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The Best Episodes of Friends Season 3

Every episode of Friends Season 3 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Friends Season 3!

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Six young people from New York City, on their own and struggling to survive in the real world, find the companionship, comfort and support they get from each other to be the perfect antidote to

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    Friends Season 3 Episode 1 - The One with the Princess Leia Fantasy
    8.3/10(6280 votes)

    #1 - The One with the Princess Leia Fantasy

    S3:E1

    Ross reveals a fantasy to Rachel involving a certain "Star Wars" character. Monica suffers from insomnia after her breakup with Richard. And Chandler, back together with Janice, wants Joey to bond with her.

    Director:Gail Mancuso
    Writers:Michael Curtis, Greg Malins

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  2. Friends Season 3 Episode 2 - The One Where No One's Ready
    8.9/10(8385 votes)

    #2 - The One Where No One's Ready

    S3:E2

    In a race against the clock, a stressed Ross tries to get the gang dressed and ready for a black-tie benefit at the museum while Joey and Chandler clash over personal belongings and personal space.

    Director:Gail Mancuso
    Writer:Ira Ungerleider

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  3. Friends Season 3 Episode 3 - The One with the Jam
    7.8/10(5965 votes)

    #3 - The One with the Jam

    S3:E3

    Phoebe dates a man who thinks he's stalking her twin sister. Ross and Rachel give Chandler "boyfriend" lessons. Monica decides the best way to get over Richard is to keep herself busy, so she uses her free time to make jam and considers insemination via a sperm bank.

    Director:Kevin S. Bright
    Writer:Wil Calhoun

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  4. Friends Season 3 Episode 4 - The One with the Metaphorical Tunnel
    7.8/10(5745 votes)

    #4 - The One with the Metaphorical Tunnel

    S3:E4

    Phoebe poses as Joey's agent and has some success in getting him auditions. Ross panics when he sees his son with a Barbie doll. Chandler is advancing in his relationship with Janice and, realizing that he has a fear of commitment, goes to the girls for advice.

    Director:Steve Zuckerman
    Writer:Alexa Junge

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  5. Friends Season 3 Episode 5 - The One with Frank, Jr.
    8.0/10(5883 votes)

    #5 - The One with Frank, Jr.

    S3:E5

    Phoebe's half-brother visits, 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.

    Director:Steve Zuckerman
    Writers:Scott Silveri, Shana Goldberg-Meehan

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  6. Friends Season 3 Episode 6 - The One with the Flashback
    9.0/10(7598 votes)

    #6 - The One with the Flashback

    S3:E6

    When Janice asks the gang if any of them have ever slept together, the friends flash back to a time three years before.

    Director:Peter Bonerz
    Writers:Marta Kauffman, David Crane

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  7. Friends Season 3 Episode 7 - The One with the Race Car Bed
    8.1/10(5814 votes)

    #7 - The One with the Race Car Bed

    S3:E7

    Monica buys a new bed from Janice's soon-to-be-ex-husband, "The Mattress King", but the wrong one is delivered. Rachel's attempts to have her father and Ross bond fail, until she stops trying. Joey gets a job teaching a soap opera acting class.

    Director:Gail Mancuso
    Writer:Seth Kurland

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  8. Friends Season 3 Episode 8 - The One with the Giant Poking Device
    8.2/10(5828 votes)

    #8 - The One with the Giant Poking Device

    S3:E8

    When Phoebe believes she's killed the ugly naked guy across the street from Rachel and Monica, Joey constructs a long poking device. Joey and Monica catch Janice kissing her ex-husband; Chandler confronts Janice.

    Director:Gail Mancuso
    Writer:Adam Chase

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  9. Friends Season 3 Episode 9 - The One with the Football
    8.9/10(7947 votes)

    #9 - The One with the Football

    S3:E9

    Emotions become the feast of the day when the gang plays a game of touch football on Thanksgiving. Joey and Chandler argue over who gets to date a model while Ross and Monica argue over winning in a case of sibling rivalry.

    Director:Kevin S. Bright
    Writer:Ira Ungerleider

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  10. Friends Season 3 Episode 10 - The One Where Rachel Quits
    8.0/10(5879 votes)

    #10 - The One Where Rachel Quits

    S3:E10

    Rachel makes a rash decision after Gunther tells her she needs to be retrained. Phoebe tries to help Joey when he gets a job selling Christmas trees. And Ross accidentally breaks a girl's leg and tries to make it up to her.

    Director:Terry Hughes
    Writers:Michael Curtis, Greg Malins

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  11. Friends Season 3 Episode 11 - The One Where Chandler Can't Remember Which Sister
    8.4/10(6050 votes)

    #11 - The One Where Chandler Can't Remember Which Sister

    S3:E11

    Ross is suspicious about Rachel's possible job offer from a good-looking stranger. And a drunken Chandler fools around with one of Joey's sisters, but he can't remember which one.

    Director:Terry Hughes
    Writer:Alexa Junge

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  12. Friends Season 3 Episode 12 - The One with All the Jealousy
    8.0/10(5704 votes)

    #12 - The One with All the Jealousy

    S3:E12

    Ross becomes increasingly jealous of Rachel's new colleague, Mark, and spies on her. Monica hooks up with a co-worker, who writes her a poem with a hidden meaning. One of Joey's numerous lies on his resume is exposed when he takes part in a Broadway musical.

    Director:Robby Benson
    Writer:Doty Abrams

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  13. Friends Season 3 Episode 13 - The One Where Monica and Richard Are Just Friends
    8.1/10(5747 votes)

    #13 - The One Where Monica and Richard Are Just Friends

    S3:E13

    Monica's willpower is tested when she runs into Richard at the video store. Rachel agrees to read The Shining if Joey reads Little Women. Phoebe's athletic date has a problem with short shorts.

    Director:Robby Benson
    Writer:Michael Borkow

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  14. Friends Season 3 Episode 14 - The One with Phoebe's Ex-Partner
    7.6/10(5758 votes)

    #14 - The One with Phoebe's Ex-Partner

    S3:E14

    Phoebe is reunited with her former singing partner who thinks "Smelly Cat" has hit potential; Chandler dates a woman with a prosthetic leg who also has some history with Joey. Meanwhile, Ross goes to a fashion seminar with Rachel, so she won't go with Mark, but falls asleep in the middle of it.

    Director:Robby Benson
    Writer:Wil Calhoun

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  15. Friends Season 3 Episode 15 - The One Where Ross and Rachel Take a Break
    8.4/10(6173 votes)

    #15 - The One Where Ross and Rachel Take a Break

    S3:E15

    Wanting more time to focus on her new job, Rachel suggests that she and Ross take a break from their relationship. Ross later seeks solace at a party. Phoebe dates a diplomat who needs an interpreter to communicate with her. Chandler and Joey ponder a ménage a trois with a woman who seems hot for both of them.

    Director:James Burrows
    Writer:Michael Borkow

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  16. Friends Season 3 Episode 16 - The One with the Morning After
    9.0/10(7483 votes)

    #16 - The One with the Morning After

    S3:E16

    Ross tries to prevent Rachel from learning his disturbing secret. She finds out anyway and they go back to her apartment to have a fight. The other four friends are trapped in Monica's bedroom, forced to listen in.

    Director:James Burrows
    Writers:Marta Kauffman, David Crane

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  17. Friends Season 3 Episode 17 - The One Without the Ski Trip
    8.2/10(5788 votes)

    #17 - The One Without the Ski Trip

    S3:E17

    Ross and Rachel compete to spend time with their other friends. When a lonely Ross is excluded from Rachel's ski trip with her pals, he visits Carol. On the way to the cabin, they run out of gas. Meanwhile, Chandler starts smoking again.

    Director:Sam Simon
    Writers:Scott Silveri, Shana Goldberg-Meehan

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  18. Friends Season 3 Episode 18 - The One with the Hypnosis Tape
    8.2/10(5851 votes)

    #18 - The One with the Hypnosis Tape

    S3:E18

    Monica receives a tip from an admirer worth a small fortune then goes out with the guy. A hypnosis tape intended to assist Chandler to stop smoking has a rather strange side effect. Phoebe is upset when her 18-year-old half-brother, Frank Jr., makes a surprise announcement that he is getting married - to a woman more than twice his age.

    Director:Robby Benson
    Writer:Seth Kurland

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  19. Friends Season 3 Episode 19 - The One with the Tiny T-Shirt
    8.0/10(5627 votes)

    #19 - The One with the Tiny T-Shirt

    S3:E19

    Rachel goes on her first date after splitting from Ross... and it's with Mark, her former colleague. Joey is cast in a play and develops a crush on his costar. Monica continues to date Pete, even though she is still not attracted to him.

    Director:Terry Hughes
    Writer:Adam Chase

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  20. Friends Season 3 Episode 20 - The One with the Dollhouse
    7.9/10(5599 votes)

    #20 - The One with the Dollhouse

    S3:E20

    Monica inherits a beautiful dollhouse that is too elaborate to play with, so Phoebe makes her own. Joey thinks he's found his true love, and Rachel's boss dates Chandler, placing her in a dangerous situation.

    Director:Terry Hughes
    Writer:Wil Calhoun

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  21. Friends Season 3 Episode 21 - The One with the Chick and the Duck
    8.6/10(5978 votes)

    #21 - The One with the Chick and the Duck

    S3:E21

    Monica considers a dream job as head chef in Pete's new restaurant, but Phoebe fears there is more to the deal. Ross makes a sacrifice to help Rachel, who may have a broken rib. Meanwhile, Joey buys Chandler an unusual pet.

    Director:Michael Lembeck
    Writer:Chris Brown

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  22. Friends Season 3 Episode 22 - The One with the Screamer
    8.1/10(5684 votes)

    #22 - The One with the Screamer

    S3:E22

    When Rachel finds out that Ross is bringing a date to the premiere of Joey's big play, she finds one of her own. Ross alone concludes that her date is insane. Poor Phoebe is on hold for days with a company she needs to talk to before her phone warranty expires. Meanwhile, Joey's play gets terrible reviews, but his co-star provides some comfort.

    Director:Peter Bonerz
    Writers:Scott Silveri, Shana Goldberg-Meehan

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  23. Friends Season 3 Episode 23 - The One with Ross's Thing
    7.8/10(5608 votes)

    #23 - The One with Ross's Thing

    S3:E23

    Afflicted with a mysterious skin condition on his butt that doctors cannot identify the cause of, Ross seeks advice from Phoebe's herbalist. Phoebe finds herself in a dilemma when she cannot choose between two guys. Monica can't decide about Pete when she thinks he is going to propose.

    Director:Shelley Jensen
    Writers:Andrew Reich, Ted Cohen

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  24. Friends Season 3 Episode 24 - The One with the Ultimate Fighting Champion
    8.0/10(5829 votes)

    #24 - The One with the Ultimate Fighting Champion

    S3:E24

    To Monica's horror, Pete wants to be the Ultimate Fighting Champion. Chandler has a problem when his new boss is slaphappy. Phoebe sets Ross up on a date with a woman who used to be bald. The group overhears a scandalous conversation at Central Perk.

    Director:Robby Benson
    Writer:Unknown

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  25. Friends Season 3 Episode 25 - The One at the Beach
    8.7/10(6425 votes)

    #25 - The One at the Beach

    S3:E25

    Phoebe invites everyone to stay at her massage client's beach house for the weekend. In search of her father, Phoebe meets someone who knows details about her family. Rachel expresses her jealousy of Ross' uninhibited girlfriend and Joey nags the friends into agreeing to play strip poker with unintended results. Chandler wonders why Monica doesn't think he's serious after asking if she would ever date him.

    Director:Pamela Fryman
    Writer:Unknown

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Season 3 Ratings Summary

"The One with the Princess Leia Fantasy" is the best rated episode of "Friends" season 3. It scored 8.3/10 based on 6280 votes. Directed by Gail Mancuso and written by Michael Curtis, Greg Malins, it aired on 9/16/1996. This episode is rated 0.6 points higher than the second-best, "The One Where No One's Ready".