friends the reunion moments recap

8 Revelations In ‘Friends: The Reunion’ That Blew My Mind

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They’ve been ON A BREAK for 17 long years, but last night our six faves returned for Friends: The Reunion and I’m feeling all the feelings.

It’s difficult to convey just how huge this show was when it aired from 1994 to 2004. I can’t think of a TV show more universally beloved, it was the kind of show that was appointment viewing. Thursday night was Friends Night, with each 30-minute episode bringing people together. I vividly remember sitting on beanbags in my family’s lounge room and watching the show with my mum every week, both of us howling with laughter.

Everyone had a favourite character or someone they identified with. ‘You’re such a Monica!’ was a common reaction to someone being a clean freak, or ‘Don’t be a Ross!’ when a friend said something in bad taste. The show’s cast — Jennifer Aniston, Matthew Perry, Courtney Cox, David Schwimmer, Lisa Kudrow and Matt LeBlanc — became household names. It was truly the biggest show on the planet, it was an absolute phenomenon.

So yeah, Friends is more than just a TV show. It means a lot to people across the world, so last night’s reunion reflecting on its unprecedented success across 10 seasons was an emotional experience. And boy, did it deliver. From the cast reenacting some of the series’ most memorable scenes, James Corden asking probing questions, to some of our fave guests returning, the reunion was everything I could have hoped for.

I cried, I cried a lot.

And along with the reunion being filled with wholesome nostalgic vibes, the two-hour special event also dropped quite a few bombshells.

Here are 8 revelations in Friends: The Reunion that blew my mind:

1. Jennifer and David had crushes on each other in the early seasons

Could Jen and David have been endgame all along? This revelation truly rocked me. Corden asked the cast if there were any under-the-radar romances between the six, which prompted Jen to drop this bombshell: “Umm, I mean, David?”. WHAT!

David then went on to reveal they both had crushes on each other in the early seasons. “I mean, the first season, I had a major crush on Jen. At some point, we were crushing hard on each other,” David admitted. “But it was like two ships passing, because one of us was always in a relationship and we never crossed that boundary. We respected that.”

OH. MY. GODDDDD.

Look away now, Brad!

Because they couldn’t actually date, Jen said “we just channelled all of our adoration and love for each other into Ross and Rachel.” YOU CAN’T MAKE THIS STUFF UP.

“Honestly, I remember saying one time to David, ‘It’s going to be such a bummer if the first time you and I actually kiss is going to be on national television. Sure enough, the first time we kissed was in that coffee shop.” This is absolutely heart-wrenching.

And yep, the stans shipping Jen and David has already begun.

2. Monica and Chandler were only meant to be a one-night stand

The greatest TV relationship almost wasn’t going to happen, as Friends co-creator David Crane revealed that Monica and Chandler were only supposed to have a one-night stand in London — it wasn’t initially going to turn into a relationship. The plan was for them to have sex and this would bring an awkward dynamic to their friendship, however when the scene was being filmed where Monica popped up in Chandler’s bed, the live audience “went insane,” executive producer Kevin Bright revealed.

This reaction led to the writers and producers realising they were on to something special, so decided to keep their relationship going. “We still at that point didn’t quite realise how far it would go,” co-creator Marta Kauffman said. Pretty far, huh!

3. Rachel and Chandler almost weren’t going to be played by Jen and Matthew

Both Jen and Matthew were locked into different TV pilots when they were approached to do Friends. Producers were able to convince Perry to drop out of his pilot for a very weird space show called, LAX 2194. However, Jennifer stayed on to film both shows simultaneously — Friends and some TV show called Muddling Through — but luckily, only Friends was picked up by a network.

4. Matthew hated performing in front of a live audience

While most of the cast said they thrived off performing in front of a crowd every episode, Matthew felt differently. The actor admitted that he “hated filming in front of a studio audience” as he “felt like I was going to die if they [the audience] didn’t laugh… I would sweat and shake.”

5. The whole cast agreed that Rachel and Ross were on break

It’s the question that has plagued the show for at least seven seasons and a further 17 years of all our lives: were Ross and Rachel on a break? Corden put this question to the cast and the overwhelming consensus was: yep! Every single cast member — even Jen — agreed that they were on a break. Ross is vindicated!!

6. David hated working with the monkey playing Marcel

Marcel became an unofficial cast member during the cheeky primate’s short stint on the show, but apparently he didn’t win over the person playing his owner, as David revealed that filming with the monkey was one of his least favourite memories. Schwimmer said he grew frustrated when the monkey missed his marks (yes, he actually said this), which meant they had to start the scene over. Add to this, Marcelle would eat live grubs while sitting on David’s shoulder, and the bugs would end up in David’s hair and on his clothes. “I’d have monkey grubby hands all over,” he said.

David was glad to see the monkey leave the show. “It was time for Marcel to f*ck off.” Savage!

7. The iconic “pivot!” scene was just as funny to make as it was to watch.

It’s the Friends moment that would take on a life of its own. The simple scene required Ross to shout “pivot!” at Chandler and Rachel as they attempted to carry a couch up a flight of stairs, but the way David would repeatedly say “pivot!” (more like ‘PIVAT!’) made the entire scene simply iconic.

The reunion played the full recording of the moment, showing that all three actors were in absolute stitches over it.

8. The cast’s predictions on where they saw their characters today will make you weep.

While the reunion may not have provided any actual updates on what became of the characters since the 2004 finale, the actors themselves gave their two cents. Jen reckons Ross and Rachel are still going strong. “We ended up getting married, we had some kids and you [David] still play with bones.”

Courtney gave her predictions, telling Corden that, “Her [Monica] kids are probably, they’re probably graduated, but she’s still in charge of the bake sale at an elementary school. She’s just gotta keep things going [and is in the] PTA,” before being reminded by Matthew that Chandler exists and adding, “And you are making me laugh every day.”

Lisa said she thinks Phoebe and Mike started a family. “They had kids, and I think she was, like, the advocate for her kids who are a little different and all the other kids who are a little different, creating the arts program and the music thing.” So how is Joey doing? His life update was the most realistic, as Matt joked, “He probably opened a sandwich shop in Venice Beach.” Perfection.

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You can stream Friends: The Reunion on Binge.