Friends From A to Z

Important turning points here when another Rachel and Ross chapter closes, Monica and Chandler's story develops and Phoebe's life is about to change. We discuss why it's the right decision for Rachel to tell Ross she loves him, we find out what prompted Zoe's three smiles in the margin of her notes and we as why Monica and Chandler decide to have a romantic bath with Joey in the same room, when there's a perfectly Rachel-free apartment across the hall?

We're back for Season Five and what an opening episode - the resolution to one of the greatest end-of-season cliffhangers in television history. So much here to discuss including of course the big question of just what it *did* mean that Ross said Rachel at his wedding, what to make of Emily's reaction and just why it is that we're so happy to ship Monica and Chandler when everything about their relationship has been totally platonic up to this point. 

A feature length episode to cover everything that happened in The Reunion... and there was a lot! The memories! The tears! The surprises! The special guests! The table reads! The unseen footage! The list goes on... We discuss how much of the plan had been revealed and what was genuinely new to the cast. We figure out which guest star we liked the best and who or what was perhaps missing. Most of all, though, we savour every moment in the knowledge that nothing like this will happen again. 

Christmas is a time for giving and, to round off the year, we’ve got an extended episode to cover off both parts of Ross’ wedding and two episodes means two epidimericks! We break down why these episodes are so beloved, which celebrity cameo is the best, how our knowledge of what comes next for Monica and Chandler shapes our response to the big twist and whether this episode gave us the biggest cliffhanger in television history. Note that due to ongoing Coronavirus restrictions in the UK this episode was recorded over Zoom so the sound may not be as tip top as we would like it to be.

Two episodes (well, one and a half) for the price of one here because we’ve wrapped up TOW The Invitation with TOW The Worst Best Man Ever, because The Invitation has very little original content. However, this does mean we’re double-epidimericking! There is a brief but interesting discussion about the Invitation episode, including Zoe inventing the perfect word to describe what it’s composed of and the answer to something that has remained unexplained to us for twenty years. In other discussions, is Monica and Rachel's alternative baby shower idea a good one? Just what time of day is it at Ross' bachelor party? And which Friends gathering do you most wish you'd attended?

It’s (another) one with the lockdown, which means we’re back on Zoom for our recording of this discussion (and the sound quality is a teeny bit affected by that). There’s a debate about whether the wedding dress storyline stands up to 2020 scrutiny and whether it retains its humour with multiple viewing. Questions are raised about what’s going on in Ross’ unconscious and whether the writers are planting clues to exactly that. Zoe mirrors Chandler by learning that the way she pronounces a word may not be in line with the public at large and there’s a Netflix editing mystery that listeners’ help is needed to solve.

This episode’s easy to love for so many reasons: echoes of TOW The Embryos, Joey and Chandler solid bromance moments and significant storyline progress. Despite that, it does raise many question: Is Rachel counter-intuitively the reason why Ross proposes to Emily so quickly? How long does it take to pack up and move an entire apartment? And has Zoe spotted a sinister plan that Chandler plots from this moment until he moves in with Monica?

There is one standout storyline in this episode which is undeniably great for a number of different reasons. Beyond that, there’s plenty of debate about ‘that’ dress - not just the dress itself but several questions about the set up and the outcome of that storyline. Elsewhere, how do we feel about Ross’ paranoia 20 years on and why did no one have such a psychological insight into Ross when it could have saved his and Rachel’s relationship?

Interesting trivia right off the bat with this one and its main storyline, which also leads to a mass debate trying to make sense of a group of friends sitting around watching this particular type of TV channel. What does this tell us about how TV has changed in the intervening years? Elsewhere, which is better, Relaxitaxi or Relaxicab? Is there a candidate for an iconic line and is Ross the Hugh Grant of this episode?

This one might contain a fake party, but it’s the real deal when it comes to Friends episodes. There’s a lot of appreciation for the quick-fire funny lines and for Jennifer Aniston’s tour-de-force performance. There are also lots of questions to debate: why does the public at large not feel the same way about this episode? Just how many times has Phoebe kissed the other male Friends? And why on earth does Joshua ever agree to come to this lame party?

There’s plenty to discuss about why this one gets the IMDB rating it has. Is it because 15 Yemen Road, Yemen is so iconic? Is it because Janice is back? Is it the shape-shifting accents that Emily’s rugby pals seem to have? In Friends Thru a Lens, we ask who would have thought that Toxic Masculinity would be so prolific in 22 minutes of television from 23 years ago? Why is the Yemen Road joke so funny and what does Phoebe’s mistake with the switch and the television tell us about the contemporary issue of misinformation and opinion overriding evidence and facts? All of this and more explored!

It’s fair to say this isn’t a favourite episode of Season 4 for Adele or Zoe or indeed the audience at large. That said, this is a really important one because we meet for the first time one of the most disruptive and memorable characters of all ten seasons. It does raise a number of questions though: why does Emily sound like she has a fake British accent, even though the actress playing her his actually British? Why is her character still so hated twenty years on? How on earth did Charlton Heston’s cameo come into being? Why did the main hook joke of that storyline rest on a pun that doesn’t work? And how exactly do we make sense of the bizarre strip club situation?

Not the most popular episode of Season 4, but given the real life trivia around this one, there’s a great deal to discuss. There’s an in-depth exploration of Joshua’s background and a hypothesis that Joey might have unwittingly helped us understand the chemistry (or lack of) between him and Rachel. That’s not the only storyline that doesn’t really feel like it hangs together credibly: Why does the Chandler/Kathy situation end so abruptly? Was Kathy’s character treated fairly? Were we as an audience misled into investing in liking her? And have you seen the bloopers involving what Rachel can smell?

Is there such a thing as 22 perfect minutes of television? Not only do we think so, but, arguably, THIS IS IT! This is not just a good episode of Friends, this is one of if not THE best episodes of Friends ever made. All of the many (many) features that earn it this mantle are explored, but how can we possibly pick a favourite joke? Well we have to! Is there anything we don’t like? Doubtful! And perhaps the most important question of all is answered: who *actually* won the quiz?

Another one where the rankings differ between the people at large and the hosts - this time totally inexplicably because this is a great episode! All three storylines are not just funny but play a role in raising issues into mainstream culture that were interesting and brave, so we get our Friends Thru A Lens all over that. There’s an interesting discussion around how the writers might have decided to work out the Phoebe storyline in the way they did when there were so many other options and we about how we see Chandler here in his final term of being Monica’s perfect boyfriend-in-training. Also - can you identify all seven erogenous zones?

There’s a lot packed in to this one with four storylines and three of them scoring big points for great jokes (one not so much). We wonder whether the title of this one might explain the difference between our rating and the one on IMdB and Zoe has an idea for how to improve the summaries for all the episodes. There’s a lot of admiration for a classic pairing, an iconic song from Phoebe and Zoe solves a troubling admin question for Adele.

There are very mixed feelings about where this one ranks amongst the episodes of Season Four but no such disagreement with another favourite joke snap. Zoe’s initial insight into Rachel’s promotion storyline is surprising to Adele to say the least. There is an epiphany about the choices made by the writers when Monica and Phoebe don’t get to see out what could have been a future with lots of potential and there’s a lot of debate about whether Gandalph's absence helps or hinders when Chandler and Ross are going to party.

You may not expect a storyline with Chandler in a box to connect to mythology and ancient religious rituals but it does in Adele’s head. There might be only one hole in Chandler’s box but, one of the storylines has so many holes in its credibility that it’s blowing our tiny minds (even though we can forgive it because it’s very funny) and Friends Thru A Lens has a gender reference that, sadly, may not have evolved much over the last 20+ years. Due to continued lockdown conditions in the UK this episode was recorded using Zoom. Whilst the sound quality is not as crystal clear as we would like, we hope you enjoy listening to it as much as we did recording it.

A classic episode here, which means it’s fun to talk about and there’s loads to get your teeth into. Not only is this one choc full of great story and some iconic moments, but the discussion around Chandler, Joey and Kathy unearths a whole load of interesting debate about the deeper psychology of this storyline. Ross’ ‘sound’ is one of the most memorable moments of all ten seasons for Adele and there’s a question over whether this chat will make Zoe re-appraise her rating. There’s only one way to find out… (As with all of Season 4 so far, we’re recording these via Zoom due to continued lockdown conditions in the UK so the sound isn’t always as crystal clear as before but we hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed discussing all the same).

There’s no debate over whether this is a favourite or not, but there is significant debate over both Chandler’s endgame here and (not for the first time) some of the choices made around how Kathy’s character behaves. Zoe has some interesting trivia about the Dirty Girl herself (as well as her real life husband), the favourite joke snaps reach unprecedented levels and Zoe admits that she *just* got one of this episode's jokes for the very first time in twenty years. We're recording these episodes under lockdown conditions, so we're using Zoom. That means the sound isn't always as crystal clear as we'd like, but we hope you enjoy listening as much as we did discussing all the same.

This is one of those episodes that’s scoring quite high but not from how many laughs it contains, more for the depth of character and narrative importance. There’s a lot of debate over exactly what Kathy is thinking and a lot of love for the ridiculous dating circumstances Rachel and Ross find themselves in. Phoebe’s storyline clocks up a possible record and she writes a song that is remarkably evocative of a gif that would become prevalent over 20 years later. Due to current lockdown conditions across the UK, this episode was recorded over Zoom conference rather than in person. Whilst the sound isn't as crystal clear as usual, we hope you enjoy listening as much as we did chatting!

We need the extra large machine for Friends Thru a Lens this episode as there are things in every storyline that don't quite feel right 23 years later, but there is one thing that was very insightful at the time and remains just as relatable today. Will it be four in a row for favourite joke snaps? That remains to be seen, but what's for sure is that Zoe learns some brand new information about the Rent Stabilisation Act of 1968 and how to dispose of old pizza boxes. As we continue to be in lockdown conditions, this episode has been recorded over video conference so it's not always the crystal clear sound we would like, but we hope despite this it's still as enjoyable to listen to as it was to record.

Cuffs, cleverness and quiches collide, Adele has a theory about strengths and flaws in all three. Zoe has her assumptions about who or what Milton Berle is thoroughly challenged and there are no fewer than three candidates for Friends Thru A Lens that show how much the world has changed since this episode first aired in the late 90s. Also, can we be heading for a record three in a row of favourite joke snaps? Surely not! In keeping with Season Four so far, this episode was recorded remotely due to the lockdown restrictions currently in place so the sound isn’t as crystal clear as we’d like it to be, but we hope you can enjoy listening as much as we did chatting despite that!

This is a tough one to rate because of brilliant highs and not so brilliant lows, but there’s plenty of interesting discussion about it all. Chandler and Joey being robbed provides a Favourite Joke snap and Monica dating Chip provokes a debate about how much this storyline reflects today’s views on weight and self-worth. The storyline about the cat may not be full of laughs, but there’s some good trivia from Zoe and find out why Adele thinks there’s a link to fake news (fake mews perhaps?!). (Note we’re recording from #lockdown again via video conference so the sound can't be as crystal clear as usual/as we would like it to be).

We were on a break! No, we really were… that break was officially for Zoe to have her baby, but little did we know a global pandemic would arrive shortly after, meaning that the sound will be a *bit* affected as we’re recording remotely. We’re off with a bang though with a universally loved episode that's got strong Rank Bank potential. Popularity doesn’t stop us from digging deep, asking whether Rachel is fair in her request of Ross, whether Chandler and Joey give good advice and whether the writers had Chandler pee on Monica to create a masterful diversion from events to come at the end of the season. There’s also a brilliant tip from Zoe on some background reading, for the more studious listener.

We made it! We’re at the Beach (house?) which means it’s the end of Season Three! This episode contains the single biggest cliffhanger of Adele’s TV watching history and her second all time favourite Ross and Rachel kiss - but there’s a lot of discussion about what leads up to that moment. There’s a discovery of two words - critical to this episode - for some reason Zoe can’t say and there’s something of a farewell (but not goodbye).

It’s time for the (pen)ultimate fighting champion episode, introduced with some trivia about the cold open that Adele gets particularly excited about. Despite having to search more than usual for the good jokes there’s lots to discuss: there’s something about the Chandler butt-slapping storyline that’s making it not quite sit right, there’s a happy goodbye wave for Pete when Monica makes it a triple of mis-matched life-goal relationships and there's plenty of debate about why it matters whether or not Bonnie is bald. All to get us on the road to the Beach House. Beach. Beach House. (It's Beach).

Full agreement on the rankings of this one in Season Three and lots to discuss. There’s plenty of Friends Thru a Lensing with Pete’s tech-laden den and how it compares to the similar things we have today that are now commonplace. What can explain the uncomfortable reaction both Adele and Zoe have to Phoebe’s double-dating, and Zoe has a theory that there’s a real-life link with Pete’s choice of hobby (and is looking for proof if you can help!).

We may have a record gulf here between Adele and Zoe’s opinions of the screamer (both the man and the episode), we’ve got a rank bank feature for one and literally almost the worst episode of the season for the other - but that’s OK because it sparks a lot of debate! One thing that is agreed on, is the lovely real life link between this episode and the next one - do you know what that is? No amount of discussion can make Zoe feel any better about Kate and here’s where we see why Phoebe should never have given away that football phone.

There’s a lot of debate about Monica’s behaviour towards Pete and whether one kiss could really take him from zero to hero. Chandler and Joey’s new roommates are a welcome addition and Ross’ decision to forego a TV appearance to care for Rachel is closely dissected, leading to several u-turns and the invention of a new word. Oh - and Adele promises to be more careful before getting over-excited about Tweets that are, like Pete’s girlfriend, fictitious, no?

Curiously there’s a misalignment between our rating of this episode and what the people (ie IMDB ratings) think. Three meaty storylines provoke lots of debate and questions: Why did Rachel voluntarily let her worlds collide? Why didn’t Ross knock on the bathroom door? How many nouns did the writers go through before they settled on ‘sweater’? Also there is moment that is fleeting but so totes emosh it makes it into Zoe’s rank bank - but which one is it?

There are strong feelings towards all the plus ones in this episode (and there are a lot of them - Pete, Mark and Kate) but which one of them is one of Zoe’s worst Friends characters of all time?! There’s a heated debate about Rachel’s life choices and can what we know about Monica’s psyche explain why she continues to date a man she’s not attracted to? And who knew a t-shirt that is so tiny could be so jam packed with symbolism and future hope?

One of this episode's storylines needs Friends Thru A Lens due to it’s central joke and there’s an incredulous response to several of Monica’s date’s antics. There’s the usual good trivia from Zoe here on not one but two of the non-core-six actors and a lot of love for what they bring to this episode.

It’s the one without the ski trip... or is it? That’s not the only question this one raises: what do you think Phoebe and Ross would do on a weekend alone together? Did you get the ‘secret’ rude joke in this episode? What kind of anniversary are Carol and Susan celebrating? And have you spotted the (almost) unique thing about this episode?

So here we are: no spoiler to say this is an all time crying Rank Bank episode but we explore all the reasons why, despite that, it’s such a high-ranking episode all round. Many questions are raised: Why are Monica and Phoebe waxing hair-free legs? Who knew Gunther was such a passive aggressive psychopath? Will Adele even get through the epidimerick without bursting into tears? Relive with us an iconic moment of TV history...

It’s the biggest question in TV history - were they or weren’t they on a break? That question has its inception in this episode - perhaps Adele and Zoe will figure it out and come up with the definitive answer… or perhaps not, but there’s a concerted effort to explore through human psychology whether it’s possible to excuse Ross’ decisions here. Other questions are unearthed: Is Mark actually a scheming saboteur making strategic interventions? Was Rachel right to let him in her apartment given the context? Just how hot is the Xerox girl? Is there a universe in which you can watch this episode and it has a less upsetting ending? All this and more packed into this one!

Chandler’s moral quandary over one fewer than average legs and one more than average nipples creates some soul searching discussion. There’s a whole storyline that’s necessary for continuity, but creates some anger nonetheless - particularly so many years on. There’s a lot of chat about the celeb cameo, a lot of wondering when Phoebe will finally get a meatier storyline and more leg puns than you can shake a stick at.

One storyline dominates the discussion here - not only does it evoke lots of emotion and have a rank bank moment for Zoe, it perhaps even challenges long held beliefs about one of the favourite couplings of all ten seasons. There are technical questions about exactly how the mouse is out of the house and a revelation that could have created a very different life for Monica.

Very different rankings at the start of this one but by the end of the discussion there's been a shift, bringing opinions closer together. One storyline is effortlessly popular whilst the other two both have more questionable elements that cause lots of debate. This week we're also issuing a pre-apology for the total loss of sanity in the very final part where we figure out what the next one is, it had been a long week!

We kick off with a double epidimerick (but only because Chandler’s not the only one who can’t remember which sister). There’s some Friends Thru A Lensing around how two of the storylines here use some pretty archaic techniques to resolve them and there’s the rarest of occurrences - Adele shares some trivia that Zoe didn’t know. In an important debate: can they agree on whether Rachel or Joey are right about why men are nice to strange women?

This might be the one where Rachel quits, but the discussion also wanders into insights about Ross that are more telling and prophetic than at first glance. There’s a Friends Thru A Lens about Monica’s addiction parody and how contemporary society has shaped the response to Ross’ attempts to do right his wrong towards the little girl whose leg he accidentally broke. There’s also a matching Favourite Friend… again!

This is (no surprise) a zinger all round. It’s ticking so many boxes of the things we’ve learnt are criteria of the best loved episodes, including a distinct memory for Adele of this first airing in 1996. The topic of the Dutch girl raises a few questions and there’s a big Friends Thru A Lens debate about whether or not the Lens is revealing a different take on some of the funniest moments.

As with any good discussion, this one has Adele and Zoe rethinking one storyline and changing their opinion of it. In addition, they discover there's a side shown to one friend we've never seen before or since and suggest that this episode is a re-birth of sorts for another who emerges here as the fully rounded friend we love so much.

There's agreement that the storylines here are quite different: one is basically filler ahead of the next episode, one is strangely unsatisfying and Zoe helps Adele pinpoint why that is and the third one is helped by Friends Thru A Lens to highlight that just one word makes the difference between it being culturally appropriate and culturally questionable twenty years on. The Race Car Bed might not be a favourite of Season Three overall, but it sure sparks some interesting chat!

It's no secret that this is a beloved episode of Season Three with so much to enjoy with such fondness. Friends Thru A Lens sparks a debate that calls into question the response to one of the most iconic moments of all ten seasons and who'd have thought that dropping things and hitting things would be the source of two favourite jokes?

Phoebe's weekend with Frank Jr raises a question about something pretty fundamental she hasn't told him and there's much discussion of the freebie list choices and how they stack up twenty years on. There's a debate about why there are more matched favourite jokes in this season than ever before - can you figure it out? Answers on a postcard/tweet please! There's a fashion related Friends Thru A Lens and a spontaneous test of how freakily well Adele knows Zoe.

Adele is fond of how one of the characters is in training here for a future storyline and there's a food-related Friends Thru A Lens that is remarkably ahead of its time. There's a LOT of gender-related discussion, some of which made Adele delete and re-write her notes twice, but Zoe helps bring some clarity to the debate. There's a question raised that will be examined in every episode from now on until the very end and how would Jack Geller feel about Ross' Bea phase?!

There are differing views on where this episode ranks in Season Three. There’s a lot of love for Monica and the life questions she faces here, but at the same time a lot of discussion about how the friends respond to her ideas. Zoe has spotted several iconic lines in this one, but you might join Adele in challenging the iconic claim for one of them! Also find out if this episode’s celebrity cameo star in either of the Rank Banks - is he in yours?

Ross may wait a total of 22 minutes to get everyone out of the door, but we've been waiting forty nine episodes to be able to talk about this one! Spoiler alert: it's an all round zinger with so much to love and lots to talk about. Zoe reveals where the idea for the episode came from and Adele explains why it resonates so personally for her. It might just hold the record for the largest number of iconic lines in one single episode and, not surprisingly, the doors to the Rank Bank are cranked open. So, grab yourself the essence of a chair and enjoy!

We open Season Three with lots of things anew - not just the storylines but also the hair, clothing and even the curious responses of the audience. There’s even the appearance (temporary thankfully) of a seventh friend: Spider Fringe and there’s the first cyclical Friends Thru A Lens which has gone from relevant, to irrelevant right back to very relevant again. Adele has to awkwardly explain why her favourite joke is funny and Zoe’s slip of the tongue on one of Phoebe’s lines is worth looking out for!

It's a big day! Not only is it the second of Barry's weddings but it's also the end of Season Two! Very different opinions of this episode - it's in the top ten of the season for one and almost the worst of the season for the other. Adele has tears of sadness when talking about a Rank Bank moment and tears of joy when there's a rare occurrence of recognising an actor from a later, more famous role that Zoe didn't spot. There's also a great Friends Thru A Lens where the Chandler storyline is years ahead of one of today's most commonplace pastimes. Hats at the ready people.... the bride's nearly here!