Since Friends always aired on NBC's Thursday night lineup of Must-See TV, they always made sure to gift us with a special Thanksgiving episode. It only took them a few seasons to find their groove, and by 1999, we came to expect it. And we've worked really hard to rank the 10 Friends Thanksgiving episodes. (A true labor of love. But someone had to do it.)
Let's just be clear: Just because an episode falls to the bottom of our ranking list doesn't mean it's bad ... It just means that we like them all, and there are others we like better. So without further ado, here is our definitive ranking of all 10 Friends Thanksgiving episodes. Enjoy!
No. 10: "The One with the List" (Season 2)
Courtesy of NBC
This episode is last on our list because it's the only one of the Friends Thanksgiving episodes to not really be very "Thanksgiving-y" (that's a word Phoebe coins in a later Thanksgiving episode, by the way).
Even though he's dating fellow paleontologist Julie, Ross kissed Rachel and now must decide which woman he wants to be with. The guys convince him to make a list of pros and cons comparing the two, and of course, Rachel discovers it. Ross's negative characterization of her ("spoiled," "ditzy," and "just a waitress") doesn't do him any favors. But he's already broken up with Julie by that point. Cue: bummed-out Ross.
Moments of Note:
- This is the "mockolate" episode, where Monica is trying to use a synthetic chocolate substitute to create potential Thanksgiving desserts (this side plotline contains the only mention of Thanksgiving). Phoebe's take on it: "This is what evil must take like!"
- Phoebe's coffeehouse guitar ballad about the love triangle concerning "Neil," "Betty," and "Lulie" is classic: "He must decide, he must decide; even though I made him up, he must decide!"
- Chandler's new laptop has a "500 MB hard drive" that he's going to use for "games and stuff." His excitement about his ability to make the doomed pros/cons list with different fonts and colors for each column is a big 1995 mood.
