Let’s keep the Friends train rolling!
Season 5 is yet another excellent season of the show, and probably the last truly great season. How would I rank every episode?
You can check out some of my related blog posts below:
23 – The One Where Phoebe Hates PBS
Rating: C+
I’ve never gotten on board with the unselfish good deed part of “The One Where Phoebe Hates PBS”, and the fallout of Ross’s marriage to Emily is still a little bitter.
The episode is saved, however, with the Monica & Chandler scenes. Chandler’s dancing when he finds out he’s Monica’s best stops this from being a total dud.
22 – The One with Chandler’s Work Laugh
Rating: C+
The titular work laugh is a weird plot point, and Ross dating Janice is all sorts of wrong. A skippable episode.
21 – The One with the Ball
Rating: C+
There’s lots going on in “The One with the Ball”, like Rachel getting a cat and Phoebe moving in with Gary, but the ball-throwing plot is very thin.
It’s saved by the compilation of Chandler dropping things – Friends isn’t known for cutaway gags, but this is one of my favourites.
20 – The One Where Rachel Smokes
Rating: B-
Rachel gets peer-pressured into smoking. I guess that’s a decent enough storyline to carry an episode?
I especially like the Joey and Ben commercial sub-plot, and the wedge it drives between Joey and Ross.
19 – The One with the Inappropriate Sister
Rating: B-
The inappropriate sister plotline is way too weird for my tastes, and Phoebe collecting charity money is another boring plotline.
You’d think that would qualify this episode for the C-Tier, but Joey writing a script to apologise to his friends is a really funny scene.
18 – The One with the Yeti
Rating: B-
Monica and Rachel mistake their new neighbour for a yeti, and end up bug bombing him. That’s it, really.
17 – The One with the Ride Along
Rating: B-
The ride along is a fun plotline, and Rachel hearing Emily’s voice message adds a nice dynamic to her relationship with Ross.
16 – The One with Joey’s Big Break
Rating: B-
The start of the Vegas storyline, but we haven’t got the good stuff just yet.
Phoebe hating Ross for no reason is a little odd, Joey hating Chandler makes a bit more sense, and Rachel needing eyedrops leads to some great physical acting.
15 – The One with the Girl Who Hits Joey
Rating: B-
“The One with the Girl Who Hits Joey” feels a little outdated in the modern age, and the plotline of Ross’s neighbours hating him isn’t that fun.
We do get to see the glorious aftermath of “The One Where Everybody Finds Out”, though, so that opening scene more than makes up for it.
14 – The One Where Ross Moves In
Rating: B-
Sometimes it’s just fun to see the guys hanging out in their apartment, and Ross’s annoying habits are great.
13 – The One with Rachel’s Inadvertent Kiss
Rating: B
Rachel’s titular job interview is decent, but the plotline of Joey trying to find the woman in the opposite apartment complex is the real MVP.
12 – The One Where Ross Can’t Flirt
Rating: B
This episode feels a little too confined and low-stakes for my liking, but the titular flirting and Joey re-recording his big scene for his grandma are top moments.
11 – The One with the Kips
Rating: B
“The One with the Kips” is a decent episode on the whole, and the Monica / Chandler relationship starts to show a few cracks, but it’s the ending that stands out.
Joey finding out about Monica and Chandler’s secret romance is a highlight of the season, and everyone’s physical acting is on point.
10 – The One with Joey’s Bag
Rating: B
I forgot how much happened in this episode – Monica gives bad massages, Phoebe meets her dad, and Chandler is more sarcastic than usual.
Joey is the MVP once again, however, with his bag, a unisex misunderstanding and some 3D glasses all leading to great jokes.
9 – The One After Ross Says Rachel
Rating: B+
The aftermath of an iconic moment, the fallout of Ross’s wedding in “The One After Ross Says Rachel” is surprisingly fun.
Monica and Chandler steal the show, however – their repeated failures at hooking up in London get progressively funnier, until their relationship is finally confirmed back home.
8 – The One with Ross’s Sandwich
Rating: B+
“The One with Ross’s Sandwich” could have been a classic – the titular sandwich plotline is so funny, and David Schwimmer should have won an Emmy for his portrayal.
The B-plot of Phoebe and Rachel in the literature course, however, is really boring, and it prevents the episode from reaching the top tier.
7 – The One with the Cop
Rating: B+
We all know why “The One with the Cop” is so high up on this ranking … “PIVOT! PIIIVOOOOOT!”
There’s also some decent subplots of Joey dreaming of Chandler and Monica’s closeness, and Phoebe meets Gary the cop. But that pivot scene is the show-stealer.
6 – The One with All the Kissing
Rating: A-
It’s a testament to the chemistry of the entire cast that they can all kiss each other and it never feels forced.
“The One with All the Kissing” is Friends at its most fun, and the cast all play off each other brilliantly.
5 – The One Hundredth
Rating: A-
It’s great that the hundredth episode of Friends coincided with Phoebe’s triplets being born (it’s almost as if they planned it!).
The Happy Days doctor is funny, Joey passing a kidney stone works well as the B-plot, and Lisa Kudrow acts her heart out – she even won an Emmy for this episode!
4 – The One with All the Resolutions
Rating: A-
I really liked all of the friends’ resolutions – Rachel can’t gossip, Chandler can’t joke, and Joey can’t even touch a guitar at Phoebe’s orders.
The true MVP of the episode has to be Ross. The scene of him struggling to take his leather pants off is legendary, and David Schwimmer once again proves that he’s a physical comedy master.
3 – The One in Vegas: Parts 1 & 2
Rating: A-
Maybe this is controversial, but “The One in Vegas” felt like the last of the truly great Friends finales (until the very last episode, of course).
Chandler and Monica’s relationship comes to a head, Phoebe and Joey get up to some fun antics, and the Ross / Rachel twist throws a fun wrench into their arc. A great way to close out an excellent season.
2 – The One with All the Thanksgivings
Rating: A
“The One with All the Thanksgivings” may just be the definitive Friends Thanksgiving episode, which is saying something.
I really love all of the little stories they tell (even if Joey’s turkey-head is a clear rip-off of Mr. Bean …), and it ends with Chandler telling Monica he loves her. A near-perfect episode.
1 – The One Where Everybody Finds Out
Rating: A+
For what it’s worth, I think “The One Where Everybody Finds Out” is the single greatest Friends episode of all.
Every single scene has at least five hilarious moments, and the cast all bring their A-game – especially Lisa Kudrow, who carries the episode on her back at points. It’s impossible to watch this episode without laughing hysterically.
Season Rating: A
This was the most consistent season of the lot. I’d probably say this is the best Friends season overall!
Let’s look at the stats for the season:
- 6A (26%)
- 13B (57%)
- 4C (17%)
And the stats for the series so far:
- 24A (21%)
- 68B (58%)
- 24C (21%)
- 1D (1%)
Aaaand that’s my list! You can check out some of my latest blog posts below:
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