The Definitive Ranking of Every Friends Thanksgiving Episode
By Emily Scott
Friends, “The One Where Ross Got High,” Screencap via Warner Bros.
3. The One Where Ross Got High
Jack and Judy Geller are coming into the city to celebrate Thanksgiving with Ross, Monica, and their friends. However, they don’t even know that Monica and Chandler are dating, let alone that they are living together. The Gellers are inexplicably not very fond of Chandler, so Chandler attempts to use the opportunity to charm them, hoping that once they like him, he and Monica can announce their relationship. Of course, there is a reason they don’t like him, and it’s Ross’s fault. Ross has to decide if he will come clean to his parents about a past transgression and tarnish their view of him as a perfect son. Meanwhile, Rachel is tasked with making the Thanksgiving dessert, with disastrous results.
Sneakily Feminist Quote:
Monica: Hey, guess who’s coming to dinner?
Chandler: Sidney Poitier?
Monica: I miss Rachel.
Political Correction: Joey and Ross objectifying Joey’s roommate Janine and her “hot dancer friends.” Joey’s roommate Janine kindly invites Joey and Ross to spend Thanksgiving with her and her friends, but the only reason the men want to go is to meet hot women. They certainly aren’t interested in their interior lives, as evidenced by Joey’s admission that he’s excited that they will be “drinking and dancing” all day. And yet, Ross and Joey spend a significant portion of the episode trying to get out of spending the holiday with family and friends that they ostensibly love to ogle women. Not cool, guys.
Best Moment: Rachel’s English trifle. Monica trusts Rachel to make the Thanksgiving dessert, but the cookbook pages are stuck together. So Rachel’s English trifle is made of “all of these layers. First there’s a layer of ladyfingers, then a layer of jam, then custard – which I made from scratch! Raspberries, more ladyfingers, then beef sautéed with peas and onions, more custard, and then bananas, and then I just put some whipped cream on top!” A classic Friends moment.
Ranking: 3/10. Despite the essentially meaningless “dancer girls” subplot, this episode is super solid. Jack and Judy Geller are a freaking delight, and Rachel’s English trifle is classic.