The One With My Favorite FRIENDS Episodes

On September 22nd, 1994, a tiny sitcom named FRIENDS debuted on NBC. This year marks the 25th Anniversary since we first saw the gang reunite in Central Perk. *Chandler Bing voice* Could you FEEL any older? I know I do.

In celebration of the series 236 episodes, laughs, happy tears, shocking moments, quotable lines, lesbianism, hook-ups, I compiled a list of my top fifteen favorites. (There's no doubt, I could've kept going for a few more posts, but I had to stop the list somewhere.) Which episodes do you love the most? Let me know what you think!

Side Note: This top ten list is in addition to my favorite FRIENDS' Thanksgiving episodes, which easily would have taken up half the spots here. Only one makes the final cut in a pivotal spot.

The One With the Cake

While Ross and Rachel deal with Emma's bunny cake accidentally being delivered as a penis, the rest of the gang want to leave for other plans instead of celebrate her first birthday. Monica and Chandler are forced to stay behind to watch Emma as Joey slips out for an audition and Phoebe tends to a massage client. But everything turns out to be just right for new mom Rachel in the long run.

Favorite Moment: the toy race. Go, go, go Alan! Run you hairy bastard!

The One Where They're Up All Night

Ross wants the gang and Tag to join him up on the roof to witness a rare comet. After hours of not seeing anything, most of the group makes their escape except Joey. As Rachel and Tag try to prove each other wrong about misplaced contracts, Phoebe feuds with her fire alarm, and Chandler and Monica can't sleep, Joey and Ross are stuck up on the roof. Besides Joey and Ross accidentally napping with each other, I think is one of their other best moments together. And it's just funny to see what the rest of the gang are up to at night when everything goes wrong.

Favorite Moment: Joey: Oh my God, Ross, how much do you weigh?
Ross: I'd prefer not to answer that. I'm still carrying some holiday weight.

The One Where Eddie Won't Go

After Joey hits it big with a break on Days of Our Lives, he wants to go his own way and moves out of his apartment with Chandler. Eddie, the new roommate, appears normal at first, but slowly goes off the rails when he thinks Chandler slept with his old girlfriend and killed his fish - among other things. Guest Star Adam Goldberg, makes a hilarious appearance in a trio of appearances - The One Where Eddie Movies In, The One Where Dr. Ramoray Dies, The One Where Eddie Won't Go. It's hard to narrow down the best one.

Favorite Moment: He's standing in the window holding a human head, he's standing in the window holding a human head!!

The One In Vegas 

As the gang catches up with Joey after his film falls apart, their trip in Vegas gets crazier by the second - Chandler discovers Monica had lunch with Richard, Phoebe think an old lady is a crook at the casino slots, Joey finds his identical hand twin, and a friendly rivalry of who doesn't get embarrassed the most between Ross and Rachel spirals out of control. What happens in Vegas doesn't stay in Vegas as the two get married while they're plastered. It's funny that Monica and Phoebe both had real ceremonies while all of the weddings Rachel were apart of (to Barry and Ross) were total disasters.

Favorite Moment: Ross and Rachel's pranks.

The One with Phoebe's Wedding

FRIENDS is always thought of as sitcom first, so it's hard to think of well-rounded character moments that bring everything together. One of the exceptions might be Phoebe's wedding. She arguably had the most chaotic life in the whole group from finding out she was given up by her birth mother to giving birth to her brother's kids, and always dating the kookiest guys. It was nice to finally see her settle down with Mike (Paul Rudd) and funny to watch Monica try to control every aspect of her wedding - only for it to turn into a nice impromptu ceremony in the middle of the street during a blizzard. (My only regret is that we didn't see Frank and Alice with the kids incorporated into the show a lot. Phoebe would've been a bad-ass aunt. )

Favorite Moment: Phoebe's vows to Mike.

The One With All The Poker

When the girls catch the guys playing poker, they want in on the action. Poker nights turn into a friendly rivalry between the two sides, especially Rachel and Ross. What the boys don't expect is for the girls to take lessons and give them a run for their money. After Rachel gets one-over on Ross and finally wins, we're left on a cliffhanger on whether or not Ross let her win or if she had the best cards.

You gotta love that Ross, for some reason, has a random Speed Racer poster in his apartment. And that the cast played poker as a way to bond, so their interactions became inspiration for this episode.

Favorite Moment:
Rachel: Oh, so typical. Ooo, I'm a man. Ooo, I have a penis. Ooo, I have to win money to exert my power over women. (hands over her money)
Monica: You know what? This is not over. We will play you again, and we will win, and you will lose, and you will beg, and we will laugh, and we will take every last dime you have, and you will hate yourselves forever.
Rachel: Hmm. Kinda stepped on my point there, Mon.

The One After the Superbowl

A movie filming in New York City wreaks havoc on the group: Joey is caught up in a relationship with a psycho superfan (Brooke Shields); a past classmate (Julia Roberts) gets revenge on Chandler; Ross reunites with Marcel; Rachel and Monica fight over Jean Claude Van Damme; Phoebe dates a guy who loves her off-beat songs (Chris Isaak). The guest stars are all super 80s / 90s icons, so the episode seems a little dated now. But it's impressive that the show could snag as many stars as they did. Shields impressed NBC so much, they gave her her own series.

Favorite Moment: Everyone tossing water, slapping Joey, and making up stories about Dr. Drake Ramoray to get rid of Shields's character.

The One With The Ball

A simple game of Joey and Ross tossing a ball back and forth gets out of control when everyone joins in on the fun, and Monica wants to make it a world record. Meanwhile, Rachel sits this one out to take care of a hairless cat she buys and immediately regrets it. It's not one of the more iconic episodes, but it's always fun to see the group together in a single place doing something silly together.

Favorite Moment: The non-cat scratches the hell out of Rachel, and poor Gunther buys him from her.

The Last One

Next to The Office (US), FRIENDS has the perfect finale. After Erica gives birth to Chandler and Monica's twins, Joey and Chandler have to disassemble the foozball table. Meanwhile, Ross with Phoebe try to catch Rachel at the airport before she leaves for Paris. It's appalling to me that Rachel would give up her dream job FOR ROSS (aka JOEY & RACHEL FOREVER), but the episode beautifully wraps up everything else. As Chandler and Monica move to the suburbs (and Joey to Hollywood), it's hard not to tear up as the squad heads to Central Perk one last time.

Favorite Moment: Joey realizes Monica's apartment has always been so purple.

The One With The Cop

SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UUUUUUUUPPPPPP.

Speaks for itself, really.

The One With Unagi

Ross believes he's mastered the ancient form of Japanese self-awareness after several years of karate lessons. He gets into a feud against Rachel and Phoebe who are learning to defend themselves. While Joey starts working at Central Perk in between gigs, Chandler lands in hot water with Monica when his handmade Valentine's gig has remnants of Janice. FRIENDS delivered so many moments for fans that have stuck in our everyday vernacular. Unagi is probably the most popular quotes, one that I use all the time.

Favorite Moment: Ross screams like a little girl when Rachel and Phoebe scare him.

The One With The Jellyfish

Neurotic. Possessive. Controlling. A CHEATER. I don't know how Rachel let Ross take a dip in the pool of her inner power so many times, but this episode almost makes the 'were they on a break' fight worth it. While Phoebe finds her birth mom, and Monica gets stung by a jellyfish, Ross and Rachel give it one more go. The episode gives us so many epic moments such as finding out what happened between Chandler, Monica, Joey, and the sea, as well as the epic justifiable grammar Nazi moment:  Y-O-U-'-R-E means YOU ARE, Y-O-U-R means your.

Favorite Moment: Chandler shrieking when Joey reveals how he helped Monica.

The One Where Everyone Finds Out

One of the best decisions this show ever made was not repeating the 'they were on a break' split between Ross and Rachel with Monica and Chandler. Instead of watching the former get together and break-up over and over again, the latter had a great friendship that blossomed into a relationship, and it stayed that way. And despite Chandler's problems with women in the past, he matured alongside Monica and vice versa. It's a real treat to see Monica react as if she could never be with Chandler in the earlier seasons to end up hooking up at Ross's wedding to Emily. The duo had more than several great episodes together, so this pick could easily be switched with The One With The Proposal or The One With Ross's Wedding. But any way you slice it, they're honestly one of tv's best couples. (This episode is up there with Joey finding out and being forced to keep their relationship a secret.)

Favorite Moment: GET OFF MY SISTERRRRRRRRRR.

The One With The Embryos

From Joey's game show gig to the foozball table and Cups, the characters played a lot of fun and random games. But none of them might come close to the trivia competition Ross creates where the girls have to switch apartments with the boys if they lose. Remembering what Chandler does for a living (something Rachel couldn't get right) in the earlier seasons proves you're a certified hardcore fan of the show. Hint: it's not transponster.

Favorite moment: NOOOOOOOOOOO.

The One With the Rumor

Similar to The One Where Ross Gets High, Thanksgiving is the best time of the year for all of the group's secrets to come out. We learn that Ross used to make out with the school librarian, co-founded a I Hate Rachel club, and started a nasty rumor about her. His partner-in-crime was Will, played by Brad Pitt. It's honestly one of the most perfect guest star roles ever.

The holidays wouldn't be the same without FRIENDS, but FRIENDS wouldn't be the same without this iconic moment - Brad Pitt pretends to hate Jennifer Aniston, which at the time was kind of unfathomable since they were one of Hollywood's biggest couples. It's hard to believe in a few years they'd break up.

Favorite Moment: The whole damn episode, really.