5 'Friends' Plot Holes Even More Awkward Than Ross' Sense Of Humor
They'll be there for you, unless you're Ross's son. Or Chandler.
After winning several Golden Globes, Emmys, People's Choice Awards, and Teen Choice Awards, "Friends" has earned its spot as one of the most loved TV shows of our time. From Joey's up-and-down acting career to Phoebe's past of mugging people on the street to Ross and Rachel's never-ending fight over being on a break, "Friends" never had a shortage of plot twists, laughable moments, or lovable characters. But after binge-watching it for the fourth or fifth time, you start to pick up on a few plot holes that could use some explaining...
1. Where did Ross' son Ben go?
Ben's existence was one of the main plot points of season one, as Ross struggled to ease into parenthood as he felt he was competing with his ex-wife's new partner, Susan. Ross clearly loved his son from the second he found out about his arrival: he refused to move to England with Emily because he didn't want to live away from Ben, and he even dressed up as a "Christmas Armadillo" in a weird attempt to teach his son about Judaism around the holidays. While we all know Ross is an awkward and rather uptight guy, we can't deny he's a great father.
That is, until his son stops showing up for seasons at a time. His last scene is in "The One Where Joey Dates Rachel" in season eight, meaning seasons nine and ten are completely void of Ross' son. This is especially odd because when Ross has another child with Rachel, we never see his two children meet each other. Ben wasn't even invited to Ross' wedding to Emily in season four.
Fans have speculated that sometime around the birth of Ross' second child, Ben's mother had enough of Ross' overbearing and erratic behavior and revoked his visitation rights. Personally, I think it all worked out for the best: Ben did a great job on "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody."
2. Chandler says he loves Monica for the first time... twice
In season five's "The One With All the Thanksgivings," Monica sticks her head inside a turkey and dances around in an attempt to make Chandler feel better. In his laughter, an "I love you" slips out, which he immediately denies as Monica celebrates and repeats it over and over. This cute moment affirms fans' hope that Chandler and Monica's unexpected hookups have turned into a real love connection. However, in "The One Where Everyone Finds Out," the friends send Phoebe to pretend to flirt with Chandler in an attempt to make him admit he's seeing Monica.
Phoebe commits to her role and makes Chandler so uncomfortable that he cracks — when Phoebe asks why he won't kiss her, she shouts "because I'm in love with Monica!" Monica, who was hiding in the bathroom watching this unfold the whole time, jumps out with a look of happy shock on her face. This moment is sweet, but it's not the first time Monica has heard Chandler say his true feelings.
3. Chandler and Monica tie the knot in a church despite Chandler signing up for a romantic wedding in a museum
Monica and Chandler's engagement was quite the rollercoaster. Conspiring with Phoebe to surprise his future wife, Chandler pretends to freak out when a museum worker calls to let Monica know she's been added to the waiting list to get married there. Monica apologizes, but when she leaves Chandler tells Phoebe that he checked out the museum and it was perfect. Chandler's dishonesty about his readiness to get married caused a lot of drama in the following episodes, as his pretending to fear commitment almost drives Monica back to her old boyfriend, Richard. Luckily, the friends patch up the situation and Monica and Chandler spend the rest of their lives together but they don't end up tying the knot at the museum, which caused them so much trouble before their engagement.
4. Rachel doesn't remember Chandler, despite growing up together
Growing up, Rachel was Monica's best friend and Chandler was Ross's. The four of them spent many Thanksgivings together and even accompanied a college-age Chandler to the emergency room when Monica accidentally cut off his toe. Despite always being around the Geller's house at the same time, Rachel seems to have no recollection of Chandler in the first episode of season one. In her wedding dress, Rachel stumbles into the coffee shop where the friends are hanging out and is excited to find her old friend Monica and her brother Ross there. However, she doesn't remember Chandler at all and doesn't say more than two words to him.
5. How did Ross and Rachel get that ink off their faces?
At the end of season five, Ross and Rachel get trashed in a Vegas hotel room, draw all over each other in permanent marker, and get married. Nothing works in their efforts to get the ink off their faces, and so they decide to walk around Las Vegas as a cat and a mustached woman. However, the next morning — the first episode of season six — they arrive at breakfast with completely clean faces and only their marriage as a remnant of the wild night before. How did they get the ink off?
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