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!
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 the pressures of life.
Season 3 Ratings Summary
The best episode of "Friends" season 3 is "The One with the Princess Leia Fantasy", rated 8.3/10 from 5770 user votes. It was directed by Gail Mancuso and written by Michael Curtis, Greg Malins. "The One with the Princess Leia Fantasy" aired on 9/16/1996 and is rated 0.6 point(s) higher than the second highest rated, "The One Where No One's Ready".
8.3/10 5,770 votes#1 - The One with the Princess Leia Fantasy
Season 3 Episode 1 - Aired 9/16/1996
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
Writer: Michael Curtis, Greg Malins
8.9/10 7,713 votes#2 - The One Where No One's Ready
Season 3 Episode 2 - Aired 9/26/1996
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
7.8/10 5,498 votes#3 - The One with the Jam
Season 3 Episode 3 - Aired 10/3/1996
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
7.8/10 5,290 votes#4 - The One with the Metaphorical Tunnel
Season 3 Episode 4 - Aired 10/10/1996
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
8.0/10 5,413 votes#5 - The One with Frank, Jr.
Season 3 Episode 5 - Aired 10/17/1996
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
Writer: Scott Silveri, Shana Goldberg-Meehan
9.0/10 7,019 votes#6 - The One with the Flashback
Season 3 Episode 6 - Aired 10/31/1996
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
Writer: Marta Kauffman, David Crane
8.1/10 5,349 votes#7 - The One with the Race Car Bed
Season 3 Episode 7 - Aired 11/7/1996
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
8.2/10 5,372 votes#8 - The One with the Giant Poking Device
Season 3 Episode 8 - Aired 11/14/1996
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
8.9/10 7,333 votes#9 - The One with the Football
Season 3 Episode 9 - Aired 11/21/1996
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. [Thanksgiving Episode]
Director: Kevin S. Bright
Writer: Ira Ungerleider
8.0/10 5,410 votes#10 - The One Where Rachel Quits
Season 3 Episode 10 - Aired 12/12/1996
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
Writer: Michael Curtis, Greg Malins
8.4/10 5,568 votes#11 - The One Where Chandler Can't Remember Which Sister
Season 3 Episode 11 - Aired 1/9/1997
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
8.1/10 5,273 votes#12 - The One with All the Jealousy
Season 3 Episode 12 - Aired 1/16/1997
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
8.1/10 5,305 votes#13 - The One Where Monica and Richard Are Just Friends
Season 3 Episode 13 - Aired 1/30/1997
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
7.7/10 5,313 votes#14 - The One with Phoebe's Ex-Partner
Season 3 Episode 14 - Aired 2/6/1997
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
8.4/10 5,700 votes#15 - The One Where Ross and Rachel Take a Break
Season 3 Episode 15 - Aired 2/13/1997
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. [First part of a 2-part episode]
Director: James Burrows
Writer: Michael Borkow
9.0/10 6,904 votes#16 - The One with the Morning After
Season 3 Episode 16 - Aired 2/20/1997
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
Writer: Marta Kauffman, David Crane
8.2/10 5,326 votes#17 - The One Without the Ski Trip
Season 3 Episode 17 - Aired 3/6/1997
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
Writer: Scott Silveri, Shana Goldberg-Meehan
8.2/10 5,401 votes#18 - The One with the Hypnosis Tape
Season 3 Episode 18 - Aired 3/13/1997
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
8.0/10 5,196 votes#19 - The One with the Tiny T-Shirt
Season 3 Episode 19 - Aired 3/27/1997
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
7.9/10 5,164 votes#20 - The One with the Dollhouse
Season 3 Episode 20 - Aired 4/10/1997
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
8.6/10 5,518 votes#21 - The One with the Chick and the Duck
Season 3 Episode 21 - Aired 4/17/1997
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
8.1/10 5,231 votes#22 - The One with the Screamer
Season 3 Episode 22 - Aired 4/24/1997
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
Writer: Scott Silveri, Shana Goldberg-Meehan
7.8/10 5,169 votes#23 - The One with Ross's Thing
Season 3 Episode 23 - Aired 5/1/1997
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
Writer: Andrew Reich, Ted Cohen
8.0/10 5,389 votes#24 - The One with the Ultimate Fighting Champion
Season 3 Episode 24 - Aired 5/8/1997
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: N/A
8.7/10 5,919 votes#25 - The One at the Beach
Season 3 Episode 25 - Aired 5/15/1997
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: N/A