Friends. Arguably one of the most loved and celebrated TV shows of all time. Fans around the world re-watch all ten seasons over and over and over again each year, even though the show ended well over a decade ago.
As more fans discover it, and more fans re-watch it for the twentieth time, little "easter eggs" (aka audience treats) come to light. Here are some of our favourites!
Thought you fooled us there? Think again!
Phoebe says that Ross has never chased someone to an airport before, to which he agrees "Not since my copy show got canceled." In fact, he chased his second wife Emily to the airport to tell her he loved her in a very similar fashion to this scene.
Quora
Continuity is key
In the episode where Joey finds out his dad is cheating on his mom, his mom enters the apartment with a bag of groceries and puts them on the stove, where they promptly fall over. The next time you see them, the back is back up. Next scene, down.
3. How can you forget this one?
In season one Monica claims it's her first Thanksgiving in the apartment, however in the fifth season Phoebe tells the story of Monica's worst Thanksgiving which takes place a year before season one with all of them gathered together. Remember, it's the one where Joey puts the giant turkey on his head?
4. Make up your mind!
Rachel's birthday keeps changing! In season four she says she was born on May 5th, making her a Taurus. In season season, when a policeman asks for her driver's license, he remarks that she's an Aquarius meaning she was born in January or February.
5. Wait, now I'm confused
Is it Greene or Green? Ross spelled Rachels last name wrong on his wedding invitation.
Buzzfeed
6. Such a hypocrite
Phoebe is superstitious... sort of. In "The One with All the Wedding Dresses" she says she believes that on the wedding day, the groom should not see the bride before the ceremony. However, on her own wedding day, Phoebe and Mike hang out together before the ceremony.
Quora
7. I feel like this might have been a prank actually
In the episode where Monica opens all the wedding presents, the yellow Kitchen-Aid mixer is somehow both unwrapped in the pile of presents AND already unwrapped sitting on the countertop.
8. B-b-b-but you already said it!
Joey says in season eight that it's the first time he's ever truly been in love with someone, but this contradicts what he said when he fell in love with Kate in season three.
Quora
9. I think they just can't be bothered to keep up
Rachel finds out she's pregnant at Monica's wedding in May, putting her at four weeks pregnant, meaning she'd be due in January. But by the time we get to the Christmas episode when she should be busting, she's only four months pregnant. so she probably got pregnant in April, so she'd be due in like January. But in the next Christmas episode, she's only 4 months pregnant.
Jessica Giffin
10. Maybe she just doesn't remember?
Phoebe says that her father ran out on her before she was born, but when Frank actually turns up at a later episode he reminisces about being around when she was a kid and singing her songs at bedtime.
What Culture
11. This is sort of a cute one
Monica's apartment initially has wood boards from floor to ceiling but as time goes on there's only wood board by the fridge. Certain directors of the show enjoyed putting their own mark on the show, and some like James Burrows would move the wood around every time he directed an episode.
IMDB
12. You never know, he might need another one
During "The One In Vegas", Chandler says if he won $5000 he would join a gym and build up his upper body strength. But we already know that he and Ross have gym memberships and can't bring themselves to quit...
Quora
13. This was totally the props crew joking around
The burglar who robbed Chandler and Joey left a note on the Magna Doodle saying Thanks for all your stuff!
Buzzfeed
14. It's just basic math, dude
When talking about his mother, Joey says to Ross, "You think it's easy giving birth to seven kids?" This is incorrect because Joey has seven sisters, meaning Joey's mother gave birth to eight children.
15. Maybe Chandler was just trying to make him look cool?
Early on in the series we find out that the first and only person Ross had ever slept with was his wife Carol. Years later, however, Chandler says Ross slept with a woman who cleaned their dorm building while they were in college.
16. Ross has the memory of a goldfish!
When Monica and Chandler are getting married, Ross says it's his first time walking down the aisle knowing it can't end in divorce, but he previously walked down the aisle during Susan's wedding to Carol!
Quora
17. Good point!
Phoebe's mom killed herself when Phoebe was 13, which is often the explanation Phoebe gives when asked her middle name or real birth year. Think about it though. What 13 year old doesn't know their full name and birthday?!
18. My bet is on the second option
In "The One Where Chandler Doesn't Like Dogs," Ross says he doesn't like ice cream because it's too cold but when he starts dating Elizabeth you see them eating ice cream together. Either he changed his mind or someone in the writer's room forgot he's supposed to hate it.
What Culture
19. When you're trying to tell a good story, you sometimes have to change things up a bit
There are multiple flashbacks in the show to when Monica, Ross, Chandler, and Rachel are younger and hanging out together. Somehow this is all forgotten in the first episode where Monica introduces Rachel to the group as if Rachel doesn't know who they already are.
Paige Elizabeth Mansfield
20. There's really no reasonable explanation for this
In "The One with a Dozen Lasagnas", Monica's aunt won't eat the lasagnas because they are filled with meat and she's a vegetarian. Later Phoebe, a strict vegetarian, is seen eating the lasagna with Monica.
Quora
21. This is such a nice easter egg
For several episodes after the 9/11 attacks, the episodes were dedicated to the "The People of New York". If you pay attention you'll notice that the Fire Department of New York logo appears several times throughout the show as well as an homage to those people who dedicated so much. You'll see the logo on Joey's and Rachel's shirts, on the Doodle board, on a baseball cap, on a mug, etc.
Elodie Davoise
22. This doesn't sound like something you'd forget
In season five Joey uses finger quotes to tell Rachel that Monica and Chandler are in the next room "making love", but four seasons later he tells Ross that he doesn't know what finger quotes are.
23. This one escalated quickly!
Phoebe finds out she's pregnant around the time that Ross and Emily meet. Despite the fact that their wedding is only three months later and she would be max. 5 months pregnant, she's somehow so close to labour that she can't fly to the wedding.
24. There are no words
In one episode Joey goes to Central Perk and there's a potato in the cake stand...
Sami Warkow
Reddit user Purple_Pineapple_752 asked:
"If God gave you his powers for 1 hour, What would you do?"
So here's the thing, Reddit has no chill.
Like none.
So every random whim, thought, or chip on people's shoulders certainly came out in the comments.
And honestly... it's delicious.
Some Redesigns Needed
"Redesign human knee and shoulder joints. Because, seriously, I've got some bug reports that have been ignored."
- m_sporkboy
"You’ve got my vote! As a nearly 30yr old with chronic arthritis, I’d say thank you!"
- RiskyBisc
"Yup. Tore my ACL the other month in college football and am now a 'house potato' according to my dad."
- Bu11tproofTiger
"Both of my shoulders are reconstructed. My hips are finished as well an I'm in my 30s ."
"I think the human body needs to be made of better quality parts at this point lol"
- lolparty247
GiphyGame Time
"Elected politicians, and candidates for office can no longer lie."
"Intentionally or unintentionally, every thing they express will be truth. If they try to lie, it will come out truth."
"This is not meant to be wholly benevolent."
"No half truths. No vagaries. The plain and objective truth, or silence. Those are their options."
"And it applies to all elected politicians, officially government sponsored ones (MPs) or otherwise, like say the elected spokesman of the IRA."
"Let the games begin."
- AlphaTangoFoxtrt
"This is actually terrifying."
"Imagine you are elected. You want to know the nuclear launch codes? No worries, just try to state the first character in the sequence."
"You cannot lie. So what you say will come out as correct. Now just have someone write it down."
"Want the password to the white house twitter account? No worries, just get someone to vote you into some form of office. Could be you and joe-no-body, it doesn't matter."
"Privacy would end overnight."
"No no no, you want them to not be able to tell intentional lies. Then at least it's limited to things they know. And just for good measure, give every elected official a strong sense of questioning their own knowledge."
- UFO64
"I feel like this power will end up being a monkeys paw. You try to do good but it has an equal/opposite reaction..."
"You make it so politicians can't lie, and the followers just accept it and still vote them into power."
"Make it so people have critical thinking and aren't easily misled by conspiracies and propaganda, then I dunno, maybe we find out we needed conspiracies in our life and we now no longer question anything.. Idk.."
"You remove corruption and it has some unforeseen knock on impact where now South American or African countries become super powers and a new cold war erupts with new players."
"Yeh monkeys paw... Beware of this power..."
- splashbodge
GiphyToast Technicalities
"Create various images on toast and have fun watching believers react to them."
- CaptchaSolvingRobot
"But technically... they would be right because it was you as God!! You!!"
- SonOfARemington
"I’ve often wondered how many people eat their Jesus toast without ever bothering to check."
"Extending the thought, how many people actually do check their toast only to think to themselves, 'Hey! It’s Keanu Reeves!' ”
- smeeding
GiphyCan We Vote For This Person?
"1st of all, I would make it so that everyone napping always wakes up refreshed. All naps now last 23 minutes but feel like 4 hours of perfect sleep."
"Nothing is addictive."
"All men are given perfect recall about everything their wives have said or done."
"All women obtain positive body images."
"Taco trees."
"People who are cool never have their shoe laces come undone. A-holes have their laces break every Friday."
"Dogs stay small puppies for 3 extra months and come out potty trained."
"Turtles can play trumpet."
"America switches to metric with no fuss."
"The internet makes sense to everyone over 70....but they chose to avoid social media anyway."
"Corn syrup goes away."
"All religions announce simultaneously that God is kinda... but not exactly gay."
"Every swastika owned drawn or tattooed is slowly burned away over a week. It hurts really bad and is replaced by a picture of a teddy bear blowing a very startled looking Nick Cage."
- Ethandrul
"You had me at trumpet turtles and taco trees."
- fallen87angel
"I also choose this god."
- PBnBacon·
GiphyAssuming I'm Still Interested
"Assuming I’m still really interested in Earth, get us back to zero or a good starting point."
"Remove all trash and pollution everywhere. It just ceases to exist."
"Complete all municipal separated storm sewer projects instantly."
"Instantly create storm water gardens wherever necessary. Instantly eliminate lawn culture and convert to lawn alternatives to eliminate run off."
"Instantly convert all power generation to safe thorium nuclear and renewable. Instantly convert all sea shipping to clean nuclear."
"Instantly convert all cars to electric. Create charging stations at every residence."
"Instantly convert all heavy construction equipment to a safer fuel (I don’t know what yet). Instantly put solar panels on every structure/house. Instantly create bike lanes everywhere. Instantly create bike culture of the Netherlands everywhere."
"Upgrade everywhere to high speed rail systems similar to Japan. Switch all roads to permeable pavement."
"Instantly perform major upgrades on every structure, road and bridge everywhere. Have all work go to new construction and maintenance."
"Instantly install field drains and timer stadium lights in all playing fields."
"Instantly process all rape kits in all police stations."
"Instantly repair all playgrounds and park features everywhere."
"Automatically register everyone to vote. Create 10 new states out of Texas and California. Instantly pass political reform."
"Legalize all drugs. Instantly create more treatment centers."
"Instantly cure all ailments that are in recovery in hospital and would cure naturally. Instantly move those patients back home."
"Instantly kill all patients who would die naturally. Instantly inform all families."
"Instantly remove all graveyards and eliminate practice of saving dead. Create new ritual of donation to science or turn into tree."
"Instantly create depression cure. Instantly create obesity cure. Instantly create formula to grow/repair existing teeth."
"Instantly change taxation rate to post WW2 for businesses. Instantly change view of all workers to pro-union."
"Instantly identify and eliminate all political corruption. Have everyone just realize all this exists."
"Eliminate all religious belief everywhere. Instantly create belief in helping neighbors, being a good person, and creating a heaven on earth."
"Eliminate all mosquitoes. Bring back bees."
"Is time up? Was that an hour?"
- winnower8
GiphyOne Solution To The Fossil Fuel Issue
"Having given it some thought:"
"Easy parthenogenesis for all humans, regardless of their biological sex and mental identity."
"And the natural ability to self terminate pregnancies. And self. That would wipe out a whole bunch of angst and repression in the world."
"The ability to fly, as someone else suggested, at fairly rapid speeds. This would vastly change society, no more cars, planes, elevators, stairs, possibly no more country borders, it would be nearly impossible to enforce. The demand for oil would plummet and the environment would be healthier."
"Extra longevity, with senescence happening only a few years before death."
- CanadianJogger
GiphyGenderqueer Garlic Bread
"Make an easily accessed and super powerful source of electrical energy that's renewable and environmentally friendly, it's also easily accessed (this could just be 100% efficient solar gen, or a generator that somehow turns heat back into useable energy? I dunno I'll be god, I could figure it out)."
"Cure All Diseases"
"Humanity now has the ability to magically transform themselves freely to look however they choose, provided it's still anthropomorphic."
"I'm genderqueer; this would make it so all the non-cis people wouldn't need expensive drugs and surgery, or suffering, although I guess we'd be dealing with a few furries but y'know that's fine with me."
"Reverse earth's environmental damage back to pre-industrial while maintaining all the infrastructure changes."
"Finally, all major US and Canadian highways are underground and infinitely maintainable, AND there's also Bullet Trains that run underground with them along the WHOLE interstate/400 Series and Extension/Trans-Can that way I NEVER HAVE TO DRIVE AN HOUR TO WORK AGAIN."
"AND all Cities with populations over 10K have more-than-adequate 100% free public transit that's also so efficient the busses/trains/trolleys/whatever are never late."
"OH one more thing: Since everyone is gonna be sexy because of the Shapeshifting, everyone is either pansexual, or ace, and the people that are ace aren't seen as weird and are completely respected in their orientation. And we all have an innate sense both to locate each other and to locate garlic bread."
- someBrokeCanadian
GiphyThe Timer
"I would set a timer for 10 years and then everyone dies and the earth explodes. I would make everyone aware of the timer."
"I think that would eliminate a lot of bullshit around the world like war and hate, and would make for a really good last time alive until we all die together."
"Am I a weirdo?"
- DoobieMcBeast
GiphySky Farm
"Erase COVID"
"Curse everyone whose name was listed in the Pandora Papers to spontaneously explode somewhere in public and just let the media chips fall where they will."
"Create a sky-dwelling jellyfish that eats carbon fumes and whose tentacles contain a chemical that makes you feel total euphoria for 8 hours straight."
"See how long it takes humans to turn them into a carbon-sucking, drug-producing sky farm animal."
- NebulaPlural
"I am 100% on board for carbon-Hoover-jelly-sky-fish-farms."
"Magnificent."
- sinskins
Giphy"Because Who Wouldn't?"
"I'd get rid of all mental impairment diseases and conditions. Alzheimers, Dementia, the severe mental impairment that some kids are born with (Not sure what the various conditions are called)."
"I would make humans and other animals immune to cancer. I would extend healthy human lifespans by another 50 years, and dogs and cats can also live as long as humans."
"I would then give humans the ability to research and cure other diseases and ailment so that mankind could eventually have treatments for such things as they come along. I say this because I only get an hour and things will appear in the future that can't be predicted (even with God's power)."
"And lastly, I'd of course, give my self a bigger dick, because who wouldn't?"
- ClownfishSoup
GiphyOh you didn't honestly think we were going to get through an article about god-like powers and NOT have someone use it for penises... did you?
Come on now.
You're not THAT new on the internet.
You know how people are around here.
What would YOU use your god-like powers for now that you've read some of Reddits ideas? Let us know in the comments.
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.