- 7 weeks ago
Could this BE any more dramatic? Join us as we dive into the heartbreaking relationship drama and star-studded guest appearances that defined this pivotal season! From Ross and Rachel's devastating "we were on a break" breakup to Monica's complicated love life with Pete, plus unforgettable cameos from Ben Stiller, Robin Williams, and more celebrity faces that had fans talking for years!
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00In fact, I think I might be a little too comfortable.
00:03All right.
00:05Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:07And today, we're looking at the big laughs, bigger drama,
00:10and guest stars on season three of Friends That Had Everyone Talking.
00:14Okay, what do you want me to do?
00:16I don't know. I don't know.
00:17Look, maybe we should just take a break.
00:20Okay, okay, fine. You're right.
00:22Let's take a break. Let's cool off, okay?
00:24The one with the season recap.
00:27Okay, here we are going into season three.
00:29And by this point, we were as invested in the characters' lives
00:32as we were in our own friends' lives.
00:34Ross and Rachel start the season settled into their relationship.
00:37But when Rachel finally gets a foothold on the very fashionable career ladder,
00:42Ross can't handle her growing independence or the hour she spends with Mark.
00:46What's that?
00:47Uh, it's from Ross. It's a love bug.
00:51Wow. Somebody wants people to know you have a boyfriend.
00:55Monica begins the season nursing heartbreak and clocking shifts at a diner,
00:58which she doesn't exactly count as career progress.
01:01Why would such a person stay in such a demeaning job
01:04just because it's remotely related to the field they're interested in?
01:11Gee, I don't know, Rach.
01:12Order up. I got a yentl soup, a James beans, and a howdy. Hold the duty.
01:17Still, that diner brings pivotal encounters.
01:19Rachel meets Mark, and Monica meets Pete.
01:22Also, is it possible the writers were already starting to test those mondlar waters
01:26at the end of the season?
01:27Why is that so funny?
01:29You made a joke, right?
01:31So I laughed.
01:35A little too hard.
01:38What am I, not a boyfriend material?
01:40Anyway, Chandler and Janice reunite at the end of season two
01:43and are still going strong here.
01:45Until Chandler realizes this may not be endless love.
01:49Joey is regrouping after being killed off Days of Our Lives,
02:07and while his career has its hits and misses,
02:09his chosen family does expand to include a chick and a duck.
02:13Phoebe's storylines range from dating her sister, Stalker,
02:16to bonding with her half-brother, Frank Jr.,
02:18to meeting her birth mother.
02:20I think that a person should know where they come from.
02:23Which is why I, uh...
02:28Uh...
02:30Okay.
02:34I'm your mother.
02:39Eh?
02:39While the one with the morning after is often singled out
02:42as the episode's most defining, or most devastating moment,
02:46season three also gives us a flashback episode and a bottle episode,
02:50the latter of which became iconic in its own right.
02:52You go get changed.
02:53You, give him back his underwear.
02:55I'm gonna go get a cab.
02:55I want everyone downstairs in two minutes.
02:58Monica!
03:00Stop it.
03:01Stop it.
03:02By now, audiences were truly invested,
03:04and the writers leaned into that with more nuanced,
03:07relatable stories that we couldn't wait to dissect with our own friends.
03:10And just to keep things lively,
03:12the season tossed in a handful of famous faces, too.
03:15Hi.
03:16I'm Ross.
03:17Um, you don't know me,
03:19but I'm a big, big fan of yours.
03:22I mean, um, uh, Blue Velvet.
03:25The one with the breakups.
03:28In the same way that season two was defined by Ross and Rachel getting together,
03:32season three puts their relationship front and center,
03:35from settling into their rhythm as a couple,
03:37to their breakup.
03:38Is she prettier than I am?
03:39No.
03:41Does size matter?
03:43No.
03:43And it works both ways.
03:45We're not done talking about them quite yet,
03:47but they weren't the only ones to deal with heartache that season.
03:50When we left the gang at the end of season two,
03:52Monica and Richard had called it quits,
03:54while Chandler and Janice had found their way back to each other.
03:57Monica has a rough time after her breakup with Richard,
04:00so she develops perhaps some of the most Monica-esque coping mechanisms,
04:04and even considers single motherhood.
04:06The great thing about the jam plan was I was taking control of my life.
04:10So I asked myself, what is the most important thing to me in the world?
04:13And that's when I came up with the baby plan.
04:15After a backslide, however, her next most intriguing relationship this season is with Pete.
04:20He's wealthy, successful, and genuinely likes her.
04:24Come on, you gotta admit that our relationship is hitting a new level now,
04:29because you used to be like the chef and I was the customer,
04:31but now we're like this couple that fights.
04:33Well, he refused to take no for an answer, which is a lot of no,
04:37but she develops genuine feelings for him.
04:39Too bad the UFC eventually comes between them,
04:42highlighting some of the darker sides of achieving success.
04:45Well, if you're asking me to quit, then you're asking me to be someone I'm not.
04:50I've got to do this.
04:56Then I've got to go.
04:57Then there's Chandler and Janice.
04:59Say what you will about Janice, but she was loyal,
05:02and Chandler didn't always treat her kindly.
05:04Only this time, their roles reverse.
05:07He's into her in a way we haven't seen before, much to Joey's annoyance.
05:11We should take a trip.
05:12We should?
05:14Yep.
05:14We're a couple, and that's what couples do.
05:18And I want to meet your parents.
05:20We should take a trip with your parents.
05:27I don't think we need to, because you're tripping me out right now.
05:31But when he finds out she kissed her ex, with a bit of help from Joey,
05:35he puts himself in her child's shoes and walks away,
05:37a surprisingly grown-up move for him.
05:39I don't want to be the guy that breaks up a family.
05:42You know, when my parents split up, it was because of that guy.
05:47Whenever I would see him, I would always think, you know,
05:49you're the reason.
05:51You are why they're not together.
05:53And I hated that guy.
05:55After some flings, like Rachel's boss, Joanna,
05:58by the season finale, he's trying to prove to Monica, of all people,
06:01that he's boyfriend material.
06:03How interesting.
06:04Hi there.
06:04That's that weird voice again.
06:09Okay, okay, let me try it again.
06:11You're going to want to date this next guy, I swear.
06:13But of course, the water cooler breakup of the season is Ross and Rachel's.
06:17The writers did a phenomenal job of slowly dismantling the relationship in a way that
06:22felt painfully real.
06:23So did you tell Mark something about me?
06:27I didn't have to because I was wearing my I Heart Ross sandwich board and ringing my bell.
06:34We watched Ross's deep-seated insecurities cloud his judgment
06:37and make him terrified of Rachel's growing independence.
06:40Well, I was with Carol for like eight years and I lost her.
06:46And now if it's possible, I think I love you even more.
06:50So it's hard for me to believe I'm not going to, well, someone else isn't going to take you away.
06:57Meanwhile, Rachel felt smothered.
06:59Yet neither of them was actually willing to listen to the other.
07:02At the end of the day, Ross and Rachel offered a masterclass in how not to communicate.
07:07Ross got lost in his fear of rejection and past baggage.
07:11Rachel needed space.
07:12And the lack of honest conversation is ultimately what made the relationship crack.
07:16Well, you never have the time.
07:18I mean, I don't feel like I even have a girlfriend anymore, Rachel.
07:21Ross, what do you want from me?
07:22You want me to quit my job so you can feel like you have a girlfriend?
07:26And yes, Ross really blew it when he slept with someone else.
07:29But in a way, this breakup was necessary for character growth.
07:33Rachel, for the first time, was living as an independent adult.
07:36She needed that space to focus on her career and identity away from a relationship.
07:41Ross, do you realize this is the first time in my life I'm doing something I actually care about?
07:45This is the first time in my life I'm doing something that I'm actually good at?
07:49I mean, if you don't get that...
07:50No, hey, I get that, okay?
07:51I get that big time and I'm happy for you, but I'm tired of having a relationship with your answering machine.
07:56Without that, she might never have become the Rachel we root for later.
07:59Even after their breakup, seeing Ross and Rachel struggle to redefine their relationship after being a couple is something many of us will recognize, too.
08:08And of course, the debate over whether they were on a break lives on, leaving one of the biggest legacies of their relationship, not just heartbreak, but the way it changed our everyday language.
08:18Oh, maybe we should just take a break!
08:20Okay, okay, fine, you're right. Let's, uh, let's take a break. Let's cool off, okay? Let's get some frozen yogurt or something.
08:29No!
08:33A break from us.
08:35The one where friends broke into our lexicon.
08:38Their big breakup in The One with the Morning After also shows what the friends' writers did best.
08:43They could shatter your heart one minute and have you laughing through your tears the next.
08:47Just get away from me!
08:48No, it was a mistake. I made a mistake, okay?
08:51A mistake? What were you trying to put it in? Her purse?
08:56Where? Where did he put it?
08:58David Schwimmer and Jennifer Aniston deliver arguably some of the best performances of the entire season.
09:04Aniston especially makes it feel so real, like she's pulling straight from her own life.
09:09I used to think of you as somebody that would never, ever hurt me.
09:14Ever.
09:15God, and now I just can't stop picturing you with her. I can't. It doesn't matter what you say or what you do, Ross. It's just changed everything.
09:25You can't help but feel it all, whether it's just her performance or because it hits a little too close to home with your own worst breakup memories.
09:33Of course, this episode is probably best remembered for giving us one of the most famous quotes in Friends history.
09:38I didn't think there was a relationship too jeopardized. I thought we were broken up.
09:42We were on a break.
09:44That, for all I knew, could last forever. That, to me, is a break up.
09:47You think you're gonna get out of this on a technicality?
09:50We were on a break is basically shorthand for that super messy, confusing relationship situation we've all been in.
09:56Before this, people might have said, we broke up for a little while, but now we can all be on the same page.
10:02The phrase became a running gag on the show because it never actually solved anything.
10:06Oh, I'm sorry. Were you speaking to me or sleeping with someone else?
10:11We were on a break.
10:13Ross clung to it, but it never excused his actions or made Rachel forgive him.
10:18It turned into this hilarious and, again, all-too-real symbol for the way people latch on to technicalities that just really don't matter.
10:25The debate over whether they were on a break continues to this day.
10:28Even Aniston has weighed in on the matter, though her opinion may disappoint her on-screen counterpart.
10:33Were Ross and Rachel on a break?
10:36Absolutely.
10:38Yes.
10:38Yes.
10:39Yes.
10:40Yes.
10:42Yeah, we were on a break.
10:43Even if they were, does that excuse Ross's actions?
10:47If you want to have that debate, you know where to find the comment section.
10:50We were on a break!
10:52Oh my god, if you say that one more time, I'm gonna break up with you.
10:57The one with the battle of the sexes.
10:59Friends has been exploring gender divide since its early days, often when it comes to the topic of relationships.
11:04We're in a car, we're fighting traffic, basically just trying to stay awake.
11:11Yeah, well, word of advice.
11:13Bring back the comedian.
11:14Otherwise, next time you're gonna find yourself sitting at home listening to that album alone.
11:18However, they also like to encourage a little healthy competition.
11:22It's Thanksgiving, and Monica, Rachel, and Phoebe are stuck doing all the cooking while the guys are glued to the game.
11:28Hey, it's your Thanksgiving too.
11:30You know, instead of watching football, you could help.
11:33We will.
11:33Then, Joey suggests they all go outside to toss the ball around.
11:37What starts as a story about Ross and Monica's childhood rivalry quickly turns into a full-on boys versus girls showdown.
11:44So that means I get to pick first.
11:45Joey.
11:47Monica, I'm your best friend.
11:50Sweetie, don't worry, you'll get picked.
11:53Chandler.
11:53Monica's basically the only woman who actually gets the game, but she's intense, aggressive, and super competitive.
12:00Basically, showing off traits TV usually codes as masculine.
12:03Whoa, whoa, tackled by a girl.
12:06Guess you don't see that every day, do you?
12:09Whoa, whoa, whoa.
12:10What's with the tackling?
12:12What?
12:13I just touched him and he went over.
12:15Meanwhile, in the B-plot, Chandler and Joey are basically doing the same thing.
12:19Just trying to out-alpha each other over a woman.
12:22Then, the real battle kicks off when the game becomes girls versus guys.
12:26Each side feeling like they have something to prove.
12:28Come on, okay?
12:30Come on, this is for all womankind.
12:32Let's kill them.
12:33Yeah, kill them!
12:36Alright, well, no, I mean, I want to kill them, too, but they're boys.
12:40You know, how are we gonna beat three boys?
12:42Sure, the show leans into the old girls aren't as athletic trope, but the women have some other assets on their side.
12:49This could have opened a much deeper conversation about gender inequality, especially in the sports world,
12:54but instead, it circles back to Monica and Ross' dynamic.
12:57However, it's not the only time gender norms are discussed this season.
13:01How about a dino soldier?
13:04Ross, you are so pathetic.
13:11Why can't your son just play with his doll?
13:13Sure, it might feel like not much else happens in this episode, but it's definitely one of the season's funniest.
13:19It doesn't try hard to be anything other than fun, and that's what we're most thankful for.
13:23Guys, come on, it's Thanksgiving, it's not important who wins or loses.
13:27The important thing is...
13:29The Dutch girl picked me.
13:32Me, not you. Holland loves Chandler. Thank you, Amsterdam. Good night.
13:36The one with the bottle episode.
13:39One of the most loved episodes of the season has to be the one where no one's ready.
13:43Guys, you know what? You know what? It doesn't matter.
13:46Because you both have to go get dressed before the big vein in my head pops.
13:50All right, Ross, I just have to do one thing really quickly. It's not a big deal.
13:53Get up!
13:54It's a classic bottle episode, and honestly, one of the funniest sitcom ones ever.
13:59The setup couldn't be simpler.
14:01Ross is desperate to get everyone out the door for a big event,
14:04but the gang is way too busy wrapped up with their own things to care.
14:08No, four minutes ago you had a half hour. We have to be out the door 20 to 8.
14:11Relax, Ross. We'll be ready. It only takes us two minutes to get dressed.
14:15You know, I'd feel a whole lot better if you got dressed now.
14:18Okay.
14:18The bottle episode, where most or all of the story is shot on one set,
14:22was first named by Leslie Stevens,
14:24the brains behind the 1960s sci-fi horror mystery The Outer Limits.
14:28The idea was to save money and time, or as he put it, quote,
14:32pulling an episode right out of a bottle like a genie.
14:34In Friends' case, it showed how brilliant this cast was
14:37and how their chemistry didn't need location changes or guest stars,
14:41You see this? This is a person who is ready to go.
14:45Phoebe, you, oh, you are my star.
14:48Oh, well, you're my lucky penny.
14:51And since the story happens in real time,
14:54the writers got to dig deeper into the characters,
14:57their quirks, and what makes them tick.
14:59It also made the storylines more relatable.
15:01Finding the perfect outfit for an event?
15:03We've all been there.
15:05Does this look like something the girlfriend of a paleontologist would wear?
15:08I don't know, you might be the first one.
15:10Hitting boiling point when no one respects that the clock is ticking?
15:13Relatable AF.
15:14Obsessing over an ex?
15:16Who hasn't?
15:17Okay, maybe we haven't stolen the essence of a chair,
15:20but we do understand when an argument becomes more about winning
15:23than whatever you were arguing about in the first place.
15:25What are you doing?
15:26Well, you said I had to give you the chair.
15:28You didn't see anything about the cushions?
15:30The cushions are the essence of the chair.
15:32That's right.
15:33I'm taking the essence.
15:34Of course, it also gave us some of the most memorable moments and lines,
15:38primarily from Joey and Chandler's chair battle.
15:41Joey may not have invented the phrase going commando,
15:44but after this episode, everyone was using it.
15:47And while emphasizing words is definitely more Chandler's thing,
15:50Joey's impression of him just elevated the joke to another level.
15:54Could it be any more iconic?
15:56Look at me.
15:57I'm Chandler.
15:58Could I be wearing any more clothes?
16:00Maybe if I wasn't going commando.
16:08Yeah.
16:09I'll tell you, it's hot with all this stuff on.
16:12I better not do any, I don't know, lunges.
16:14The episode was such a hit among the fans and the majority of critics
16:19that the creators decided to feature a bottle episode at least once per season.
16:24For example, the one where Ross got high,
16:26the one with Monica's thunder,
16:28and the one with the lottery, just to name a few.
16:30This episode even made it into pop culture beyond the show.
16:34Jay-Z gave it his own spin in the music video for Moonlight
16:37with a star-studded black cast.
16:39Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel
16:54and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos.
16:58You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
17:02If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings
17:05and switch on notifications.
17:07The one with all the guest stars.
17:09Friends had been boasting impressive guest stars since season one.
17:13For instance, Jill Goodacre, Jennifer Grey, John Lovitz, and George Clooney.
17:18By season two, the list grew with Brooke Shields, Julia Roberts,
17:22Jean-Claude Van Damme, and co-writer of Smelly Cat, Chrissy Hynde.
17:25Smelly Cat, Smelly Cat.
17:29Better.
17:30Yeah?
17:31Yeah, much better.
17:32And you know what, don't feel bad because it's a hard song.
17:34Add in famous parents and recurring love interests,
17:37and the show was already a magnet for talent.
17:40By season three, Friends had cemented itself as a cultural phenomenon
17:44with critical acclaim and a massive audience,
17:47making it a prime stop for big stars looking for high-profile cameos.
17:51In the one with the jam, Phoebe meets Malcolm,
17:53a man who mistakes her for Ursula.
17:55One more chance, Ursula, please.
17:59Oh.
18:00Oh.
18:01Oh, well, this is awkward.
18:02What?
18:03Um, yeah, because you want Ursula, and I'm Phoebe.
18:07Twin sisters.
18:08She tries to help him move on, only to fall for him herself.
18:12And yes, it gets messy.
18:13Malcolm was played by David Arquette,
18:15Courtney Cox's then-future, now-ex-husband.
18:18I mean, I can't date you anymore, because you're, you know...
18:22Wow!
18:23But, um, but I will definitely, definitely help you get over my sister.
18:28What made these cameos great was how naturally they fit the stories.
18:31Just two episodes later came Isabella Rossellini.
18:34Reach, are you really gonna let him do this?
18:36Honey, he's about to go hit on Isabella Rossellini.
18:39I'm just sorry we don't got popcorn.
18:41Ross had turned a silly free pass game into a project,
18:44lamination included,
18:45only to embarrass himself trying his luck with the star.
18:48As Rachel put it,
18:49we're sorry we don't have popcorn either.
18:51You know, it's ironic,
18:53because I have a list of five goofy coffeehouse guys,
18:58and yesterday I just bumped you for that guy over there.
19:02Ben Stiller also guest starred as Rachel's unhinged date Tommy.
19:06You thought, huh?
19:06Yeah, well, that didn't really work out too well for it, did you, idiot?
19:11What are you, a moron, huh?
19:13It's just D13, okay?
19:15Look, you're surrounded by even numbers.
19:17Does that give you some clue?
19:18Uh, the usher called him.
19:20Oh, oh, well, the usher must be right.
19:22What with all the training they go through.
19:23Get out!
19:24For many, it was Stiller like we'd never seen him,
19:27and every moment was hilarious.
19:29One of our biggest laughs ever,
19:30remember when Ben, when we went over there?
19:32What are you quacking about?
19:34Ooh, quack, quack!
19:35Donald Dodo!
19:37Donald Dodo!
19:43Things may not have worked out between Tommy and Rachel.
19:47Yelling at a chicken duck would be an instant deal-breaker for us, too.
19:50But it sparked a friendship behind the scenes,
19:52and we'd get to see them reunite on screen, too, just a few years later.
19:56Stiller's now-wife, Christine Taylor, also had a memorable season three role.
20:00This is Bonnie?
20:01This is Bonnie?
20:03You're Bonnie?
20:04I can show you an ID if you want.
20:07Oh, no, I'm sorry.
20:08Just, you look a lot different than the last time I saw you.
20:11Oh, yeah.
20:12Well, I just started wearing bras again.
20:14The season's penultimate episode gave us a cameo from James Hong,
20:17one of Hollywood's most recognizable faces.
20:20How come when I call your computer support line, I have to wait an hour and a half?
20:24I told you, adding new operators all the time, can we concentrate on my training?
20:28It's just hard when I know I have email I can't get.
20:31But the cold open is what fans best remember.
20:34Robin Williams and Billy Crystal weren't scheduled to appear,
20:38they just happened to be nearby and wandered onto the set.
20:40I have a feeling my wife is sleeping with her gynecologist.
20:45If two comedy legends show up while you're filming,
20:54you'd kick yourself if you didn't at least ask them to make a cameo.
20:58Luckily, the improv geniuses needed no plan.
21:01They improvised the whole scene,
21:02prompting the main cast to throw in a few ad-libs too.
21:05So you're the gynecologist?
21:06Hey, I'm trying to have a private conversation with you.
21:08Season three of Friends was where it all clicked.
21:10We were living these characters' lives,
21:13laughing with Chandler, cringing at Ross,
21:16and cheering for everyone.
21:21The show went from a really good sitcom to a cultural touchstone.
21:37Catchphrase is stuck.
21:38Storylines hit harder,
21:39and every episode became an event we had to talk about.
21:43This season cemented why we'd keep quoting,
21:45re-watching, and obsessing for years.
21:47And then,
21:48I told him I wanted to take a break.
21:52I don't want to take a break.
21:54Which season three moment or guest star do you think couldn't be more iconic?
21:58Let us know in the comments.
22:00This can't be it.
22:02Then how come it is?
22:09Then how come it is?
Recommended
13:28
|
Up next
13:47
0:33
1:30:00
9:48
1:56:13
13:08
18:57
19:04
10:45
23:04
11:43
Be the first to comment