A savvy Friends fan has sent TikTokers into a frenzy after spotting the moment Monica Geller suddenly stopped being played by Courteney Cox.
In a now-viral video, TikTok user @mumandmore4 shared a scene from the beloved sitcom where Courteney Cox - who portrays Monica (99.99% of the time) - is seemingly swapped out for another woman during a scene. "I know there are so many mistakes in Friends but I have never seen this one before," the astute fan noted in her post.
The episode in question is 'The One With Rachel's Date' - the fifth episode of the eighth season. In the scene, Phoebe Buffay (played by Lisa Kudrow) is seen having a chat with Monica on the iconic Central Perk sofa.
@mumandmore4 goes on to point out the peculiar error, saying: "So I've been watching Friends, and this is the episode where Phoebe is dating Monica's sous chef. And I just noticed this little blunder. That's not Monica, that's not Monica!"
Check it out below:As the two characters discuss the hilariously inadequate Tim - Monica's sous chef who recently set someone on fire - the camera angle switches back and forth between the two friends. However, as mumandmore4 pauses the scene, she spots another woman playing Monica - Courteney Cox's stand-in - noting that it's not Cox in the frame at all.
Per Backstage.com, a "stand-in" is "a person who takes the place of an actor to help the camera department light the set, as well as tweak their blocking, composition, framing, and focus."
But this isn't the only time the show suffered a similar error.
TikTok user @bronniiieee - a self-proclaimed Friends enthusiast - also shared an intriguing discovery after rewatching the show.
Like father, like daughter - as it appears that Jack Geller can also be seen being inexplicably swapped out for an entirely different actor in a scene. The TikToker humorously captioned their discovery by writing: "Who is THAT?" and pondered: "In all my Friends fan years, how have I never noticed this guy before?"
The particular episode in focus is 'The One in Massapequa' (Season 8, Episode 18).
In the episode, the gang takes a trip to Massapequa for the 35th wedding anniversary celebration of Monica and Ross' parents, Jack and Judy.
Check it out here:The scene, as highlighted by @bronniiieee, begins with Ross and Rachel talking to Judy and Jack, portrayed by Christina Pickles and Elliot Gould, respectively.
Then, when Judy exits the scene, the ensuing cut shows a totally different individual stepping into the role of Jack Geller - whom Ross even interacts with as if he's talking to his dad.
What's more, the replacement actor neither resembles Elliot Gould's height, and he's wearing glasses!
Of course, there is a very reasonable explanation for the blunders.
Per Digital Spy, Friends - like many shows at the time - was originally filmed to be aired in a 4:3 aspect ratio.
Now, as it's streamed on Netflix these days, the sitcom is shown in the current standard 16:9 ratio - which allows viewers to see a wider frame that the show's creators never intended viewers to see. This results in glimpses of unintentional extras and unseen elements from the original shoot, like the sudden appearance of a stand-in Jack Geller or his fake daughter.
This is also the reason why these mistakes started being noticed years after the show ended.
These amusing clips just go to show that, even after all these years, there's still something new to discover in our favorite episodes from the classic sitcom.
