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Original poster

Worst plot hole in Friends

366 replies

AlbertaWildRose · 18/04/2023 20:13

I was home sick today, and having nothing to do this popped into my head and I can't get it out until I share it! The One With Chandler in a Box, where Monica injures her eye and has to go to the eye doctor. She and Rachel are gushing over how cute the on-call doctor is, only to find out that it is Richard's son. Really?! She honestly had no idea what her ex-boyfriend's son looked like? Granted she hadn't seen him in-person for a while, but Richard really had no photos of his kids in his apartment? That just seems too far fetched to me.

OP posts:

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Original poster

AlbertaWildRose · 19/04/2023 00:15

ReasonsToBeCheerfull · 18/04/2023 23:05

The whole I Hate Rachel Club/The Hermaphrodite cheerleader from long island/sorry about your teeny weeny story line - it was implausible in SO many ways - not least that someone would write sorry about your teeny weeny when signing a year book, and if they did write it that she wouldn't have asked, and that Monica never mentioned it (the she was scared she would cry and show it to her was bullshit), and that Ross would form an I Hate Rachel Club and on and on and on.

Chandler not crying - he'd cried before and it was mentioned before

Ross's son Ben - where did he go and why was he never mentioned again.

Ursula/Phoebe - so much there it's hard to know where to begin.

Charlie getting together with Joey - he was thick. she dated noble prize winners. it was just so implausible.

Forgot about the Chandler not crying thing. Also the one where he and Monica are trying to get their engagement photos taken and all of a sudden he can't smile? Ridiculous.

OP posts:

Flump9 · 19/04/2023 00:33

Winona Ryder was mentioned by name before she was in it. On Ross's list.

PaperwhiteTheGhost · 19/04/2023 00:41

Phoebe's birth mother just... disappeared! As did her births father (although he was a bit of a twat so that'd make sense, but she had a full relationship with her birth mother for ages)

None of her family- birth mother, Frank and Alice, father- are at her wedding. I know there's a big snow storm, but they're not at the dinner the night before and aren't mentioned in the build up. The only person mentioned is her step father who was denied day release from prison.

Also Phoebe related: She was living with her grandmother in the first couple of seasons. If she had a living and loving grandmother, why was she living on the streets as a teenager?

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Kanaloa · 19/04/2023 00:46

Also Phoebe related: She was living with her grandmother in the first couple of seasons. If she had a living and loving grandmother, why was she living on the streets as a teenager?

Interesting, I never considered this. Why would she be living on the streets?

Bizarre how many plot holes and contradictions there actually are. I do get that it’s just a comedy etc but it doesn’t really take much effort to have a big paper spread with simple things marked down so you don’t make obvious mistakes.

Monkeytrousers04 · 19/04/2023 00:57

DappledThings · 18/04/2023 20:40

Phoebe is an ardent animal rights activist and vegetarian. But apparently her dream clothing item she always wanted but could never buy for herself and they get for her baby shower is leather trousers.

Chandler and Monica don't know they are having twins but arrive home with them to a fully set up double buggy ready for two newborns.

Monica and Chandler meet with Erica when she is deciding which couple should adopt her baby (and thinks Monica is a vicar) and hands them the picture from her latest scan, which shows one baby…

Original poster

AlbertaWildRose · 19/04/2023 01:15

Monkeytrousers04 · 19/04/2023 00:57

Monica and Chandler meet with Erica when she is deciding which couple should adopt her baby (and thinks Monica is a vicar) and hands them the picture from her latest scan, which shows one baby…

Show quote history

How have I missed that for all these years?!!

OP posts:

PyongyangKipperbang · 19/04/2023 01:15

Neodymium · 18/04/2023 21:38

Ross being angry that Rachel is dating when she is pregnant but then going on himself to date Mona.

not so much a plot hole just Ross is a twat.

I have seen an interview with one of the boys that played Ben. They were twins and they got more and more famous (and assuming more and more expensive) so that’s prob why they weren’t used.

it always bugged me that they all have their own families but never spend holidays with them. Like Joey has this huge family that all apparently adore him, but he doesn’t go home to spend thanksgiving with them? His sister got pregnant at the same time as Rachel and then she’s never mentioned again.

OMG.....were they the twins in that Disney Channel shite about a pair of twin boys living in a hotel? I think their mother was the hotel manager or something....Ashley Thingummy (Tisdale?) was in it as a cleaner I think, she played Sharpay in High School Musical and voices Candace in Phineas and Ferb (tell me the age of you children without telling me the age of your children )?!

If it was them then it would explain why they stopped playing Ben. But it doesnt explain why there isnt a convenient back story like Carol and her wife (susan? Cant remember) moving to a different state and Ross travelling out every so often to visit Ben or something. It really does seem like he just cuts Ben off.

Also, Ross is a complete tosser the whole way through. The way he treats literally every single woman he is with, with the possible exception of Carol, is utterly appalling. Controlling, cheating liar without exception.

Ineedtoloseweightnow · 19/04/2023 01:35

DixonD · 19/04/2023 00:04

I don’t understand why Monica and Chandler couldn’t try IVF to have a baby, given their issues. If she could carry a baby from a potential sperm donor, she could carry one made artificially using Chandler’s sperm. “Slow swimmers” don’t mean it can’t be used in IVF. I know this from my own experience! This was never explained.

She had an inhospitable womb. ‘It means my guys won't get off their barcaloungers and you have a uterus that is prepared to kill the ones that do’

SargentSagittarius · 19/04/2023 02:07

DixonD · 19/04/2023 00:04

The writers have said that they wanted to portray three different ways of starting a family, outside of the usual nuclear, Mum and Dad set-up.

So, Phoebe went down the surrogacy route, Rachel was a single mum, and Monica adopted.

My2pence2day · 19/04/2023 02:32

Snugglemonkey · 18/04/2023 21:31

I thought that at the time. Then last year I did a complete rewatch and saw a whole lot of things that I had not picked up on. There was a flirtation all the way through.

Show quote history

I've watched it about 10 times! I'll have to watch it again and look out for it. I think they did love each other in the end, but more they just ended up together out of convenience (moreso Monica)

SargentSagittarius · 19/04/2023 02:44

The writers really broke the mould with the Monica - Chandler relationship.

Ross and Rachel is the usual blue-print for couples getting together in a TV show - a protracted, will-they-won’t-they scenario, one liking the other and the object oblivious. Then the other realising their feelings, then on and off again. They even used this blueprint with Joey and Rachel.

With Monica and Chandler on the other hand, they got together without ANY sort of build-up for the audience. And then once together, they were solid as a rock. The theme was - it feels so right, why haven’t we always been together?

Chandler and Monica liked each other, as much as they loved and fancied each other. They were friends who wanted the best for each other, they made each other laugh, they took the piss out of each other. It was a really healthy relationship, in contrast with Ross and Rachel’s frankly quite toxic relationship.

They both ‘came of age’ in their relationship - it was easy, highly functional and mutually satisfying. They grew up and eschewed all the nonsense that held them back in previous relationships.

I thought they were perfect for each other.

And as my username suggests, I’m a Friends fanatic. 😉

sashh · 19/04/2023 02:49

Joey lives in New York (well they all do) but is in a soap filmed in California.

Ben just disappears.

The flats are on different floors in different series.

ClaireEclair · 19/04/2023 03:12

I don’t know why people say that Ben disappears. It’s a TV show. We’re not seeing every day of their life. We can assume Ben was still around. They don’t have to explain every detail.

Neodymium · 19/04/2023 03:18

ClaireEclair · 19/04/2023 03:12

I don’t know why people say that Ben disappears. It’s a TV show. We’re not seeing every day of their life. We can assume Ben was still around. They don’t have to explain every detail.

Not being at Emma’s first birthday though it a pretty big deal.

thecoperope · 19/04/2023 04:17

what about Bruce Willis being in look who's talking? and the episode with him is so good. I would have dropped and badmouthed Ross for good if Bruce Willis was on the scene

Also didn't you know that previously loving fathers can drop a child like that when they start their new family? Ross is a that in other areas...

sashh · 19/04/2023 04:17

ClaireEclair · 19/04/2023 03:12

I don’t know why people say that Ben disappears. It’s a TV show. We’re not seeing every day of their life. We can assume Ben was still around. They don’t have to explain every detail.

But he's not there at all. Not at his dad's wedding, not at Aunty Monica's wedding, never seems to have met Emma...

Flittingaboutagain · 19/04/2023 04:20

RedEyeBaby · 18/04/2023 21:15

Maximum? Oh dear, autocorrect. Oh dearie dearie me.

This has tickled me.

Really enjoying reading this thread during my night feeds with baby with Friends on netflix to keep me awake.

SargentSagittarius · 19/04/2023 04:23

sashh · 19/04/2023 04:17

But he's not there at all. Not at his dad's wedding, not at Aunty Monica's wedding, never seems to have met Emma...

Show quote history

He was at Monica’s wedding - sitting at the kids table that Ross accidentally swapped himself too when he was trying get with Mona.

ClaireEclair · 19/04/2023 04:26

sashh · 19/04/2023 04:17

But he's not there at all. Not at his dad's wedding, not at Aunty Monica's wedding, never seems to have met Emma...

Show quote history

He was still around when Ross got married. He was a kid so didn’t travel to London. And since it was filmed in London it’s unlikely the child actor would have been able to come. He was at Monica’s wedding. We can assume he met Emma. We don’t see Rachel’s dad meet Emma either.

SargentSagittarius · 19/04/2023 04:29

Ben at Monica’s wedding.

Flittingaboutagain · 19/04/2023 04:46

I've got one. In London the Church is being demolished and totally unsafe but Ross is still allowed to get married to Emily in it.

PseudoBadger · 19/04/2023 04:54

Merryoldgoat · 18/04/2023 22:54

In the one with the lasagnes you see Phoebe eating them although it’s expressly stated that they’re meat.

In the one where Monica Chandler and Joey reckon the jellyfish incident Chandler says ‘Sometimes at night I can still hear the screaming’ and Joey says he does it though the wall. It happened the fucking dat before!! I get hyperbole but it’s annoying AF.

This jellyfish incident timing DRIVES ME MAD!!

sashh · 19/04/2023 06:03

I stand corrected about Monica's wedding.

AlwaysGinPlease · 19/04/2023 06:56

@Allthingsbrightandbeautifulx Moonlighting was fantastic! Watch it if you can.

ClaireEclair · 19/04/2023 07:04

Maybe this isn’t really a plot hole but I was always really confused about the time when Mondler were trying to get pregnant. The morning after sex Monica said to Chandler that she thought he had definitely got her pregnant and he confessed she definitely wasn’t because he faked it. Wouldn’t she be able to tell if he hadn’t ‘completed’ the job?

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