Friends - Season 3

First aired: 9/16/1996 25 episodes

Episodes

1. The One with the Princess Leia Fantasy

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.

2. The One Where No One's Ready

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.

3. The One with the Jam

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.

4. The One with the Metaphorical Tunnel

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.

5. The One with Frank, Jr.

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.

6. The One with the Flashback

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.

7. The One with the Race Car Bed

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.

8. The One with the Giant Poking Device

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.

9. The One with the Football

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]

10. The One Where Rachel Quits

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.

11. The One Where Chandler Can't Remember Which Sister

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.

12. The One with All the Jealousy

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.

13. The One Where Monica and Richard Are Just Friends

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.

14. The One with Phoebe's Ex-Partner

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.

15. The One Where Ross and Rachel Take a Break

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]

16. The One with the Morning After

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.

17. The One Without the Ski Trip

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.

18. The One with the Hypnosis Tape

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.

19. The One with the Tiny T-Shirt

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.

20. The One with the Dollhouse

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.

21. The One with the Chick and the Duck

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.

22. The One with the Screamer

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.

23. The One with Ross's Thing

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.

24. The One with the Ultimate Fighting Champion

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.

25. The One at the Beach

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.