Worst of Friends: Your Least Favorite Moments

[Madness]

Share some moments you didn't like.

 

For me personally, I definitely didn't like the whole Rachel-Joey love storyline.

[mkate]

I wasn't a fan of Rachel/Joey either. But my least favorite episode is where Joey thinks he can speak French. Ugh, so stupid!

[Madness]

Oh I agree. Didn't like the Joey trying to speak French episode. Also Didn't like the whole "Joey doesn't share food!!" Episode either.

They really dumbed Joey down a lot the last season or two.

[Dawn]

Any of the ones where they dial up the worst traits of the characters for comedy get annoying. They put Monica way over the top too often in the later seasons, too. 

One that's been bugging me recently is the one where Ross has the awards dinner and none of them will get ready. Monica's insane but at least it's in character because of the Richard break-up (in contrast to the later seasons' craziness). I think it's Joey and Chandler having that stupid fight over the chair in Monica and Rachel's apartment that bugs me the most. They're such jerks about it, to each other and Ross, and it's never made sense to me why (even if it did lead to some funny moments, like Joey doing commando lunges in all of Chandler's clothes). 

[stabby joe]

I agree mkate, Joey "speaking" French was definitely a low point but my most hated storyline was... Joey speaking French. Now that I remember it, that was truly awful. I was going to say the one where Joey's fridge breaks and he keeps trying to get everyone else to buy a new one.

[transponster]

I also didn't like the whole Rachel-Joey love story. More so when she fell for him. It was awkward and painful to watch. However, I do think when Joey fell for Rachel in season 8, it was okay. I could have done without it, but It was handled pretty well.

[Crs97]

I didn't like when Phoebe decided to sing outside Monica's restaurant and kept refusing to stop.  Most of my least favorite moments involve Phoebe.

[Devils Chick]

Agreed about Phoebe. I can never figure out why they're friends with her. I also didn't like The One With Five Steaks and an Eggplant. I guess before and after that episode, they never had financial issues? Until the one where Chandler thinks Monica is getting breast implants, which I also didn't care for. 

[Expat]

I hated the whole Ross/Rachel storyline. It should've been done after the Rachel found out about him sleeping with Chloe. That scene felt very much like closure to me. But no, it had to get dragged out for every season finale and premiere. Ugh, I just hate them together.

[leighroda]

I really hated the whole Ross sleeping with chloe storyline, that is one episode I generally avoid when it comes on.

[Kromm]

I tend to think of Joey as often being the weakest/most annoying character.  Phoebe wasn't quite as low down the totem pole with me, because she was a bit of a parody of a human being more than an actual one at times, and while on one level that's unsatisfactory, since it's really a comedy and not a drama it's not as big a deal.  

Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Monica... for all that they were posed as the most annoying PEOPLE by the scripts, they were also all much better "rounded" than the other two.

[fabaa]

When Rachel/Joey decide to end their relationship, because he slapped him whenever they kissed. It was the worst way possible to end a relationship.

[sweet201]

I was pretty certain I had seen every episode of this show at least twice, but a week or two ago I was surprised to turn on Nick at Nite and see Phoebe and Mike getting married. For some reason, neither I nor Mr.201 had any recollection of this happening! Phoebe and Mike in general -let's say, all their moments - are probably my least favorite storyline. I love Paul Rudd but they had no chemistry and made zero sense together. In the finale where they talk about having a baby it makes me feel squicky, like they are siblings or something. Most of all, though, it just seemed so out of character for Phoebe to hook up with a boring dude and settle down.

[Expat]

 are probably my least favorite storyline. I love Paul Rudd but they had no chemistry and made zero sense together.

I have to agree with that. I've adored Paul Rudd since Clueless, but there was something off about Mike. I just couldn't get into him.

I suppose I had a bias there though, since I sooooo wanted Phoebe to end up with David.

[againstthewind]

I pretend the show ended around Season 8. The last two seasons were really bad, although I did like the finale (I got off the plane). The Joey/Rachel storyline is the perfect example of how stupid the last couple of seasons were. The characters were caricatures of themselves - especially Joey. It wasn't as funny anymore.

[sev]

I'm going to be blasphemous, I don't like Ross/Rachel, though they are ok when bickering.

[Geeni]

I also agree that Ross/Rachel was the worst part of the show, and definitely one of the worst TV relationships ever. So abusive and annoying. They worked best as just friends.

I hated how mean Phoebe got.

Edited April 13, 2014 by Geeni

[transponster]

I hated the plot where Phoebe dated the creepy guy, who wrote erotic novels for children? I mean, what WAS that? It wasn't funny in the slightest. Just annoying. And weird.

[Mama No Life]

I hated the whole Emma storyline, to be honest. The mix-up in the hospital about the proposal, them living together but dating, then the Joey thing. Blech. I thought the writers did such an amazing, organic job with Monica and Chandler but they never got Ross/Rachel right for me.

I too preferred Phoebe with David, though I did love the ep where she changed her name to Princess Consuela Bananahammock so Mike changed his name to Crapbag. lol

[spidermiss2426]

Anything with Marcell, especially when Marcell was the featured "actor" 

 

And can I just say, I did like the rachel/joey storyline, when joey fell for rachel that is.  I didn't like the "joey has a dream he's dating Monica" thing though.

[Lily Adler]

I liked Joey/Rachel when it was just Joey developing a crush on her, but once they pulled the Rachel wants to fool around with him, I was out. Ross' fallout with Charlie sucked big time for me cause I liked her and Ross together, but Ross/Rachel trumps all or twu wuv.

[TOWTooMuchTV]

I hated Joey's "accidental proposal" after Rachel had the baby and the nonsense that ensued - those episodes were on last night and I made it through the first part but then changed to Seinfeld instead of watching the second.

[sev]

Though they were entertaining story-wise, I always cringe at the Chick and Duck because it's so unhygienic to have those birds strolling free in an apartment. Monica must have had nightmares about that.

[sev]

I didn't like Phoebe's Mike either. He gave me the impression of being bored most of the time, seeming kind of dull. And too normal for Phoebe: the show is usually set so that other people and the audience can ignore phoebe utter wineries, but the show created a few instance were Mike had to straighten her out (mice in the cupboard, name changing). I hated the episode where he and Ross spent a "guy" evening together (also for yet again another instance of Rachel and Ross being together but not).

 

I felt sorry for David, and his fraction of a carat engaging ring.

Then Phoebe changed her mind a couple of times to spend money on the wedding instead of charity. I found it a bit too much emphases on "a party", since we already have the precedent of Monica and Chandler, blowing their savings for that.

[Omega Mu]

I really dislike when Rachel and Tag make fun of her boss’s secretary for coming in early and eating breakfast at her desk. We always did that when I worked in an office, don't see what is sad about it...?

[Crs97]

I dislike the flashback to London and the reveal that Monica wanted to sleep with Joey. I think the show did an awesome slow burn of Monica and Chandler so that when you saw them in bed together, you were surprised but could definitely tell they made sense as a couple. That flashback undermines all the build up. It is high on my worst scenes list

[Milk-Eyed Mender]

The great London hookup was pretty much the beginning of the end of the Monica I knew and loved. And once the Monica and Chandler pairing became a signature storyline, it became much more obvious that Matthew Perry's acting skills blew Courteney Cox's out of the water -- to me, anyway. He could craft a nuanced performance so beautifully....

[opus]

For single moments, put me down for Joey peeing on Jeff Goldblum.

[mojoween]

This is a nitpick but I don't see that thread so I'll stick it here. In one of the episodes at Rachel's work, her nameplate read "Rachel Greene." But in the ep with Emma's first birthday party, her name on the box said "Green." It's stupid, I know, but it irritated me.

I do have a worst moment from that ep...when Rachel sobbed "this is just what I wanted" when they gave Emma the cake. So it really wasn't about your daughter after all, was it? It was all about how it made YOU feel, Monica and Chandler having a trip THEY PAID FOR bedamned.

[Omega Mu]

That birthday party episode makes me mad everytime I see it!

[sev]

I disliked "Chandler can't cry" and "Chandler can't smile when taking a picture". Same goes for "Joey has abnormally small feet". Those are absurd character traits, forgotten in any other episode.

[millennium]

My most hated Friends plotline, simply because of the sheer stupidity, was Joey in Las Vegas doing that "I found my identical hand twin" schtick.   It wasn't funny in the least and made me feel like the writers think the audience consists of morons who'll swallow anything.

 

I despise Phoebe's brother Frank.    Every time I see Giovanni Ribisi on that show I'm reminded that his mother is a talent agent/scout/whatever and I always wonder if that had anything to do with his casting.  He's so fucking unfunny it hurts.

 

I also hate Monica, especially in the final seasons when the writers thought making her more neurotic and overbearing was good for laughs.   They also made her louder.  It reached a point where at least once or twice an episode, she'd shriek "I know, right!" like they were trying to make it her tagline. 

 

It follows then that I never liked Chandler and Monica either.   The relationship seemed desperate and unlikely.  Worse, it made Chandler embarrassing to watch, with him always tiptoeing around lest he unleash Monica's fury over something like rearranging the magazines on the coffee table. 

[Crs97]

it made Chandler embarrassing to watch, with him always tiptoeing around lest he unleash Monica's fury over something like rearranging the magazines on the coffee table.

 

 

I actually loved Monica and Chandler together and rooted for them way before they became a couple, but I wanted to highlight this because one of the reasons I liked them so much is for things like this.  Yes, everyone told Chandler that Monica would kill him for changing around her stuff, but she was totally cool with it and told him she didn't expect him to cater to her neuroses.  I agree that they took Monica's quirks way too far, and Matthew Perry is a much stronger actor than Courteney, but I loved the moments between them when they seemed very much like a real couple who loved each other "as is."

[betweenthebanter]

I really dislike the Ross and Paolo scene in the episode where Paolo is first introduced. I hate Ross trying to stake his non-existent claim over Rachel. I also hate that it seemed like we were supposed to side with Ross when he called Paolo a "crapweasel" because Paolo didn't back off pursing Rachel like Ross wanted. I know that it is reveled later in the season that Paolo is a jerk but at this point Paolo hadn't done anything wrong and Ross was just being extremely petty and unlikable to me here.

The scene that I just mentioned along with the following storylines: Ross not trusting Rachel with Mark, Ross lying to Rachel about them still being married, and Ross not telling Rachel about the guy that she gave her number to calling her, are all reasons that everytime I rewatch the show I'm reminded more and more of why I don't ship them. Ross could be so creepily controlling over Rachel and I never felt that they showed Ross evolving from being that way or dealt with the severity of his possessiveness over her. The dysfunctional aspect of their relationship in itself isn't the biggest problem for me, there are probably a good amount of fictional dynamics that I'm a fan of that would be considered dysfunctional, the biggest problem for me is that I don't think that the writers fully got how controlling they made Ross and how problematic that could be. If the writers had been fully aware of the issue and dealt with it over the years, then I would have a lot more appreciation for the Ross and Rachel relationship than I do.

On a smaller note, a scene that I never really considered much before but really annoyed me when I saw it on tv a couple of days ago is when Joey laughs at the word 'erectus' and Rachel laughs at the word 'homo' when they are listening to Ross give his speech at the  Paleontologist's convention, in one of the Barbados'' episodes. Laughing at something like that is in-character for Joey, but I don't think that it was in-character for Rachel. It just felt like the writers were creating a forced similarity to show why they should be together.

Edited July 9, 2014 by betweenthebanter

[Meushell]

I didn't like how Emily was treated. I wish the marriage finally ended with it being completely on her terms. Ross lecturing her about trust after repeatedly showing that he cannot be trusted was just ridiculous.

[Milk-Eyed Mender]

Oh, man, I loved the Ross-Emily story arc so much and the wedding itself was beautiful! Well, except for the part where Ross says Rachel's name, lol, but the chapel, the lighting, the gowns, the tuxes, the music, the whole thing was just gorgeous. What didn't I like? Emily's overwrought hairstyle. That enormous hairpiece looked like it weighed twenty pounds.

Another petty complaint since Barbados was mentioned, I hate that drab brown and green, half-striped, half-flowered sundress Rachel wore about as much as one can hate an item of clothing.

[soreel]

One of my biggest complaints is in the one with Phoebe's wedding: Phoebe fired Monica at the rehearsal dinner the night before the wedding, right?  So why would there be so many messages to return and so many screw ups the very next morning if Monica "won awards for her organizational skills" was handling everything?  That has always bugged me.  

[BoogieBurns]

I just thought Monica told people to wait until the day of the wedding to confirm with her, directly. When Monica didn't respond, they left messages and/or quit.

[scatteroflight]

Mine is "The One with Rachel's Going-Away Party" when Monica and Chandler are packing the apartment, and Monica says, "It would be great if you guys could pitch in." The entitlement! Yes, the others are their friends, and yes, they're always at the apartment, but she couldn't at least ask for help? "Please" goes a long way, Monica. But then, by this time, everything about Monica -- her shrillness, her loudness (Elle Macpherson was right!), her nagging -- irritated me. 

Edited September 3, 2014 by scatteroflight

[Ringthane]

I really dislike the Ross and Paolo scene in the episode where Paolo is first introduced. I hate Ross trying to stake his non-existent claim over Rachel. I also hate that it seemed like we were supposed to side with Ross when he called Paolo a "crapweasel" because Paolo didn't back off pursing Rachel like Ross wanted. I know that it is reveled later in the season that Paolo is a jerk but at this point Paolo hadn't done anything wrong and Ross was just being extremely petty and unlikable to me here.

The scene that I just mentioned along with the following storylines: Ross not trusting Rachel with Mark, Ross lying to Rachel about them still being married, and Ross not telling Rachel about the guy that she gave her number to calling her, are all reasons that everytime I rewatch the show I'm reminded more and more of why I don't ship them. Ross could be so creepily controlling over Rachel and I never felt that they showed Ross evolving from being that way or dealt with the severity of his possessiveness over her. The dysfunctional aspect of their relationship in itself isn't the biggest problem for me, there are probably a good amount of fictional dynamics that I'm a fan of that would be considered dysfunctional, the biggest problem for me is that I don't think that the writers fully got how controlling they made Ross and how problematic that could be. If the writers had been fully aware of the issue and dealt with it over the years, then I would have a lot more appreciation for the Ross and Rachel relationship than I do.

 

I have to agree here - I just rewatched the first season, and I was surprised to see how much of a jerk Ross was and how creepily obsessed he was with Rachel.  From his fits when she dreamed about Joey and Chandler, to his whines every time Rachel was with Paolo, to how cruel he was to her when Marcel got away (I mean, I would be upset if somebody let my pet get away, but he just basically craps all over her as a person and a human being, to the point where a) his tantrum in "The One Where No One's Ready" seems a lot less out of left field and a little more scary, and b) makes you wonder why he wants to be with her so badly.

 

I just wish someone would have said to him sometime during that year "Either ask her out or shut up about her and move on".  And he sure falls for Julie quick enough for someone who is so in love with someone else, doesn't he?  They may have changed how they wrote other characters as the show went on, and played up their most annoying parts too much, but Ross has pretty much the most consistent characterization in the series.  Too bad that characterization is of such a whiny, controlling, childish, borderline abusive jerk.

[G. Coop]

I've adored Paul Rudd since Clueless, but there was something off about Mike. I just couldn't get into him. I suppose I had a bias there though, since I sooooo wanted Phoebe to end up with David.

 

I've seen Paul Rudd in interviews and he can be charming and funny, goofy even. So I don't know why they opted to make Mike so... vanilla. Maybe they wanted someone "normal" to offset Phoebe's quirkiness, but he just came off as dull. I thought she should've ended up with David, too. I had assumed that was the reason the writers kept bringing him back, and was irked that he was just used to facilitate a reconciliation between Phoebe and Mike. 

 

So I know everyone loves the engagement scene between Monica and Chandler, but I've always thought the crying seemed so forced. It looks like fake-crying, even though I vaguely recall someone saying that Courteney Cox and Matthew Perry actually did get emotional whilst shooting that scene. 

[Woopah]

I've seen Paul Rudd in interviews and he can be charming and funny, goofy even. So I don't know why they opted to make Mike so... vanilla. Maybe they wanted someone "normal" to offset Phoebe's quirkiness, but he just came off as dull.

I see what you mean sometimes he was too deadpan and just there he would have been better if was a bit quirky

I didn't like how they split Kathy and Chandler I wish she had just left with the play like the others wanted and not have her cheat on Chandler.

[HolmesUltimateQu]

Rewatching on Netflix and one thing I have an issue with is how Carol and Susan treat Ross after Carol gets pregnant. I doubt Ross was a horrible husband. He wasn't abusive, he was (as far as I remember) cheated on by Carol with Susan. So of course he's going to be upset about it, uncomfortable with it (I'd be uncomfortable too if I had to be around my ex and their lover that my ex cheated on me with) and not happy about it.

Plus, while I get that Carol and Susan were together, Carol and Ross were married. He wasn't a sperm donor and Susan acted a lot more entitled than I thought she should have. At best, she's a step parent. They treated Ross like a sperm donor who did them a favor and should just leave them alone.

I know Ross couldn't be there for everything but I felt so sorry for this fictional character because I felt like they took a lot away from him and was really rude about it.

I don't like Carol and Susan a lot - especially at the beginning of the series.

Edited January 4, 2015 by rachel is awesome

[PinkCupcake]

My least favorites include:

* Joey attempting to learn to speak French (just so unrealistic that he is THAT dumb!)

* Monica as Phoebe's wedding planner (type A personality is one thing; being a bossy b*tch is another)

* Rachel and Tag (he might've been pretty but no substance that I could see; I was glad that Rachel realized her desire for a family and a more mature relationship than he could offer or was interested in).

* Ross having a hissy fit about firing the manny (his reasons for not liking him were lame IMO and he came off as such a jerk)

* Monica and the boots (she acted so rude and dismissive towards Chandler about them that I wasn't exactly sorry to see them torture her feet, lol)

* Ross sleeping with Chloe (he would destroy any chance of a relationship with Rachel - on a break or not - for a night with THAT chick? I'm sorry, but wow, downgrade).

I know there are more, but those top the list!

[Omega Mu]

A line that gets a HUGE laugh in the episode where Ross and Rachel break up over the 18 page letter:

 

Rachel: And hey! Just so you know, it's not that common, it doesn't happen to every guy, and it is a big deal!!

 

Chandler: I KNEW IT!!!

 

Rachel's line is great, but for me the timing is off as Chandler comes around from behind the door and responds MUCH too quickly. She was jabbing at Ross about something that happened to them in private (I hope!) and there was no time allowed for Chandler to process what she had said and to make any sense out  it that fast.  It bugs me every time!

[Janet Snakehole]

After spending a few days watching way too many episodes, it definitely stands out to me that there were a lot of gay jokes on Friends. Not a fan of them, and I don't think they would fly now.

[Milk-Eyed Mender]

I'm watching the Vegas episodes right now and drunk Ross and Rachel still give me the giggles. Monica, on the other hand, is the least stealthy shoplifter in the history of shoplifting. Also, I'm glad Lt. Dangle went on to greater things on Reno 911 because I'd hate to think of the hand twin storyline as the highlight of anyone's acting career.

[Ringthane]

A line that gets a HUGE laugh in the episode where Ross and Rachel break up over the 18 page letter:

 

Rachel: And hey! Just so you know, it's not that common, it doesn't happen to every guy, and it is a big deal!!

 

Chandler: I KNEW IT!!!

 

Rachel's line is great, but for me the timing is off as Chandler comes around from behind the door and responds MUCH too quickly. She was jabbing at Ross about something that happened to them in private (I hope!) and there was no time allowed for Chandler to process what she had said and to make any sense out  it that fast.  It bugs me every time!

 

It also ended up being one of the reused jokes the writers did every so often less than a year later, in "The One with the Embryos" - when Monica says "We steal that TV Guide every week", Chandler replies " I KNEW it!"  You could splice the earlier one in for the later one and never notice, as they're exactly the same. 

My least favorites include:

* Ross having a hissy fit about firing the manny (his reasons for not liking him were lame IMO and he came off as such a jerk)

* Ross sleeping with Chloe (he would destroy any chance of a relationship with Rachel - on a break or not - for a night with THAT chick? I'm sorry, but wow, downgrade).

I know there are more, but those top the list!

 

I have to say, the more I watch the show, the less I like Ross.  He started out so smooth and adult, and regressed so much as the series went on.  I was watching season 6 on Netflix and it's amazing what a tool he is.  Especially when he refuses to get the annulment because he doesn't want three divorces.  He thinks it's so cute to keep Rachel in the dark.  Excuse me, pal, but you're screwing with someone's life here.  Imagine the snit he would have thrown had it been the other way around. 

[Bort]

I have to say, the more I watch the show, the less I like Ross. He started out so smooth and adult, and regressed so much as the series went on. I was watching season 6 on Netflix and it's amazing what a tool he is. Especially when he refuses to get the annulment because he doesn't want three divorces. He thinks it's so cute to keep Rachel in the dark. Excuse me, pal, but you're screwing with someone's life here. Imagine the snit he would have thrown had it been the other way around.

Same here, though I take major issues with how Ross behaved when Rachel got the new job. I understood the Mark jealousy (especially considering his history with Carol) but man. Firstly, the barbershop quartet. Rachel so could have gotten fired for that.

Then there was the fashion lecture thing he insisted on going on so that she wouldn't take Mark. He falls asleep, snores, she points out all the paleontology shit she's gone to and NOT embarrassed him and this is the point where he gets suuuuuper condescending about the importance of her job vs. the importance of his. I mean, I did laugh at his whole Jurassic Parka routine but I still wanted to slap him.

[Janet Snakehole]

I like Ross on his own and when he is not pining for Rachel. His hissy fits then (like MY SANDWICH and PIVOT!!!!) are hilarious. But he is a really bad boyfriend.

The worst for me was the night when everyone was getting ready for his award, and he is yelling at Rachel to get go get ready quickly. I get that everyone was getting to him, but he was yelling in her face giving orders. If I were Rachel's friend, I would tell her that was a huge red flag.