Friends (season 3)

Friends (season 3)
Friends season 3 DVD cover
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	25
Release
Original network	NBC
Original release	September 19, 1996 – May 15, 1997

The third season of Friends, an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, premiered on NBC on September 19, 1996. Friends was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television. The season contains 25 episodes and concluded airing on May 15, 1997. It is usually regarded as some of the series's finest work.

Season synopsis

This season took on a significantly greater serialized format. Rachel begins working at Bloomingdale's and Ross becomes jealous of her co-worker, Mark Robinson. Ross and Rachel break up and Ross sleeps with the hot girl from the copy center, Chloe. His insistence that he and Rachel were "on a break" becomes a running gag through the remaining seasons. The two show significant animosity towards each other through the second half of the season, though the cliffhanger ending suggests the two reconcile. Interestingly, the first episode after they break up does not focus on the two of them, but on Chandler, who's having a very hard time dealing with the situation, as it reminds him of his parents' divorce. Also early in the season Chandler and Janice's relationship takes a shocking turn when Joey accidentally sees Janice kissing her ex-husband in his office, which ultimately ends with Janice going back to him. Phoebe Buffay, established as having no family except for an identical twin sister, becomes acquainted with her half-brother, Frank Jr. and in the finale discovers her birth mother she never knew she had. Joey develops a crush on Kate, his acting partner in a new play. At first, she doesn't harbor feelings for him, even after sleeping together. However, after her boyfriend/director dumps her following a scathing review of the play, she turns to Joey for support. The relationship doesn't last long, as she is given an opportunity on a soap opera in Los Angeles. Monica begins a relationship with Pete Becker, a millionaire who has a crush on her. At first, she only sees him as a friend, but eventually, the two begin to date. Preparing for what she thinks is a marriage proposal, Pete confides in her that he wants to become the Ultimate Fighting Champion. After seeing him get beat up badly in two matches, she tells him he has to give it up. Since he won't, she breaks up with him.

Cast and characters

(In particular, Introduced in season 3 or Only in season 3)

Main Cast Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green Courteney Cox as Monica Geller Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay Matt LeBlanc as Joey Tribbiani Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing David Schwimmer as Ross Geller

Recurring cast Maggie Wheeler as Janice Hosenstein Jon Favreau as Pete Becker Steven Eckholdt as Mark Robinson Angela Featherstone as Chloe Giovanni Ribisi as Frank Buffay, Jr. Dina Meyer as Kate Miller James Michael Tyler as Gunther Teri Garr as Phoebe Abbott Jennifer Milmore as Lauren

Guest stars Tom Selleck as Richard Burke June Gable as Estelle Leonard David Arquette as Malcolm Christine Taylor as Bonnie Larry Hankin as Mr. Heckles Isabella Rossellini as herself Robin Williams as Tomas Elizabeth Daily as Leslie Sherilyn Fenn as Ginger Billy Crystal as Tim Ben Stiller as Tommy Matt Battaglia as Vince Robert Gant as Jason Suzanna Voltaire as Margha Sam McMurray as Doug

Episodes

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	U.S. viewers (millions)
49	1	"The One with the Princess Leia Fantasy"	Gail Mancuso	Michael Curtis & Gregory S. Malins	September 19, 1996	465251	26.8[1]
Ross reveals his sexual fantasy to Rachel, which involves her being dressed up in Princess Leia's bikini from Star Wars. Monica suffers from insomnia after her breakup with Richard. And Chandler, willingly back together with Janice, wants Joey to bond with her.
50	2	"The One Where No One's Ready"	Gail Mancuso	Ira Ungerleider	September 26, 1996	465252	26.7[1]
Ross is in a hurry to get everyone dressed for an important banquet at the museum but everyone keeps delaying. Monica freaks when she hears an answer phone message from Richard, and Joey and Chandler fight over a chair.
51	3	"The One with the Jam"	Kevin S. Bright	Wil Calhoun	October 3, 1996	465253	25.2[1]
Phoebe is stalked by a man who mistakes her for her twin sister. Ross and Rachel give Chandler "boyfriend" lessons. Monica uses her free time after breaking up with Richard to make jam and considers artificial insemination through a sperm bank. Guest star: David Arquette
52	4	"The One with the Metaphorical Tunnel"	Steve Zuckerman	Alexa Junge	October 10, 1996	465254	26.1[1]
Phoebe pretends to be Joey's agent and has some success in getting him auditions, however the initial rush soon wears off when she is forced to tell him why he isn't getting any parts. Ross is upset when Ben brings a Barbie doll on his weekend visit. Chandler is advancing in his relationship with Janice and, realizing that he has a fear of commitment, goes to the girls for advice.
53	5	"The One with Frank Jr."	Steve Zuckerman	Shana Goldberg-Meehan & Scott Silveri	October 17, 1996	465255	23.3[1]
Phoebe's half-brother visits and she offers to give him a massage, but they have trouble bonding. Joey attempts to build an entertainment center. Ross is challenged to name the five celebrities he'd like to sleep with most. Guest star Isabella Rossellini.
54	6	"The One with the Flashback"	Peter Bonerz	David Crane & Marta Kauffman	October 31, 1996	465256	23.3[1]
When Janice asks the gang if any of them have ever slept together, the friends flash back to a time three years before, where some dark secrets are revealed among other, that Ross kissed Phoebe, Joey got naked in front of Monica, and Chandler and Rachel both wanted to have sex with each other (but didn't).
55	7	"The One with the Race Car Bed"	Gail Mancuso	Seth Kurland	November 7, 1996	465257	27.4[1]
When Monica buys a new bed from Janice's soon-to-be-ex-husband, "The Mattress King", the wrong one is delivered. When she and Joey try to take it back, Joey sees Janice and The Mattress King in his office, kissing. Rachel tries to have her father and Ross bond by going to dinner but when Rachel's father tips only 4%, Ross adds 20 dollars to it and Rachel's father thinks that Ross thinks he is cheap. Rachel sets up a brunch the day after but things go wrong when both men bond by criticizing her. Joey gets a job teaching a soap opera acting class when a student gets the same audition as Joey, forcing Joey to make a desperate decision.
56	8	"The One with the Giant Poking Device"	Gail Mancuso	Adam Chase	November 14, 1996	465258	28.7[1]
When Chandler is about to buy Janice an expensive gift, Joey tells him that he saw Janice kissing her ex-husband. Meanwhile, Monica accidentally bumps Ben's head into a post. Phoebe is convinced that she is cursed because every time she goes to the dentist, someone around her dies, and a toothache is forcing her to make another visit. After returning, she frantically tries to figure out who must have died. Everyone is accounted for until Joey notices that Ugly Naked Guy isn't moving. In an attempt to see if he's dead or just sleeping, they tape together chopsticks to make a long stick with which they poke him through his window from the balcony.
57	9	"The One with the Football"	Kevin S. Bright	Ira Ungerleider	November 21, 1996	465259	29.3[1]
Emotions become the feast of the day when the gang plays a game of touch football on Thanksgiving when Ross and Monica's competitive streaks flare up while Joey and Chandler argue over who gets to date a Dutch model that is watching the game.
58	10	"The One Where Rachel Quits"	Terry Hughes	Gregory S. Malins & Michael Curtis	December 12, 1996	465260	25.1[1]
Rachel is tired of serving coffee and wants a career in fashion, but isn't sure what to do about it. Chandler advises her that she needs "the fear" of being unemployed to focus her on finding a new career. With that, Rachel promptly quits Central Perk but soon discovers that finding a new job is easier said than done and is left without any leads on her last day. Phoebe tries to help Joey when he gets a job selling Christmas trees. Ross accidentally breaks a girl's leg, and attempts to make it up to her by helping her sell cookies to win a trip to Space Camp.
59	11	"The One Where Chandler Can't Remember Which Sister"	Terry Hughes	Alexa Junge	January 9, 1997	465261	29.8[1]
Rachel is angry that her new job at Fortunata Fashions involves nothing more than serving coffee, which she had hoped to never do again. While venting her frustration to Monica she bumps into Mark, an employee of Bloomingdale's who knows of a vacancy in his department. He gets her an interview and coaches her through it, however Ross is suspicious of Mark's motives and is left unhappy when Rachel lands the job since she'll be working directly alongside him. A drunken Chandler fools around with one of Joey's sisters, but can't remember which one.
60	12	"The One with All the Jealousy"	Robby Benson	Doty Abrams	January 16, 1997	465262	29.6[1]
Ross is jealous of Mark, thinking he is trying to steal Rachel away causing him to shower Rachel with romantic gifts at her workplace. Joey's numerous lies on his resume catch up to him, as he is forced to teach a very hard dance to an entire Broadway cast. Monica dates Julio, a busboy from the diner who writes a poem for her called 'The Empty Vase'. Touched, Monica sleeps with him but is then told by Phoebe that the poem is referring to her.
61	13	"The One Where Monica and Richard are Just Friends"	Robby Benson	Michael Borkow	January 30, 1997	465265	28.0[1]
Monica's will power is tested when she runs into Richard at the video store. The two decide to be just 'friends', but quickly start sleeping together again. Joey agrees to read Little Women while Rachel agrees to read The Shining. Phoebe's athletic date has a problem with short shorts—he is "coming out".
62	14	"The One with Phoebe's Ex-Partner"	Robby Benson	Wil Calhoun	February 6, 1997	465266	28.9[1]
Phoebe is reunited with her former singing partner (Elizabeth Daily), who thinks "Smelly Cat" has hit potential. Chandler dates a woman with a prosthetic leg (Sherilyn Fenn). Ross, who is getting sick of Rachel's long work hours, is happy to learn that Mark is leaving Bloomingdale's, just to discover Rachel is still friends with him and are planning to attend a fashion seminar together. In order to make sure Mark can't go, Ross accompanies her instead but then quickly falls asleep which causes a fresh argument and leaves the relationship on very rocky ground.
63	15	"The One Where Ross and Rachel Take a Break"	James Burrows	Michael Borkow	February 13, 1997	465263	27.3[1]
Chandler and Joey ponder a possible threesome with Chloe (Angela Featherstone), "the hot girl from the copy place, with the belly button ring". Phoebe, after giving free massages "to promote world peace" in front of the UN building, dates an eastern Europe diplomat who needs an interpreter to communicate with her. Ross and Rachel's relationship continues to deteriorate when she is forced to work on their one-year anniversary, and Ross' attempt to bring the celebration to her only to find she hasn't the time or the patience to deal with him, leads to a bitter argument and Rachel deciding the two need to go on a 'break'. Upset, Ross goes drinking with Joey, Chandler and Chloe where he decides to make up with Rachel and calls her. When he hears Mark's voice in the background, Ross assumes the worst and ends up in the arms of Chloe.
64	16	"The One with the Morning After"	James Burrows	David Crane & Marta Kauffman	February 20, 1997	465264	28.3[1]
Ross wakes up the next morning full of regret after sleeping with Chloe, and is forced to hide her when Rachel visits him hoping to make up. Although he is initially successful, he is exposed when the secret makes its way to Gunther who doesn't hesitate in telling Rachel everything. The two go back to her apartment and have a huge fight, as the other four friends are trapped in Monica's bedroom, forced to listen in. The argument lasts for hours, and although Ross is desperate for forgiveness Rachel refuses and ends the relationship completely with both Ross and Rachel both devastated and completely heartbroken.
65	17	"The One Without the Ski Trip"	Sam Simon	Shana Goldberg-Meehan & Scott Silveri	March 6, 1997	465267	25.8[1]
Ross and Rachel can no longer be in the same room as each other without arguing over who is to blame for their relationship ending, forcing the rest of the group to divide their time between them. When a lonely Ross is excluded from Rachel's ski trip with her pals, he visits Carol desperate for sympathy and tells her an embellished version of the break-up. Meanwhile Chandler, reminded of his parents breaking-up, starts smoking again.
66	18	"The One with the Hypnosis Tape"	Robby Benson	Seth Kurland	March 13, 1997	465269	28.1[1]
A desperate Monica agrees to a date with one of her restaurant customers, who turns out to be very well off (Pete, played by Jon Favreau). Phoebe freaks when she finds out that her 18-year-old brother is planning to wed a woman more than twice his age (Debra Jo Rupp). Chandler uses a hypnosis tape to quit smoking, but it is meant for women, which causes Chandler to act feminine.
67	19	"The One with the Tiny T-Shirt"	Terry Hughes	Adam Chase	March 27, 1997	465268	23.7[1]
Rachel goes on her first date after splitting from Ross, with Mark from her office. Joey develops a crush on Kate (Dina Meyer), his costar in his new play. Monica continues to date Pete, even though she is still not attracted to him.
68	20	"The One with the Dollhouse"	Terry Hughes	Wil Calhoun	April 10, 1997	465270	24.4[1]
Rachel regrets making a date for Chandler and her boss, Joanna. Joey's interest in Kate intensifies after they sleep together. Monica's aunt dies, leaving her a beautiful antique dollhouse, but it's too elaborate to play with, so Phoebe makes her own dollhouse, but it meets a sad end.
69	21	"The One with a Chick and a Duck"	Michael Lembeck	Chris Brown	April 17, 1997	465271	23.2[1]
Monica considers a dream job in Pete's new restaurant, but Phoebe senses there is more to the deal. Joey and Chandler adopt a baby chick and a duck. Ross misses a panel for the Discovery Channel to help Rachel, who may have a broken rib.
70	22	"The One with the Screamer"	Peter Bonerz	Shana Goldberg-Meehan & Scott Silveri	April 24, 1997	465272	22.6[1]
Rachel dates a man (Ben Stiller) who turns out to be an aggressive, testosterone-fuelled bully who frightens and intimidates anyone who irritates him by viciously screaming at them. Joey and Kate break up when she gets a big job in Los Angeles and takes it. Phoebe is on hold for days with a company she needs to talk to before her phone warranty expires.
71	23	"The One with Ross's Thing"	Shelley Jensen	Ted Cohen & Andrew Reich	May 1, 1997	465274	24.2[1]
Afflicted with a mysterious skin condition on his behind, Ross seeks advice from Phoebe's herbalist (Kevin McDonald). Phoebe can't choose between dating a fireman or a Kindergarten teacher and attempts to date both behind each other's back. Monica can't decide what to do about Pete when she thinks he is going to break up with her because Pete says when he gets back from Atlanta, They need to have a talk, So she's having a hard time deciding on what's he is going to do.
72	24	"The One with the Ultimate Fighting Champion"	Robby Benson	Story: Pang-Ni Landrum & Mark Kunerth Teleplay: Shana Goldberg-Meehan & Scott Silveri	May 8, 1997	465273	23.1[1]
To Monica's horror, Pete plans to compete in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and when he can't win but won't give up, she must decide her future with him. Chandler has a problem when his new boss keeps slapping him on the butt. Phoebe sets Ross up on a date with a woman who used to be bald. This episode features a cameo skit by Billy Crystal and Robin Williams.
73	25	"The One at the Beach"	Pamela Fryman	Story: Pang-Ni Landrum & Mark Kunerth Teleplay: Adam Chase	May 15, 1997	465275	28.8[1]
The gang goes to the beach. In search of a woman who was friends with her mom, Phoebe meets the woman (who is also named Phoebe) with links to her family's past, who may know more than she's letting on. Ross discovers that Rachel still loves him, and must choose between sex-crazy, but bald, Bonnie (Christine Taylor), and Rachel, the love of his life.

Ratings

No. in series	No. in season	Episode	Air date	Time slot (EST)	Rating/Share (18–49)	Viewers (m)	Weekly Rank	Ref.
49	1	"The One with the Princess Leia Fantasy"	September 19, 1996	Thursdays 8:00 p.m.	16.7/31	26.8	3	[2]
50	2	"The One Where No One's Ready"	September 26, 1996		18.4/31	26.7	4
51	3	"The One with the Jam"	October 3, 1996		17.3/30	25.2	6
52	4	"The One with the Metaphorical Tunnel"	October 10, 1996		18.0/30	26.1	5
53	5	"The One with Frank Jr."	October 17, 1996		16.1/26	23.3	5
54	6	"The One with the Flashback"	October 31, 1996		16.0/28	23.3	5
55	7	"The One with the Race Car Bed"	November 7, 1996		18.0/29	27.4	4
56	8	"The One with the Giant Poking Device"	November 14, 1996		18.8/30	28.7	4
57	9	"The One with the Football"	November 21, 1996		19.0/30	29.3	5
58	10	"The One Where Rachel Quits"	December 12, 1996		16.1/27	25.1	4
59	11	"The One Where Chandler Can't Remember Which Sister"	January 9, 1997		19.4/29	29.8	2
60	12	"The One Where Monica and Richard Are Just Friends"	January 16, 1997		19.4/29	29.6	4
61	13	"The One with All the Jealousy"	January 30, 1997		18.9/29	28.0	3
62	14	"The One with Pheobe's Ex-Partner"	February 6, 1997		19.0/30	28.9	3
63	15	"The One Where Ross and Rachel Take a Break"	February 13, 1997		18.3/29	27.3	4
64	16	"The One The Morning After"	February 20, 1997		18.6/29	28.3	5
65	17	"The One Without the Ski Trip"	March 6, 1997		17.5/29	25.8	2
66	18	"The One with the Hypnosis Tape"	March 13, 1997		18.7/30	28.1	2
67	19	"The One with the Tiny T-Shirt"	March 27, 1997		16.0/28	23.7	3
68	20	"The One with the Dollhouse"	April 10, 1997		16.3/28	24.4	4
69	21	"The One with a Chick And a Duck"	April 17, 1997		16.0/28	23.2	3
70	22	"The One with the Screamer"	April 24, 1997		15.5/27	22.6	5
71	23	"The One with Ross's Thing"	May 1, 1997		16.6/29	24.2	5
72	24	"The One with the Ultimate Fighting Champion"	May 8, 1997		15.6/27	23.1	4
73	25	"The One at the Beach"	May 15, 1997		16.5/29	28.8	4

Awards and Nominations

49th Primetime Emmy Awards

• Nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Lisa Kudrow) (Episode: "The One with the Flashback")

54th Golden Globe Awards

• Nomination for Best Comedy Series

References

1. "Friends Nielsen Ratings Archive – Season Three". Newmusicandmore.tripod.com. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
2. "Nielsen Ratings". http://newmusicandmore.tripod.com/. Retrieved November 2, 2016. External link in |website= (help)

External links

• List of Friends episodes at the Internet Movie Database
• Friends: Season 3 at Rotten Tomatoes