When Friends premiered in 1994, it subsequently became an instant hit that maintains its popularity and a significant fan base to this day. It’s easily one of the most binge-watched series and reruns still grace television over several channels. It’s hilarious, it’s relatable, it’s about outrageous situations and real struggles that everyone faces some version of at some point in their lives, whether it be career mishaps or relationship dilemmas. Its appeal is universal and major. Yet, like many TV shows, Friends has its own formula of logic that doesn’t always make sense, or it’s funny because it pertains to certain situations in the show. Whatever the reason, here are 10 hysterical Friends logic memes that only the truest of fans will understand.
No One Ever Asked How I Was Doing…
The reason this is so funny is because it’s so true! Joey’s (Matt LeBlanc) signature pick-up line was “How you doin’?”, a line that always seemed to score him points with the ladies. Wouldn’t it have been hilarious to see that line used on Joey for a change? How would he have reacted?
The logic of this meme is basically giving Joey a taste of his own medicine…perhaps if a revival ever does come about, Joey could have a chance to answer his own pick-up line.
Is A Vegetarian… Doesn’t Care That She Has A Fur Coat
Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) is the quirkiest, most unusual friend of the bunch. She doesn’t eat meat, doesn’t believe in evolution, dresses in vibrant colors, and believed her mother’s spirit had returned in the form of a cat. There’s not much that’s logical about Phoebe, and that’s why we love her. It’s also why we tend to overlook this factor.
Phoebe receives a mink coat as an heirloom and initially despises it but comes to love it for fashion purposes and reasons that minks aren’t kind creatures, thus she can keep it. Phoebe can bend the rules, even when it comes to her strict vegetarian diets and associated beliefs, and we’ll forgive her for her indiscretion.
That Moment When The Idiot Of The Group Corrects Your Grammar
Now, this meme is funny because for once Joey is correcting Ross (David Schwimmer) of all people. Ross, the one that nitpicks everyone’s grammar and opinions about anything scientific (like when he corrected Rachel’s (Jennifer Aniston) grammar in her letter and tried to sway Phoebe’s opinion on evolution).
Ross is completely offended and tries to reason and explain why Joey is wrong but doesn’t exactly win the fight. Some you win, some you lose — yet Ross always has to be right, so this moment of logic became quite a treasured comedic moment in Friends.
Hey, I Just Met You…
One of the best and most well-known running gags on the show is Ross’s tendency to dive into marriage…and having it blow up in his face. From Carol to Emily to Rachel, Ross was married and divorced three times by age 30.
That’s not the best track record; we feel sorry for the poor guy that just wants to be happily married and have a family. This meme represents Ross’s obvious need to think before he dives into a serious commitment; what makes it hilarious is that Ross still seemingly hasn’t grasped this lesson quite yet. So, you want to marry Ross? Better look forward to divorce down the line…
Is Pregnant For Over A Year…
Has anyone else noticed this? Phoebe had a much quicker pregnancy on the show than Rachel, whose pregnancy was drawn out. She even suffered as she had to wait long past her due date, and it was even worse when she had to endure a long labor.
Plus, she had to be in the same room as Janice for a time. The writers either really wanted to make Rachel suffer or else overlooked that little detail that Rachel’s pregnancy was longer than it should’ve been. In Friends logic, some pregnancies are shorter—like Phoebe’s—and some are painfully drawn out like Rachel’s. It just depends on whatever mood the writers must’ve been in during scriptwriting.
Thank You, 2,000!
Reigning in the new century, Friends introduced Ross and Rachel’s daughter, Emma. In one particular episode, nothing will make Emma laugh…unless her parents sing Sir Mix-a-Lot’s “Baby Got Back.” Rachel is initially offended and refuses, but desperate to hear her daughter’s laugh she acquiesces.
At the episode’s end, we find the two parents singing and doing a little dance together, which the other friends walk in on much to our amusement. So, thank you, 2,000, and the writers, for giving us this particular bit of logic on how you get a baby to laugh.
Have Kissed Before… Still Need To Be Introduced
The logic of this is definitely not easily overlooked. True Friends fans know that Monica (Courteney Cox) introduced everyone in the series’ very first episode upon Rachel’s entrance. Later in the series, we are given flashbacks to Ross, Rachel, Monica and even Chandler (Matthew Perry) back in the 1980s.
Considering Chandler and Rachel knew each other then, even sharing a kiss at one college party, the need for an introduction would be moot. Yet in the Friends canon, this logic is never mentioned or referenced. Perhaps Chandler wasn’t memorable enough to Rachel for her to remember him and vice versa… you never know.
We Were On A Break… Change My Mind
One of the biggest ongoing storylines—and debates—in Friends was whether or not Ross and Rachel were on a break. People took sides; the debates could get seriously heated. Not to mention the fact that people waited so long for the two to be together to begin with. The whole debacle just seemed so totally and completely unfair for both the couple and for the audience.
What makes this meme stand out is the fact that Ross is portrayed to insinuate he’s changed his mind, when in the show he stuck to his guns and firmly believed they were “on a break,” excusing his one-night stand that helped lead to their major break-up. Mind. Blown.
Real Friends Show Me Their Boobs
During an unfortunate wrong place, wrong time incident Chandler gets a glimpse of Rachel’s breasts in the early episodes. Rachel is mortified until the rest of the friends help her decide the perfect revenge — to see Chandler’s “thing.” She spends the rest of the episode trying to exact this revenge and ends up spotting Joey’s instead by mistake. No one ever said revenge was easy or fulfilling. This is real friendship in action; you may not always act like adults, but you’re still friends at the end of the day.
We Are All Mature… Until Somebody Brings Out Some Bubble Wrap
Friends is so relatable for many reasons: the real aspects of true friendship, career struggles, family dynamics and dysfunction, relationship dilemmas, financial instability, and more. Like our six famous friends, we each have our ups and downs, just trying to make ends meet and pay the bills to get to where we want to go in our careers and in life. That is, until we have our moments like Joey and Chandler with bubble wrap. While packing things up, the two best friends decide to test just how durable bubble wrap is while Chandler hits Joey over the head. Classic. So yeah, we’re not always mature, but who wants to be responsible all the time? Joey and Chandler get us.
Friends may not have always made sense, but it makes just enough sense to maintain its popular status now and for years to come. We mostly ignore these discrepancies because we treasure the show so much. All that said and done, we’ll be sitting and watching the show in our own versions of “Central Perk.”
