“The One With All The Thanksgivings” (also known as “The One With The Thanksgiving Flashbacks”) is the eighth episode of the fifth season of Friends, which aired on November 19, 1998. In it, the gang reminisce about past Thanksgivings after Ross is miserable about his divorce and eviction. Chandler talks about his parents divorce, Phoebe talks about nursing soldiers in a past life where she lost an arm, Joey talks about the time he got a turkey stuck on his head, Monica talks about a time Chandler betrayed her, and Rachel reveals a secret about Monica that could ruin their relationship with Chandler.
Thanksgiving is a time for family, friends, parades, football games, and of course – lots and lots of delicious food For many people, the best part about Thanksgiving is getting to dig into a big hearty turkey dinner with all the fixings But no TV character is more associated with gobbling up turkey on Thanksgiving than Joey Tribbiani from the hit 90s sitcom Friends.
Over the show’s 10 season run, Joey became famous for his ability to consume entire turkeys all by himself during the Friends Thanksgiving episodes. Joey’s insatiable appetite and passion for poultry made him an icon and created one of the most beloved Thanksgiving traditions on television.
Joey and Food: A Perfect Match
Joey’s love for food was a huge part of his character right from the start. Played to perfection by Matt LeBlanc, Joey was a lovable but dim struggling actor who always seemed to have food on the brain. Whether it was pizza, sandwiches, meatball subs, or pretty much anything edible – Joey was constantly eating.
So when Thanksgiving rolled around each year it was a dream come true for Joey. He could eat to his heart’s content and the turkey was the main attraction. While the other Friends approached the holiday with caution, knowing they’d overeat, Joey eagerly looked forward to stuffing his face.
Over the seasons, his ability to consume insane quantities of food became legendary. Joey once finished an entire platter meant for four people, including 32 ounces of meat, 6 chicken wings, and 2 entire pizzas! So for him, taking down a whole turkey was just another eating challenge.
The First Feast – Season 5
Joey first showed off his turkey devouring skills in Season 5, in an episode appropriately titled “The One With All the Thanksgivings.” When Monica reveals she’s not cooking a turkey that year, Joey protests and claims he’ll just eat the whole thing himself.
Monica doubts him, but provides a 19-pound turkey, which Joey finishes completely by the end of the episode. This astounds his friends and kicks off the yearly tradition of Joey boldly taking on entire turkeys.
Upgrading to a 20-Pounder – Season 7
The following year in Season 7’s “The One Where Chandler Doesn’t Like Dogs,” Joey outdoes himself by polishing off a massive 20-pound turkey. After Chandler and Ross refuse to eat Monica’s experimental dried-out turkey, Joey happily steps up to the challenge.
His hunger truly knows no bounds, as he stuns everyone by consuming every last bite of the huge bird. At this point his reputation as the resident Thanksgiving turkey gobbling champion is cemented.
Breaking Out the Maternity Pants – Season 8
In Season 8’s “The One With the Rumor,” Rachel’s pregnancy causes her to be repulsed by turkey. Monica decides against cooking one as a result. But Joey insists he’ll still power through an entire turkey on his own.
He excitedly dons a pair of Rachel’s stretchy maternity pants with the expandable waistband to aid him in tackling another 19-pound turkey. Rachel looks on in astonished horror as Joey plows through every last morsel.
The Final Feast – Season 10
For the show’s last Thanksgiving episode, the Friends gang gets locked out of Monica’s apartment. While they wait to get back in, Joey keeps their tradition alive by gobbling down yet another full turkey.
After 10 seasons of watching Joey consume his own body weight in Thanksgiving turkey, the show’s creators gave fans one final iconic holiday food feat for their lovable Tribbiani. It was the perfect send-off for this legendary appetite!
Believable Big Eating
Some fans questioned whether Joey’s meaty feats were realistic. But considering his track record of outlandish eating challenges, it’s not hard to imagine Joey demolishing those birds.
In addition to his acting talent, Matt LeBlanc brought believability to these scenes by fully committing to Joey’s gusto for gobbling. His enthusiasm for food made the turkey eating tradition delightfully funny rather than far-fetched.
An Homage to the Holiday
Joey’s annual turkey eating escapades became a beloved Thanksgiving tradition for Friends fans. It was the writers’ way of honoring the indulgent food-filled spirit of the holiday.
While the other characters approached Thanksgiving with anxiety, Joey embodied the joy of unrestrained feasting. For audiences, his turkey-destroying prowess was perfectly suited to this eating-centric holiday.
The Legend Lives On
Although Friends has been off the air for over 15 years now, Joey’s turkey-devouring legacy lives on. His ravenous appetite and sheer passion for pulverizing poultry on Thanksgiving remains legendary.
As you gather with family and friends for your own turkey feast this year, be sure to pay homage to Joey Tribbiani – the iconic king of Thanksgiving appetites! Gobble gobble!
Plot[]
Rosss complaint that his divorce and eviction means he is having the worst Thanksgiving ever prompts the others to tell their stories of bad holidays that they had gone by before. Chandler reminds everyone of the Thanksgiving where his parents told him they were getting a divorce. Phoebe then tells of a worse one from a past life where she lost an arm, though Ross disqualifies her story, limiting the tales to true lives. Rachel says she knows Monicas worst Thanksgiving, but Phoebe interrupts with a story about the Thanksgiving when Joey got a turkey stuck on his head. Joey intended to freak Chandler out with the turkey, so Phoebe, and later Monica, after she comes home, attempt to pull the turkey out. This results in Chandler being scared when he returns. Monica then tells the group what she thinks is her worst Thanksgiving. In 1987, Rachel, who has a big nose, comes over, upset about Chip Matthews dumping her for Nancy Branson. Ross brings Chandler home from college for Thanksgiving (with Ross having his Afro and Mustache and Chandler with a “Flock Of Seagulls” Hair Style). Rachel tells Monica, who is overweight, that she is through dating high school boys and wants to date men. Ross overhears this and tells Chandler that he is thinking of asking Rachel out and tells Chandler his plan. But, hearing it might be all night and Ross offers to let him stay at his house, Chandler blurts out that he doesnt want to be around his fat sister, which was overheard by Monica. Disgusted that he actually meant that, Monica stops overeating.
Back in the present, Chandler apologies to Monica for insulting her. Rachel reveals that story is not the story she was referring to. The flashbacks continue to 1988; Ross and Chandler (this time dressed like members of Miami Vice) arrive for dinner to find Monica has slimmed down, and Chandler now finds her attractive. Monica tells Rachel that she wants to humiliate Chandler for calling her fat, so Rachel suggests tricking him into taking off his clothes. Based on Rachels suggestion that she act like everything around her turns her on, Monica tries to seduce Chandler by rubbing various objects, including a knife, against herself. She accidentally drops the knife and severs his toe, due to the fact Chandlers shoes are very weak. He is rushed to hospital to have it reattached but, in the commotion, Monica unknowingly mixed up the digit with a small piece of carrot. In the present, Chandler becomes upset after learning that he had lost his toe because he called Monica fat, and angrily leaves. When Monica comes by his apartment seeking his forgiveness by putting a turkey on her head, puts a fez hat and large glasses on it, and dances for him, making him inadvertently tell her he loves her for the first time in their relationship. And the turkey on Monicas head freaks Joey out. A tag scene shows another of Phoebes past life memories as she serves in a World War I field hospital in 1915, and again loses her arm.
Trivia[]
- When Monica drops the knife that severs Chandlers toe, the camera angle changes to look up and someones shadow moves across the ceiling.
- In the opening scene when Phoebe is trying to turn on the TV, the TV remote is laying on the table at an angle. When the shot changes it is laying straight, and then it is at an angle again. Then it was straight again, then back at an angle.
- There is a huge space next to Phoebe in front of Rachels room visible in some shots, which is clearly to give space for the cameras when shots are needed from that angle.
- When Monica accidentally throws the knife in the air, you can see as it is flying through the air it has no tip on it, but when we see it heading for Chandlers toe, it has a point.
- At the end of the episode where Monica is dancing with the turkey on her head, she places the fez on the top of the turkey and the glasses over the turkeys arms. When the camera angle changes, the fez jumps to a pinned-on position tilted back and the glasses are under the arms.
- The opening scene is immediately after Thanksgiving dinner is over. There is no explanation given for why Monica has another uncooked thawed turkey available to put on her head at the end of the episode. (Presumably it could be, like the huge turkey on Joeys head, intended for a later dinner with her parents.)
- When Chandler is in the hospital, the doctors gloves keep disappearing and reappearing.
- Monica clearly hates the three-dimensional portrait of Gladys in “The One With Ross Grant”; however, the portrait of Gladys can be seen in Monicas apartment. Also, Monica also asks whos Gladys in the Season 10 episode, when having it hung at her place somewhat implies that she should have known who she is. It could also be true that she did not know that the portrait was called Gladys. Secondly it can be seen that Gladys is red but in the later episode shes blue.
- There is a bug flying around Chandlers head shortly after he says he loves Monica.
- During the kitchen scene in 1988, the position of the glass bowl in front of Monica moves a few inches to the right between the first scene of Monica scraping carrots and Rachel leaving the kitchen even though she never touches it.
- Even though several minutes pass, the clock remains at five past eight from the moment when Monica first enters the kitchen to when Chandler enters.
- When Chandler says “Nothing, I said youre so great and then I just stopped talking” there is a feather that slowly drops behind him.
- Actor Joshua Preston[young Chandler] has brown eyes but Matthew Perry had/has blue.
Friends – Joey’s Thanksgiving Pants
FAQ
In what episode of Friends does Joey eat a whole turkey?
| “The One with the Rumor” | |
|---|---|
| Friends episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 8 Episode 9 |
| Directed by | Gary Halvorson |
| Written by | Shana Goldberg-Meehan |
Which episode of Friends are Thanksgiving episodes?
- Season 2, Episode 8: “The One With the List” …
- Season 3, Episode 9: “The One With the Football” …
- Season 4, Episode 8: “The One With Chandler in a Box” …
- Season 5, Episode 8: “The One With All the Thanksgivings” …
- Season 6, Episode 9: “The One Where Ross Got High” …
- Season 7, Episode 8: “The One Where Chandler Doesn’t Like Dogs”
What episode is The Turkey in Friends?
“The One with All the Thanksgivings” (also known as “The One with the Thanksgiving Flashbacks”) is the eighth episode of the fifth season of Friends. It first aired on the NBC network in the United States on November 19, 1998.
Which season was the only one without a Thanksgiving episode in Friends?
Holidays make great TV, and nobody did the day of turkey, football and family fighting better than “Friends,” which featured a Thanksgiving episode in nine out of 10 seasons (Season 2 was the exception).