The One Where There's A Definitive Ranking Of The 'Friends' Thanksgiving Episodes
Start writing a post
Entertainment

The One Where There's A Definitive Ranking Of The 'Friends' Thanksgiving Episodes

Could this list BE anymore accurate?

264
The One Where There's A Definitive Ranking Of The 'Friends' Thanksgiving Episodes
YouTube

Thanksgiving is my most favorite holiday. I love the food, the parade, and most importantly, the company. I love snuggling up on the couch stuffing my face with my mom's homemade cinnamon rolls and then watching the football game while I'm getting ready for dinner.

One of the best parts of Thanksgiving, however, is that there is always a 'Friends' marathon taking place on TBS amongst all of the festivities.

I decided that it was only appropriate to rank these episodes in order from worst (even though there's no worst episode of "Friends", sillies!).

Side note: This was really hard.

10. "The One with the List" (Season 2)

"The One with the List" comes in at #10 because well, it's barely a Thanksgiving episode at all. Other than a subplot where Monica is trying to make the newest Thanksgiving dessert, Mocklate (that's mock chocolate for anyone who is confused, don't worry it's disgusting), the whole episode kinda just revolves around the Ross and Rachel saga.

When Ross can't choose between Rachel and Julie, he ends up making a list of all their worst qualities. Not only is this a rock star move, Rachel eventually finds the list, and well, she's pissed.

Best moment: Rachel telling off Ross after she reads the list he made of all her insecurities and weaknesses.

Best Quote: "She's not Rachem? What the hell's a Rachem? Is that some stupid paleontology word that I wouldn't know because I'm just a waitress?" - Rachel to Ross

9. "The One with the Late Thanksgiving" (Season 10)

While "The One with the Late Thanksgiving" has a heartwarming ending where (Spoiler alert!), Monica and Chandler find out that they're going to become the adoptive parents to a baby, the rest of the episode is just kind of blah in comparison to past Thanksgivings at the Geller-Bing's.

Rachel, Phoebe, Ross, and Joey are so busy with their own lives that they are late to Thanksgiving, which makes Chandler and Monica very upset given they didn't even want to host in the first place.

Best moment: It's a tie between Joey getting his head stuck in the door and Mon and Chan finding out that they're going to be parents.

Best Quote: "To Monica and Chandler...and that knocked up girl in Ohio!" - Rachel proposing a toast to Monica and Chandler finally getting a baby.

8. "The One with All the Thanksgivings" (Season 5)

Season 5's "The One with All the Thanksgiving" is one that I have a love-hate relationship with. The ending is super funny and sweet, with Monica dancing around with a turkey on her head and Chandler admitting that he loves her, but the rest of the episode goes against everything we've watched unfold between the Friends the past five years.

The flashbacks don't make any sense because Rachel and Chandler don't officially meet until the Pilot. In addition, what I love so much about Monica and Chandler's relationship is that it's so out of nowhere and unexpected, but the flashbacks hint at Monica having a crush on him and even losing weight because he made fun of her.

It's unrealistic and just an opportunity for the Friends to put on some disastrous 80s attire. I love "Friends", but I like to pretend sometimes that this episode doesn't exist.

Best moment: Phoebe's flashback to the Revolutionary War, her past life.

Best Quote: "You're so great! I love you!" - Chandler to Monica, revealing that he loves her to both the audience and Monica herself.

7. "The One Where Chandler Hates Dogs" (Season 7)

"The One Where Chandler Hates Dogs" is a little underrated in my opinion. It's silly and charming and nearly the entirety of the episode takes place in Monica and Chandler's apartment, which I always love.

Nothing incredibly special happens in the episode, it's just a lot of fun to watch. Joey giving advice, the states game, and Clunkers all contribute to the mess of events that take place on Thanksgiving Day. Oh yeah, and Rachel's hot young assistant Tag is there too!

Best moment: Ross staying up all night to figure out which state he missed.

Best Quote: "You forgot 14 states?" Ross to Rachel, who was clearly not a geography major.

6. "The One with Rachel's Other Sister" (Season 9)

Christina Applegate as Rachel's (presumably older) sister Amy is the highlight of this Thanksgiving treasure. She has no idea who Ross is, can't remember Rachel's daughter's name, and thinks that Phoebe is a sound, not a person.

When she shows up unexpectedly at Ross's apartment ("Didn't you sell me a falafel?"), she crashes Thanksgiving dinner in the best way; with a good old-fashioned family fight.

Best moment: Chandler stepping up to the plate (pun later intended) and intervening in the fight between Rachel and Amy to prove that he would make a great father figure to Emma if Ross, Rachel, AND Monica all died. Then he drops all the fancy plates and ruins the day.

Best Quote: "I had a baby." "I decorated dad's office." "Ah, yeah. Well, unless you pushed a desk out of your vagina, not the same thing." - Rachel and Amy's fight about the more important things in life.

5. "The One Where Underdog Gets Away" (Season 1)

Season One's Thanksgiving episode is a great example of good ole' fashioned friendship at its finest. When everyone's Thanksgiving plans are canceled, the gang gets together to celebrate.

Chandler hates Thanksgiving, Phoebe celebrates two Thanksgivings, one of which is with Monica and Ross, Joey has VD (jk, but Mario does), Rachel misses her flight, and Ross and Monica's parents are on vacation. I love how unconventional and sweet this first Thanksgiving dinner with the six of them is.

Best Moment: Obviously when Underdog gets away during the Thanksgiving parade and dinner ends up burned and Rachel misses her flight.

Best Quote: "I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'm glad that all of your Thanksgivings sucked." - Chandler to his best friends.

4. "The One with the Rumor" (Season 8)

Remember that time when Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston were married?!? This episode was at that pivotal time! In season 8, Monica invites Will, a former fat guy from high school, to Thanksgiving dinner.

Unbeknownst to her, Will hates newly pregnant Rachel with a passion. He even had an "I Hate Rachel Green" club, where he and Ross were co-president. Brad Pitt is wonderfully funny in this role, and there's nothing I love more than his reaction to finding out that Ross got Rachel pregnant.

Best Moment: Monica doesn't want to make a turkey this year because nobody ever eats it all, so Joey takes it upon himself to eat the whole thing. He bursts through Monica's door wearing Phoebe's old (and Rachel's new) maternity pants as he attempts to eat the entire damn turkey.

Best Quote: "Yeah, Will! Just take off your shirt and tell us!" - Phoebe to Brad Pitt's ever-so-handsome Will.

3. "The One with Chandler in a Box" (Season 4)

Everyone's favorite bromance is in trouble, y'all. When Chandler falls in love with and eventually kisses Joey's girlfriend, Kathy and then tell him, Joey sentences him to probation on their friendship, which includes spending Thanksgiving in a large box.

Other events include Monica getting ice in her eye and having to visit the eye doctor, who just so happens to be her ex-boyfriend Richard's son, Timothy (Michael Vartan).

She gets a little crush on him and invites him over for Thanksgiving dinner, which he graciously (oddly?) accepts. Michael Vartan is so cute and charming, but also this is really creepy and weird, which makes it such a good episode.

Best Moment: Monica calling out everyone for all of their flaws after they accuse her of being super gross for having a thing with Richard's son.

Best Quote:"Fine, judge all you want to but, [pointing at Ross] married a lesbian, [pointing at Rachel] left a guy standing at the altar, [pointing at Phoebe] married a gay ice dancer, [pointing at Joey] threw a girl's wooden leg in a fire, [pointing at Chandler in the box] lives in a box." - Monica's fantastic scathing roast of all of her friends' choices.

2. "The One with the Football" (Season 3)

Perhaps the most classic "Friends" Thanksgiving episode, "The One with the Football" is full of laughter, food, and a ridiculously competitive football game among friends.

Ross and Monica are dangerously competitive, so much so that their parents forbid them from playing football, even into adulthood because of the battles that would occur over the Geller Cup (a troll on a block pedestal).

Meanwhile during the game, Joey and Chandler both try to impress a Dutch woman.

Best Moment: Monica and Ross still fighting over the football as it gets dark outside and everyone else goes inside to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner.

Best Quote:Monica, "Losers walk. Ross, "losers talk. Chandler, "No, no actually, losers rhyme." - Monica and Ross reverting back to their childhood states and Chandler mocking them about it.

1. "The One where Ross Got High" (Season 6)

This might be my favorite episode of "Friends" ever. The whole thing primarily takes place in Monica and Chandler's apartment, and the comedic duo, Jack, and Judy Geller come over for Thanksgiving dinner.

Everyone has their own set of problems in this episode; Monica hasn't told her parents that she's dating nor living with Chandler because her parents hate him, Rachel is in charge of making Thanksgiving dessert which is supposed to be a traditional English trifle, but she ends up putting beef in it, Joey wants to go meet up with his new roommate's (Elle MacPherson) dancer friends, Ross wants to go with him, and Phoebe is having weird sex dreams about Ross and Monica's dad.

The best part though is the reason that the Gellers hate Chandler, which is because they think that he smoked pot in their house in college when it was actually Ross, who blamed it on his best friend.

Best moment: When all the truths are revealed, including that Monica and Chandler are living together and that Ross got divorced for the third time after drunkenly marrying Rachel in Vegas.

Best Quote: I have two favorites from this episode. "What's not to like? Custard, good. Jam, good. Meat, good." - Joey on Rachel's Thanksgiving trifle. and Judy's response to her children tattling on one another, "That's a lot of information to get in 30 seconds."

You can watch all 10 Thanksgiving "Friends" episodes on TBS, Nick @ Nite, or Netflix. Happy Thanksgiving time, friends!

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Student Life

Waitlisted for a College Class? Here's What to Do!

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

59874
college students waiting in a long line in the hallway
StableDiffusion

Course registration at college can be a big hassle and is almost never talked about. Classes you want to take fill up before you get a chance to register. You might change your mind about a class you want to take and must struggle to find another class to fit in the same time period. You also have to make sure no classes clash by time. Like I said, it's a big hassle.

This semester, I was waitlisted for two classes. Most people in this situation, especially first years, freak out because they don't know what to do. Here is what you should do when this happens.

Keep Reading...Show less
a man and a woman sitting on the beach in front of the sunset

Whether you met your new love interest online, through mutual friends, or another way entirely, you'll definitely want to know what you're getting into. I mean, really, what's the point in entering a relationship with someone if you don't know whether or not you're compatible on a very basic level?

Consider these 21 questions to ask in the talking stage when getting to know that new guy or girl you just started talking to:

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

Challah vs. Easter Bread: A Delicious Dilemma

Is there really such a difference in Challah bread or Easter Bread?

38762
loaves of challah and easter bread stacked up aside each other, an abundance of food in baskets
StableDiffusion

Ever since I could remember, it was a treat to receive Easter Bread made by my grandmother. We would only have it once a year and the wait was excruciating. Now that my grandmother has gotten older, she has stopped baking a lot of her recipes that require a lot of hand usage--her traditional Italian baking means no machines. So for the past few years, I have missed enjoying my Easter Bread.

Keep Reading...Show less
Adulting

Unlocking Lake People's Secrets: 15 Must-Knows!

There's no other place you'd rather be in the summer.

960077
Group of joyful friends sitting in a boat
Haley Harvey

The people that spend their summers at the lake are a unique group of people.

Whether you grew up going to the lake, have only recently started going, or have only been once or twice, you know it takes a certain kind of person to be a lake person. To the long-time lake people, the lake holds a special place in your heart, no matter how dirty the water may look.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 10 Reasons My School Rocks!

Why I Chose a Small School Over a Big University.

199062
man in black long sleeve shirt and black pants walking on white concrete pathway

I was asked so many times why I wanted to go to a small school when a big university is so much better. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure a big university is great but I absolutely love going to a small school. I know that I miss out on big sporting events and having people actually know where it is. I can't even count how many times I've been asked where it is and I know they won't know so I just say "somewhere in the middle of Wisconsin." But, I get to know most people at my school and I know my professors very well. Not to mention, being able to walk to the other side of campus in 5 minutes at a casual walking pace. I am so happy I made the decision to go to school where I did. I love my school and these are just a few reasons why.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments