Chandler Bing and Rachel Green forgot the fact that they met prior to the events of the Friends pilot. Over the course of the decade-long sitcom, the series dove into a multitude of flashbacks to build up the backstories of the six main characters. Often in focus were the shenanigans of the Geller house, which frequently intertwined with the lives of Chandler and Rachel.
In the Friends pilot, Monica (Courtney Cox), Ross (David Schwimmer), Chandler (Matthew Perry), Joey (Matt LeBlanc), and Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) were hanging out in Central Perk when a woman in a wedding dress rushed in. That woman turned out to be Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), who had just left her fiancé at the altar. Monica introduced her old best friend to the rest of the gang, except for Ross who she referenced that the two would remember each other since the trio went to school together. With that early introduction, it was presumed that Rachel didn’t have a history with anyone but Monica and Ross; however, that turned out to be untrue.
Based on information revealed later in the series, Ross met Chandler while the two were at college. They became good friends and Chandler was invited to the Geller house for Thanksgiving dinner on multiple occasions. In fact, that was when Monica and Chandler’s interactions began, but Rachel was also in attendance since she was the best friend of the youngest Geller. The Friends season 10 episode, “The One Where the Stripper Cries,” also featured a flashback of Ross and Chandler in college. Monica and Rachel once showed up at their college party and viewers learned an important detail: Chandler kissed Rachel at that party, adding another chapter to their history; yet, other scenes in Friends episodes suggest that the characters forgot meeting in the ’80s.
Did Chandler & Rachel Forget Meeting Because Of A Friends Plot Hole?
Friends had a number of plot holes during its 10 season run, including the on-going issue with the characters’ ages. It’s very possible that Chandler and Rachel’s past interactions were just another plot hole. With Rachel being the old best friend of Monica, it made sense that she was familiar with Ross, but didn’t know the rest of the group. As time went on and the show expanded, having Chandler and Rachel involved in Monica and Ross’ past gave the series more opportunities to develop a meaningful backstory for the characters.
It’s also possible that Chandler and Rachel simply forgot meeting each other. When Rachel was introduced to Chandler in the pilot, they simply didn’t recognize one another. In Friends season 3, the episode titled “The One With the Flashback” featured a scene with Rachel running into Monica at the bar that once resided in Central Perk. Rachel was gearing up to get married, and mentioned having one more fling before her upcoming nuptials. Chandler overheard this proclamation and tried to get her attention. Rachel showed no interest at the bar, but later fantasized about it. During the sequence, neither character remembered meeting just a few years prior, indicating that they didn’t recognize each other then either — that, or the writers simply created another plot hole.
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