The Most Hated Episode of ‘Friends’ Has Ross Reminiscing About His Relationship with Rachel
Friends fans are obsessed with every episode of the series. As comedies go, it certainly has that timeless appeal, inspiring viewers to watch all 10 seasons over and over again. But even though Friends is beloved overall, there is one episode ranked lower than all the rest.
Most fans agree that some storylines worked better than others. That’s what makes it so surprising that the least-loved episode focuses on Ross and Rachel.
Even this beloved couple wasn’t enough to save the least popular installment of Friends.
‘Friends’ became a cultural phenomenon in the ‘90s
Thanks to the success of Friends, ensemble comedies about singles in New York City have become commonplace. But when the series premiered in 1994, it was still a novel concept.
The show followed Monica Geller (Courteney Cox), Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston), Ross Geller (David Schwimmer), Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry), Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc), and Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow) as they navigated adulthood.
The show touched on a variety of themes both serious and silly, from divorce to overeating at Thanksgiving. But no matter what the Friends castmates were going through, they were always there for each other. They even had a song about it.
The least popular episode of ‘Friends’ featured highlight clips
Most Friends episodes received high marks for humor. However, the worst-rated episode on IMDb is called “The One with the Invitation” and currently holds a 7.2 rating, which is far below the top. The subject matter is fine. But the execution is lacking, which leads some Friends fans to skip re-watching it.
The season 4 episode has Ross reminiscing about his relationship with Rachel just before he ties the knot with Emily. The bulk of the episode is comprised of clips from previous seasons, which is probably why fans rated it so low. It felt slightly unnecessary, especially for fans who remembered all the Ross and Rachel moments they were looking back on.
“This is the first of the Friends flashback/clip episodes, and although I recognize the need for the producers to stretch the budget, there’s a lazy quality to these episodes, and this one is no exception,” one IMDb reviewer wrote.
“The beauty of DVD is that you can skip episodes like this and pretend they don’t exist. I do.”
The best-rated ‘Friends’ episode was very different
Meanwhile, on the other end of the spectrum, the top rated episodes of the series provided all new content. “The One Where Everybody Finds Out” is tied with the series finale, “The Last One: Part 2.”
“The One Where Everybody Finds Out” deals with Chandler and Monica’s secret relationship finally going public. Phoebe tries to seduce Chandler, knowing he won’t go along with it because he has feelings for Monica. It has heart and humor, two of the essential elements Friends fans look for.
Meanwhile, “The Last One: Part 2” wraps up everyone’s storylines. Chandler and Monica move to the suburbs and adopt a baby. Ross and Rachel finally work things out. Phoebe marries Mike. Joey has the least satisfying conclusion but his story continued in the short-lived spinoff, Joey.
Clearly Friends fans want new content, not clips.
