Friends’ Most Chaotic Thanksgiving Episode Involved Christina Applegate

No TV show has mastered the art of the Thanksgiving episode more than Friends (although Gossip Girl arguably came close). There were nine episodes centered around the holiday during the sitcom’s 10-season run, but the most chaotic was easily “The One With Rachel’s Other Sister,” which revealed Christina Applegate as Rachel’s never-before-seen older sister Amy.

The Season 9 episode marked the first time that any of the Central Perk gang (not counting siblings Ross and Monica) actually spent time with one of their family members on Thanksgiving — and it wasn’t voluntary.

Amy’s Reign Of Terror

After not seeing her in over a year, Amy surprises Rachel on Thanksgiving by showing up on her doorstep to ask for a hair straightener. She shows zero grace, forgetting the existence of her niece Emma, then calling her Emmett, and only remembering Ross as Rachel’s “fat friend’s brother with that bad afro.”

When she’s stood up by her married date, Rachel invites her to Thanksgiving dinner at Chandler and Monica’s apartment (because she is a nice person). But it doesn’t take long for Amy to start insulting everyone again.

Despite never being around (or being nice), Amy somehow assumes that she’ll take Emma if Ross and Rachel die, only to be told that Monica and Chandler are her godparents, which triggers her reign of terror.

Chandler adds to the drama after finding out that the baby would go to Ross’ parents if Monica dies rather than stay with him, leading to full-blown chaos in all directions. Amy and Rachel even get into a physical fight, before tearfully making up.

Amy’s Impact

Only a few lines in, Applegate cemented herself as one of Friends’ most memorable guest stars. “There are people who are really self-unaware, and they have absolutely no filter,” she told TODAY about her character in a 2019 interview.

She went on to say that her favorite moments were fighting with Jennifer Aniston onscreen and her interactions with Lisa Kudrow’s Phoebe. “I think my favorite line, though, is when I keep saying Lisa’s (Kudrow) name wrong,” she said. “And then she goes, ‘Phoebe.’ And I say, ‘Why does she keep making that noise?’ That was written as a rewrite in front of the audience, and I thought it was hilarious.”

Amy might have been a nightmare, but Applegate’s performance was picture-perfect. The episode won her an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series, encouraging her to return one more time in Season 10 — which also got nominated for the same Emmy.

“It honestly didn’t feel like work, and it didn’t feel like I was doing anything special in any way,” she said about her two nominations.

“I was just having so much fun. I really was in shock when that happened. It was one of those moments of, like, ‘Why… what, me?’ Like in Sixteen Candles when she's like, ‘Me?'‘And he’s like, ‘Yeah, you.’ That’s how I felt when they said my name.”