Of the many things the three of us have in common, one is that we love Friends possibly a little too much. So when the Friends reunion special came out, we got on a Zoom, hit “play” at the same time, and live-chatted our reactions as we watched…

Nerdy Spice [0:00] Yay! I’m so excited!

Janes [0:00] Me too!!

Nerdy Spice [0:00] The music is so pensive for a special about Friends.

[During a replay of the last scene from the finale]

Janes [0:01] Well this was a very sad finale

Janes [0:01] I cried so much

Nerdy Spice [0:01] Now my only reaction is that I can’t imagine going to a coffee shop after moving out but before going to my new place. It would just kill the momentum!

[As the Friends come in one by one to look at the set]

Keets [0:02] I am already cringing so hard

Janes [0:02] Yeah this is not staged at all

Nerdy Spice [0:02] I’m so curious whether this set has been kept all along or they put it back up for this.

Keets [0:02] Nothing bad has happened but I’m terrified this is going to ruin the whole show

Nerdy Spice [0:02] Also whether David Schwimmer insisted on being first. I saw him at the Vulture festival once and he seemed like the kind of guy who might do that.

Nerdy Spice [0:02] No, Keets, it’s gonna be great.

Nerdy Spice [0:02] It is so weird how they are sending people in one by one like a wedding photo shoot, though!

Janes [0:03] I love that Phoebe has gained the most fan appreciation while Ross’ has plummeted

Keets [0:04] I love that Matt Leblanc aged exactly like Joey would have

Nerdy Spice [0:05] I love his big bear hug of Jennifer Aniston! Now that Keets converted me to Joey/Rachel, fifteen years later.

Janes [0:05] This shot from behind Courtney’s head is so dramatic  – like she’s a supervillain

Keets [0:05] We like to call it Jachel

Keets [0:05] Roey

Janes [0:06] I will never convert

Janes [0:06] I’m open to turning against Ross/Rachel but Jachel will always be worse

Nerdy Spice [0:07] So they all call Lisa Looshy. That’s so cute! I didn’t know that trivia

Janes [0:07] “Was it always purple”?!

Nerdy Spice [0:07] Matt Leblanc says the set seems smaller, which is LITERALLY something Joey says about the set of Days of Our Lives (only to be told that “This is a different building”)

Keets [0:08] Already mad about James Corden

Janes [0:08] Why James Corden

Nerdy Spice [0:08] Who’s James Corden again?

Janes [0:09] Exactly

Nerdy Spice [0:09] OK, I’m smiling just seeing them all walk on stage together. I’m such a sucker for this stuff.

Janes [0:09] And the song

Janes [0:09] The song always gets me

Janes [0:11] I nominate Janice to moderate

Keets [0:11] God WHY DIDN’T THEY DO THAT

Nerdy Spice [0:11] I think you mean “Oh. My. God. why didn’t they do that”

Keets [0:12] there was literally a joke on episodes about how Jen won’t pick up Matt’s calls

Janes [0:12] Don’t tell me this – I’m so overly invested in whether tv show casts are friends with each other

Nerdy Spice [0:12] The show has been watched 100 billion times, which is an average of 15+ episodes per person on earth, right?

Janes [0:13] I Google “was [cast of tv show] friends” like once a week

Keets [0:13] That’s why I’m terrified of this whole thing, because I don’t want to realize they aren’t actually friends

Nerdy Spice [0:13] THEY ARE FRIENDS, YOU GUYS.

Nerdy Spice [0:13] I’m not worried at all.

Janes [0:13] Jen is Coco’s godmother!

Janes [0:13] She and Courtney have to be friends at least

Nerdy Spice [0:14] They all want to talk about the beam! I never even noticed that it disappeared halfway through the show, but apparently it interfered with shots.

Keets [0:14] I guess that answers whether they’re going to acknowledge living single

Nerdy Spice [0:15] I just laughed thinking about the episode where Joey and Chandler wanted to live in the chairs. That was such a good one.

Janes [0:15] They call him Schwimmer!

Nerdy Spice [0:15] Awww, it’s so cute when the rest of the cast laughs about Joey and Chandler sitting in their chairs.

Nerdy Spice [0:15] David Schwimmer forgot The One With The Ball!

Janes [0:16] Matt remembers everything

Janes [0:16] He even beat Kelly Clarkson on Joey trivia

Janes [0:16] And no one beats her

Keets [0:16] Oh that’s the other thing I’m worried about!! That it’s going to be obvious that some of them don’t care about the show

Keets [0:16] I’m so stressed you guys

Janes [0:16] They all watched every show together! ❤

Janes [0:16] That’s so cute!

Nerdy Spice [0:16] See, they really were friends! They watched the episodes together every week, and they ate lunch together…

Nerdy Spice [0:17] “The One With the Embryos” is clearly one of the best episodes. So it almost seems basic that that’s the one Courtney and Jennifer pick as their favorite, right? Basic, yet relatable!

Janes [0:17] We should have taken a bet on how long it would take for someone to say Miss Chanandler Bong

Janes [0:17] And transponster

Nerdy Spice [0:18] Or transponster

Nerdy Spice [0:18] Jinx.

Nerdy Spice [0:18] The one thing that never hung together about the trivia game in “The One With The Embryos” is… Ross knew ALL the answers. So shouldn’t he get the apartment?

Nerdy Spice [0:18] Rachel’s letter to Ross was 16 pages. FRONT AND BACK!

Nerdy Spice [0:18] Oh no, I was wrong. It’s 18 pages. That’s embarrassing.

Janes [0:19] This trivia game makes it all worth it

Nerdy Spice [0:19] The cast not remembering Mr. Heckles’ name made me and Keets laugh so hard. Although of course they have forgotten it because they presumably don’t rewatch Friends every night like we do, so the joke is that they have a life and we don’t.

Keets [0:19] Ok Lisa saying Mr Hinkle

Keets [0:19] Ok this is great I’m sold

Nerdy Spice [0:19] OMG you guys, Mr. Heckles is still alive?!?!?!

Nerdy Spice [0:20] It’s a TV miracle

Keets [0:20] The One where Mr Heckles Dies has an in memoriam and I think I thought it was for him?

Janes  [0:20] Matt Perry KNEW that one about seven erogenous zones

Nerdy Spice [0:20] And Courtney did a big callback to her fake orgasm, breathlessly holding up seven fingers.

Janes [0:22] THIS IS MY FAVORITE JOKE WHEN THEY ALL COUNT EACH OTHER

Keets [0:22] Oh wow for a second I was like “why is Reese here”

Nerdy Spice [0:22] She was Rachel’s funniest sister!

Nerdy Spice [0:22] Well… tied with Christina Applegate

Nerdy Spice [0:22] They were both so funny.

Keets [0:23] That is Amy erasure

Nerdy Spice [0:23] One of my favorite lines is when Amy is engaged to a guy named Myron and she’s like, “Yeah. Told you he was old.” I always laugh at that.

Janes [0:23] I like “Remember in high school, when I died and didn’t give you my baby?”

Janes [0:23] Most sisterly line ever

Janes [0:23] I also like the blooper where she says she’s marrying her ex-boyfriend’s dad and Emma laughs

Nerdy Spice [0:24] OK, Amy might have the slight edge on funniest sister.

Keets [0:24] Correct.

Nerdy Spice [0:25] I love how Lisa Kudrow laughs through all this table read. She’s so amused!

Nerdy Spice [0:26] And that Jennifer Aniston knew the label of Courtney Cox’s clothes. That’s so Rachel.

Janes [0:26] Is it even possible to remember what men are wearing?

Keets [0:26] Scientists haven’t yet found a way.

Nerdy Spice [0:26] Wait, Ursula the waitress was a crossover character? I never knew that!

Keets [0:27] Wow did not know!

Keets [0:27] Why don’t we rewatch mad about you every 3 months

Nerdy Spice [0:28] That changes so many of the jokes in that episode for me, “The One With Two Parts” where we meet Ursula for the first time and Helen Hunt guest stars

Nerdy Spice [0:28] Keets is laughing at my impressed face of these early glamor shots of Matt LeBlanc

Keets [0:28] It’s ok I made the same face

Nerdy Spice [0:28]  Fake Joey from the One With Unagi auditioned for real Joey! That’s awesome.

Janes [0:29] I didn’t know Fake Joey was almost Real Joey!

Janes [0:29] I did know about Ursula though

Janes [0:29] I think I read that they created Ursula so the audience wouldn’t be confused

Janes [0:29] And I was like “I think they know what actors are?”

Nerdy Spice [0:30] I feel like I have the show memorized but I know very little offscreen trivia about it.

Janes [0:30] Did you guys know Matt LeBlanc was offered Phil in Modern Family?

Janes [0:30] That would have been a much different and less creepy Phil

Nerdy Spice [0:31] Lisa Kudrow drops an F-bomb when there’s a bug on her. We’re clearly soulmates

Nerdy Spice [0:31] Oh, I’m glad Matt LeBlanc wasn’t ruined for me by playing Phil!

Nerdy Spice [0:31] They say they didn’t want “stars” on the show but… Jennifer Aniston really was, for awhile, wasn’t she? I wonder if they’ll address that, or if it caused jealousy

Janes [0:33] I mean she was in the sense that she got the most famous, but it’s nice that she was never paid more!

Janes [0:33] I always liked that they negotiated together.

Nerdy Spice [0:33] OK, I would LOVE to see a sci-fi show about future luggage handlers at LAX? I’m glad Matthew Perry joined Friends instead of doing that show, but I would love to watch it now.

Keets [0:34] Is that the same diner set from season 3?

Keets [0:34]  Oh it’s not

Keets [0:34] As you were

Janes [0:34] I thought that too!

Janes [0:34] I immediately saw Monica’s blonde wig

Nerdy Spice [0:35] Agreed! If it was WB maybe they did share a set

Nerdy Spice [0:35] I actually believed James Corden when he said the producer who told Jennifer Aniston that Friends wouldn’t make her a star was in the audience tonight…

Keets [0:37] Ok I just fell for a textbook James Corden bit and I hate myself

[During the trivia game…]

Nerdy Spice [0:37] Laughing so hard at Matt LeBlanc trying to find his hand twin

Nerdy Spice [0:37] Wow, Tom Selleck looks the exact same

Nerdy Spice [0:37] It’s like he’s stayed the same age and now they’re all his age

Janes [0:41] Jen jumped up! Is she going to say transponster? 

Nerdy Spice [0:41] The girls won trivia! Vindicated after all these years.

Nerdy Spice [0:41] See Keets? They’re family! They say that they were made into a family by experiencing this sudden jump to fame at the same time. And I can imagine that no one who’s not that famous really wants to hear you complain about being recognized for being on everyone’s favorite TV show. So it’s probably good they kept it amongst themselves!

Janes [0:45] The Rachel! I think we’re due for that to come back in style

Nerdy Spice [0:44] Pivot! I’m glad that came up.

Janes [0:44] It’s crazy how much Gen Z likes Friends

Keets [0:44] It’s actually shocking

Janes [0:45] The students in my classes don’t recognize any of TV references, even current ones, but they always know Friends

Keets [0:45] I thought they were supposed to be woke

Nerdy Spice [0:45] I know! Especially because it IS a little offensive/retrograde. But it’s so heartwarming

Janes [0:46] I guess they’re just like “Ah the 90s. What a strange faraway time.”

Nerdy Spice [0:47] “They were my friends since I didn’t really have any” is a joke that Keets has definitely made before.

Janes [0:47] OMG Malala

Nerdy Spice [0:48] Hahaha, this guy giving the Ross-style middle-finger to anyone who doesn’t like the show is amazing

[During the episode where Monica and Ross dance together, “The One With the Routine”]

Keets [0:48] I wonder if Malala liking it can save this episode

Keets [0:48] …. Nope

Nerdy Spice [0:49] It’s definitely not my favorite.

Nerdy Spice [0:49] David Schwimmer didn’t like the monkey! Poor guy.

Keets [0:50] Suddenly I appreciate him much more as an actor

Nerdy Spice [0:50] He did conceal it well

Janes [0:50] He’s so angry about the monkey missing its mark

Nerdy Spice [0:50] I love that the reason he hates the monkey is that it was a bad actor

Janes [0:50] This is an old wound

Janes [0:50] OH NO live grubs??

Nerdy Spice [0:50] Oh and when the monkey wasn’t moving, it would be eating raw grubs. OK I would hate the monkey too

Janes [0:50] This is Nerdy Spice’s worst nightmare

Nerdy Spice [0:51] Poor David Schwimmer.

Nerdy Spice [0:51] JACK AND JUDY!!!!

Janes [0:51] JACK AND JUDY

Janes [0:51] the most underrated characters

Nerdy Spice [0:51] They were my favorites. Possibly more than Janice

Nerdy Spice [0:51] “A woman in my office is a lesbian. I’m just saying!”

Nerdy Spice [0:51] He was such a dad

Janes [0:52] I hope Rachel’s dad shows up – also underrated

Janes [0:52] “I’ll never understand you lesbians”

Nerdy Spice [0:53] “What did you do, swim here?”

Nerdy Spice [0:53] Elliott Gould doesn’t look super well here, though. I hope he’s OK.

Janes [0:53] 😞

Keets [0:54] Objectively the best episode, good call David

Nerdy Spice [0:54] “The One Where No One’s Ready” is probably my favorite. Good choice, David Beckham!

Nerdy Spice [0:54] (Although the one where Chandler hits his head on the file cabinet (“The One with the Cuffs”) is a close second. I hope someone calls that out.)

[During a replay from “The One Where No One’s Ready”]

Nerdy Spice [0:55] It’s amazing how they can replay clips and it just still makes me giggle so much after seeing it ten or twenty or fifty times.

Nerdy Spice [0:55] Not just this episode, either. Just anything from this show.

Keets [0:55] The one in Barbados is bad even for Joechel stans

Janes [0:56] Bottle episodes are always the best 

Nerdy Spice [0:56] Keets you are not very good at naming ships.

Janes [0:56] I’m anti-B-plot

Nerdy Spice [0:56] Oh I never knew that Matt LeBlanc’s shoulder injury was from leaping to get to the chair before Chandler! Poor guy!!

Janes [0:57] Oh no, poor Matt!

Janes [0:57] I don’t want to see this!

Nerdy Spice [0:57] Covering my eyes as they replay…

Janes [0:57] He’s rolling his shoulder! Gross!

[During the scene where Joey is jumping on the bed and injures his shoulder offscreen]

Keets [0:58] This was always such a weird cold open

Janes [0:58] That makes so much sense

Nerdy Spice [0:58] I always assumed he had injured himself for real, but didn’t realize he’d done it on the set!

Janes [0:59] They didn’t do the huddle so it was cursed!

Janes [0:59] They’re cute, see Keets?

Nerdy Spice [0:59] They did a huddle before every day of filming? That is SO cute.

Nerdy Spice [0:59] This “buffet” joke that they show themselves refining wasn’t really my favorite even in the final draft

Nerdy Spice [0:59] “I felt like I was gonna die if they didn’t laugh,” Matthew Perry says. This explains a lot about Chandler’s vibe.

Janes [1:00] Yeah I always just assumed they made the audience laugh, especially at a joke like that

Janes [1:00] Courtney and Matt were so cute behind the scenes!

Janes [1:00] “OK it’s your turn” 

Nerdy Spice [1:02] Yeah! I love that he got her to say a dirty joke

Nerdy Spice [1:02] Chandler and Monica keeping their relationship a secret was truly a comedy gold mine

Janes [1:02] Actually that might be the best episode

Janes [1:02] The One Where They All Find Out

Nerdy Spice [1:02] “The One Where Everyone Finds out”

Nerdy Spice [1:02] Lol yes. A classic.

Keets [1:02] The one where they all… Sigh phone typing

Nerdy Spice [1:02] Thanks Keets.

Nerdy Spice [1:02] Oh hooray! They’re going to do a table read of it.

Nerdy Spice [1:02] They’re all giggling at present-day Lisa Kudrow’s screams, it’s so cute.

Keets [1:03] Still funny.

Janes [1:03] MY EYES MY EYES – her delivery is the same!

Janes [1:03] Lisa’s definitely the most into this

Nerdy Spice [1:04] David Schwimmer’s dorky scream was so great in that scene.

Nerdy Spice [1:04] I’m staring at the screen like “Who is this guest star?” but it’s Lady Gaga.

Janes [1:05] Lady Gaga is a weird vibe for this?

Janes [1:05] Oh but she’s so good

Keets [1:06] Reminiscent of the dubbed music video

Nerdy Spice [1:06] Her outfit is very Phoebe.

Janes [1:06] I was thinking of the dubbed video!

Nerdy Spice [1:07] And here they are doing the background singing from the dubbed video. Love it.

Janes [1:08] When Phoebe’s like “my voice sounds so different on video!”

Keets [1:09] See joeyhel

Keets [1:09] They both watched the whole show

Janes [1:10] Aw Matt L has seen every episode!

[During a replay of “The One With All The Resolutions”]

Nerdy Spice [1:10] Ross in the leather pants! “The lotion and the powder have made a paste!”

Nerdy Spice [1:10] Still laughing so hard as they replay this scene

Keets [1:11] Jon Snow also likes the pivot scene

Nerdy Spice [1:11] This scene has changed moving day for everyone forever

Nerdy Spice [1:11] We still say that whenever we move furniture

Janes [1:10] David is the best at physical comedy

Janes [1:10] Ross has aged badly but David’s so good

Janes [1:10] Aww they can’t stop laughing

Nerdy Spice [1:12] He is! I love this outtake where he’s making them just lose it by yelling PIVOT

Keets [1:12] Ok this is adorable

Janes [1:13] That was such a Joey face

Janes [1:13] After he tripped on his mark

Janes [1:13] “Somebody else is getting a laugh, I can’t handle it – I need to get a laugh too.”

Janes [1:13] Such Chandler vibes

Janes [1:13] I’m laughing so hard at David and Matt L doing the Chandler dance

Nerdy Spice [1:14] You can tell from the bloopers when the cast really likes each other!

Janes [1:14] *Keets

Nerdy Spice [1:14] “Who had the loudest laugh” is James Corden’s incisive question

Janes [1:15] Best laugh, loudest laugh *All point at Lisa

[Janice enters]

Janes [1:15] YES SHE’S HERE!

Nerdy Spice [1:16] Oh, OK, it was a Janice leadin. That’s OK then.

Janes [1:16] she has arrived

Nerdy Spice [1:16] Oh. My. God.

Nerdy Spice [1:16] It’s so weird to hear Maggie Wheeler talk in a normal voice

Janes [1:16] Oh it’s so weird to hear her talk normally

Keets [1:17] The foghorn!

Janes [1:18] If Monica/Chandler hadn’t happened or the audience didn’t love it, he would have ended up with Janice

Nerdy Spice [1:18] Such a good moment. JAAAANICEEE

Nerdy Spice [1:18] She made up the Janice laugh to cover that she found Matthew Perry so funny! That’s awesome

Keets [1:19] Oh my god Gunther beard

Nerdy Spice [1:20] Gunther on Zoom! What a strange juxtaposition of zeitgeists, 1995 and 2020

Janes [1:21] James Corden needed to specify that they were both “hot” and “good-looking”

before prying into their sex lives

Janes [1:21] David had a crush on Jen??

Janes [1:21] So cute!!

Nerdy Spice [1:21] Oh wow! Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer had a star-crossed mutual crush. That’s actually a surprise

Nerdy Spice [1:21] And Matt LeBlanc calls bullshit on them never consummating it. Hee!

Janes [1:21] My mouth dropped when Matt L coughed “Bullshit”

Nerdy Spice [1:21] “We just channeled all of our adoration and love for each other into Ross and Rachel.” That’s so sweet. I might have gone back to Ross/Rachel.

Nerdy Spice [1:21] Sorry Keets.

Janes [1:22] They have such good chemistry!

Janes [1:22] Between two non-feminist love interests, you choose chemistry

Nerdy Spice [1:22] Keets’ and my college roommates got together while we were still in our star-crossed phase and I always thought of us as the Rachel and Ross to their Monica and Chandler

[During a replay of “The One Where Ross Finds Out” where Ross and Rachel kiss]

Janes [1:23] I’m getting emotional in the lead-up to their first kiss

Nerdy Spice [1:24] I know!!! What a great, great scene

Nerdy Spice [1:24] “I don’t need your stupid ship!”

Nerdy Spice [1:24] Wow that is some “acting” on the part of present-day David Schwimmer and Jennifer Aniston staring at each other across the table during this read

Nerdy Spice [1:24] If this Brad Pitt thing isn’t happening, can they finally get together?

Janes [1:24] Um I was sort of thinking that too

Keets [1:24] … Yep

Janes [1:25] It seems to be working for Bennifer!

Janes [1:25] Everyone knew Jen and David were crushing on each other ❤

Nerdy Spice [1:25] Oh, and everyone admits they knew about David and Jennifer’s Thing. That’s so cute

Nerdy Spice [1:25] Wow, someone found sexual tension moments from the outtakes and cut them together in a little Schwimmer-Aniston fanvid

Nerdy Spice [1:27]  David Schwimmer dressed as space doody when he meets his idol Sean Penn is so tragic

Janes [1:29] Justin Bieber as Sputnik is… surreal

Janes [1:29] *Spudnik dammit autocorrect 

Nerdy Spice [1:30] Favorite part of the fashion show? Can’t decide between Cara Delivingne having her undies showing in Rachel’s bridesmaid dress, or present-day Matt LeBlanc doing lunges while wearing Chandler’s clothes…

Keets [1:32] Bieber did make the potato look cool

Keets [1:32] That has to be it

Nerdy Spice [1:33] What an inspired yet surreal choice

[During a replay of the finale]

Janes [1:34] Okay “I got off the plane” still makes me teary

Janes [1:34] even though Ross clearly should have just followed her to Paris

Nerdy Spice [1:34] He had Ben!

Janes [1:34] No one cared about Ben!

Nerdy Spice [1:34] True. No one’s even mentioned him tonight

Nerdy Spice [1:34] Why didn’t they get Cole Sprouse on?

Janes [1:35] That would have been so funny

Keets [1:35] They have to be doing a kids segment

Janes [1:35] Yeah I want to see the Emmas!

Nerdy Spice [1:36] All these hugs from after they filmed the finale are making my heart glow

Keets [1:36] Aw they were friends

Nerdy Spice [1:37] That is all Keets cares about!

Nerdy Spice [1:37] I’m kind of relieved they’re not going to do another real episode or movie

Janes [1:37] I’m greedy

Janes [1:37] But objectively you’re right

Nerdy Spice [1:38] This swelling orchestral cover of “I’ll Be There For You” at the end is hilarious

Janes [1:38] They would abandon their dates at parties to talk to each other! They’re best friends!

Nerdy Spice [1:38] Keets is so relieved.

Keets [1:39] Wow, no kids

Nerdy Spice [1:40] What did you guys think? That made me super happy. It was just a warm, sweet, funny, fan-service-filled way to honor the show. No complaints.

Janes [1:40] I agree! I got more emotional than I expected. And I’m just glad that they really are best friends!

Janes [1:40] Also I’m now officially shipping David and Jen IRL

Keets [1:40] 1000%

Nerdy Spice [1:40] Me too!