Family is a big part of Friends, but which moments on the show are the sweetest between the gang and their relatives?
Given the title, it's no surprise that Friends is about friendship, not family - but of course, family still plays a big part in the show. Not every parent or sibling has a lot of screen time, but when they do, it often leads to some of the funniest scenes - and ones that are either heartwarming, or occasionally heartbreaking. Monica and Ross's parents (Jack and Judy) are definitely the fan-favorites, and even showed up for the recent reunion, but there are plenty of other family members that had their best moments as well.
From longer story arcs with a big impact to individual scenes that will forever live in fans' minds, these are some of the best, sweetest, and most wholesome family moments in the show - and unsurprisingly, they often involve the same family members (with no Ursula Buffay in sight).
Phoebe definitely has the most complicated, and often sad, family situation in the show. At the start of the show fans learn that her mother died by suicide, she doesn't know her father, and her sister is a generally horrible person. She and her grandmother are close (and live together), but her grandmother dies early on in the series. Later, though, Phoebe gets the chance to connect with multiple other family members - including the father who ran out on her as a child. It's a sad moment, as she tries to confront him about it, but eventually, a sweet one. The two may not be ready to reconcile fully, but he does reveal that 'Smelly Cat' is actually to the tune of a lullaby he used to sing her as a baby, which is absolutely adorable.
Early on in the series, Rachel's parents get divorced, and it's not easy on Rachel. However, it ends up creating a surprisingly touching scene when Rachel's mother comes into the city and is excitedly talking to Rachel about all the things she wants to do, and how inspiring she finds Rachel's own choices. At first, Rachel is shocked that her mother is bringing this up with her, but when her mother says "you didn't marry your Barry, honey, but I married mine", the realization that her mother is very similar to her is obvious. It's a moment of real depth and understanding, and one that brings them closer together.
Chandler definitely struggles with his relationship to his family - especially after their divorce when he was a child. When his mother is first introduced, she is vivacious and casually chats about sex and her work as a writer of "romance" novels with the group, which he finds humiliating. That's nothing compared to when she kisses Ross, though. Chandler is (understandably) furious, but this gives him the motivation to confront her about everything that bothers him. In the end, they find some real honest communication, and finally start to rebuild their relationship properly.
Joey has a huge family, although they don't appear on the show as much as fans might have expected. However, it's clear that he loves his family, and that they are extremely protective of each other. It's also clear that he adores his Nonnie, who doesn't speak a word of English and who is incredibly proud of his work as an actor.
In one episode, she comes over to watch his part in Law and Order, but Joey realizes partway through the episode that it was cut... just to keep her happy and proud, he ends up filming a scene in his apartment, distracting her, and putting in the tape - convincing her that he was on TV after all. It's silly, but it's sweet.
Rachel and Ross are the first of the group to start their own family when Rachel has Emma - and they have plenty of sweet parenting moments together. One of their funniest, though, is when they realize that baby Emma laughs if they sing to her... as long as the song being sung is 'Baby Got Back'. This leads to a hilarious scene where they are dancing around in front of her crib singing and rapping, until the rest of the gang comes in and sees. It's still adorable to see how much they take joy in parenting, though, and how they will make fools of themselves just to make their daughter smile.
Although Ross and Rachel are the first to start a family, Phoebe is the first to give birth, when she is a surrogate to her brother's babies. The entire storyline is packed with wholesome moments, from her first agreeing to do this for them (and even before that, when she comes to terms with Frank Jr's relationship with a much older woman), to all the ways that they support each other through it. The most emotional moment, though, is when she has given birth, and is cradling all three in her arms, giving them a little talk about life.
Rachel's relationship with her father is not an easy one, and he's often cold and harsh with his children, although he is also quite protective of them. However, her sweetest moment involving his father isn't actually when he is around.
Instead, when one of Rachel's sisters comes to see her, she reveals that it is because their father said that Rachel was the only daughter he was really proud of. Rachel's reaction to this, and realizing that her father does love and appreciate her, is incredibly touching.
Chandler's father is something of a problematic character in the series, as the show has been criticized for making transphobic jokes about them. Chandler himself often makes defensive and angry comments about his father and their work as a stage performer for a show called 'Viva Las Gay-Gas'. However, they have some great moments later on, as Monica and Chandler are about to get married, and go to Vegas to tell Chandler's Dad - despite their long estrangement. Seeing both Helena's hurt at realizing Chandler is engaged and there was no invitation, and the eventual happiness when an invitation is actually offered, is incredible - as is seeing Monica remind Chandler that coming to swim meets dressed like 'Hollywood starlets' isn't exactly a bad thing. After all, Chandler's Dad at least came to every single meet and cheered him on.
In one of the most memorable and funniest Thanksgiving episodes in the show, Jack and Judy Geller are bombarded with a slew of confessions from the gang, starting when Monica and Ross start telling on each other about all their various secrets - from Ross's divorce and job loss to Monica breaking the porch swing and living with Chandler. As Judy says, it's a lot of information to get in 30 seconds. However, the scene ends with a sweet family moment, as Judy tells Monica that she is surprised that her daughter felt the need to keep such an important relationship a secret, and the two parents embrace Chandler and tell him how much they appreciate him.
Monica and Ross's sibling dynamic is hilarious, and leads to so many great scenes between them that it's hard to pick just one to sum up their connection - but their 'routine' has to be one of the best moments, not just for them, but for the entire series. Their school days dance routine is hilarious not just because they are both so utterly unaware of how bad it is, but because they made it in the first place, and have been continuing to practice it in secret. These two are clearly incredibly close friends, as well as brother and sister, and it's scenes like this that cement that.
