Friends: Season 1

After leaving her fiancé, Barry, at the altar, Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) finds herself in Central Perk Café, soaking wet in her wedding dress, looking for her old friend Monica (Courteney Cox). Rachel ends up moving into Monica's New York apartment. Chandler (Matthew Perry) and Joey (Matt LeBlanc), who live across the hall from Monica, console Monica's older brother, Ross (David Schwimmer), whose wife, Carol, has just left him for a woman; Rachel's reappearance revives Ross' crush on her, which

Carol (Anita Barone) tells Ross that she is pregnant with his child. When Ross attends the sonogram appointment, he is stunned to learn that Carol and her partner, Susan (Jessica Hecht), want to give the baby their last names, but not his. Rachel returns her engagement ring to Barry (Mitchell Whitfield), expecting him to be heartbroken, but learns he went on their cancelled honeymoon with her maid-of-honor, Mindy. Monica stresses over her and Ross' parents (Christina Pickles and Elliott Gould) c

Monica is dismayed that everyone likes her new boyfriend, Alan, more than she does; when Monica eventually dumps him, Alan admits he dislikes her friends. Chandler, while helping Joey practice for an acting job, starts smoking again; when the gang complains, he diverts the attention onto their own flaws. Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow)’s bank accidentally deposits a large sum into her bank account; when she reports the error, the bank gives her even more money, as well as a novelty football telephone. Feel

Ross, feeling morose on the anniversary of his first time sleeping with Carol, attends a Rangers game with Chandler and Joey. When a hockey puck accidentally hits Ross in the face, Chandler and Joey take him to the emergency room; while there, Ross reveals that Carol is the only woman he has ever slept with. Rachel is upset that most of her first paycheck went to the FICA. When her old friends visit, she is even more depressed about her new life, feeling they are more successful than she is. Mon

Chandler and Phoebe decide to break up with their respective partners, Janice (Maggie Wheeler) and Tony, at the same time. Phoebe's break-up goes smoothly, but Chandler has a harder time, requiring Phoebe's help. Ross and Rachel do laundry together, though Rachel has never done it before. While at the laundromat, Ross encourages Rachel to stand up to a pushy woman (Camille Saviola), earning him a platonic kiss from Rachel. Joey wants to get back together his ex-girlfriend Angela, who is now seei

Chandler dates Aurora (Sofia Milos), a beautiful, exotic woman that he soon learns is married and has another boyfriend. Chandler is initially fine having a polyamorous relationship, but soon he finds himself unable to handle yet another lover being added to the mix. Joey's new talent agent, Estelle Leonard (June Gable), gets him a film role as Al Pacino’s butt double; he is later fired from the role because he "overacts." Rachel cleans the apartment but triggers Monica's obsessive-compulsive te

During a citywide power outage, the gang hangs out at Monica and Rachel's apartment. Ross tries to share his feelings with Rachel, but a stray cat interrupts their conversation. Rachel and Phoebe search the building for the cat's owner, who is eventually revealed as their neighbor Paolo, a hunky but English-challenged Italian who Rachel falls for. Meanwhile, a nervous Chandler becomes trapped in an ATM vestibule with Victoria's Secret model Jill Goodacre. (This episode was part of "Blackout Thur

Ross and Monica rush to the hospital with their parents, Jack and Judy, when their elderly maternal grandmother, Nana, is taken ill. Nana dies, and Ross and Monica go in to say their goodbyes but are shocked when Nana momentarily revives before dying again. The gang all attend Nana's funeral, where Monica subtly confronts her mother about her constantly critical attitude. Ross, who fell into an open grave at the cemetery and hurt his back, becomes loopy on muscle relaxers, while Joey, Jack and o

As Thanksgiving nears, Rachel struggles to make enough tips to be able to pay for a plane ticket to take a skiing vacation with her family in Vail. The others chip in to help her pay for the ticket. Ross and Monica plan a quiet Thanksgiving feast at her apartment while their parents are away. Phoebe agrees to join because her grandmother celebrates Thanksgiving in December. Chandler, who hates Thanksgiving because his parents announced their divorce on that holiday, plans to stay home and eat gr

The gang makes a pact not to bring dates to their New Year's Eve party, but everyone soon breaks it except Ross. While performing at Central Perk, Phoebe confronts some noisy scientists, then dates one of them, David (Hank Azaria), whom she brings to the party. Their relationship goes well until David and his research partner are offered a grant in Minsk, and he must choose to stay with Phoebe or go for career-making research. Monica invites "Fun" Bobby, who arrives unhappy because his grandfath

Chandler's flamboyant romance-novelist mother, Nora Bing (Morgan Fairchild), visits. At dinner, Ross becomes upset over Rachel and Paolo's public displays of affection and gets very drunk. He is comforted by Nora, who offers sage advice, which leads to them kissing. Joey witnesses the kiss and later says that Ross has to tell Chandler. Chandler is upset with Ross but soon forgives him, and he confronts his mother about her behavior and other issues. Monica and Phoebe see an attractive guy on the

Everyone except Ross knows the sex of his unborn baby; he wants to wait until it is born. Rachel breaks up with Paolo after he makes a pass at Phoebe at the massage parlor. Monica makes a dozen lasagnas for her aunt's party, only to discover she wanted them vegetarian. Ross consoles Rachel after her break-up, hoping this is his chance, but Rachel declares she is swearing off all men. Rachel accidentally lets it slip to Ross that he is having a son.

Joey hosts his father and learns that he has been having an affair; he is torn over whether to tell his mother but soon learns she already knows and wants everything to stay as it is. Chandler accidentally sees Rachel topless after her shower, and a chain reaction of nudity ensues when she tries to even the score by seeing him naked. She instead catches Joey naked, who then sees Monica unclothed, who accidentally surprises Joey's father in the shower. Everyone dislikes Phoebe's new boyfriend, an

Ross has a Valentine's Day date with a beautiful neighbor, his first date in nine years. By chance, Carol and Susan, out on their own date, end up sitting nearby at the same restaurant. When Susan has to leave, Ross spends all his time talking to Carol; his neglected date leaves without his realizing it. He kisses Carol, who reminds him why they split and consoles him. Joey's date brings a blind date for Chandler, which turns out to be Janice; they end up sleeping together, then Chandler breaks

Monica cooks a gourmet meal for Steve (Jon Lovitz), a restaurateur looking for a new chef. He arrives stoned and wants to eat everything in sight, including taco shells and gummy bears. After working as a data processor for five years, Chandler gets promoted to supervisor, then quits, claiming he only intended for his job to be temporary; when his boss calls and offers him a raise, Chandler caves and goes back to work. Ross has a date with a beautiful colleague named Celia (Melora Hardin) and gi

Joey falls for Phoebe's twin sister, Ursula, making Phoebe feel neglected. Ross has doubts about parenthood when he attends Lamaze classes with Carol and Susan. Meanwhile, Chandler finds himself between a rock and a hard place, when he is told to fire an employee he is attracted to.

When Rachel sprains her ankle and has no insurance, she cajoles Monica into trading identities so she can use Monica's coverage. When Phoebe's twin sister, Ursula, breaks Joey's heart, Phoebe tries to fix it.

Tired of her waitressing job, Rachel applies for positions in the fashion industry. She is excited to land an interview at Saks Fifth Avenue as an assistant buyer but does not get the job. Ross's normally docile demeanor disappears when the girls face the boys during a not-so-friendly poker game. Monica later seeks help from her aunt who is an expert player.

Rachel becomes depressed after learning that Barry and Mindy are engaged. The gang frantically searches for Marcel, who slipped out of the apartment while Rachel was watching him. Rachel, unaware Marcel is an illegal exotic pet, calls Animal Control, angering Ross. The animal control officer is Rachel and Monica's old high school classmate who has a long-standing grudge against Rachel, who has no memory of her. She refuses to release Marcel until Rachel threatens to report her for accidentally s

Rachel and Barry secretly see each other, even though he is now engaged to Mindy, who asks Rachel to be her maid of honor. When Mindy admits she and Barry had an affair while Rachel was engaged to Barry, Rachel finally confesses to Mindy that she has been sleeping with Barry; the two women confront him, though Mindy decides to marry Barry anyway. Meanwhile, Chandler goes nuts when a woman he likes does not return his phone calls, later realizing there was a mix-up. The friends become annoyed aft

When Monica's identity is stolen, she, Phoebe, and Rachel decide to catch the imposter. Monica soon befriends the lively woman, who is later arrested anyway. Joey enlists his friends' help to come up with less Italian-sounding stage name, but Chandler suggests joke names that ruin his auditions. Marcel has reached sexual maturity, forcing Ross to realize he needs to be with other monkeys. Marcel is soon accepted at the San Diego Zoo, and the gang bid him goodbye at the airport.

After losing his virginity to Monica, a young man Ethan (Stan Kirsch) reveals that he is not a college student, as she believed, but a high school senior. Phoebe temps as Chandler's secretary, and he discovers that no one at work likes him anymore now that he is the boss. Rachel has erotic dreams about Joey and Chandler, making Ross jealous. Rachel soon has a dream about Ross, but before Ross can tell Rachel he loves her, his beeper alerts him that Carol is in labor.

Carol is in the hospital about to give birth, prompting Monica to think about having a baby. While Carol is in labor, Ross and Susan bicker over who gets to assist her more and about what to name the baby. Phoebe drags them into a janitor's closet to settle their differences, but they get locked inside. Rachel flirts with an OB/GYN doctor who suffers burnout from seeing female anatomy every day. Joey assists a single expectant mother (Leah Remini) in labor. Ross and Susan settle their difference

The museum sends Ross to China to procure a dinosaur bone, just before Rachel's birthday celebration. Chandler advises Ross to get over Rachel. Before leaving, Ross asks Chandler to give Rachel his present at the party. Joey's new girlfriend, Melanie (Corinne Bohrer) wants to sleep with him, but Joey's participation in a fertility study requires temporary celibacy. During Rachel's party, Chandler accidentally lets slip that Ross is in love with her, and a big decision presents itself.