Friends was a very funny and entertaining sitcom that is still worth watching again and again. One of the best parts of Friends was how funny and engaging all six main characters were. Instead of having one character do most of the jokes and action, Friends The focus shifted between the six, with each of them shining in a different episode.

Monica Geller was a particularly important main character as she was essentially the glue that held the rest of the group together. She could be controlling, intense and competitive, but she was also caring, funny and extremely considerate. When Monica was in the spotlight, the episodes were always great. These are the 10 best Monica Geller episodes of Friends.

10 “The episode where Ross dates a student”

Season 6, Episode 18 (2000)

Monica Geller had many defining characteristics, one of which was her love of clean spaces. Monica not only loved cleaning and tidying, but she also took great care to keep her rooms neat. In Season 6, Episode 18, “The Episode Where Ross Dates a Coed,” Phoebe’s apartment burned down while Rachel was living there with her. As a result, Rachel initially moved back into her old room while Phoebe moved in with Joey.

This was a great Monica episode because she hilariously showed her intensity and self-control when it came to keeping her home clean. In one particularly notable scene, Monica baked Phoebe cookies. When Phoebe reached for them, Monica said, “You can’t eat these in bed, remember? No crumbs.” This showed the other side of Monica as a roommate and it was absolutely hilarious.

9 “The one with the fake Monica”

Season 1, Episode 21 (1995)

For a comedy show like Friendsit was really impressive to have an episode as heartfelt and thoughtful as Season 1, Episode 21, “The One with the Fake Monica.” In this episode, things started off weirdly when Monica’s identity was stolen. As Monica began to investigate the thief, she became friends with her instead. Monica then realized that she wished she was more like the fake Monica.

This was a great episode for Monica because she showed her insecurities and regretsin a way that was very understandable for Friends fans. Monica admitted that she wished she was more adventurous and carefree. She was sad about how much she needed control over her life. This episode gave a lot of great insight into Monica as a character, in a more serious way. It showed that Monica was aware of her flaws but couldn’t change, even though she wanted to change sometimes.

8 “The one with the embryos”

Season 4, Episode 12 (1998)

One of the best episodes of Friends is definitely season 4, episode 12, “The Embryo”. In it, Monica and Rachel competed with Chandler and Joey to see who knew each other better. If Rachel and Monica won, the guys had to get rid of the chick and the duck. If Joey and Chandler won, they had to switch apartments.

This was a very funny episode and it did a great job of showcasing Monica’s competitive and controlling nature.. Monica was particularly controlling towards her poor teammate Rachel. This episode also revealed some very funny facts about Monica, such as that she has eleven categories for her towels and that she once got a pencil stuck in her ear. It was hilarious to see Monica being so hard on Rachel and how she gambled away her apartment out of pride.

7 “The one with the routine”

Season 6, Episode 10 (1999)

There is probably no sitcom dance that is more popular than the infamous “routine” from Friends Season 6, Episode 10, “The One with the Routine.” In this episode, Janine went to Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve and brought Joey, Monica, and Ross. Monica and Ross actually wanted to be on TV, so they tried to get selected for the platform.

To show off their best moves, Monica and Ross performed “The Routine,” a dance routine they developed together in middle school. This was a hilarious Monica episode where she takes it so seriously, is very competitive and is also very silly during the routine. It was fun to see her take this ridiculous dance so seriously and get another snapshot of her childhood memories with Ross.

6 “The episode with Chandler in the box”

Season 4, Episode 8 (1997)

Aside from her marriage to Chandler, Monica’s most important relationship was with her ex-boyfriend and friend of her parents, Richard Burke. Monica took this breakup very hard, but it reached a new level when she went on a date with Richard’s son almost two seasons later. When Monica injured her eye while preparing Thanksgiving dinner, she had to go see Richard’s son for her appointment, and surprisingly, sparks flew between the two.

Monica took Richard’s son Timothy to Thanksgiving dinner. This led to a very strange evening where Monica tried to convince everyone that this was normal. The funniest moment was when Monica criticized her friends for judging her. In return, Monica countered with things from her friends’ pasts, from Rachel leaving Barry at the altar to Joey throwing a woman’s wooden leg into the fire.

5 “The one in Massapequa”

Season 8, Episode 18 (2002)

Through Friends‘ it was always clear that Monica had a complicated relationship with her parents, especially compared to how much they adored Ross. In season 8, episode 18, “The One in Massapequa,” Ross and Monica’s parents threw a big party to celebrate their 35th wedding anniversary. That year, Monica took over the toast from Ross because she was determined to make her parents cry.

This was a great Monica episode that showed how determined and ambitious she could be. She was so intent on making her parents cry with her speech that she mentioned dead family members, dead pets, sad movies and sad stories from the news just to make them cry. It was both hilarious and mortifying Friends Episode in which Monica fails miserably and is overshadowed even by Ross’s shortest speech.

4 “The one with Monica’s thunder”

Season 7, Episode 1 (2000)

The love story of Monica and Chandler was one of the real highlights of Friends. It was really great to watch them come together, from their secret relationship to their proposal to their eventual wedding. Monica and Chandler’s engagement made for a hilarious episode in Season 7, Episode 1, “The One with Monica’s Thunder.” This happened on the night of their engagement.

This is a really great Monica episode. Monica was very happy to celebrate her engagement and even shouted it out to the neighborhood from her balcony. But that joy disappeared when she caught Rachel and Ross kissing. Monica accused Rachel of trying to steal the show, just like she did on her 16th birthday. This was a great episode where Monica craved attention in a funny and sad wayand plays with their deepest insecurities and vulnerabilities.

Season 3, Episode 9 (1996)

A very funny part of Friends was always when the Geller siblings competed with each other and when they told stories from their childhood. A really great Thanksgiving episode was Season 3, Episode 9, “The Football”. When the group decided to play football in the park on Thanksgiving, Monica and Ross were hesitant at first because their parents had forbidden them from playing.

This was a really great Monica episode. As the football game progressed, Monica became more and more competitive. It became even clearer why she was banned from the game. Monica and Ross were really ruthless, and fans got to see how this Monica broke Ross’ nose one time while playing. It was so funny watching Monica fight for the strange Geller Cup and seeing her and Ross outdo each other in their ruthlessness.

2 “The one with the cooking class”

Season 8, Episode 21 (2002)

Monica was always at her best and funniest when she was competitive, trying to control something, or proving someone wrong. In Season 8, Episode 21, “The Cooking Class,” Monica hilariously lost it after a bad review. A bad review and a desire to prove the critic wrong led to a hilarious episode where Monica accidentally ended up in a beginner’s cooking class.

After trying to confront the reviewer, Monica ended up in a beginner’s cooking class with Joey. It was funny to see Monica give in to her insecurities by trying to prove herself against beginners. It was also funny to see her get upset when Joey’s cookies got more attention than hers. It was a funny and endearing episode that showed how fragile Monica’s ego was even when she was successful.

1 “The one with the jam”

Season 3, Episode 3 (1996)

In the best Monica episode, Monica dealt with her heartbreak by channeling her pain into jam. In Season 3, Episode 3, “The One with All the Jam,” Monica showed off her funny and sad side. It was fun to watch Monica try to get over her breakup by covering herself in jam and giving that jam to Joey.

When Monica realized that the jam plan was putting her over the top financially, she started looking into sperm banks to see if she could find a sperm donor so she could have a baby. This was a very funny episode for Monica, with quotes like, “I’m sick of being depressed about Richard. I needed a plan. A plan to get over my husband! And what’s the opposite of man? Jam!” It was also a beautiful insight into her pain and fears, with Monica ultimately choosing to wait rather than settle.

NEXT: The funniest “Friends” episodes, ranked