History Awesome / Friends

--> '''Monica:''' "You are both idiots! The joke is not funny, and it's offensive to women! And doctors! ''[[RuleOfThree And]]'' [[RuleOfThree monkeys!]] You shouldn't be arguing over who gets credit, you should be arguing over who gets blamed for inflicting this horrible joke upon the world! Now let it go: the joke sucks!"

* When Chandler and Ross are feuding over who came up with a joke that the latter submitted to Playboy for the whole episode and acting more and more petty because of it. When they try to get Monica to take sides on which one of the two came up with it, Monica [[TakeAThirdOption takes another option]] and instead gives the two the ultimate BigShutUp speech for all their childish behavior.

** Bonus for Lisa Kudrow, who didn't miss appearing even in a single episode despite her pregnancy from season 4 to season 5. This is particularly impressive when you consider that two of those episodes were filmed on location in London and yet despite Lisa being unable to travel the writers still found a way to include Phoebe via pre-filmed phone calls.

* The fact that, out of all the Friends, the only one who discovered that Chandler and Monica were together without catching them in the act was ''[[TheDitz JOEY]]'' [[note]] Rachel heard them having phone sex, and both Phoebe and Ross saw them from across the street (Ugly Naked Guy's apartment).[[/note]] and he guessed it from two minimal clues. 1) Both Chandler and Monica mentioned seeing Donald Trump while they were on what they told everyone were separate business trips. 2) The hotel called about an eyelash curler they left there, a call Joey took, and later Monica asks Rachel if she can borrow her eyelash curler.

* The fact that, out of all the Friends, the only one who discovered that Chandler and Monica were together without catching them on the act was ''[[TheDitz JOEY]]'' [[note]] Rachel heard them having phone sex, and both Phoebe and Ross saw them from across the street (Ugly Naked Guy's apartment).[[/note]] and he guessed it from two minimal clues. 1) Both Chandler and Monica mentioned seeing Donald Trump while they were on what they told everyone were separate business trips. 2) The hotel called about an eyelash curler they left there, a call Joey took, and later Monica asks Rachel if she can borrow her eyelash curler.

--> '''Monica''': Fine! Judge all you want to, but... ''(Points to Ross)'' [[TheBeard Married a lesbian]]. ''(Points to Rachel)'' [[RunawayBride Left a man at the altar.]] ''(Points to Phoebe)'' [[CitizenshipMarriage Fell in love with a gay ice dancer.]] ''(Points to Joey)'' [[IdiotHero Threw a girl's wooden leg in a fire.]] ''[[ItMakesSenseInContext (Points to the box Chandler's in)]]'' [[CoolAndUnusualPunishment Lives in a box!]]

--> '''Monica''': Fine! Judge all you want to, but... ''(Points to Ross)'' [[SuddenlySexuality Married]] [[NoBisexuals a lesbian]]. ''(Points to Rachel)'' [[RunawayBride Left a man at the altar.]] ''(Points to Phoebe)'' [[CitizenshipMarriage Fell in love with a gay ice dancer.]] ''(Points to Joey)'' [[IdiotHero Threw a girl's wooden leg in a fire.]] ''[[ItMakesSenseInContext (Points to the box Chandler's in)]]'' [[CoolAndUnusualPunishment Lives in a box!]]

-->'''Chandler''': I mean, bullets have left guns slower!

** YMMV on this one: when Ross admits he might be wrong about what he believes to be true, he is actually acting like a real scientist, so basically Phoebe laughs at him for doing what all scientists do. [[ArtisticLicense Of course, the writers never take this into account.]]
** To be fair, right before this, Phoebe said that she doesn't believe evolution is false; she just thinks there are many possibilities. She doesn't do what's mentioned above until Ross kept pushing the issue.

* Everyone throws water in Joey's face in order to help him break up with his crazy stalker. [[https://youtu.be/TK4-5RzTws4?list=PL4VjYMnxdYuUaqDHTARtlxHd6xbIQy5LX But they have a bit too much fun with it]].

* How Chandler succeeds in getting rid of Eddie, his crazy roommate. After asking nicely and then outright ordering Eddie to move out, it turns out that Eddie doesn't take the hint and suffers from short-term memory loss. Chandler turns the tables on him with Joey, by acting like he never met Eddie and he would surely remember living together with Eddie. They are so convincing that Eddie really doubts himself and eventually moves out.
** Though it's kind of hard not to feel bad for Eddie, considering that he himself didn't do anything wrong that was in his own power.
* ''TOW Two Parties'' is awesome for just how well the Friends all work together to stop Rachel's parents from meeting. They seem to function like a well oiled machine, taking cues from one another and being able to think on the fly, in a fantastic example of teamwork and improvised acting. The fact that they're all doing this without complaint, despite the stress and frequent humiliation, just to make Rachel feel better on her birthday makes it a SugarWiki/{{Heartwarming Moment|s}} too.
* Rachel in "Barry and Mindy's Wedding" has been completely humiliated, having to wear an awful dress, walking down the aisle with said awful dress tucked in wrong after going to the bathroom, Barry and Mindy telling everyone that she was mentally ill, and when she tries to run off after all this, gets mocked for leaving again. But showing how much she's grown up in the two seasons, she stays and having given up on "grace and dignity", leads the wedding (with help from Ross) in singing ''Copacabana''.
** "I'm not gonna leave. I probably should, but I'm ''not''. See, cause I promised myself I'd make it through ''at least ONE of your weddings''." ([[LeaningOnTheFourthWall "ba-dum tish"]])

* Even though she didn't manage to win the game at the end since she was just short of the goal, Rachel successfully catching the football at the end of "The One With the Football".
** From the same episode Monica telling Ross she wants to win without him making an excuses. Ross had been losing and claimed it was because he had the weaker team. (Chandler and Rachel). Monica immediately swaps Joey for Rachel, insisting that after a childhood of Ross making up excuses and reasons for why her wins 'don't count', she'd beat him with the advantage all of his side. It's a subtle but downright awesome moment for Monica showing that she will ''always'' fight on her terms and won't take any easy ways out.
---> Monica: No! Listen, I’m not gonna go through this with you again, okay. Just once I wanna beat when you can’t blame it on the broken nose, the buzzer, or the fact that you thought you probably had Mono!
*** Even better when you take the game in context of Ross and Monica's childhood: Monica was always TheUnfavourite, so if there was bias in the football games you ''know'' it would have fallen on Ross's side. In every aspect of their lives, Ross had the advantage and Monica was the underdog, if anyone had the right to make excuses it was her. Yet in this situation ''Ross'' complaining the football games never go his way because of 'circumstances',(even though its well-established Monica is better than him sports-wise). Monica doesn't shy away from a more difficult battle, because that's how she'd lived her whole life. Unlike Ross she's not afraid to keeping fighting when things get tough.

-->'''Rachel''': Ross, do you realize this is the first time in my life I’m doing something I actually care about? This is the first time in my life I’m doing something that I’m actually good at. I mean, if you don’t get that...

* YMMV due to how [[BitchInSheepsClothing Janine]] turned out, but when Joey faces competition from another guy over her affections during the taping for Dick Clark's New Years Rockin' Eve, after learning that the guy is an adulterating bastard who is cheating on his wife, Joey manages to get him kicked out of the taping by setting him up as a pervert just by splashing some water on him. Where? His crotch.
* Ross managing to force Paul (Bruce Willis) into letting him keep his job in "The One Where Paul's the Man" by making it known that he'd seen Paul dancing to "Love Machine" and giving himself a pep talk in the mirror. For the resident ButtMonkey of the series, Ross' ability to school [[Franchise/DieHard John McClane]] was most awesome, indeed.
* From the same episode -- Monica puts her and Chandler's names down for a wedding at the Morgan Chase Museum, for fun and after Rachel suggests it. Chandler hears the message left for Monica stating there's been a cancellation if she's still interested in the wedding. It doesn't seem like a CMOA at first, with Chandler freaking out over this. But after he confronts Monica, telling her that he isn't ready? It turns out that '''he faked the whole thing, and that he went to look at the Museum and that he actually plans to propose.''' And this is known commitment-phobic Chandler we are talking about. He not only got over this fear, but ''successfully'' tricked Monica into thinking that he was terrified of the thought of marriage? CharacterDevelopment, right there.

* "The One With Rachel's Book" had several Crowning Moments of Awesome for Chandler. He insists throughout the episode that they don't spend all the money they have on a big fancy wedding, being the much needed voice of reason. He steps down only at the end, willing to sacrifice his dream for Monica's brief moment of joy, because she longs for it so much. (She'd been crushed when her parents spent her wedding fund on a beach house). And finally, despite his commitment phobia, he reveals to Monica his dreams of domestic happiness. It has it all: Awesomeness and Heart-warmth with the strength of a Tear Jerker.
** "The One With Rachel's Book" also counts for Monica. Before Chandler said she could have her wedding, she decided it wasn't fair to spend all his money like that and they would go for the cheaper option. Even when he insisted it was ok, she refused, putting ''his'' dreams for their future above her perfect day.
--> '''Monica:''' I don't want a big, fancy wedding. I want a marriage.

* Joey eating an entire Thanksgiving turkey all by himself should count. And he still has appetite for dessert.
** Monica could have made a turkey breast, or a small turkey, but no. When someone gets pushy about wanting something, [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor she gives them 19 pounds of it to prove her point.]]

* Doubles as a moment of funny, but in that episode where Joey has a party with his co-stars on the roof, everyone but Chandler gets let in on the secret, leaving the poor guy stuck watching a ''very'' awkward one-woman show. He comes back to tell them that he ''loved'' it and wants to see it again, with them this time... and the second the show starts, he informs them he lied and books it. "I can't believe you guys bought this, enjoy your slow death." *flees* Glorious.

* From the same episode -- Monica puts her and Chandler's names down for a wedding at the Morgan Chase Museum, for fun and after Rachel suggests it. Chandler hears the message left for Monica stating there's been a cancellation if she's still interested in the wedding. It doesn't seem like a CMOA at first, with known commitment-phobic Chandler freaking out over this. But after he confronts Monica over this, telling her that he isn't ready? It turns out that '''he faked the whole thing, and that he went to look at the Museum and that he actually plans to propose.''' CharacterDevelopment, right there.

* From the same episode -- Monica puts her and Chandler's names down for a wedding at the Morgan Chase Museum, for fun and after Rachel suggests it. Chandler hears the message left for Monica stating there's been a cancellation if she's still interested in the wedding. It doesn't seem like a CMOA at first, with known commitment-phobic Chandler freaking out over this. But after he confronts Monica over this, telling her that he isn't ready? It turns out that '''he faked the whole thing, and that he went to look at the Museum and that he actually plans to propose.'''

-->''You are such a butt-munch,''

-->'''Chandler:''' [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking And you left the toilet seat up, you BASTARD!]] ''[[CrowningMomentOfFunny (Throws water in Joey's face)]]''

* ''TOW Two Parties'' is awesome for just how well the Friends all work together to stop Rachel's parents from meeting. They seem to function like a well oiled machine, taking cues from one another and being able to think on the fly, in a fantastic example of teamwork and improvised acting. The fact that they're all doing this without complaint, despite the stress and frequent humiliation, just to make Rachel feel better on her birthday makes it a CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming too.

** Bonus for Lisa Kudrow, who didn't miss appearing even in a single episode despite her pregnancy from season 4 to season 5.

* Monica lets Ross have it over his jealousy of Mark. A lot of heartbreak might have been avoided if he had listened to her.
--->'''Monica:''' Ross this isn't even about you. This is about Rachel and something wonderful happening for her.\\
'''Ross:''' Yeah, but...\\
'''Monica:''' What if you're right, and Mark wants to sleep with Rachel. [[ArmorPiercingQuestion Does that mean he gets to? I mean, don't you trust her?]]\\
'''Ross:''' Well, yeah... I...\\
'''Monica:''' Then get over yourself! Grow up!\\
'''Ross:''' [[LameComeback You grow up]].

--->'''Monica:''' Ross this isn't even about you. This is about Rachel and something wonderful happening for her.//

* Rachel beating up the girl that Joey dated who was too "punchy" with him.

----

* Every time Creator/TomSelleck guest showed up in an episode, he got a standing ovation. ''Every single time.'' Eventually, they would just reshoot the scenes without the StudioAudience.
* [[https://youtu.be/7H3DV-oVes8?list=PL4VjYMnxdYuW6Eqst_ko7JxLJgqC4ODfK Janice telling Chandler]] that she doesn't care that he broke up with her for the 3rd time because eventually he'll ''always'' come back to her. It implies GenreBlindness, as she's married to someone else a few episodes later. They did get back together the following season, but only very briefly, and then never again... Though she gives up on them as a couple with the birth of her first child.
** Second. She already has one with her first husband when she and Chandler spend a few episodes as a couple in Season Three.
* Rachel fantasizing about having sex with Chandler in "The one with the flashback".
* "TOW Mrs Bing'" Chandler confronting his Mom about his horrible childhood and all the crap she put him through. Afterwards he says it was a terrible talk but the main thing was that he did it.
--> '''Chandler:''' "Awful. Awful. Couldn't have gone worse but... ''I told her.''"
* Season 2. Monica was forcing Chandler to work out with her so he very subtly tears her down by reminding her that she's unemployed and without a relationship.
* Chandler & Joey winning the apartment in season 4.
* Phoebe breaking off the CatFight between Rachel and Monica: "Okay, now I'm gonna kick some ass!"
* Season 5 New Years' episode. Joey was able to get Ross to kiss Phoebe and Rachel to kiss him so Chandler and Monica can kiss without anyone getting suspicious. He did this all within 30 seconds before midnight.
* Doubles as a moment of funny, but in that episode where Joey has a party with his co-stars on the roof, everyone but Chandler gets let in on the secret, leaving the poor guy stuck watching a ''very'' awkward one-woman show. He comes back to tell them that he ''loved'' it and wants to see it again, with them this time... and the second the show starts, he informs them he lied and books it. "I can't believe you guys bought this, enjoy your slow death." *flees* Glorious.
* "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORIrXObgV-8 The One With Rachel's Other Sister]]": Chandler (having spent the whole day agonizing over whether or not he could ever be responsible enough to be a parent) stepping up and breaking up a CatFight between Rachel and Amy on Thanksgiving after seeing how much it is upsetting Monica.
* During season four Phoebe is told she can name one of the triplets she's carrying for her brother and his wife and decides to name it after one of her friends. She decides against Ross and says it'll be either Joey or Chandler and while the two argue over which it'll be Chandler takes Joey's dismissal of his name seriously and spends the next few days looking for a new one until Phoebe says she'll name the baby Chandler if he'll keep it. As soon as she's gone he turns to Joey and laughs, [[MagnificentBastard revealing his whole name changing fit as a ploy to get the baby named after him.]] Of course, it then backfires when baby Chandler turns out to be a girl.
* After finding out about Chandler and Monica in Season 5, Joey does what he can to cover for them, but it starts making him look foolish and creepy. In one episode, he winds up taking the fall for a pair of men's underwear at Rachel and Monica's, a camera set-up to record sex acts and finally a naked picture of Monica meant for Chandler. Instead of fulfilling their promise to make him look better or be more careful, they can only claim that he's a sex addict after almost carelessly getting caught numerous times. When the rest of the group confronts him over all this, it looks like he'll have to admit to it. Instead, Joey claims he slept with Monica in London and that she's obsessed with him as a result. He effectively plays XanatosSpeedChess to pin all the recent craziness on Monica and restore his dignity.
* The fact that, out of all the Friends, the only one who discovered that Chandler and Monica were together without catching them on the act was ''[[TheDitz JOEY]]'' [[note]] Rachel heard them having phone sex, and both Phoebe and Ross saw them from across the street (Ugly Naked Guy's apartment).[[/note]] and he guessed it from two minimal clues. 1) Both Chandler and Monica mentioned seeing Donald Trump while they were on what they told everyone were separate business trips. 2) The hotel called about an eyelash curler they left there, a call Joey took, and later Monica asks Rachel if she can borrow her eyelash curler.
* In Season four, Rachel is moaning to Pregnant! Phoebe about Ross and Emily's upcoming wedding. Phoebe then proceeds to tell her she had a similar problem: when she was homeless someone offered to give her food if she slept with him. Rachel asks how they are similar. Phoebe's response?
--> '''Phoebe:''' Well, let's see, ''it's not''. Because that was an actual problem, and yours is just a bunch of high school crap that nobody really gives... Y'know.
* Rachel beating up the girl that Joey dated who was too "punchy" with him.
* "The One With Rachel's Book" had several Crowning Moments of Awesome for Chandler. He insists throughout the episode that they don't spend all the money they have on a big fancy wedding, being the much needed voice of reason. He steps down only at the end, willing to sacrifice his dream for Monica's brief moment of joy, because she longs for it so much. (She'd been crushed when her parents spent her wedding fund on a beach house). And finally, despite his commitment phobia, he reveals to Monica his dreams of domestic happiness. It has it all: Awesomeness and Heart-warmth with the strength of a Tear Jerker.
** "The One With Rachel's Book" also counts for Monica. Before Chandler said she could have her wedding, she decided it wasn't fair to spend all his money like that and they would go for the cheaper option. Even when he insisted it was ok, she refused, putting ''his'' dreams for their future above her perfect day.
--> '''Monica:''' I don't want a big, fancy wedding. I want a marriage.
* Chandler and Monica's relationship in itself is a Crowning Moment of Awesome. Both of them started out with extreme emotional baggage from traumatic childhoods. (She was the Unfavourite, he was scarred by his parents divorce and neglect) and struggled with relationships because of it. But they fell in love, got married, and did not ''break up once in the whole relationship.'' They overcame their issues together, Chandler's fear of commitment, Monica's inability to compromise, and ended up the most stable, happy couple of the show. Awwww. Crowning Moment of Awesome for the writing staff and actors too. Anyone who claims that it's not possible for main characters to have a marital (or long term) relationship in a long-running show without the standard drama of constantly breaking up and getting back together or having things coming between them to put off getting together to the end, etc. "to keep things interesting" just needs to watch this show. It ''can'' work. The writers and actors proved it.
** Especially meaningful when compared to Ross and Rachel, the other main relationship in Friends. Ask most fans about R&R, and they'll say they were glad they got together but got tired of their continuing drama. Ask most fans about M&C, and they're consistently beloved throughout the series, proving that a stable couple can be as a popular as a angsty one.
* Even though she didn't manage to win the game at the end since she was just short of the goal, Rachel successfully catching the football at the end of "The One With the Football".
** From the same episode Monica telling Ross she wants to win without him making an excuses. Ross had been losing and claimed it was because he had the weaker team. (Chandler and Rachel). Monica immediately swaps Joey for Rachel, insisting that after a childhood of Ross making up excuses and reasons for why her wins 'don't count', she'd beat him with the advantage all of his side. It's a subtle but downright awesome moment for Monica showing that she will ''always'' fight on her terms and won't take any easy ways out.
---> Monica: No! Listen, I’m not gonna go through this with you again, okay. Just once I wanna beat when you can’t blame it on the broken nose, the buzzer, or the fact that you thought you probably had Mono!
*** Even better when you take the game in context of Ross and Monica's childhood: Monica was always TheUnfavourite, so if there was bias in the football games you ''know'' it would have fallen on Ross's side. In every aspect of their lives, Ross had the advantage and Monica was the underdog, if anyone had the right to make excuses it was her. Yet in this situation ''Ross'' complaining the football games never go his way because of 'circumstances',(even though its well-established Monica is better than him sports-wise). Monica doesn't shy away from a more difficult battle, because that's how she'd lived her whole life. Unlike Ross she's not afraid to keeping fighting when things get tough.
* Ross managing to force Paul (Bruce Willis) into letting him keep his job in "The One Where Paul's the Man" by making it known that he'd seen Paul dancing to "Love Machine" and giving himself a pep talk in the mirror. For the resident ButtMonkey of the series, Ross' ability to school [[Franchise/DieHard John McClane]] was most awesome, indeed.
* When Phoebe panics about the rats.
--> '''Phoebe:''' That's like ... (starts counting with her fingers) That's math I can't even do! What are we gonna do?
--> '''Mike:''' Well, I know this is gonna sound crazy, but, we could not let the box of rats ruin our lives.
* YMMV due to how [[BitchInSheepsClothing Janine]] turned out, but when Joey faces competition from another guy over her affections during the taping for Dick Clark's New Years Rockin' Eve, after learning that the guy is an adulterating bastard who is cheating on his wife, Joey manages to get him kicked out of the taping by setting him up as a pervert just by splashing some water on him. Where? His crotch.
* How Chandler succeeds in getting rid of Eddie, his crazy roommate. After asking nicely and then outright ordering Eddie to move out, it turns out that Eddie doesn't take the hint and suffers from short-term memory loss. Chandler turns the tables on him with Joey, by acting like he never met Eddie and he would surely remember living together with Eddie. They are so convincing that Eddie really doubts himself and eventually moves out.
** Though it's kind of hard not to feel bad for Eddie, considering that he himself didn't do anything wrong that was in his own power.
* Many real-life details about the show count: Just the fact that it ran for ten seasons, without losing any of the cast members ''and'' that they all appeared in every single episode. With 236 episodes that's no small feat.
** Bonus for Lisa Kudrow, who didn't miss appearing even in a single episode despite her pregnancy from season 4 to season 5.
** Plus the all for one mentality of the cast. Them negotiating their salaries as a group, something that had never been achieved before or since. They later admitted they were separately pressurized by executives to negotiate independently, but refused and stuck together and did so for the next decade.
* After Monica gets bullied and ignored by her workers after taking up a restaurant, Joey, despite wanting to stick as her new employee, pretends to be another heckler so Monica can fire him on the spot. The {{Jerkass}} staff immediately cower and snivel before Monica.
* When a food critic gives Monica a bad review, she tracks him down at a cooking class he teaches with a bowl of her soup, confident she can change his mind. When the JerkAss critic balks at "subjecting himself" to her cooking again. Joey changes his mind with six simple words:
--> '''Joey:''' Eat it, or be in it.
* Joey eating an entire Thanksgiving turkey all by himself should count. And he still has appetite for dessert.
* Rachel chewing out Ross in "The One where Ross and Rachel Take a Break", when Ross complains to her that she doesn't spend enough time with him. Sure, it leads to one of their saddest moments, but still.
-->'''Rachel''': Ross, do you realize this is the first time in my life I’m doing something I actually care about? This is the first time in my life I’m doing something that I’m actually good at. I mean, if you don’t get that...