Friends: Every Halloween And Thanksgiving Episode Ranked

7. The One With The Late Thanksgiving

Friends Thanksgiving
NBC

If it hasn't been clear from the last three entries, many of Friends' holiday episodes act as more than mere standalone specials. In fact, the annual Thanksgiving episodes almost always punctuate the seasons' more important story arcs in one way or another. The final season's entry is no different, ending with a revelation that helps kick off the final story arc of the series.

Unfortunately, the episode leading up to the final reveal feels like three different ideas that could've been more effectively fleshed out on their own. Phoebe and Rachel taking Emma to a baby beauty pageant is a hilarious idea that ends as soon as it begins. Meanwhile, the Bing couple's issues with the adoption agency are resolved out of nowhere, and the main storyline about the gang running late to their last Thanksgiving together feels like a thinly manufactured conflict with a cheaply forced resolution.

On the flip side, a number of smaller gags stem so organically from the show's trademark character interactions that the episode as a whole is easy to enjoy. It's hard not to smile during an extended floating head scene, or when everybody ignores the immediate tension of their circumstances to shove things down a trapped Joey's pants.

This may not be one of the more iconic Thanksgiving episodes, but it's an endearingly sweet entry in the gang's sendoff season.

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Kieran enjoys overanalyzing and arguing about pop culture, believing that heated debates can (and should) be had in good fun. He currently lives in Fort Worth, TX, where he spends his time chatting with strangers on the bus and forcing them to look at pictures of his dog.