Friends (Season 3)

The third season of Friends takes on a much darker tone as we see Ross and Rachel's relationship fall apart. Despite this, the humor still remains strong and the chemistry between the characters is as great as always. It may be a step down from Season 2, but it's still another strong outing for the show.

Once again, you can split Season 3 into three story arcs:

Episodes 1-9 are about Chandler's relationship with Janice while Monica is reeling from her breakup. I really like this stretch of episodes as Ross and Rachel get a chance to stay on the side for a bit, as one of the best side characters in the show gets her time to shine. Overall, the tone is light-hearted and the humor is strong. Janice is probably at her best here, showing that outside of her somewhat annoying exterior, she's a genuinely nice person who fits in with the rest of the group really well.

Episodes 10-16 are about Ross and Rachel's breakup, and I'm not a really big fan of this one. Ross is just awful to watch here! Rachel is finally starting to do something with her life, but Ross's jealousy isn't funny or anything, it's just frustrating and glad they broke up. Even more, Ross accidentally cheating on Rachel is uncomfortable to watch, and I feel this storyline goes on unbearably long. Thankfully, the breakup itself is excellent and devastating, but the road to that point definitely drags down the season. I don't blame anyone for not caring about the couple after this.

Episode 17-25 bring the whole cast into the spotlight and ends the season on a strong note, as pretty much everyone gets something to do. Phoebe finally meets her birth mother, Joey gets to star in a play, Chandler gets a chick and a duck for his place, Monica starts dating a rich dude named Pete (it doesn't end well), and Ross and Rachel spend the rest of the season dealing with the fallout of their breakup. It's a much lighter end to the season after the uncomfortable and dark second third, and I think it's fun to watch.

And as usual, here are some notable episodes:

The One Where No One's Ready: The first of many strong Friends bottle episodes, the entire premise is that the group has less than half an hour to prepare for Ross's event, but no one is even close to ready. The whole episode is in real time, and pretty much every character has their own little plot thread that they need to deal with. The highlight, however, is Joey and Chandler's iconic fight that keeps escalating to almost cartoonish proportions.

The One With The Football: This is the episode where Friends's Thanksgiving episodes started being great. Similarly to TOW All The Poker, this entire episode is about the group playing a game of football and it still manages to be a lot of fun. I think the writers get a kick out of these competition episodes, and the physical comedy is great throughout.

The One With The Morning After: While the buildup to the breakup is excruciating to watch, I think this episode is one of the finest in the series, especially once the breakup begins. Schwimmer and Aniston kill it here, and even if you hate Ross this season, you can't help but feel absolutely heartbroken through the whole thing. Having the other characters in the other room does add some levity, but it also adds to the sadness as they're forced to hear the whole breakup.

The One With The Beach: One of my favorite season finales of Friends turns into a cliffhanger-palooza and I love it. Salty Rachel is back and seeing her confess her feelings to Ross is really sweet, Chandler's attempts at getting Monica to go out with him is another great piece of foreshadowing, Phoebe meeting her birth mother is a shocking twist, and the cliffhanger is excellent. There are also a lot of fun interactions that utilize the beach location really well. Overall, a strong ending to the season.

Season 3 has a strong start and a strong end, and in general, the writing and humor is really good, packing in some of the funniest and most emotional episodes in the series. However, the tone is inconsistent and the middle of the season absolutely drags. Despite this, another enjoyable season for Friends.

4/5 Stars