Stripper Cries (Season 10 Episode 11).
10. The One with the Princess Leia Fantasy (Season 3 Episode 1)
"Oh, and by the way, THERE IS NO COUNT RUSHMORE!"
"Yeah? Then who's the guy that painted the faces on the mountain?"
Premise-wise, there are tens and tens of more memorable and legendary F.R.I.E.N.D.S. episodes than this season 3 premiere. The One with the Princess Leia Fantasy still makes into my top 10, due to its endless amount of individual jokes and gags that are top-tier comedy gold - every time you re-watch it, you realize you've forgotten just how many amazing bits are from the same episode.
From the cold open where the group arrives in Central Perk to find a different group sitting on their couch (to which Chandler (Matthew Perry) replies with a brilliantly delivered "Huh"), through Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) thinking that the lyric in Elton John's Tiny Dancer is "Hold me close, young Tony Danza", all the way to Chandler's "You know...you know... ...YOU DON'T KNOW!", the laughter caused by this episode is off the charts. Matthew Perry's facial expression at the end of the 'Count Rushmore' scene, as he's leaving the room and looks at Joey (Matt LeBlanc) in a bewildered manner, is some of the best comedy acting in television.
Sidenote: notice how three of the episode's four highlights were Chandler moments? One of the many reasons for Boss Man Bing being the show's best character by a country mile.
9. The One with the Two Parties (Season 2 Episode 22)
"How was your sister's graduation?"
"It was the graduation ceremony from Hell"
"You know, my cousin attended Hell on a football scolarship"
There's a big and warm place in my heart for classic sitcom hijinks. From mistaken identities, through escalating misunderstanding -situations, all the way to elaborates ruses, hijinks-based plotlines make for some of the best comedy television out there. And while many of these tropes found their footing in the 60's, 70's and 80's, many seem to agree that F.R.I.E.N.D.S. perfected the concept, with the show's brand of hijinks becoming massively influential in the comedy world. When Abed (Danny Pudi) juggles between having two dates to the same event on Community (2009-2015), he's channeling F.R.I.E.N.D.S.. When I was working in a high school for my civil service, and found myself in a situation where I had to substitute-teach two simultaneous classes in two seperate rooms, my life felt like a F.R.I.E.N.D.S. episode.
And perhaps the greatest instance of pure hijinks in F.R.I.E.N.D.S. is The One with the Two Parties. With both of Rachel's (Jennifer Aniston) divorced parents about to show up to her birthday party, the gang decides to keep the two from fighting by splitting the party into two factions, taking place in the two iconic apartments across the hall from each other. This leads to some fantastic close calls and comedic payoffs, with all of the main characters bringing their A-game to the unfolding shenanigans.
8. The One with the Embryos (Season 4 Episode 12)
"Every week, the TV Guide comes to Chandler and Joey's apartment. What name appears on the address label?"
"Oh! Chandler gets it. It's Chandler Bing"
"NO!"
"I'm afraid the TV guide comes...to Chanandler Bong"
"I knew that, Rachel, use your head!"
"Actually, it's Miss Chanandler Bong"
The One with the Embryos is one of the most generally beloved F.R.I.E.N.D.S. episodes, and with good reason. The iconic game show -style quiz, hosted by Ross (David Schwimmer), becomes very high-stakes when Chandler and Joey agree to get rid of their chick and duck if they lose, with the catch that they get Monica (Courtney Cox) and Rachel's apartment if they win.
The trivia questions, as well as the gang's answers, make for some grade-A comedy gold, culminating in the sequence where after knowing all sorts of next-level obscure factoids, Monica and Rachel can't remember what Chandler Bing (or should I say, good ol' Ms. Chanandler Bong) does for a living. Rachel's panicked "Transponster" answer is outdone only by Monica's reaction, as Cox's delivery of the line "THAT'S NOT EVEN A WORD" channels the exact desparation of someone who knows they're about to lose their apartment.
7. The One with the Proposal, Parts 1&2 (Season 6 Episodes 24-25)
"Hi, I'm Chandler, and I make jokes when I'm uncomfortable"
With the two-part finale of the show's sixth season, we have a prime example of combining humor with heart. The path to Chandler and Monica's inevitable engagement is all but straightforward, with multiple versions of the plan being interrupted due to unforeseen circumstances.
After the writers have had their share of fun toying with such situations, we are presented with the ultimate payoff, as the actual proposal is one of the most romantic and authentic moments in the series - both Cox and Perry knock it out of the park with their heartfelt acting. One of my favorite details is Joey's approving nod, after he has successfully helped Monica 'trick' Chandler into the situation so that he'd be surprised. Beautiful stuff.
6. The One with Ross's Wedding, Parts 1&2 (Season 4 Episodes 23-24)
"Well, that went well...yeah..."
"Yeah it could've been worse - he could have shot her"
From a proposal gone right to a wedding gone very, very wrong. After this two-parter has entertained us with a multitude of hijinks relating to the episode's London setting, the season 4 finale eventually culminates in the marriage ceremony of Ross and Emily. And in a scene that psychology teachers use as a prime example of the 'Freudian slip' concept, Ross says the wrong name at the altar - a moment so dramatically surprising that it always makes me think about the millions who simultaneously saw it unfold on TV in the episode's first broadcast.
But "Take thee, Rachel" isn't the only thing the episode has going on for it - The One with Ross's Wedding is also the point where Monica and Chandler, who would go on to be the show's best couple, first hook up. I remember watching F.R.I.E.N.D.S. reruns on TV as a kid, having seen episodes from here and there and distinctly dividing the show into "before Monica&Chandler" and "after Monica&Chandler" in my mind. For a long time, I never knew how it was that they end up together and thus kick off this new era, and when I finally saw this episode, it was quite the payoff.
5. The One on the Morning After (Season 3 Episode 16)
"You think I need a new walk?"
"...What?"
"Well you know, I've been walking the same way since high school. You know how some guys walk into a room and everyone takes notice? I think I need a take-notice walk"
"Are you actually saying these words?"
Ah, even in a very Ross-and-Rachel -centric episode, the best line comes from good old Chauncey. This episode is probably the hardest to watch out of all F.R.I.E.N.D.S. episodes, which admittedly isn't the highest bar as none of the show's instalments are exactly Schindler's List (1993). The legendary Big Argument between Ross and Rachel is quite gripping, as Schwimmer and Aniston play their parts so well (and their break-up actually feels pretty sad, because in season 3 there was still some magic in their love story, before later seasons would take things to quite a ridiculous level).
But as a nice comedic contrast to the heart-wrenching fight, the episode's B-story follows the rest of the main gang as they're stuck in the adjacent room, listening to the argument play out. This makes for lots of hilarity, neatly toning down the more upsetting parts of the episode, making for a perfect balance of drama and comedy.
...But were they on a break, though?
4. The One where Ross Finds Out (Season 2 Episode 7)
"What? You're over me? When were you...under me?"
Once again, this episode's greatness is largely justified by the argument that Ross and Rachel's love story was pretty engaging and powerful, before it, y'know, wasn't. There's a lot to be said for the rom-com feel of their budding romance in the first seasons, and this season 2 episode is the high point of the show's most notorious love story.
Once again, I can't help but think of the TV audiences who saw this episode simultaneously when it first aired - I can just imagine the collective gasps when that beyond-legendary kiss, following one and a half seasons of build-up, finally happened in the most glorious manner. This episode still hits hard, and remains one of my big favorites.
3. The One on the Last Night (Season 6 Episode 6)
"OK, here's the last of your boxes, I'm just going to label it 'What were you thinking?'"
"Funny, I was going to go across the hall and write that on Chandler"
The first episode to be directed by David Schwimmer himself, The One on the Last Night is without a shadow of a doubt the show's most underrated episode. While most of my top 10 (especially the two ahead of this one) are very generally appreciated episodes that often come up in conversation of the best F.R.I.E.N.D.S. episodes, this one rarely comes up with its average IMDB rating and not-especially-iconic status. But for me personally, this will always be in the top tier.
The main plot, where Rachel and Monica project their sentimentality of not living together anymore into arguing with one another, is quite heartfelt with the pair eventually making up in a sweet manner. But what makes this episode one of the best is the beyond-hilarious subplot, where Chandler tries to help Joey out with his financial situation - as he's too proud to accept money from Chandler, he gets tricked into winning a game of 'Cups', a game Chandler very much creates out of thin air on the spot. Everything relating to 'Cups' is comedy gold, making this episode hysterically laugh-worthy.
2. The One Where Everybody Finds Out (Season 5 Episode 14)
"They don't know that we know they know we know! And Joey - you can't say anything"
"Couldn't if I wanted to"
I must have seen this stone-cold classic ten or more times over the years, but it still makes me laugh. Season 5 is probably the show's best season, and a lot of that has to do with the writers having absolute field day (field year, really) with the storyline of Chandler & Monica's newfound relationship being a secret from the rest of the gang, and everyone stumbling upon the truth eventually in their own hilarious ways. While Joey's reaction ("IN LONDON??!!") as well as Rachel's were highlights of previous episodes, the narrative comes to its exquisite climax in this chain-of-events episode, that poetically begins with Phoebe finding out and ends with Ross doing the same.
The double-crossing shenanigans of the episode escalate into further and further tension, until it all unravels in an unexpectedly beautiful manner, with Chandler and Monica declaring their love for each other for the first time. After all that build-up, things get quite touching - until the final scene twists eveything on its head again, with Ross' iconic "GET OFF MY SISTER!". Classic stuff.
1. The Last One, Parts 1&2 (Season 10 Episodes 16&17)
"Do you guys have to go to the new house right away or do you have some time?"
"We've got some time"
"Ok, should we get some coffee?"
"Sure. Where?"
A cliché choice for first place, but a thoroughly deserving one. With Chandler and Monica's adopted twins being born, Chandler and Joey having to break their beloved foosball table in order to save the new chick and duck, and Ross and Rachel undergoing the most twists and turns I've ever seen in the "last-minute rush to the airport" rom-com trope, the series puts a nice bow on all of its characters and storylines that truly feels like F.R.I.E.N.D.S. at its most F.R.I.E.N.D.S.-y.
The hilarity of the foosball table B-plot is a delightfully humorous contrast to the more dramatic storylines (although they also feature their share of laughs - being the world's ultimate comfort series, F.R.I.E.N.D.S. never really gets too serious). And damn, that Ross & Rachel storyline is an impressive feat - after many seasons of the writers making their on/off relationship so over-the-top and toxic that we really shouldn't care anymore, the series finale pulls such an emotional gut punch that you forget all about the negatives and become invested all over again.
They pull out all the stops in the realm of efficient rom-com tropes, and the payoff is sweet - from the 'wrong airport' cliffhanger at the end of Part 1, through Phoebe's heroic moment as she delays the plane taking off with her "something wrong with the left phalange" phone call, all the way to Rachel's "I got off the plane" that will never not make me choke up, it all works quite magically.
And then there's the final lines of dialogue, quoted above. Of course the series had to end with Crazy Snake Man making one last sarcastic quip, arguably his best one, making the viewer laugh in the midst of wiping away tears. A fitting ending, that very much feels like the ultimate F.R.I.E.N.D.S. episode more than any other.
Thank you for reading! Next Thursday is the last Thursday before the Academy Awards, so I'll be posting my annual Oscar predictions. See you then!
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