3 Quirky Things You Probably Didn’t Notice About ‘Friends’ on Your First or Second Watch
Friends remains one of the most successful series of all time. Running for 10 seasons between 1994 and 2004, the series appears to have nearly infinite replay value. While the show was well produced, Friends bloopers and mistakes have made the rounds on the internet for years. In fact, there are a ton of production quirks fans have noticed over the years, but did you catch some of these rather obscure mistakes?
Phoebe Buffay insisted she never had a serious relationship before Mike, but she actually did
In the fourth episode of season 9, Phoebe Buffay gets upset with Ross Geller because he told Mike that Phoebe had never had a serious relationship. Phoebe and Ross decide that a relationship must have been longer than a month to be considered long-term, and they both agree that Phoebe had never dated someone long-term. Ross, to make up for his admission, makes up a fake long-term ex.
While the storyline is funny, Friends fans point out that it’s not true. Phoebe dated pretty steadily throughout the show’s run. While most of Phoebe’s relationships were short lived, her most serious romances seemed to be with David, the scientist who moved to Minsk, and Gary, the police officer. Phoebe dated David for about a month before he went to Minsk. If he hadn’t moved, their relationship would have continued. Phoebe later dated and lived with Gary. While there are no markers to pinpoint the length of the relationship, Gary and Phoebe dated for four episodes before breaking up. Fans assume they dated for at least three months.
You could also consider Ryan, the Navy Lieutenant, a serious boyfriend too. While Ryan only resurfaced once in a while, he and Pheobe always got together when he returned to New York. Technically, their arrangement lasted years. He was last seen in season 2.
Rachel Green tried to get on a plane with a different person’s passport in the series finale of ‘Friends’
In the Friends series finale, Rachel Green gets ready to leave New York behind. She heads to the airport to get on a plane to Paris to take a lucrative job offer. At one point, fans see Rachel speaking to an airline employee at the boarding gate. Her passport is in full view, but the picture doesn’t line up with Rachel’s looks. The woman in the photo has decidedly darker hair and different facial features. So, whose passport was she carrying?
A Reddit user points out that the woman in the passport looks an awful lot like Courteney Cox, the actor who portrayed Monica Geller during the show’s 10-season run. One fan suggests the birthday listed on the passport even lines up with Cox’s real birthday, although it’s hard to see. This doesn’t seem like other Friends bloopers, though. Fans think the passport is a bit of an Easter egg.
Someone might have haunted Monica’s secret closet
Anyone who has lived in a New York City apartment knows that the real estate landscape comes with some quirks. Sometimes there are tubs offered with no shower option. Other times, bathrooms are placed outside of the apartment. Very few units offer a haunted closet, though. Monica and Rachel’s apartment seemed to.
The secret closet by the bathroom was a plot point during the show’s 10-seasons, but there is something decidedly off about the private closet in a few episodes. In several scenes where the closet is visible, you can see people walking behind the door. While it’s just one of many Friends bloopers, the haunted storyline probably could have been a lot of fun. It would have been a better way to explain their cheap rent than the rent control trope, that’s for sure.
