Top 10 Friends Jokes That Went Over Our Head As Kids

If you had unlimited power for a day, what would you do? Do your plans align with Phoebe’s? Or perhaps you think more like Chandler? Maybe your dreams are entirely different. It’s a fun discussion that many of us have probably had with our friends at some point. However, we can’t imagine too many responded like Joey. “What could be so awful about being all-powerful?!” Our young selves exclaimed. However, in adulthood, we realized that “Omnipotent” sounds a lot like another word. And given Joey’s active personal life, we can see why he’d be devastated. Hilariously, Ross’ attempt to clear things up also backfires.

In season six, Joey’s determined to get his photo back up on the wall at his local drycleaners after landing the leading role in “Mac and C.H.E.E.S.E.” Only the dry cleaner is offended by the show’s characterization of Russians and refuses. Joey points out that Harrison Ford made the wall even though his film “Air Force One” has a similarly negative depiction. This prompts the dry cleaner to respond. But this joke is more nuanced than we initially realized since the actor Ilia Volok is in the movie and plays a bad guy. To be fair, we don’t see his photo on the wall either.

Rachel starts feeling a little insecure and jealous after meeting Gavin, who’s been filling in for her while she’s been on maternity leave. She tells Ross a lie about why she needs to return to work immediately, but he gets so angry that she has no choice but to come clean almost instantly. She calls him “Norma Rae” in a nod to the 1979 movie starring Sally Field. In it, the titular character joins a trade union to combat the poor working conditions at her factory job. It’s not exactly a kid-friendly subject, so it’s no wonder we only picked up on the reference years later.

As adults, we can appreciate the importance of a good cup of joe. Rachel’s first attempt at making coffee is so bad that Joey and Chandler pour it out into a plant. Sadly, that poor plant also couldn’t handle just how awful it was and seems to have died, as seen several scenes later. This wasn’t the only gag in the pilot that probably should’ve alerted us that this wasn’t a show for kids. We salivated over Joey’s ice cream metaphor, blissfully unaware of what any of it actually meant. It would also be years until we’d finally understand why Phoebe’s confusion over Paul the Wine guy was so funny.

You don’t have to be grown up to understand the frustration of eyeing up some delicious sweet treat just to learn that someone else got the last one. It’s even more annoying when it’s your friend, and they grab it from right under your nose and then lick it. So, when Phoebe shares some news riddled with innuendo and Chandler’s mouth is too full to respond, we feel like he’s been served his just desserts. And clearly, so did Monica when she delivered this epic line. But fess up; how long did it take you to realize this was another double-entendre? Don’t worry; we won’t judge.

In this episode, Joey walks in while Chandler’s making fun of the gift he bought him and is understandably upset. Incidentally, it also took us a while to get the joke about the bracelet's impact on Chandler’s personal life, but we digress. In an attempt to smooth things over, Chandler tells Joey they were practicing impressions and urges him to join in. But Joey says nothing and leaves. Were you familiar with the works of French actor and mime Marcel Marceau as a child? Yeah, us neither. But now we see that Chandler was right; his silent exit was pretty spot on.

Rachel receives some devastating news when her mom comes to visit. She tells her that she was inspired by her decision to start her life over and wants to do the same. Later, when Rachel talks to her friends about it, Monica tries to help her see the silver lining, but Rachel’s just not there yet . This line is wittier than we initially realized! “The Rachel,” made famous by Jennifer Aniston, was a major hairstyle trend in the 90s, with millions of fans worldwide replicating the look. This was a clever nod to the pop culture phenomenon, and now that we get it, it only makes us love the show more.

As “Friends” fans, we can barely make it through a Thanksgiving without remembering Rachel’s infamous trifle. The idea of a dessert with “ beef sautéed with peas and onions” is funny at any age— as long as we’re not the ones eating it. However, we were a little confused when Joey and Ross discovered how this unusual dessert came to be, and Joey blames Chandler. Sure, jam and custard can be a little sticky, but we’ve never seen Chandler attempt to make this English dessert, so how is this his fault? Of course, now we understand. But why would a recipe book make his dough rise, if you know what we mean?

As Ross and Rachel prepare for a very special date, they’re interrupted by a museum crisis. During a heated phone call, a frustrated Ross points out an error in one of their displays, to which Chandler can’t resist responding. Later, we see Rachel check if Chandler’s quip, erm, stands up. But if you didn’t get that joke, then you probably didn’t get this one, either. While getting intimate, Rachel feels a sudden dampness and reassures Ross that it’s all good. As kids, we probably thought he’d had an accident, just not the kind one Rachel had in mind. Either way, her relief makes a lot of sense.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

“How Do You Get the Mainsail Up?” “The One With Phoebe's Cookies”
That Might Work for a Mansail, but Probably Not the Mainsail, if You Catch Our Drift

What Is Not That Common, Doesn’t Happen to Every Guy, and Is a Big Deal?! “The One with the Jellyfish”
Chandler Knows the Answer & Eventually, We Did Too!

Easy Monica’s Bakery, “The One With a Chick and a Duck”
There’s Muffin Else to Say; This One Speaks for Itself

What’s the Capital of Cambodia? “The One Where Dr. Ramoray Dies”
Yeah, We’re Also Pretty Sure It’s Not Sean Penn, Close, Though! (It’s Phnom Penh, in Case You Were Wondering)

Uncle Sal Has a “Really Big Tongue” & a Beautiful Wife, “The One With the Baby on the Bus”
Hmm, We Wonder What It Is about His Tongue Size That His Wife Finds So... Satisfying

Watching Monica repeatedly and passionately yell “Seven!” has always been hilarious. However, for many years we didn’t realize it was also a valuable learning opportunity. Indeed, when we first watched this episode, we were as clueless as Chandler, granted we were pretty young. But even if we had no idea what was going on, Monica’s growing enthusiasm always made us laugh. These days we appreciate her crash course in all its glory, and for some, it may have even come in handy. Still, we can’t help but think back to all those times we mimicked Monica without understanding what was happening.