The Friends Episode That Fans Always Skip On A Rewatch

It's been almost two decades since the cast of "Friends" took their final bows, and their characters Ross Geller (David Schwimmer), Monica Geller (Courteney Cox), Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston), Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc), Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow), and Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry) bade a fond farewell to Monica's rent-controlled apartment.

The NBC series ran for 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004 and became a staple of the network's "Must See TV" lineup and carving a permanent spot for itself in the cultural zeitgeist of the '90s. Television has changed a lot since "Friends," and the show remains popular despite the constantly evolving television landscape, which includes a constant influx of new content available thanks to streaming services. In a 2019 interview with Rolling Stone, "Friends" co-creator Marta Kauffman explained why she thinks "Friends" continues to resonate with viewers. "It's a comfort-food show," she said. "These are trying times, and certain people want the comfort food rather than the difficult, mean-spirited kind of show. It's warm, it's cozy, [the characters] love each other. What's not to love about that?"

It's hard to swing a smelly cat and not hit a fan who has binged entire seasons of the beloved sitcom repeatedly. However, like a long-running show, "Friends" has its fair share of lackluster episodes, although they vary depending on the viewer. On one subreddit, fans discussed their least favorite episodes, and there's one in particular that many fans are happy to skip over, insisting once was enough.

Many fans of "Friends" opt not to rewatch Season 4, Episode 16, "The One with the Fake Party." Rachel decides to throw an impromptu going away party for Ross' girlfriend, Emily Waltham (Helen Baxendale). However, her motivation for doing so is entirely self-serving. Rachel needs an excuse to lure her crush Joshua Burgin (Tate Donovan) to her apartment. She meets him while working as a personal shopper at Bloomingdale's. "Always the one where Rachel throws a fake party for Emily to get closer to Joshua," wrote u/fuue on the subreddit r/howyoudoin. "It drives me crazy how Rachel acts around Joshua. Seriously. Who would be THAT desperate. He's not that cute," stated u/IsThatADinoOnUrTie.

Rachel pulls out all the stops to get Joshua's attention, and when he doesn't show interest, she decides to put on her old cheerleader uniform, trying to recreate her glory days as the most popular girl at school. Things go from bad to worse when Rachel chips a tooth after attempting to do a cartwheel. "I just can't watch the one with the going away party. Too awkward," agreed u/elthompson. "The fake party one makes me cringe too hard...I almost always skip it too!" wrote u/dimpulz89. One of Rachel's most endearing qualities is that despite her good looks, is how uncool she can be when she's interested in a guy, but for fans, this episode fails to resonate. "Oooof. That fake party one exceeds my capacity for second hand embarrassment," lamented u/babeymoon.

There's another reason fans decide not to rewatch this episode of "Friends." Many viewers aren't fans of Baxendale's Emily. The uptight British woman and Ross become involved, and the relationship turns serious quickly, leading to a disastrous wedding in the Season 4 finale. "I can't stand Emily. She's the worst," wrote u/Happy-Tears. After Ross accidentally says Rachel's name instead of Emily's during his vows, Emily goes through with the nuptials to flee the wedding reception later. Ross and Emily divorce in Season 5, and some fans weren't sorry to see her go. "I never skip an episode but if I did, it would be any episode with Emily," stated u/sadface234.

While Season 4's "The One with the Fake Party" is the hands-down winner when it comes to hitting fast forward, another episode ranks as a close second. Season 3, Episode 16, "The One with the Morning After," revolves around the demise of Ross and Rachel's romantic relationship after Rachel learns Ross slept with Chloe (Angela Featherstone). This episode is the genesis of the infamous "We were on a break" debate that rages on throughout the remaining seasons. "The one where Ross and Rachel have the huge fight after the copy-girl [Chloe] incident is too much for me, it brings back stuff and I just can't watch it full," wrote u/martinepinho.

Other episodes that some fans of "Friends" can live without are any that include flashbacks, those that revolve around Joey and Rachel's short-lived romance, and the –- gasp –- Thanksgiving episodes.