3 Must-See Valentine’s Day-Themed ‘Friends’ Episodes

Mara Reinstein February 14, 2023, 1:05 pm

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Friends The One With the Birthing Video — Courtesy of NBC

If your TV heart belongs to Friends, then you know the Central Perk gang rarely missed a chance to celebrate a holiday.

The 1994–2004 sitcom’s Valentine’s Day-themed episodes don’t get the same love and attention as the Thanksgiving classics, but they’re still worth a watch — especially while you’re single.

Though the NBC comedy is no longer streaming on Netflix — it is available to binge on HBO Max. In honor of the romantic holiday, we’re rounding up the best Valentine’s Day-themed episodes from the fan-favorite, below.

1. “The One With the Candy Hearts” (Season 1, Episode 14)

Oh. My. Gawd. Lovelorn Chandler (Matthew Perry) is aghast to see that his blind date setup is clingy ex Janice (Maggie Wheeler). Meanwhile, the girls’ boyfriend bonfire — which kooky Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) suggests for “spiritual cleansing” — goes up in flames in the apartment. Hello, cute firefighters!

'Friends' Season 1, Episode 14, "The One With the Candy Hearts"

(Credit: HBO Max)

2. “The One With Unagi” (Season 6, Episode 17)

Uptight Monica (Courteney Cox) and boyfriend Chandler forgot about their pact to exchange homemade (and therefore more personal) gifts. So she gives him one of Phoebe’s old sock bunnies and he searches in his closet and rustles up a mixtape Janice compiled for him (and left lovey-dovey messages on). At least they’re recycling?

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3. “The One With the Birthing Video” (Season 8, Episode 15)

Put on the sexy lingerie and… never mind! Chandler ruins the mood with underwear-clad Monica when he accidentally watches a graphic video of a woman giving birth, and a very pregnant Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) joins them. The hijinks end on a poignant note: Joey (Matt LeBlanc) reveals to Ross (David Schwimmer) that he’s fallen for Rachel.