Friends: Every Halloween And Thanksgiving Episode Ranked
4. The One Where Chandler Doesn't Like Dogs
When you think about Phoebe and dogs, your mind probably jumps to the crazy pug her mother loans her in The One With Phoebe's Uterus. This episode puts Phoebe in charge of another adorable fur-baby named Clunkers, leading to the horrifying revelation that Chandler hates dogs.
The resulting plot is pretty routine, and just about any viewer with a sliver of creative intelligence could fill in the obvious story beats. Nonetheless, almost every moment is full of clever witticisms. Even fairly routine sitcom moments, such as Phoebe's abysmal failure when trying to lie about how Clunkers got back into the apartment, are delivered with such natural charm that it's hard not to laugh out loud despite feeling like we've seen similar jokes and storylines in a million other shows.
Even the C-story feels like a lame setup with predictable jokes that land well in spite of themselves. Ross's obsession over trying to name all fifty states is a boring idea made hilarious on the sole basis of David Schwimmer's and Matt LeBlanc's performances.
Jennifer Aniston likewise shines in her dialogues with Rachel's assistant Tag. Regardless of how you feel about the characters' relationship overall, their first kiss feels beautifully organic in light of the warmly relatable expressions of hope and doubt that draw the characters together.