Friends is the best sitcom of all time, in my opinion at the very least. 9/10 episodes are fantastic, and even the ones you may not love still have their charm and watchability. In fact, Season 7, Episode 10, “The One With the Holiday Armadillo” is a clear example of an episode that, when we look back on it, feels like a fever dream that is confusing yet still thoroughly enjoyable. If anything, the randomness of some aspects helps. This Friends entry was the Christmas episode of the season, and showed Ross (David Schwimmer) teaching his son Ben (Cole Sprouse) about his Jewish heritage through the Jewish holiday of Hannukah. It’s a noble intention and interesting premise for an inclusive holiday special. However, some of the odd inclusions and plot points confuse the tone, which speaks to the larger issue with Ben as a character. In the end, though, it’s still the Friends we know and love.
What Happens in the ‘Friends’ Episode, “The One With the Holiday Armadillo”?
Despite some of the wild turns this episode will take, “The One With the Holiday Armadillo” starts out with the intention of delivering a Christmas special with a unique tone. Of course, this comes from Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow), who brings a skull to Monica (Courtney Cox) and Chandler’s (Matthew Perry) apartment. We then witness Ross trying to teach Ben about Hannukah, but the young boy is only interested in Santa, so Ross promises Santa will visit. When Ross cannot get his hands on a Santa suit, he dresses like an armadillo and claims to be Santa’s “part Jewish friend.”
This gives Ross the chance to teach Ben, but Chandler strides in wearing a Santa costume, which for some reason Monica finds sexy. This is where the two holidays, Christmas and Hannukah, really are put at odds, as Ben tells the Holiday Armadillo to leave, so Santa can stay. Ross accepts defeat, until Chandler says he’ll only stay if he gets to learn about Hannukah, which is a very wholesome gesture that displays the warm feeling we get when watching Friends, even for the 100th time. Ben is told about the miracle of the burning oil, and they light the candelabrum.
“The One With the Holiday Armadillo” Is a Great Idea That is Oddly Executed
Whilst it’s a rather sweet ending, the road to getting there feels incredibly bumpy. The tone of the episode is an odd mix between educational and comedic. There is a clear effort to be inclusive, and that should be appreciated, but because of the mix of tones, the inclusion of Hannukah and Ben’s Jewish heritage does not feel entirely explored or satisfying. The issue is one that is common when discussing the character of Ben in Friends. He simply disappears after a while, seemingly because he didn’t serve the plot anymore. There is nothing wrong with having a character who comes in and out of a TV show, but Ben’s lack of importance makes lots of his appearances, and the ideas discussed in these episodes, feel slightly lightweight.
That being said, the ideas behind this episode still hold up. The combinations of Jewish and secular/Christian Holidays and how a Jewish boy navigates these ideas are fascinating, though perhaps the overly comedic approach, with the Armadillo and even Joey (Matt LeBlanc) in a Superman costume, did not help these ideas flourish. It might not seem like a big deal. Still, when an episode is set around educating people about another culture, there is a desire to fully understand something like Hanukkah by the end and what it means specifically to those who celebrate it.
Having said that, as previously mentioned, it’s still Friends. It’s still a hilarious episode that keeps the cast doing ridiculous things that make us love them as always. Even if the Holiday Armadillo is not your favorite storyline, Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) and Phoebe’s dilemma over their rebuilt apartment is a great watch. It might not be the best Christmas episode, but “The One With the Holiday Armadillo” is still a seasonal special that you do not want to skip on your cozy season Friends re-watch.
