Nothing makes quarantine pass more quickly than spending quality time with your Friends . Even years after the conclusion of the series, the Central Perk Six remain in a heavy streaming rotation.
Along the way, the show made some serious missteps that, to this day, fans can’t seem to get over.
Take a look and check out these 10+ Friends plotholes you won’t be able to unsee.
1. Just when exactly is Ross’ birthday?
In “The One With Joey’s New Girlfriend,” Ross tells Gunther that his birthday is in December. At another point in time, it’s made clear that his birthday is actually October 18th.
He even alludes to his birthday actually being in August in “The One with George Stephanopoulos,” so which one is it?!
And how does he manage to stay 29 for three years?
Look back on seasons three, four, and five. In each one, at different times, Ross says that he’s 29.
We see clear evidence that months are passing, so it’s impossible that those three seasons take place over the course of a single year.
2. What happened to Phoebe’s mom?
This was such a huge part of the show, as well as the development of Phoebe’s character!
Yet for whatever reason, after “The One With Phoebe’s Uterus,” she completely disappears and is never seen or heard from again. Why?
And her dad too?
It was painful having to watch Phoebe go through the strain and heartache of discovering who her father was.
Just like Phoebe’s mother did, her dad also vanishes from her life yet again.
3. Monica’s door changes from 5 to 20.
In the first season, Monica’s address was 5.
It likely changed as the show went on to help establish the fact that Monica was on a much higher floor in the building.
4. How does Phoebe afford an apartment by herself?
In Greenwich Village no less?! Phoebe’s a struggling freelance massage therapist, living in one of the most expensive neighborhoods in the entire world.
There’s no way that she’d be able to afford to live alone.
5. How long was Rachel actually pregnant for?
If you do the math from the time that we first learn of Rachel’s pregnancy, up until the moment where she actually gives birth, she is clearly pregnant for more than nine months.
In fact, it’s closer to a year.
6. Why wasn’t Ben at Ross’ wedding?
It has to be said: Ross is a terrible father to Ben. More often than not, he seems to completely forget he even exists.
Every single member of Ross’ immediate and extended family was in attendance, so where was his son?
7. Why doesn’t Joey spend any time with his sisters?
I mean, he’s got seven of them for crying out loud.
If he’s supposed to be such a great big brother, why is it that they don’t make more appearances over the course of the series?
He never even met his niece!
One of my favorite episodes is when Joey learns that his youngest sister, Dina, is pregnant. He takes some time to warm up to the idea but inevitably gives his sister his blessing.
So why didn’t he go and see the baby after it was born?
8. Why does Monica introduce Rachel to Chandler?
It’s the first thing she does! Do Chandler and Rachel have amnesia or something?
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They went to the same high school and had met (as we come to learn) at least four times previously, so what gives?
9. Does Ross actually like ice cream?
One of Ross’s strangest eccentricities is his dislike for ice cream. Even stranger is his rationale that it’s simply “too cold.”
However, in earlier episodes, he seems to be enjoying ice cream with Marcel, and even while he’s out on his date with Elizabeth?
10. How do the guys not recognize Bruce Willis?
I understand that celebrities aren’t necessarily playing themselves whenever they make a cameo appearance. That said, Die Hard is the guys’ favorite film of all time!
How could they seriously not recognize John McClane?
11. Did Chandler forget about Monica’s weight?
This is yet another example of Chandler’s selective memory. While he’s being shown the video of Monica and Rachel’s prom night, Chandler pokes fun at her weight, as if he’s seeing it for the first time.
Chandler clearly would have already known about this, considering he was Ross’ best friend/college roommate.
12. If the locks were changed, how do Rachel’s keys still work?
In season 10, Monica and Chandler lock the rest of the gang out of their apartment. Rachel is able to unlock the door using her old set of keys from the time she and Monica were roommates.
However, the locks were changed in season eight after the door was broken down because of the reported “gas leak.” So how does that work?
13. What happened to the permanent marker on Ross and Rachel’s faces?
In the season five finale, while under the heavy influence of alcohol, Ross and Rachel get married! During the nuptials, they each have permanent marker on their faces that won’t wash off.
Or at least, that’s what we thought?
Somehow, when Ross and Rachel go down to join the others for breakfast, the marker is gone!
I wasn’t exactly the most popular kid in high school, so let me tell you something from experience: Permanent marker takes a long, long, very long time to wash off your face.
So how did they manage to wipe themselves clean?
14. Does Phoebe actually know how to speak French?
We all remember how hilarious it was when she tried to teach Joey how to speak French. But Pheebs is inconsistent with her linguistic ability.
During the episode “The One With Rachel’s Date,” she doesn’t even know the meaning of the term “sous-chef.”
15. Yes, Chandler can cry.
I’m not trying to say that “The One Where Chandler Can’t Cry” isn’t a funny episode, I’m just saying it doesn’t make any sense.
Chandler, up until that point, had cried on several occasions: He’s cried over Janice, he cried when he proposed to Monica. Heck, he even cried when Monica told him that girls don’t have pillow fights at sleepovers!
16. What happened to Monica and Chandler’s perfect wedding venue?
Remember the museum that Monica absolutely fell in love with? And then Chandler overheard the voicemail message the staff left about available dates and completely flipped out? What exactly happened to that venue?
If it was so perfect, why would they choose to get married elsewhere?
17. Where did the chick and the duck go?
Without a doubt, the two cutest cameo appearances in the series were Chick and Duck. But sadly, after “The One With Mac and C.H.E.E.S.E.” they start to slowly disappear and then are never seen again.
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18. What happened to Tag?
I actually liked Tag. Of all of Rachel’s boyfriends (other than Ross), he was by far my favorite. But after their breakup, he kind of just disappears.
Rachel doesn’t even bump into him at work, which is odd considering he’s supposed to be her assistant.
