15 Small But Really Annoying Inconsistencies In “Friends”

1. Monica seems to have changed her mind about soulmates in just a few weeks.

During their wedding vows, Monica calls Chandler her “soulmate.” Then, only a couple of weeks later, Phoebe exposes Monica to a guy she thinks is Monica’s soulmate. Chandler gets very upset, so Monica tells him she doesn’t believe in soulmates.

2. Phoebe runs into her brother in the second season, and no one ever explains why.

In season two, Phoebe’s brother walks by her while she is busking on the street in front of Central Perk. He casts a condom into her guitar case and returns later to get it back, but he doesn’t say anything about it when they meet as brother and sister. I always wonder if they did it on purpose and, if they did, why they didn’t talk about it later.

3. Ross told Monica about losing his virginity, but Monica forgot.

In one episode, Monica thoughts she’s out with a brother and sister, but they’re a couple. When the woman says how great her “brother” is in bed, Monica says, “My brother didn’t even tell me when he lost his virginity!” But in the last episode, when Ross figured out the dates, Monica said, “I hope you won’t remember.” Then we find out that it was the anniversary of the first time he slept with Carol, which was also the first time he wasn’t a virgin. I can’t stand it!!!

4. Ross forgets when he lost his virginity.

He makes a deal about how he lost his virginity to Carol, but in a later season, he admits that he slept with a cleaning lady in college. So what’s the real story?

5. Rachel has been pregnant for more than a year.

Chandler and Monica marry in May, when Rachel is already six weeks into her pregnancy. But Valentine’s Day comes, and she’s still pregnant?!

6. David says he lives in Minsk, Russia, but Minsk isn’t in Russia.

They keep saying that scientist David lives in Minsk, Russia, even though Minsk is the capital of Belarus. About three years before the first episode aired, Belarus was recognized as independent of Russia.

7. On her date with Pete, Monica goes to the past.

Pete, “the millionaire,” takes Monica out on their first date, and they have dinner in Rome. The way the episode is set up, it seems as if they leave, “have dinner,” and come home on the same day. One way, a flight from New York to Rome would take nine hours. Pete is rich, but they must have flown to get there and back.

8. Monica and Chandler say “I love you” for the “first time” twice.

They say it once in an episode about Thanksgiving and then again in an episode where Phoebe tries to get Chandler to fall in love with her, so he will admit that he is with Monica.

9. Rachel and Chandler meet “for the first time” three times.

In “The Pilot,” “The One With the Flashback,” or “The One With All the Thanksgivings,” they meet “for the first time.”

10. Ross doesn’t remember that he doesn’t hate ice cream.

Ross hates ice cream, which is a running joke, but there are two scenes where he eats it happily: with his monkey, Marcel, and on a date with Elizabeth.

11. Chandler says he can’t cry, even though many signs show he can.

“The One Where Chandler Can’t Cry” is a very annoying episode. Before this episode, we had seen him cry a lot, like when he proposes to Monica, when Ross gives Phoebe the bike, and when Ross says that he and Joey could both be best men. So many times when he cried!!!

12. Monica’s wedding gift is wrapped, unwrapped, and repeatedly wrapped as this scene continues.

13. Mike’s scarf goes from being tied to being loose and back again as this scene continues.

Mike’s scarf is different every time they cut to Phoebe and then back to Mike. It makes me mad.

14. In the same scene, Joey’s shirt goes from purple to black.

15. The apartment numbers were changing.

Joey and Chandler’s door goes from four to five, and Monica and Rachel’s door goes from four to twenty.