Friends follows the lives of six pals working, playing, dating and drinking an alarming amount of coffee in NYC. Throughout 10 seasons, Monica, Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Joey, Phoebe and Rachel fall in and out of love, some finding their soul mates while others (Joey) continue to keep their options open.
With six singles dating, falling in and out of love, making up, breaking up and experiencing all the ups and downs that come with finding the “one,” Friends gives fans tons of romantic and swoon-worthy moments. So grab the ice cream and a box of tissues as we recall the 10 biggest and best romantic gestures to ever take place on Friends.
Rachel Meets Ross At The Airport
Ross spends all of season 1 trying to work up the nerve to tell Rachel how he feels about her, but he can’t find the right time and place so Chandler accidentally does it for him. Ross’ trip to China makes Rachel’s heart grow fonder, and she decides Ross no longer belongs in the friend zone.
Many epic love stories begin and end in an airline terminal somewhere. If it’s good enough for Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca, it’s good enough for anyone. The season 1 finale has a hopeful Rachel waiting to give Ross the shot he’s been hoping for, clueless that Ross is returning from China with a girlfriend.
Ross Offers To Escort Rachel To Her Prom
During season 2, Ross and Rachel’s romance has more stops and starts than a traffic jam. After having her heart broken two times too many, Rachel decides she and Ross aren’t meant to be.
On “The One with the Prom Video,” the gang watches Rachel and Monica’s prom video and learn that Ross, home from college and still crazy about Rachel, was going to offer to escort a jilted Rachel to her prom. Rachel knows Ross had a crush on her when they were younger but watching his eagerness to be her knight in shining armor makes Rachel realize she’s been overlooking her Prince Charming in favor of some pretty big frogs.
Monica’s Surprise Proposal
Chandler’s determination to surprise Monica with a proposal gets derailed when Richard reenters the picture. Chandler, a former commitmentphobe, reverts to his old ways. Fearing Monica is catching on that he is ready to put a ring on it, Chandler goes overboard when he tries to convince Monica that while he isn’t ready to mingle, he’s all about staying single. But even on Friends, sometimes love and marriage is no laughing matter, and Chandler’s hijinks almost cost him the girl.
Lucky for Chandler, his friends have his back, and he’s the one who is surprised when Monica gets down on one knee in an apartment filled with candles on season 6’s “The One with the Proposal: Part 2.” A pretty non-traditional move for a traditional girl but being in love with someone like Chandler means learning to color outside the lines.
Ross And Rachel’s First Kiss
It’s not often that drunk dialing turns out to be a good thing, but when it comes to Rachel admitting she has feelings for Ross during season 2’s “The One Where Ross Finds Out,” alcohol is just the nudge she needs. After leaving a drunken message on his answering machine, Ross finds himself in the middle of a love triangle; trapped between his new girlfriend, and the girl he’s been pining after for a decade.
Rachel’s phone call is a gesture, but it isn’t THE gesture. That occurs when after telling Rachel she missed her chance, Ross returns to Central Perk a minute later in the pouring rain and kisses Rachel passionately for the very first time. And that, my friend, is what they call a gesture.
Joey Takes Rachel On A Date
On season 8’s “The One Where Joey Dates Rachel,” when Rachel begins to mourn her pre-pregnancy social life, Joey offers to take her out on a date. Date Joey is kind of dashing and arrives with a bouquet of Rachel’s favorite flowers. There’s easy chemistry that flows between the two all night as they share their best moves.
Rachel’s got serious game because the end of the night brings a startling revelation for Joey: he’s falling for Rachel. Joey doesn’t have to try too hard to sweep female fans off their feet with the flowers, flirting and compliments, and even if Rachel doesn’t feel the sparks, we sure do.
Rachel’s Goodbye To Ross
On season 10’s “The One with Rachel’s Going Away Party,” on the night before Rachel moves to Paris, the gang throws her a goodbye party. She pulls each of her friends aside for a meaningful one-on-one farewell with one notable exception – Ross. He spends the whole night bracing for an emotional tsunami, and he doesn’t even get a drizzle. Ross confronts Rachel, unloading all of his hurt feelings without giving her a chance to respond. If he did, fans wouldn’t get to see Rachel show up at Ross’ apartment to give her tearful rebute of Ross’ accusation that she doesn’t care.
Although they are pretty much off again since season 4, Rachel makes it clear he means more to her than anyone else. There’s nothing like a fiery declaration to get the juices flowing, and all that anger gets channeled into a kiss almost as memorable as their first.
Mike Defends Phoebe
When Phoebe meets Mike’s parents for the first time on season 7’s “The One with Ross’ Inappropriate Song,” her colorful past and quirky personality don’t win over his snobby, Park Avenue-dwelling parents. Everybody in attendance knows the dinner isn’t going well, and the night could have played out without acknowledging that Phoebe and Mike don’t seem like a great fit. But Mike defends Phoebe, making it clear the only thing she’s guilty of is trying too hard, and she’s not a passing fling: he’s in love with her. This is a huge moment for Mike and Phoebe, cementing them as a serious couple.
Ross Offers To Drink The Fat
On season 2’s “The One Where No One’s Ready,” Ross struggles to make sure everyone is ready in time for a museum benefit. Multiple mini-dramas play out as the clock ticks down to zero hours. Ross takes his frustrations out on Rachel whose only offense is trying to find the perfect outfit.
In response to being yelled at and humiliated in front of their friends, Rachel decides not to go. Realizing he screwed up, Ross is willing to do anything to make amends and prove to Rachel how much he needs her. This includes drinking a glass of fat that Monica keeps in the fridge. Most guys might go a more traditional route: candy, flowers, poems, cards, songs or just plain old groveling. This creative and nausea-inducing mea culpa is one romantic gesture fans will never forget.
Ross Does A Remodel
When Ross decides to marry Emily after just a few months of dating, their hastily thrown together wedding plans hit a few snags. One potential deal-breaking obstacle is the demolition of the church where Emily has dreamed of walking down the aisle since she was a girl.
With everything going wrong and all signs pointing to postponing, Ross (with some help from Monica) transforms a pile of rubble into a rustic, fairytale venue. Ross goes above and beyond to make his bride-to-be happy.
Pete Buys Monica A Restaurant
Between Richard and Chandler, there was Pete Becker. Pete’s the uber-rich computer genius (think a much cuter Steve Jobs) who tries his hardest to sweep Monica off her feet, but Monica doesn’t feel any chemistry. Pete’s persistence could be considered charming or creepy, depending on your definition of a stalker.
His big move is to buy a restaurant and make Monica the head chef: a transparent plan to guarantee they spend more time together. Monica only accepts the position because Pete swears he’s over her, but she figures out the truth. Pete’s scheming works, Monica doesn’t get the job, but she does wind up falling for the guy on season 3’s “The One with a Chick And a Duck.”
