Friends Episode Guide -- Just Plot Summaries -- Updated Sept 27, 2008.
The latest version and this document's official home is
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Rachel leaves Barry at the alter and moves in with Monica. Monica goes on a date with Paul
the wine guy, who turns out to be less than sincere. Ross is depressed about his failed marriage.
Joey compares women to ice cream. Everyone watches Spanish soaps. Ross reveals his high school crush on Rachel.
Ross finds out his ex-wife (Carol) is pregnant, and he has to attend the sonogram along with Carol's lesbian
life-partner, Susan. Ugly Naked Guy gets a thigh-master. Ross and Monica's parents come for dinner, which stresses
Monica out. Ross and Rachel console each other. Rachel returns the ring to Barry, who is much less upset about the
break-up than expected.
Ross discovers the fate of his childhood pet, Chichi. Chandler starts smoking again; when the group complains,
he diverts their attention to their own faults. Phoebe gets money she doesn't want; she complains and gets more; she
gives it away and gets a can of soda in return... which contains a thumb. The beverage company gives
her $7000. Monica's new boyfriend (Alan) is a hit with her friends, but Monica's not too sure.
Ross, upset about it being the anniversary of his first time with Carol, goes to a hockey
game with Chandler and Joey and gets a puck in the face; they end up at the hospital, where Ross
reveals that Carol is the only woman he's even been intimate with. Rachel gets a visit from
her old friends, which depresses her about her life. The women have a slumber party, which isn't
very fun until they spy on George Stephanopoulos.
1.05 The One With The East-German Laundry Detergent
Chandler and Phoebe decide to break up with Janice and Tony on the same
night; Phoebe's goes really well but Chandler has a harder time. Ross arranges
to do laundry with Rachel and Monica; Monica cancels, leaving just the two of
them; Rachel reveals she's never done laundry before... and accidentally dyes
all her white clothes pink. Joey wants his ex-girlfriend (Angela) to break up with her
boyfriend (Bob), so he arranges for Monica and him to double date with them... but
he tells Monica that Angela and Bob are siblings. Ugly Naked Guy lays kitchen tile.
Janice buys Chandler Bullwinkle socks. Rachel is so happy about her laundry experience
that she kisses Ross.
Everyone attends Joey's new musical, Freud! While there, Chandler
meets a beautiful and exotic woman, Aurora, and begins dating her. Joey gets
picked up by the Estelle Leonard Talent Agency, which gets him a job as Al Pacino's
butt double. However, he loses the job by overacting. Rachel cleans the apartment
by herself for the first time; however, she moves the green ottoman, which starts
Monica obsessing. Chandler finds out Aurora is married and already has
another boyfriend. When she picks up still another, Chandler isn't sure he can take it.
New York City is blacked out (due to a mishap on Mad About You). Chandler is
trapped in an ATM vestibule with Jill Goodacre. The rest of the gang hangs out at Monica and
Rachel's apartment. Ugly Naked Guy lights a bunch of candles and has a slight accident.
While trying to share his feelings with Rachel, Ross is attacked by a cat. While searching
for the cat's owner, Rachel and Phoebe meet "the Weird Man", known in later episodes as
Mr. Heckles. He tries to claim the cat, but it obviously isn't his. The cat turns out to
belong to Paolo, an Italian hunk who lives in the building and doesn't speak much English.
Chandler finds out a lot of people think he's gay when they first meet
him; he tries to find out why. Paolo gives Rachel calls and shoes from Rome.
Ross and Monica's grandmother dies... twice; At the funeral, Joey watches a
football game on a portable TV; Ross falls into an open grave and hurts his
back, then gets a bit loopy on muscle relaxers. Monica tries to deal with her
mother's criticisms.
Joey poses for a health poster, but later finds out he's become the V.D.
poster boy. Ross finds out Susan is reading to the unborn baby and decides he
must, too. Ross and Monica plan their own Thanksgiving dinner because their
parents are away; Phoebe joins them, because she celebrates with her grandmother
and her grandmother's boyfriend... in December... because he's lunar; Joey joins
in because his family thinks he has V.D.; Monica has to make three kinds of
potatoes. Chandler plans to boycott Thanksgiving because his parents announced
their divorce on that day; Rachel has plans to go to Vale to be with her family.
The Underdog balloon breaks free during the parade; everyone goes to the roof
to watch but they get locked out of Monica's apartment; the dinner is burned and
Rachel misses her flight. Everyone ends up eating Chandler's cheese sandwiches
and Funyuns for Dinner. Ugly Naked Guy has Thanksgiving dinner with Ugly Naked
Gal, and there's Ugly Naked Dancing.
Ross gets a monkey named Marcel. Everyone makes a pact not to bring dates to their New
Years Eve Party. While performing at Central Perk, Phoebe confronts some noisy boys and
ends up dating one of them: David, Scientist Guy. Their relationship develops well
until he gets offered a grant to go to Minsk, and doesn't know what to do. Everyone
breaks the no-date pact except Ross; Phoebe brings David, Joey brings Sandy, someone he met
while working as an elf in a department store; Rachel plans to bring Paolo, who's flying
in earlier than expected; Chandler snaps and asks Janice; Monica invites Fun Bobby;
Ross just brings Marcel. However, no one ends up with their date (or monkey) at midnight.
Monica and Phoebe distract an attractive guy who then gets hit by a car
and ends up in a coma; they both take care of him in the hospital but begin
getting very competitive and possessive over him. Chandler's mom (who embarrasses
Chandler with her forwardness) is on Jay Leno and then pays Chandler a visit. Paolo
returns from Rome. Mrs. Bing takes everyone out to dinner... and ends up kissing Ross.
Mrs. Bing gives Rachel advice on writing romance novels. Ross tells Chandler about the
kiss and convinces him to confront his mother about his feelings.
Everyone hums the theme from The Odd Couple. Monica is stuck with
a dozen lasagnas because she didn't know they were supposed to be vegetarian.
Paolo and Rachel prepare for their first weekend away together; Paolo makes a
pass at Phoebe, which ends his relationship with Rachel. Phoebe makes the best
oatmeal-raisin cookies in the world. Joey and Chandler have to get a new table,
but can't agree on which one; they end up with a foosball table; Monica rules the
foosball field. Carol finds out the gender of the baby, but Ross doesn't want to
know... even though everyone else knows.
Chandler accidentally walks in on Rachel after a shower and sees her breasts,
leading to a series of shower peepings. Phoebe's new psychiatrist boyfriend, Roger,
depresses and angers everyone. Joey finds out his dad has been having an affair with Ronni,
a pet mortician, for six years; he insists his dad either break it off or confess, but it turns out
his mom already knew--and didn't want it to stop.
Ross goes on a date with a Kristen, a woman from his apartment building; Carol and Susan show up at the same
restaurant; Susan gets paged and leaves; Ross pays so much attention to Carol that he doesn't even notice his date
has gone. Joey can't go out with his date, Lorraine, unless he brings a friend for her friend; Chandler agrees to go,
but the date turns out to be Janice; Somehow they end up together again; Janice buys Chandler candy hearts for Valentines
Day; Chandler breaks up with her--again. Phoebe, Monica, and Rachel have a cleansing ritual to rid themselves of bad luck
with men, which turns into a small fire; Fireman guys come to the rescue.
Chandler gets offered a promotion at work but turns it down because he doesn't like his career; his boss, however,
keeps offering more money until Chandler accepts; he spends the day showing off his new office to Phoebe and his night
working late. A client of Phoebe's needs a new head-chef, so Monica auditions for him; unfortunately, he's stoned and the
evening is a disaster. Ross goes out with Celia, a woman from the museum, who wants him to talk dirty; it's a skill he
hasn't quite mastered... at first.
Chandler and Joey meet Ursula, Phoebe's twin sister; Joey begins dating Ursula, but that bothers Phoebe, who doesn't
get along with her sister very well. Ross attends Lamaze class with Carol and Susan; Carol isn't sure she can go through
with the delivery; Ross realizes he's really going to be a father. Chandler can't bear to fire an employee he's attracted to,
so he starts to date her and tells everyone else she's mentally unbalanced, so it isn't safe to fire her; she begins to notice
people treating her oddly, so Chandler has to come clean. Ross has trouble controlling his monkey, Marcel, who switches Monica's
TV into Spanish mode; no one can figure out how to switch it back. Mr. Heckles could have cats. Jamie and Fran (from Mad
About You) make an appearance in Central Perk. Rachel finally gets around to taking down the Christmas lights, but falls off
the balcony in the process, and ends up hanging upside down outside Mr. Heckles' window.
Monica takes Rachel to the hospital; Rachel has no insurance, so she and Monica switch identities--a tricky situation that
is made worse when two cute doctors (guest stars George Clooney and Noah Wyle) ask them on dates; Monica and Rachel start arguing and end up listing all their worst qualities
in front of their dates. Ross worries about whether he can be a good father; he seeks comfort from his friends and advice from his
father. Joey continues to date Ursula, which interferes with his friendship with Phoebe--he misses her birthday; however, when Ursula
stands Joey up and won't return his calls, Phoebe talks to her and finds out she isn't even planning to tell Joey it's over; Phoebe
pretends to be Ursula so she can let him down nicely--a ruse which doesn't last. Marcel chokes on scrabble tiles and has to be rushed
to the hospital; Ross realizes he can cope with the responsibilities of parenthood. Ugly Naked Guy has a hula-hoop.
Rachel, tired of being a waitress, sends out resumes; she gets an interview with Saks Fifth Avenue. Ross pines for Rachel.
The girls decide they want in on the guys' poker games; reluctantly, the guys accept. The girls don't do so well, but they want
a rematch. Monica's competative side comes out... she may have thrown a plate once during a Pictionary game, but she insists
it was an accident. Monica inlists the help of her Aunt Iris to give them some poker tips; the girls still don't do so well.
Then at the third game, the girls are going down again. Rachel gets some bad news about the job for which she's been interviewing,
and gets aggressive at cards; she taunts Ross into a high stakes hand... and he lets her win because he wants to see her happy.
Rachel finds out Barry is engaged to Mindy, her former bridesmaid; she begins to show interest in dating again, so Ross
decides to ask her out. However, before he gets the chance, she loses Marcel while monkey-sitting, which temporarily drives a
wedge between them. Mr. Heckles is missing a waffle and saw Regis Philbin once. Rachel, not knowing Marcel is a illegal exotic
animal, calls Animal Control; the animal-catcher turns out to be Luisa, who went to high-school with Monica and Rachel. Luisa's
memories of high school aren't favorable toward Rachel, so she decides not to cut them any breaks. While looking for Marcel,
Joey and Chandler meet some hot girls (Samantha and Tia) with a broken radiator. Luisa tries to shoot Marcel with a tranquilizer but hits Phoebe
instead. A delivery of bananas leads everyone to Mr. Heckles apartment; he claims the monkey as his own until Luisa shows up.
Rachel pleads with Luisa to let Ross keep Marcel, but it's only the threat of reporting her for shooting Phoebe that convinces
her. Ross and Rachel finally sit down for some wine, but before Ross can ask Rachel out, Barry barges in, saying he's still in love with her.
The gang argues the virtues of Mr. Peanut and Mr. Salty. Someone is peeping into the
apartment building with a telescope; Joey discovers it's a woman, and that she's very
complimentary. Ugly Naked Guy gets gravity boots. Chandler has a good first date with Daniel
and then obsesses about trying to call her again without seeming too needy. Rachel ends up
sleeping with Barry instead of telling him to get lost; but after she and Mindy (Barry's fiance')
get together and talk, Rachel decides Barry is evil. Joey has a one-track mind after Rachel mentions
that her best friend, Mindy, taught her to kiss. Ross does a crossword puzzle.
Monica's credit card is stolen; after seeing the credit card statement, she decides the thief lives her life better than she does.
She meets 'Fake Monica' at a dance class which was charged to her card, and suprisingly they become friends. As Mononna, she and
Fake Monica have a great time... until Fake Monica is arrested. Ross' monkey, Marcel, reaches sexual maturity and starts humping
everything in sight; Ross has to find a zoo in which to put his pet. Joey tries to choose a stage name.
Rachel has sex dreams--first about Chandler, then Chandler and Joey, and
finally about Ross. Phoebe looks for supplemental income, and works part time
as Chandler's secretary. This leads to Chandler's discover that the people at the
office don't like him anymore... and they even mimic his unique way of talking.
Monica dates Ethan, a younger man who turns out to be even younger than she thought;
she breaks up with him because it's just too icky. Ross gets a beeper so Carol
can page him when she goes into labor; after several false alarms, he gets beeped
for the real thing, and everyone heads to the hospital.
Everyone arrives at the hospital for Carol's delivery. Ross and Susan fight; Rachel flirts with the
doctor... for a while; Phoebe sings and makes a lot of sense; Joey helps a single mother
(Lydia) give birth; Monica yearns for a baby of her own; Chandler tries to comfort her,
but isn't totally successful. The baby is named Ben, after Phoebe.
Joey participates in a fertility study, but things get hard when he has
to avoid intimacy with Melanie, his new fruit-basket-making girlfriend. The gang
has a barbecue, but Ross only shows up long enough to drop off Rachel's birthday present
and announce he's going to China to get a bone for the museum. Later, while Rachel opens
her presents, Chandler lets slip that Ross is in love with her; she goes to the airport to
catch him before he leaves, but just misses him. While he's gone, she debates what to do
do. Finally, she decides to go for it and goes to the airport for his return. Unknown
to her, however, Ross has become involved with another woman during his week in China.
Rachel, ready to reveal her feelings to Ross, meets him at the airport;
her plans fall apart, however, when she finds out about his new girlfriend, Julie.
Chandler, already feeling guilty about revealing Ross's feelings to Rachel, now feels
worse that he encouraged Ross to forget about her. The gang watches Sumo Wrestling.
Phoebe gives Joey and Chandler haircuts; Monica wants one, too. Phoebe is reluctant because
of Monica's picky nature, but finally gives in. Monica wants a cut like Demi Moore;
unfortunately Phoebe confuses "Demi" with "Dudley". Chandler needs a suit made,
and Joey refers him to the family tailor; while getting measured for pants,
Chandler gets a little more attention than he bargained for. Ross sickens everyone
(especially Rachel) with his constant gushing for Julie. In Rachel's depression, she sleeps
with Paolo again.
Carol breastfeeds Ben, causing Joey and Chandler discomfort. However, even stronger
reactions occur when Ross is taking care of Ben and Phoebe checks the temperature of the
bottled breast milk by tasting it. Julie invites Monica to go shopping; Rachel finds out
and feels betrayed. Joey's status as the Bijan Cologne Man is threatened when his department
store hires someone to be the Hombre Man. Rachel tries to be nicer to Julie, but is less
than sincere.
Chandler breaks up with a woman because her nostrils are too big--yet another
superficial reason to avoid a real relationship. Mr. Heckles complains again about
the noise--it's disturbing his birds (he could have birds). Phoebe, Rachel, and Joey
impersonate Janice. Mr. Heckles dies, apparently while hitting his ceiling with a broom
because of the noise from above. Phoebe doesn't believe in evolution, which bothers Ross
enough that he feels he has to convince her of the theory. Rachel and Monica inherit
all of Mr. Heckles earthly possesions; while clearing out his apartment, they discover
that Heckles was quite a funny guy in his time. Chandler is upset to find how much he has
in common with Mr. Heckles, and in his determination not to die alone, he calls Janice...
only to find out that she's married and pregnant. While trying to decide which of Heckles'
things to keep, Rachel realizes that Monica doesn't consider the apartment to be "their" apartment.
Phoebe turns out to be married to Duncan, a gay friend who needed a
green card. Phoebe did love him, and finds those feelings returning. Now
(six years later) he's back and needs a divorce. Turns out he's not
gay, and is getting married to someone else. The revelation of Phoebe's secret
marriage prompts several other discoveries: The underwear on the telephone pole
outside is Monica's, from when she had sex with Fun Bobby on the terrace; Chandler
has a third nipple; Joey was in a porn movie (which they then watch). Ross is
nervous about the prospect of having sex for the first time with Julie. He
approaches Rachel for advice; her own interest in Ross keeps her from being
completely honest, and she tries her best to see that it doesn't happen.
Chandler gets calls from an intriguing woman (Jade) looking for someone
named Bob. On the phone, he pretends to be Bob and arranges to meet her, so
he can console her when "Bob" stands her up. Their relationship seems to be
going very well, until she calls "Bob" back and complains of Chandler's sexual
inadequacies. Chandler plans a big birthday hoopla for Ross, but the expense
involved touches a nerve with Phoebe, Joey, and Rachel, who don't make as
much money as the others. Monica, Chandler, and Ross celebrate his birthday
by attending Hootie and the Blowfish in concert; they end up partying backstage
afterwards with the band. Monica gets a new position as Head Lunch Chef, also
in charge of purchasing, who has her own little desk (when Roland's not there),
and a beeper. However, she is soon fired for accepting a gift from the restaurant's
new meat supplier.
Ben always cries when he's near Monica. Ross has an allergic reaction
to Monica's Kiwi Lime Pie; his tongue swells up and he has to go to the hospital.
Chandler and Joey take care of Ben for the day, but accidentally leave him
on a city bus while meeting women. They retrieve him from Human Services, but
are a little unsure whether they've got the right baby. Phoebe is displaced
when Terry, the manager of Central Perk, hires Stephanie, a professional singer,
to play at the coffee house. Rachel arranges for Phoebe to play after Stephanie,
but Phoebe feels slighted because, unlike Stephanie, she won't be getting paid.
She becomes a street musician, outside Central Perk.
Chandler realizes he's put on some weight, so he agrees to let Monica
be his personal fitness trainer. The results are great, but Monica is a bit
too intense for Chandler's liking. Phoebe's dating a guy she really likes,
but is perplexed that they haven't had sex yet. Ross and Julie plan to get a
cat together. Rachel has her first real date since finding out about Ross'
feelings for her. She spends the whole date obsessing about Ross and Julie,
and drinking too much wine. While drunk, she leaves Ross a message saying
she's over him. The next morning, Ross retrieves his messages while at Rachel's
apartment. Confronted with the truth at such an inconvenient time, Ross can't
deal with it and leaves. Later, they argue, and Ross says it's too late, because
he's with Julie now; he leaves again. However, he comes right back and kisses her.
Chandler gets a new computer. Ross is depressed about having to chose between
Julie and Rachel. Chandler suggests they make a list of pros and cons, which
somehow never makes it past the cons. Ross choses Rachel, but then she finds
the list and decides she doesn't want to be with Ross anymore. Monica's finds
a new job creating Thanksgiving recipes for Mockolate, a synthetic chocolate substitute.
Ugly Naked Guy decorates his tree. Monica and Rachel, low on funds, make cookies to give
instead of cash as holiday tips to the paperboy, the mailman, the superintendent, etc. Then
they receive mangled papers and smashed packages; when their heater won't turn off and the
super doesn't fix it, they fear he's also upset about not getting cash. Despite the heat, Rachel
and Monica have a big Christmas party. Ross tries to make amends with Rachel. He tells her to
make a list about him, so she does; he obsesses about her complaints. Phoebe discovers that
everything she thought she knew about her biological father (including his picture) is a lie.
Her grandmother knows where he lives, and it's not far. Phoebe (accompanied by Chandler and
Joey) goes to visit him, but eventually decides she's not ready. Chandler and Joey have to do
their Christmas shopping late on Christmas eve.
Joey gets bad reviews for his latest play and decides to quit show
business... until his agent gets him an audition for a soap opera. He finds out,
however, that he'd have to sleep with the casting director to get the part.
Monica starts dating Fun Bobby again; she notices he seems to have a drinking
problem. She confronts him and he decides to quit, after which Monica notices
he's no longer any fun. Rachel dates Russ, who bears a striking resemblence
to Ross.
Carol and Susan are getting married; Ross doesn't want to attend, but
when Carol's parent's don't approve of the wedding, Ross convinces her that
she should do it anyway, and he gives away the bride. Or rather, one of the
brides. Monica caters the wedding, but falls behind and recruits everyone to
help. Joey's begins appearing in Days of Our Lives as Dr. Drake Ramoray.
One of Phoebe's customer's dies on the massage table, and her spirit enter's
Phoebe's body so she can attend to unfinished business. Rachel's mother comes
to visit, then announces she's thinking about leaving Rachel's father. Ugly
Naked Guy plays the Cello.
A TV commercial featuring a Monkey reminds Ross of Marcel. Ross decides
to visit Marcel at the San Diego Zoo, since he's going to a convention in Los
Angeles. Once there, he is told by a zoo representative that Marcel has died;
however, an eccentric zoo keeper tells him Marcel was stolen and put into show
business. Ross' search leads him back to New York, where Marcel is filming
Outbreak II: The Virus Takes Manhattan. Joey begins dating Erika, a stalker
who thinks he's really his soap opera character, Dr. Drake Ramoray. Phoebe dates
Rob, a guy who hires her to sing songs for children at the library. Her songs
are a little too real for the kids' parents. She gets fired, but all the kids
come to the coffee house so they can still hear her.
The gang spends time on Marcel's movie set. Ross has a hard time getting
time or attention from Marcel. Chandler bumps into Susie Moss, a girl he knew
in the fourth grade, whom he embarrased by lifting her skirt during the class
play. She comes on really strong but it turns out to be an elaborate scheme
to get back at him. Monica and Rachel see Jean-Claude Van Damme; when Rachel
tries to get him interested in Monica, he asks Rachel out instead, causing a
rift between the roommates. Joey gets a small part in the movie but doesn't
perform too well.
Joey, now earning money, gives Chandler an expensive (and gaudy) gold bracelet.
Joey is hurt when he finds out Chandler doesn't like it. Monica has a job interview
with a restaurant manager who has a salad fetish. Rachel's starting to date again,
which prompts Ross to interfere... until she makes it clear that they are never going
to get together. Phoebe shares her "lobster" theory. Jack and Judy Geller come by to
drop off some of Monica's things; they're turning her room into a gym. Monica tells
them about losing her job, but she just can't get the courage to ask them for money.
Amongst Monica's items from home is a video of herself and Rachel preparing for their
Senior Prom. Rachel's pre-surgery nose, Monica's large stature, and Ross' "Mr. Kotter"
look are featured. In the video, Rachel's date doesn't show up and she's distraught
about having to miss her own Prom. Ross prepares to take her, but just before this
is revealed, Rachel's date shows up. Rachel, watching the video for the first time,
is so moved by Ross' compassion for her that she forgives him for "the list" and kisses
him passionately. Monica discovers some unexpected footage of her parents at the end of the video tape.
Joey buys a big screen TV and two leather reclining chairs; he and Chandler
don't move from them for days. Phoebe helps Monica cater a party at the home
of Dr. Richard Burke, an old friend of the Gellers, who recently divorced.
Despite their age difference, Richard and Monica begin dating. Ross and Rachel
begin dating. One of their dates is interrupted when Ross is paged to the museum.
By the time he's done with work, their plans are ruined, so they spend the
night together in the museum. Joey and Chandler watch Beavis and Butthead.
Chandler and Joey attend a party thrown by one of the other actors on Days of Our Lives.
He happens to be moving out, so he offers to let Joey have his apartment. Having never lived alone,
Joey decides to take him up on it, which disheartens Chandler. Phoebe and Rachel decide to get tattoos;
their decision is complicated by the facts that Ross doesn't like tattoos and Phoebe doesn't like needles.
Ross, Monica, and Richard go to Jack Geller's birthday party. Everyone is buzzing with rumors of Richard's
young new girlfriend (also known as his "twinkie in the city"). Monica hides in the bathtub; her parents
come into the bathroom and fool around. Later, Monica reveals her relationship with Richard to her parents.
Joey shows his friends his new apartment, which (unfortunately) he decorated himself.
A record producers signs Phoebe to make a video of Smelly Cat, but dubs
in someone else's voice. Monica is annoyed that Ross is around so much; they fight like typical
siblings. Chandler and Joey miss each other, but neither one will admit it.
Chandler gets a new roommate, Eddie, who seems like a great guy. Joey is jealous,
and he and Chandler fight like a typical couple. Chandler finds out that he
doesn't really have that much in common with Eddie after all.
Chandler's roommate, Eddie, begins to show signs of instability: He's
obsessed with his ex-girlfriend; he accuses Chandler of sleeping with her, and of
killing his fish. Richard wonders how many men Monica's been with, after Phoebe
announces that it's been "a lot." This leads Ross and Rachel to a similar discussion.
Monica has Richard sleep over on the same night that Rachel has Ross sleep over.
Unfortunately, there's only one condom in the apartment. Joey's claim in Soap
Opera Digest that he writes a lot of his own lines angers the show's writer, who
decides to have Dr. Ramoray fall down an elevator shaft.
Chandler wakes in the night to find Eddie watching him sleep; they argue
and Eddie agrees to leave. The next day, Eddie goes on a fruit drying kick and
has no recollection of their previous conversation. Variations of this happen
day after day. Joey's pride won't let him try out for small roles, but his
mounting debts (and Ross) slowly convince him otherwise. Joey makes good use of
his "Word of the Day" toilet paper. Monica, Rachel, and Phoebe read a female
empowerment book, Be Your Own Windkeeper, which has even more detrimental
effects on their relationships with each other than it does on their relationships
with men. Joey moves back in with Chandler, which allows Chandler to take advantage
of Eddie's faulty memory, and finally be rid of him.
Phoebe discovers that her mother used to shield her from the sad parts
of movies, like Old Yeller. She rents all the movies her mother used to
show her, and gets rather depressed and pessimistic. Ross, bothered that he's
missing significant steps in Ben's development, takes Ben for a weekend. Ben
says his first words. At Monica's request, Chandler and Joey start spending
time hanging out with Richard. Then they try to be more like Richard: Joey
smokes cigars and Chandler grows a mustache. Richard starts to talk and dress
like Chandler. They end up spending too much time together, until Richard
discovers they view him as a father figure, rather than one of the guys. Rachel
finds out that Ross has his future with her all planned out, and she panics.
Monica notices a stock with her initials (MEG), and decides to try to make
a living on the stock market rather than take a demeaning job at a 50's theme
diner. She doesn't do so well. Phoebe decides it's time to meet her father, but
accidentally runs over his dog. After getting it back from the vet, she delivers
it home, only to find that Frank Buffay hasn't been there for four years. However,
she discovers she has a half-brother, Frank Junior. Ross and Chandler get intimidated
out of their seats, a hat, and the coffee shop, by a couple of bullies. As they're about
to have a final showdown, someone steals from all of them, so Ross, Chandler,
and the bullies band together to kick butt.
Rachel's surprise birthday party is split in two to keep her divorcing
parents from running into each other. Monica makes flan instead of cake. Phoebe
smuggles guests out of Monica's boring party and into Chandler and Joey's raging
celebration.
Phoebe's Navy man (Ryan) is in town for two weeks, but their plans are
foiled because Phoebe has the chicken pox, and gives them to him as well. Monica
tapes oven mits to their hands so they won't scratch. Monica is releaved that
Richard thinks her neurotic behavior is endearing; but she's upset that he doesn't
seem to have any compulsive obsessions himself. Chandler gets Joey a job at his office,
and tells him to act like a processor. Joey takes it too far, and invents a
character, "Joseph," who has a wife and kids, and who causes quite a bit of trouble for
Chandler. Rachel is turned on by uniforms; Ross gets one.
Joey has an audition for a movie directed by Warren Beatty; the part
involves kissing another man, and Joey tries to find one to practice with.
Rachel prepares to be the maid of honor at Mindy's wedding to Barry. The bridesmaid's
dresses are hideous. Going to the wedding is even more painful than Rachel
expected. Her dress gets caught in her underwear, she finds out that Barry's
parents told everyone she was insane from syphilis, and Barry and his best
man make jokes about her. But she finds the strength to stay. Chandler meets
a woman on the Internet; he really likes her. He finds out she's married, but
decides to meet her anyway. She turns out to be Janice. Monica asks Richard
about his plans for the future, and discovers he doesn't want to start having
kids again. While at Barry and Mindy's wedding, they decide their relationship
is over.
Monica is dysfunctional because of her breakup with Richard. Joey can't stand having
Janice around all the time; she invites him on a "day of fun" so they can get to know each other.
Ross and Rachel talk about their fantasies; Rachel then tells Phoebe and Monica about Ross's
Princess Leia fantasy. Phoebe and Mr. Gellar comfort Monica. Ross and Chandler share personal information, which leads to some unpleasant side effects for Ross.
Ross has an important night but no one else is ready to go. Joey and
Chandler fight about chairs and clothes. Joey spills humus on Phoebe's dress.
Monica hears an old message from Richard and thinks that it might be new; she
leaves him a message which she then tries to erase, but just makes it worse.
Rachel can't decide what to wear; Ross gets angry and Rachel decides not to
go... unless he drinks the fat.
Joey falls while jumping on the bed and dislocates his arm. Monica tries
to stay busy to keep her mind off Richard. First, she makes a lot of jam, which
Joey loves. Second, she begins screen sperm donors--and runs into Joey's file.
Phoebe is followed by her sister's stalker (Malcolm)... then starts dating him.
Chandler seeks advice on relationships from Rachel and Ross. Ross secretly tells
him about the "hug and roll"--a maneuver designed to end the cuddling and give
you some space. Chandler tries it out but ends up dumping Janice on the floor.
Joey appears in an infomercial for the Milk Master 2000. Phoebe
forgets to tell Joey about an audition... but makes it up to him by calling the
casting director and pretending to be an agent; Joey asks her to represent him
full time. Ross has a hard time accepting that his son plays with a Barbie doll;
he tries to get him interested in more masculine toys. Chandler is scared of
the "tunnel" of commitment until Joey convinces him to face his fears... but then
Chandler overdoes it and scares Janice away for a while. Monica and Rachel welcome
Chandler to "their side of the tunnel" and console him with ice-cream.
Joey gets carried away with a mailbox project and ends up building an entertainment center; he mistakenly
cuts Chandler's door in half in the process. Then he gets sidetracked on re-tiling Monica's bathroom floor. Phoebe
hangs out with her half-brother, Frank Jr., in hopes of getting to know him better; he misunderstands when she
tells him she gives people "massages and stuff". The gang all consider what five celebrities would be on their "freebie
list"--people they can sleep with without anyone getting upset; Ross finally narrows his list down by eliminating
Isabella Rossellini... then he bumps into her.
Prompted by a question from Janice, the group has a flashback revealing events which
occurred three years earlier: Chandler searches for a roommate; Cute Naked Guy puts on
weight; Phoebe secretly moves out of Monica's apartment; The bar is closing to make way for
a coffee shop; Mr. Heckles could play the oboe; Rachel contemplates her upcoming marriage to
Barry; Mr. Heckles could be Chandler's new roommate; Ross is happy that Carol has found a
new friend -- Susan; One of the lifeguards dismantles a nuclear device; "Almost" relationships
are revealed between Joey and Monica, Monica and Chandler, Chandler and Rachel, Ross and
Phoebe.
Monica and Phoebe shop at the store owned by Janice's soon-to-be-ex-husband,
and Monica ends up with the wrong bed. Rachel and Ross have dinner with her father,
which doesn't go well; the next day at brunch, Ross and Dr. Green find something to
bond over. Gunther broods over Rachel. Joey Teaches a class--"Acting for Soap Operas".
While trying to return the bed, Joey and Monica see Janice kissing her husband.
Phoebe avoids going to the dentist because whenever she goes, someone dies.
Joey tells Chandler about Janice kissing her husband, and Chandler confronts her. She must
chose between the two men she loves; it looks like she might choose Chandler, but he decides
he can't be responsible for breaking up her marriage. Ross has an emergency at the museum,
so Rachel takes care of Ben; Monica bangs Ben's head. Ugly Naked Guy has a new hammock, and looks
awfully still; the gang fashions a very long poking device out of chopsticks so they can make sure
he's not dead. Gunther continues to brood over Rachel.
The girls cook Thanksgiving dinner while the guys watch a football game on TV; all six decide to play football
together. Monica and Ross compete for the "Geller Cup." Joey and Chandler compete for a
Dutch girl. Rachel goes long. Phoebe flashes the other team.
Gunther re-trains Rachel on how to be a waitress; she realizes it's time to quit working at the
coffee shop. Ross accidentally breaks a little girl's leg, and ends up selling Brown Bird Cookies
for her so she can go to Space Camp. Monica's childhood cookie habit returns. Joey gets a job
at a Christmas tree lot. Phoebe tries to come to terms with the cruelty of having a Christmas
tree.
3.11 The One Where Chandler Can't Remember Which Sister
Joey astounds the gang with a card trick. Chandler, depressed over his break-up with Janice, fools around with
one of Joey's sisters at Joey's birthday party; but afterward can't remember which sister; he visits the Tribianni family, hoping
to figure it out, but only gets himself into trouble--by kissing the wrong one. Rachel meets Mark, who gets her an interview at Bloomingdale's;
Ross worries about Mark's motives. Phoebe dates the noisy guy from upstairs, who seems to charm himself out of any situation.
Rachel has her first day on the job; Ross sends her a singing telegram, and continues to be jealous about Mark.
Chandler arranges a bachelor party for his cousin. Joey gets an audition for a Broadway musical, but he can't dance.
Gunther pines for Rachel. Monica falls for Julio, a co-worker at the diner who writes a poetry; he writes a poem for
Monica which isn't very flattering. Ross and Ben have a play date with the stripper from the bachelor party, which makes
Rachel jealous.
3.13 The One Where Monica And Richard Are Just Friends
Monica and Richard have a chance meeting in a video store and decide to see each other as friends--but
it doesn't stop there. Phoebe dates Robert, a jock whose shorts are a little too revealing; Ross and
Chandler don't know how to tell him. Joey and Rachel read each other's favorite books: The Shining and
Little Women.
Phoebe's former singing partner (Leslie) performs at Central Perk and asks Phoebe if they can get back
together. They eventually do, but soon have problems when Leslie sells "Smelly Cat" to a kitty litter
company. Chandler meets a woman (Ginger) in the men's room and asks her out; coincidentally, Joey used to date her--
until an unfortunate incident occurred, involving her artificial leg. Chandler gets over the fact that she has an
artificial leg, but when Ginger learns he has a third nipple, she dumps him. Ross continues to struggle with Rachel's
career and her involvement with Mark. Chandler has his third nipple removed.
Phoebe dates a diplomat who doesn't speak english; she convinces Monica
to double with them so the translator will have a date. Chandler and Joey gawk
at the Xerox girl, who invites them both to a dance club. Ross interrupts
Rachel's late night emergency at the office, leading to a fight; Rachel wants to
take a break. Ross goes to the club and ends up kissing the Xerox girl.
Rachel is sorry about her fight with Ross; meanwhile, Ross wakes up with the Xerox girl; Chandler and
Joey convince Ross not to tell Rachel; Ross tries to make sure Rachel doesn't find out. Monica and Phoebe
try out a "painless" leg waxing kit. Chandler, Joey, Phoebe, and Monica get stuck in Monica's room
while Ross and Rachel try to work things out.
Ross and Rachel's fighting causes the gang to try to hang out with them separately. Chandler, under stress because Ross and
Rachel's break-up reminds him of his parents divorce, starts smoking again. Rachel invites everyone but Ross to go skiing for the
weekend; they get locked out of the car at a rest stop; Rachel refuses to call Ross for help, so Monica and Phoebe do it behind her
back; he comes to their aid and then gets stuck because his battery dies. Ross interferes with Carol's and Susan's "Anniversary".
Rachel gives Chandler a hypnosis tape to help him quit smoking; however, the tape was
designed for women--and it works all too well. Phoebe's brother, Frank, announces that he's getting
married--to his home economics teacher, who is much older; Phoebe tries to break it up and
enlists help from Ross and Joey. Monica gets asked out by a customer at the diner, who turns out
to be a millionaire; they go out for pizza... in Italy.
Monica continues to date Pete but is still not attracted to him; he
thinks she might change her mind. Joey gets a lead part in a play, but can't
stand the female lead... until he realizes he likes her. Mark asks Rachel
out. Rachel asks Ross to come over, but just so she can return some of his
stuff; Ross gets upset and demands all his stuff back, including a tiny
t-shirt that Rachel likes to sleep in. Later, Ross finds out Rachel is going on a date with Mark and spies
on them through Chandler's peep-hole. Phoebe ponders Spiderman.
Ross and Monica's Aunt Silvia passes away and leaves a beautiful dollhouse
to Monica; Monica invites Phoebe to play with it but then doesn't like Phoebe's
ideas; Phoebe makes her own dollhouse, but it catches fire. Joey yearns for
Kate, but since he can't have her, he goes out with her understudy; things
get hot between Joey and Kate during rehearsal, however, and they end up sleeping
together... but it means more to Joey than it does to Kate. Rachel sets Chandler up
on a date with her boss; she likes him, but he thinks she's a big dull dud; Chandler
tells her he'll call even though he doesn't intend to.
The diner where Monica works puts their staff on roller-skates; Monica crashes
into Rachel while skating; Rachel's injuries are worse than first believed. Pete buys a
restaurant and offers Monica a job as head chef; she's unsure whether to take it, since
she still isn't attracted to Pete. Pete makes up a story about another woman
so Monica will think he's over her; Phoebe sees right through it but promises
not to tell Monica. Joey buys a pet chick for Chandler, but caring for it becomes
a source of conflict. Ross has a chance to be on TV as part of a panel of Paleontologists,
but gives it up to take Rachel to the hospital. Monica and Pete are about to stop
seeing each other, but then they kiss... and Monica finally feels it.
Phoebe waits on hold so she can have her phone repaired before the warranty
expires. The gang goes to Joey's play on opening night. Rachel dates Tommy, who seems
pretty nice... except when he starts screaming at people; however, only Ross
witnesses this behavior and can't convince anyone else. Joey's play gets bad
reviews, prompting the director to break up with Kate; Joey and Kate spend the night
talking and falling in love. Kate gets a job offer in L.A. and decides to leave.
Ross finds a growth on his body but can't tell what it is; neither can anyone else.
He visits his doctor, Chandler's doctor, and Phoebe's guru. Phoebe dates two guys: Vince,
a burly fireman, and Jason, a sensitive teacher. She tries but can't decide which one to
break up with. Pete is out of town and tells Monica, "We need to talk," which gets her
worried. The gang goes with Monica to Pete's place see how a millionaire lives; Joey finds
a stub for a $50,000 check to a ring designer; Rachel begins to plan Monica's wedding.
Monica's boyfriend Pete begins competing to be the Ultimate Fighting
Champion; he loses... repeatedly. Chandler's new boss has a habit of slapping
him on the behind, which Chandler tries to deal with. Phoebe asks Rachel if
she can set Ross up with Bonnie; Rachel agrees since Bonnie's the girl who shaves
her head; Later, Rachel finds out Bonnie now has plenty of hair.
Phoebe finds a picture of her parents with their friend (also named
Phoebe) and looks her up; she lives out by the beach, so everyone decides to
go to the beach for the weekend. Rachel wears a big hat. Monica mourns her
failed relationships, which prompts Chandler to offer to be her boyfriend "if
worse comes to worst." Monica laughs, which prompts on-going efforts by Chandler
to prove he's boyfriend material. Joey tries to initiate a strip-poker game,
which ends up as a strip-Happy-Days game. Rachel and Ross flirt... until Ross's
girlfriend Bonnie shows up. Phoebe finds out that the other Phoebe has no idea
where her father Frank is... but she has a different revelation to make. Rachel
convinces Bonnie to shave her head again, which results in a confrontation between
Rachel and Ross in which she reveals she still loves him. Ross must decide.
Ross dumps Bonnie, which takes all night; she leaves in the morning.
Meanwhile, Rachel writes a long letter to Ross that she needs him to read before they get
back together; he tries to read it but falls asleep... then has to fake it when she asks
him about it; Ross agrees with the letter before he finds out what it says; once he finds out
the letter asks him to accept the breakup was all his fault, he's not sure he can keep
up the charade. Phoebe is upset that her real mother never tried to contact
her; she tells her mother she never wants to see her again, but her mother finally
convinces her to reconcile. Ursula knew about their real mother all along, but never told
Phoebe. Monica, Chandler, and Joey spend the day on the beach;
Joey digs a hole; Monica gets stung by a jellyfish. Joey remembers that peeing on a
jellyfish sting takes the pain away; Monica "can't bend that way" and Joey gets "Stage
Fright," leaving Chandler. Ross can't stand hiding his feelings and he and Rachel break
up again.
Joey and Chandler agree to sell their oversized entertainment center;
they have a hard time selling it but and easy time being robbed by a prospective
buyer, thanks to Joey. Monica goes out with Chip, Rachel's high school prom
date; unfortunately, Chip hasn't grown much since Lincoln High. Ross and Rachel
continue to bicker about their break-up. Phoebe finds a cat and is convinced it's her mother
reincarnated; a poster is found for a missing cat, but no one has the heart
to tell Phoebe... except Ross.
Chandler and Joey try to make due with patio furniture and a canoe as their
only furnishings. Chandler bumps into Joanna (Rachel's boss) and they go out again...
and end up having quite a fling; while sneaking into Joanna's office, Rachel finds
Chandler half naked and hand-cuffed to a chair. Monica caters her mother's party and
"pulls a Monica" when she loses a fake nail in one of the quiches. A salesman tries
to sell Joey encyclopedias, but Joey just can't afford a whole set.
Joey chews out Mr. Treeger, the superintendent, for making Rachel cry; Mr. Treeger decides to evict
Rachel and Monica (who have an illegal sublet of Monica's Grandmother's apartment). In order
to smooth things over, Joey agrees to be Mr. Treeger's practice ballroom dancing partner. Chandler tries
to end his membership at his gym; Ross goes with him for moral support but ends up joining as well. Phoebe
struggles (unsuccessfully) to contain her desires for Rick, one of her massage clients; she ends up being
fired and he turns out to be married.
Chandler introduces himself to a good looking girl (Kathy), only to find out that she's
dating Joey; as they get to know each other, Chandler's feelings get deeper. Whenever Rachel is around,
Ross goes out of his way to mention Amanda, a single mother he's been seeing; Rachel counters by dating Josh,
a much younger man; however, Amanda uses Ross as a babysitter so she can date another man, and Josh steals from Rachel.
Ross uses weird gestures he made up as a kid instead of offensive ones. Phoebe has a bad cold which makes
her singing voice sexy; when she recovers she desperately tries to catch another cold; she even kisses Gunther.
Ross dates a fantastically beautiful paleontologist (Cheryl); everything is going great until he finds out
she's incredibly messy. Chandler buys a rare copy of Kathy's favorite book for her birthday, but then has
to make sure that Joey's gift is good, too. Phoebe lends Monica money so she can make a more serious attempt
to get her catering business going; Monica has a little trouble collecting payment from a client. Rachel strives
to finish a crossword puzzle all by herself.
Chandler becomes further frustrated when he accidentally sees Kathy coming out
of the shower. Joey is late for a date with Kathy because he's on a date with someone else;
Chandler and Kathy spend time alone together and they kiss; Chandler feels so guilty
that he refurnishes the apartment; Kathy breaks up with Joey, and he suspects there
is another man; Chandler admits it was him, causing a rift between himself and Joey.
Ross rediscovers his musical "sound," but he isn't really as good as he and Phoebe seem
to believe; Phoebe doesn't want to perform because she feels dwarfed by Ross's musical gift.
Additional plotline on the DVD release: Rachel experiments with eating in restaurants alone.
Joey is still upset at Chandler about Kathy; he tries to get over it but can't, and decides to move out...
until he and Chandler stumble upon a way for Chandler to make it up to him--spending most of Thanksgiving day
in a box. Monica injures her eye but doesn't want to have to see Richard again; she arranges to see the on-call
doctor, who turns out to be very cute... and Richard's son. The gang decides to do secret Santa for each other;
Ross torments Rachel about always exchanging gifts, until she can't stand it and shows him all the stuff she
saved from their relationship.
Phoebe and Monica buy a van (with a mural, flashing nipples, and other "extras") for their
catering business; Monica fills in for a food critic in a small local newspaper; after she gives a restaurant a
scathing review, they offer her a job as the new head chef; she has to chose between it and the catering business.
Ross and Chandler make plans to party with Gandolf, the party wizard; Gandolf cancels and Ross and Chandler are left bored,
until Joey convinces them that they can party themselves. Rachel tries for a new position at work, but her
boss doesn't quite cooperate.
Joey sets a personal record for sticking Oreos in his mouth--15. Ross dates a girl from Poughkeepsie but is concerned
about the distance involved in seeing her. Rachel wants a relationship--or at least a fling--so Chandler offers to set her up with
someone; when his coworkers find out it's Rachel and that she's not looking for a serious relationship, they all bribe Chandler
to set them up. Monica gets no respect at work; she hires Joey in order to fire him, so everyone will know who's boss; but Joey
likes the tips, so he has a hard time going along with the plan. Phoebe works (and works and works) on a Christmas song for her friends.
Ross takes a train to Poughkeepsie to break up, but falls asleep and ends up in Montreal... with a girl from Nova Scotia.
Frank Jr. and Alice have eloped, and they ask Phoebe to be a surrogate mother for them; Phoebe asks advice of her birth
mother, who gives her a puppy for only three days so she'll know what it's like to give up something you love. Ross gets
Joey a job as a Tour Guide at the museum; Joey is hurt when Ross won't sit next to him at lunch (the white coats don't
sit with the blue blazers); this prompts Ross to stand up and make some changes in the cafeteria, but it works a little too
well. Chandler is nervous about being intimate with Kathy since she used to be Joey's girlfriend; feeling his performance
is only adequate, he asks advice from Monica and Rachel; Kathy is very grateful.
The guys' chicken is becoming a rooster. Phoebe undergoes the procedure to implant embryos in her uterus;
the pressure is high as Frank Jr. and Alice can only afford the procedure once. Monica and Rachel bet that they know
Chandler and Joey better than Chandler and Joey know them; Ross writes the questions (game show
style) and eventually the stakes are raised: If the girls win, the chick and the duck have to go. If the
guys win, they get the girls' apartment.
When Chandler finds out Kathy's new play involves a steamy scene with her co-star, he's worried where it might lead; Joey
tells him not to worry--as long as there's chemistry on-stage, there isn't anything happening off-stage; This helps... until Chandler
sees the play again later and finds the performance isn't as good; Chandler accuses Kathy of sleeping with her leading man; they fight
and part on unfavorable terms; by the time Chandler goes to apologize and make up, it's too late. Monica tells Joey that the guys have
to be the hosts since they have the big apartment; when they comply, she tries to win everyone over to her place by doing lots
of cooking and re-decorating. Rachel's department at work is eliminated, so she gets demoted to Personal Shopper; she plans to quit
until a handsome, well-to-do young man needs her services; she wants to ask him on a date, but doesn't know how... she's never had to
ask anyone out before.
Joey goes fishing and comes back smelly... and doesn't get a chance to shower before he goes
to work on a new movie with Charlton Heston; he gets caught cleaning up in the only shower on the set--in
Mr. Heston's dressing room. Joshua invites Rachel to a club opening but she's already
agreed to take her boss's niece (Emily) to the opera; Ross agrees to fill in for her with the niece, and they
hit it off much better than first impressions would indicate; meanwhile, Rachel's date falls through when a rain storm
smears her name off the club's guest list. Chandler continues recovering from his break-up with Kathy, but can't
move on to phase two, because there's no one with which to go to a strip club... except Monica and Phoebe.
While getting his nails done, Chandler runs into Janice--newly divorced and not willing to let
Chandler get away. Chandler invents a story about his company transferring him to Yemen. Although Janice
believes him, he's not home free yet... she won't leave his side until he's on the plane and taking off.
Monica obsesses about an electrical switch that apparently doesn't do anything; after tests, blueprints,
and demolition work, she finally gives up. Ross meets some of Emily's friends and gets invited to play rugby;
not wanting to lose face, he insists on playing. When they play too rough despite Emily's secret request that
they go easy on him, she helps Ross inflict some pain, too, by giving him pointers on their vulnerabilities.
Phoebe, pregnant, has cravings for meat; Joey agrees to be a temporary vegetarian so she can eat meat without causing more
animals to die. Rachel creates a fake party for Emily, which is really an excuse to spend time with Joshua outside of work; she makes
a fool of herself trying to make him like her... she even puts on her old high-school cheerleader uniform. Ross
is bummed that Emily will soon be returning home to England; Rachel convinces him that his relationship with Emily doesn't have to end.
Joey and Chandler unexpectedly receive an "adult" movie channel. Monica urges Ross to express his true feelings to Emily before she leaves the country, but
things don't go as well as expected--it turns out there's another man. Ross goes to London to prove his love for Emily, but she returns to the states to tell him
she's chosen him. Phoebe finds out she's carrying triplets; Frank, Jr. considers dropping out of refrigerator college to get a job; Phoebe tries to come up with ways
to make money so he won't have to give up his "dream."
Phoebe is asked to name one of the three babies she's carrying; this sparks some rivalry between Joey and Chandler,
who each want the baby named after them. Susan is shooting a commercial in London so Emily offers to show her around; Ross
worries that they might be having too much of a good time together... like when Carol started spending time with Susan.
Rachel plans a big date with a special dinner, new lingerie and a nice dress; while eating dinner at her place, the chick and
the duck upset Joshua, who has a phobia of farm birds; since his apartment is being remodeled and his parents are out of town,
they go to his parents' house; unexpectedly, his parents return home while Rachel is wearing only a negligee; she tells them it's
actually a new dress and ends up having to wear it while they all go out to dinner.
The singing man, the bird smell, and the lack of space drive Rachel and Monica to new attempts to get their old apartment back; when they fail
to bribe Chandler and Joey with season Knicks tickets, they try making another bet... and lose again, so they have neither the tickets nor the apartment.
However, while Joey and Chandler are at a game, Rachel and Monica switch apartments. Chandler objects but Monica and Rachel offer to kiss each other for
a full minute if they can keep the apartment. Ross gets an ear-ring. Phoebe tries to knit. Ross hates the fact that Emily has to be gone so much, so he considers asking her to move in with him... but
ends up asking her to marry him; she says yes. The gang is shocked to hear the news... especially Rachel.
Joey's snoring forces Chandler to insist he go to a sleep clinic; while accompanying Joey at the clinic, Chandler meets (and begins dating)
Marjorie, who talks in her sleep. Ross tries to talk with Rachel about her feelings, but she just pretends she's fine. However, while feeling kind
of desperate she tries to move way too fast with Joshua and ends up scaring him off. Monica picks up Emily's wedding dress for her, and finds she
just can't resist wearing it... a lot. Phoebe and Rachel catch the spirit as well, and soon they're all wearing white. Ross and Emily set a wedding
date just one month away. Rachel talks with Monica and Phoebe about her unresolved feelings for Ross.
Flashbacks of Ross and Rachel's relationship punctuate this episode as Ross decides to send Rachel a wedding
invitation and Rachel decides she won't be going. Joey and Chandler, feeling like they don't have much going on in their
lives compared to their friends, try to make some big plans... like climbing Mount Everest or at least watching some videos.
Phoebe suffers from a small bladder, mood swings, kicking babies, false labor, and other pregnancy woes. Ross has to
choose whether Joey or Chandler will be his best man; he chooses Joey, which seems okay until after the bachelor party when
the wedding ring is missing. Believing the stripper (whom Joey slept with) took it, they mistakenly confront her; however,
it turns out it was taken by a different bird. Monica and Rachel plan a baby shower for Phoebe, but decide not to give her
baby-stuff because she won't be keeping the babies; unfortunately, this plan doesn't go over very well.
Ross, Monica, Joey, and Chandler leave for London; Phoebe's pregancy prohibits travel and Rachel stays to take care
of her... and to avoid the emotional strain of watching Ross get married. Joey and Chandler go sight-seeing, but Joey's
tourist behavior embarrasses Chandler and they split up for the day; Chandler has a lousy time, but Joey has a great day...
including a visit with the Duchess of York. Emily stresses about the wedding arrangements, and everything is on the verge of
collapsing when the demolition work starts on the building where they were to wed. Monica suggests they postpone the wedding
(an idea which leads to more problems). Rachel realizes she's still in love with Ross, and tries to console herself by
shopping; Phoebe also tries to help her get over Ross. When all this fails, Rachel decides to leave right away for London
to tell Ross how she feels.
Phoebe fights phone friction while trying to warn Joey and Chandler that Rachel is on her way to ruin the wedding.
Joey gets homesick... until he finds a cute bridesmaid (Felicity) who wants to know him better. The Gellers meet the
Walthams; Jack Geller has agreed to pay for half of the wedding... until he finds out Mr. Waltham is counting his house
remodeling as a wedding expense. Rachel tries and tries again to get on a flight to London; she gets underway but annoys
the other passengers. Chandler and Monica have a difficult time at the rehearsal dinner; they console each other, and end
up sleeping together. The next day, Joey, Chandler, and Monica watch for Rachel before the wedding; she slips in while
Joey makes out with Felicity, but decides not to tell Ross how she feels. During the wedding ceremony, Ross accidentally
speaks Rachel's name instead of Emily's, halting the proceedings.
Despite the fact that Ross said "Rachel" in his vows instead of "Emily,"
they go through with the wedding; but then Emily sneaks out the window at the
reception and apparently never wants to see Ross again. Rachel fixates on the
fact that "he said my name!" Chandler and Monica agree that their new relationship
can only continue while they are away from home... but then have a very difficult
time arranging to be alone together. While waiting at the airport in hopes that Emily
will still show up for the honeymoon to Athens, Ross bumps into Rachel. She encourages him
to go to Athens anyway; he invites her to come along. While boarding, Ross goes back
to get his jacket and discovers that Emily has arrived and has witnessed the two of them
preparing to leave together. Ross misses the flight; Rachel doesn't.
Monica and Chandler try to keep their relationship hidden: When Joey
comes into the bathroom, Monica has to duck under the bubbles in the tub;
Chandler accidentally kisses Monica good-bye in from of the others, so then
has to kiss all the girls. Phoebe is irked by all the fun she missed
in London; the others decide to take her on a picnic to Central Park, but
since that idea sucks they plan a weekend in Atlantic City; just as they're
leaving, her water breaks. Rachel, back from Greece and angry about the
bad choices she's made recently, gives decision making control of her love-life
to Monica. This arrangement is strained to the breaking point when Rachel wants
to tell Ross she still loves him, but Monica won't let her. Ross plans to win
back Emily by sending romantic gifts.
5.03 The One With The Triplets, aka The One Hundredth
The gang arrives at the hospital for Phoebe's labor. Joey makes a video documentary of the occasion, until
he is beset with pain; what is thought to be sympathy pains turns out to be kidney stones. Phoebe's doctor is obsessed
with Fonzie, but Ross's attempts to find a more satisfactory doctor only yield a very young looking resident whom
Phoebe won't accept. Rachel tries to set Monica and herself up with two male nurses, which causes problems between Monica
and Chandler. Joey can make everything (even grandma's chicken salad) sound dirty. Phoebe wants to keep one
of the babies and manipulates Rachel into asking for her. Instead of two boys and a girl, Phoebe has two girls and
a boy. Joey passes three kidney stones.
Rachel catches Monica waiting seductively in her bedroom for Chandler;
to cover, Monica tells Rachel she's seeing a guy from work. Monica tells Rachel
that her new boyfriend is the best sex she's ever had, and when Chandler hears
this he gets a little too proud of himself. Ross finally gets Emily on the
phone and they begin planning to work things out; Emily agrees to come to New
York but only if Ross doesn't see Rachel anymore. After much agonizing, Ross
agrees. Joey gets involved with a PBS pledge drive, believing he's the host;
but he's only a phone jockey and not even on camera. Phoebe reveals her
hatred for PBS, which started because she never got an answer to a letter
she wrote to Sesame Street after her mom died. Joey and Phoebe argue about
whether any truly selfless good deeds exist, so Phoebe tries repeatedly to find one.
Chandler and Monica, tired of sneaking around, each make up an excuse
to leave town and then go away for a weekend together. They end up fighting the
whole time and Chandler's afraid it may be over. Ross struggles to reveal his
agreement with Emily not to see Rachel anymore. Rachel doesn't take it very well;
she doesn't want to give up Ross, nor get left out of the group like Chandler's
old roommate, Kip. Joey finds some similarities in Chandler's and Monica's
stories about the weekend, and figures out the truth; Monica and Chandler
swear him to secrecy.
Joey continues to keep Monica and Chandler's secret, although he's not to happy about keeping quite. Phoebe
receives a mink coat as a family heirloom; since she's against using fur, she plans to cremate it... until she
sees herself wearing it in the mirror. Ross sells all his stuff and moves to a new apartment because Emily wants
them to have a fresh start at a new life. Emily's demands get to be a little too much for Ross, and he tells her
she's either got to trust him or their marriage won't work. Emily decides she can't trust Ross. Rachel and Monica
are frightened by a hairy man in a dark storage room; the "Yeti" turns out to be Danny, a new tenent in the building.
Rachel and Danny don't seem to get along but end up going out for pizza together. Ugly Naked Guy is back.
Emily's cousin kicks Ross out of the apartment they were to live in, so he moves in with Chandler
and Joey. Ross is more than a little obnoxious, so Chandler and Joey pressure him to move to a new place...
even if it's tiny. Their guilt gets the better of them, however, and they arrange for Ross' application
to be rejected. Phoebe dates a Larry, a health inspector she met at Monica's restaurant. At first she is turned on
by his power to close places down, but soon realizes that they're running out of good places to eat. Rachel
is convinced that Danny likes her and that his apparent apathy toward her is just a ploy to gain the upper
hand in their relationship.
After Thanksgiving dinner at Monica's, the gang tells stories about their
worst Thanksgivings ever. In a series of flashbacks, we see Chandler learning of
his parent's divorce (1978); Phoebe losing an arm (twice) in past lives (1862 and 1915);
Joey with his head in a turkey (1992); Chandler hurting Monica's feelings (1987);
and Monica getting a little more revenge than she planned, when Chandler loses a toe (1988).
Joey lets himself look bad in order to explain away various discoveries that could expose
Monica's and Chandler's relationship: underwear in Monica's sofa; a lady's razor in his shower;
candlelight and videotape; a nude polaroid. He threatens to tell everyone the truth unless
Chandler and Monica can come up with a story that makes him look good. They don't come through,
so Joey creates a new lie: he slept with Monica in London and she's been after him ever since.
Phoebe takes a literature class; Rachel decides to come with her, but doesn't bother to read the
books. After Rachel steals her ideas in the first class, Phoebe feeds Rachel misinformation
about the second book. Ross has a problem with rage after someone at work steals his Thanksgiving-leftovers
sandwich. After scaring his co-workers, yelling at his boss, and getting upset at a psychiatrist,
he gets put on tranquilizers.
Because of his boredom while away from work, Ross offers to help Joey focus on
writing a movie. Things get a little tense, however, when Ross wants Joey to work and Chandler
wants to play 'Fireball.' Phoebe volunteers to collect Christmas donations for the poor, but ends up
getting a bucket full of unwanted 'contributions,' so she gets tough with the donors. Monica
arranges for Rachel and Danny to go out. It seems to be going very well until Rachel
discovers that Danny has an unusually close relationship with his sister, Krista.
Joey makes it possible for Monica and Chandler to kiss at midnight on New Years, by
arranging kisses between Ross and Phoebe, and Rachel and himself. Everyone makes resolutions:
Ross will do one new thing everyday; Chandler will stop making fun of his friends... for at
least a week; Rachel won't gossip; Joey will learn the guitar; Monica will take more pictures
of everyone together; and Phoebe will pilot a commercial jet. While on a date with a new girl
(Elizabeth Hornswoggle) Ross' new pair of leather pants is so hot and tight that he can't get
them back on after taking them off to cool down in the bathroom. He calls Joey for advice, which
leads to attempts first with powder and then with lotion, which just make things worse. Joey's guitar
teacher is Phoebe, who doesn't know any actual chord names. Rachel finds out
about Monica and Chandler, and is dying to tell someone; she tries to tell Joey but he's so
tired of keeping secrets, he won't listen. Chandler can't stand holding in the wisecracks.
Rachel tries to learn more about Chandler and Monica's relationship; when Rachel confronts her,
Monica makes up some pretty lame lies to cover it up. Ross finds out Emily is engaged to be married
again; he goes out on the town and somehow hooks up with Janice. Their relationship starts out great,
but soon Janice can't stand Ross's constant whining and she breaks it off. Chandler takes Monica to a
work party, as well as some outings with Chandler's boss and his wife; Monica learns that 'Work Chandler'
is a suck-up with an exaggerated laugh. Phoebe and Joey race birds.
Chandler finds out Monica gives terrible massages but doesn't want to tell her. When
the truth comes out, Monica has a hard time accepting it. Joey is auditioning for a sophisticated
part in a play, so Rachel offers to help him look the part. She outfits him at Bloomingdales, and
part of the ensemble is a "man's bag," which bears a striking resemblence to a purse. Unfortunately,
Joey's devotion to the bag ends up costing him the audition. Phoebe's grandmother dies; Ursula, who thought
grandma was already dead, skips the memorial. The memorial does have one unexpected guest, however--Phoebe's
father, Frank Sr. Without revealing her true identify, she arranges to meet with him later, at which time she reveals
the truth... but things are still a little awkward.
Ugly Naked Guy puts stuff in boxes (prepares to move), and sublets his apartment. Ross applies, but competition for the place is fierce,
so when a bribe doesn't seal the deal, Ross decides to cultivate and exploit a common interest--nakedness. Phoebe, while looking at Ross'
potential new apartment with Rachel, looks out the window and sees Chandler and Monica "doing it." Phoebe and Rachel decide to use their
knowledge of this romance to play some practical jokes on Monica and Chandler--jokes which include Phoebe making passes at Chandler.
Monica realizes they must know, so she and Chandler play along, and each side tries to see who will crack first.
Now everybody knows, except Ross. ...Until he gets the apartment, looks out the window, and suddenly has a return of
his rage problem.
Ross confronts Chandler about his relationship with Monica; at first Ross is angry, but he quickly sees the good in it. Ross, Joey,
Rachel, and Phoebe talk about what it will be like if Chandler and Monica have kids. Chandler gets a bit freaked out about the idea
of a lasting commitment and ends up in an argument with Monica. In a misguided effort to apologize, Chandler proposes marriage--an
offer which Monica does not accept. Meanwhile, Joey dates Katie, a cute little woman who likes to punch Joey's arm--a lot. It gets
to be too much for Joey, and he decides to break up with her--which he's very nervous about. Luckily, Katie nearly gets in a fight
with Rachel and threatens to walk out on Joey if he doesn't take her side. He refuses and the relationship ends. Ross moves into his
new apartment; the president of the tenant's committee asks him to contribute 100 dollars toward's the retiring handyman's gift.
Ross has never even met the man, to he declines. Everyone in the building decides Ross is cheap and not "their kind of people," so he
stubbornly tries to win their friendship. Things just get worse, however, despite (and a little because of) Phoebe's efforts to help him.
Joey has a dream that Monica is his girlfriend; Monica tells him it just means he wants a
relationship with the closeness that he sees between herself and Chandler. She suggests he try being
friends with a woman before being intimate. After hitting on Rachel (unsuccessfully), Joey tries
to make friends with new women; but they find his "friends first" approach so enticing that they want the
intimacy immediately. Phoebe finds a police badge under a cushion at the coffee house. She plans to return
it but has too much fun pretending to be a cop... until she pulls it on the actual owner of the badge. She
drops the badge and runs away; he tracks her down and asks her on a date. Ross buys
a new sofa (couch), but can't get it up the stairs to his apartment.
Rachel has an interview at Ralph Lauren, where she mistakenly kisses the interviewer (Mr. Zelner).
She gets called back for a second interview, where she again mistakes Mr. Zelner's actions and chews
him out. Later, realizing her mistake, she meets with him again, straightens things out, and gets the
job. Ross spends all his free time 'acting' in front of his window, thinking it entertains his friends.
Joey tries to find a woman who keeps waving at him from Ross' building, but somehow keeps ending up at
Ross' place instead. Monica obsesses about proving that she and Chandler are still a hot couple, like
Phoebe and Gary. Chandler enjoys it for a while, but eventually helps Monica see that their relationship
has progressed to a better level.
Ben auditions for a soup commercial and Joey comes along to try for a part as well. Things are going
great until Joey gets paired with another child and it gets competitive. Joey has a little trouble with his
line, however. Rachel starts her new job at Ralph Lauren; she soon feels left out because all the decisions
get made on smoking breaks, and she doesn't smoke. She tries to solve the problem by taking up the habit; it
doesn't work out too well, so she convinces her co-workers to quit... but that lasts about a day. Phoebe and
Monica plan a surprise birthday party for Rachel. Monica, in her usual fashion, takes over completely, leaving
Phoebe in charge of only cups and ice. Phoebe decides to make the most of it; she makes everything imaginable
out of cups, and serves every kind of ice.
Monica and Chandler are going out for their ten-month anniversary; Chandler wants Monica
to wear the earings he gave her. However, she lent them to Phoebe, who lent them to Rachel, who
lost one. Ross sees Chandler flirting with the pizza girl (Caitlin) and decides he's going to turn on the
charm as well, with disasterous results. Joey has a part on Law and Order; his grandmother
comes over to watch the show, but his part has been cut. Joey quickly improvises a scene on video tape
and slips it into the VCR.
Ross, Joey, and Chandler go on a ride-along with Gary; thinking a car back-fire
is actually a gunshot, Joey dives and protects Ross from harm. Chandler is upset that
Joey chose to protect Ross... until he learns that Joey was really trying to protect
his sandwich. While getting Margarita fixings as Ross' apartment,
Rachel overhears Emily--who is getting married the next day--leaving a message, wondering
if their break-up was a mistake. Monica and Rachel debate about what to do, and Rachel
accidentally erases the message. She stays and waits for Ross to return so she can tell him.
Gary decides to ask Phoebe to live with him. She doesn't think it's a good idea,
which makes him sad, so she ends up agreeing. After some changes of heart (back and forth)
they finally move in together... until one morning Gary shoots a bird that's chirping
outside the window. Phoebe breaks up with him. Ross and Joey throw a ball back and forth
without dropping it for a couple hours; soon it becomes a contest, joined by Monica and Chandler.
Around the tenth hour, they invite Phoebe to join; unfortunately, she doesn't feel like playing.
Rachel spends a thousand dollars on a pure-bred, hairless Sphinx cat, like the one her grandmother
had when Rachel was a kid. Unfortunately, this cat is not very nice, and a scratched-up Rachel ends
up selling the cat to Gunther.
Rachel has an eye infection but doesn't want anyone touching her eye. Monica finally
gets her to a doctor but then Rachel won't use the eyedrops. Everyone has to hold her down
and force her to use them. Phoebe is mad at Ross but can't remember why. Joey gets the lead
role in a independent film called Shutter Speed, being filmed in Las Vegas. He and
Chandler start a road trip but Chandler lets slip that he doesn't think this is Joey's big
break, and gets kicked out of the car. Joey makes it to Vegas but the movie is shutting down
from lack of funds, leaving Joey trying to make ends meet as a gladiator at Caesar's Palace.
Monica runs into Richard but doesn't want Chandler to know, because it might spoil their
anniversary. As an gift for Chandler, she gets them tickets to Las Vegas. Phoebe invites herself,
Ross, and Rachel along as well. Phoebe compares everything about the trip to the London trip she
missed last year. Ross and Rachel have to work, so they plan to come a day later.
On the plane, Phoebe lets slip about Richard; Chandler tells Monica he's okay with it; later,
in Vegas, they end up fighting over it. Meanwhile, Rachel (being alone in her apartment) decides to
go around naked. Ross sees her from his apartment and thinks she's coming on to him. He goes over and
makes an embarrassing scene. Rachel teases him about it the next day on their flight, so they both
start doing their best to embarrass each other... a contest which is topped off by Ross drawing a
mustache on a sleeping Rachel. Joey admits to his friends that his film's been shut down; he decides to
play Black Jack to turn a $100 tip into enough money to finish the movie. He loses, but discovers
something much more valuable (to him, at least): His identical hand twin. Monica, on her way to
apologize to Chandler, finds a chip on the floor and places a bet at a craps table... and starts a
winning streak. Chandler sees her celebrating and hugging the person next to her... and he walks out.
Ross and Rachel arrive at the casino, where Rachel quickly learns she
is "a human doodle". The ink won't come off, so she and Ross spend the day
hiding in the hotel room, raiding the mini-bar. Once they're completely
drunk, Rachel finally agrees to go back down to the casino--after she draws
on Ross' face. Phoebe, playing the slots, is plagued by a lurker: An elderly
woman who follows her around, waiting for her to give up a machine that
hasn't paid out, then takes over and hits the jackpot (a strategy with
absolutely no basis in the laws of probability). She decides to out-lurk the
lurker; but during a confrontation with her, Phoebe gets thrown out of the
casino. Joey tries to persuade his identical hand twin that they should go
into show business. He becomes such a nuisance that he gets thrown out, too.
Chandler makes a scene to get Monica's attention. They make up, and Monica
continues her winning streak playing craps. Chandler says if she rolls another
hard eight, they'll get married. The dice bounce off the table and the roll
is disqualified; one die shows a four, the other is on it's edge between four
and five. Chander decides it's a four. They arrive at the wedding chapel and
are waiting for the previous service to end, when the chapel doors fly open
and out walk the drunken Ross and Rachel, newly married.
Ross and Rachel wake up in bed together, remembering almost nothing about the night before.
At breakfast, their friends ask them about it. Shocked, they decide to get an annulment once they're
back in New York. Ross tells Rachel he's taken care of it, but he hasn't. Neither Chandler nor Monica
wants to go through with their own marriage plans, but each one is scared to back out. They decide
to look for another sign... but even though the signs keep coming, they keep denying it. Finally, Chandler
suggests they live together. Joey (who still has Phoebe's cab) convinces her to keep him company on the
drive home. He promises to make it a fun road trip, but he ends up sleeping most the time.
Ross hasn't gotten the annulment yet... but he has gotten a little crazy. It seems the idea
of a 3rd failed marriage has pushed him over the deep end. Phoebe (and her panel of women) decide
Ross is still in love with Rachel. Ross is in such denial about this that to prove them wrong he goes
to his lawyer (Russell) to take care of the annulment... but finds that it's more complicated than expected,
and Rachel will have to be told the truth. Chandler and Monica break the news of their live-in plans, first
with Joey (who is happy for them, but sad to be losing Chandler) and then to Rachel (who doesn't seem to have
much of a reaction at all... until she takes it seriously). Rachel is so sad that Ross still can't
tell her the truth. Phoebe foretells the future marriages of the entire group.
When Rachels asks if she can live with Phoebe, Phoebe claims to have a roommate named Denise. Rachel
tries to find a new apartment, and receives offers from Joey and Ross. Ross goes back and forth on whether
he thinks it's really a good idea. Phoebe continues telling Ross he's in love with Rachel, and he
keeps denying it. Chandler and Monica fight about what to do with Rachel's room and Chandler's
furniture. For a while it looks like no one will be moving anywhere. Joey searches for a new roommate,
and it's clear what he's really looking for. Ross still doesn't tell Rachel that they're still married.
Rachel packs her things and moves to Ross's apartment. Once there, she
intercepts a phone call from Ross's lawyer revealing they're still married.
Phoebe's psychic tells her she's going to die this week. Ross becomes a guest
lecturer at NYU. He's so worried his presentation won't go well that he panics
and presents it with an phony English accent. Joey's medical benefits lapse
because he hasn't done enough acting recently. He contacts his agent, Estelle
(who mistakenly believes he'd gone to another agent), to arrange for some auditions.
He gets a severe hernia before auditioning, but refuses to go to the hospital
until he has insurance again.
Rachel and Ross go to a judge to get their annulment, but they air too
much dirty laundry. The judge decides they don't qualify for an annulment, so
they go to Ross's lawyer for a divorce. Ross makes it pretty obvious that he
still loves Rachel. Rachel reveals that it was her drunken idea to get
married. Joey finds the keys to someone's Porsche. He decides to wait by the
car until the owner shows up. He gets mistaken for the owner, and likes the
attention he gets so much that even after the owner takes the car away, he
keeps up the charade. Phoebe, Monica and Chandler take care of Frank and Alice's
babies. Chandler gets a toy stuck in his throat and Monica takes him to the
doctor. Phoebe has to take care of the babies by herself.
Chandler tries to get Joey to accept some money so he'll be able to get by for a few months without
a roommate. Joey won't take it, but Chandler invents a game called "Cups" and lets Joey win the money. Later, Joey
teaches Ross to play Cups, and loses all the money to him. While packing on Rachel's last night in the apartment,
Phoebe's misguided advice leads Monica and Rachel to fighting. Ross doesn't want to help with the packing, so he
says he has to take care of Ben. Since Monica can see into his apartment, he makes a "fake Ben" to fool her.
Rachel and Phoebe, new roommates, decide to run together in the park each day. Phoebe's weird running style
embarrasses Rachel. Joey gets a beautiful new roommate (Janine) and struggles to avoid flirting with her. He thinks she's
interested in him, so he seeks advice from Ross and Chandler on how they "repel women." Chandler cleans his and
Monica's apartment, but afterwards can't remember where everything goes. He tries to keep Monica out of the apartment
while he figures out what to do.
Phoebe visits Rachel at work and makes out with Kenny the copy boy, thinking it's Ralph Lauren. She tells Rachel,
who gossips to her boss (Kim), who eventually becomes convinced that Rachel is having an affair with Ralph Lauren
in order to get Kim's job. Ross goes too far when he whitens his teeth in preparation for a date with Hillary,
Monica's co-worker. Chandler tries to convince Joey that he's letting Janine make him and the apartment too girly.
For Thanksgiving, Janine invites Joey and Ross to hang out with her and her dancer friends, but they
have to eat dinner at Monica's first. Mr. and Mrs. Geller come over as well, and Chandler finds out they don't
like him because they think he does drugs; Ross once told them Chandler was smoking pot, in order to cover
his own guilt; Monica reveals the truth, which leads to many more revelations. Rachel makes an English Trifle
for dessert, but gets the recipe mixed up with a Shepard's Pie. Phoebe dreams about Mr. Geller and starts to
see him differently... until another dream ends it for her.
Janine gets highered to dance at the pre-taping of Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve; she invites Joey,
Monica, and Ross to come along. This is a dream come true for Ross and Monica, but they have a hard time getting on
camera, because they aren't as good as they think they are. Joey hopes to kiss Janine at "fake midnight." Rachel
and Phoebe convince Chandler to help them search for the Christmas presents Monica is giving them.
Rachel buys furniture from Pottery Barn, but tells Phoebe she got it at a flea market, because Phoebe
hates Pottery Barn. The deception is complicated by the fact that Ross buys an identical table from Pottery Barn.
Joey and Janine spend time with Monica and Chandler; Janine doesn't like hanging out with
them, and hard feelings grow and grow until Joey and Janine break up and Janine moves out.
Ross gets a joke published in Playboy, but Chandler claims it's his. The girls are curious and peruse the
Playboy to check out the women, and get into a discussion of which one of the three each would chose to date if
they had to pick. Phoebe choses Rachel, which leads to competition and hurt feelings. Joey's cable and phone are
disconnected because he couldn't pay. He takes a job as a waiter at the coffee house to earn some extra money. After
closing the shop for an hour so he can go to an audition, he is fired. But Rachel tells Gunther to give Joey his job back,
and of course Gunther complies.
Joey gives all the pretty female customers free stuff at the coffee house, in order to get dates with them.
Monica is sick and won't admit it. She tries to get Chandler interested in sex, but he's put off by her illness.
Rachel's sister, Jill, shows up because she's been financially cut off and has to try to make it on her own.
Rachel's worried that there's something developing between Ross and Jill, but somehow ends up actually encouraging
Jill to ask Ross out.
Unable to handle the idea of Ross and Jill together, Rachel asks Ross to stop seeing Jill. Jill is
upset and throws herself at Ross, attempting to use him to get back at Rachel. Chandler doesn't cry in sad
movies... or for any other reason. The gang discovers that Ursula is making porn movies in Phoebe's name.
News that Barry and Mindy are getting divorced gets the gang wondering what their lives would be like if Rachel
married Barry; if Ross's wife Carol hadn't realized she was a lesbian; if Monica was still fat; if Joey was still on
Days of Our Lifes; if Chandler had quit his data entry job to pursue writing; and if Phoebe was a stock broker:
Ross and Rachel, both in unhappy marriages, run into each other on the street after not seeing each other for years. Ross
brings Rachel to Central Perk to see Monica; Rachel quickly swoons over Joey, aka Dr. Drake Ramoray. Monica is dating the
very boring Dr. Roger. Chandler is unemployed, but takes a job as Joey's assistant, which doesn't work out very well; but
he is inspired by the experience and sells his first story to Archie Comics. Phoebe is ruthless and greedy, and has a
heart attack after losing 13 million dollars on the stock market. While she's in the hospital, Ross finds out she's fired,
but he doesn't dare tell her, fearing it will cause another heart attack. Ross suggests to Carol that they spice up their
non-existant sex life. Carol doesn't like any of his ideas... except having a threesome. Rachel decides to have a fling
with Joey. Monica reveals she's still a virgin.
In the continuation of the alternate reality: Ross and Carol have a threesome with Susan, but Ross feels left out.
Phoebe goes stir-crazy in the hospital, and sneaks back to work, only to find our she's been fired, and promptly has
another heart attack. Rachel spends the evening at Joey's, but gets drunk and sick, and passes out. Monica decides it's time
to have sex with Dr. Roger, but he gets paged and leaves. Chandler and Monica decide to have a one-night stand, but
afterwards Chandler convinces her to dump the doctor and be with him. Rachel, relieved that she didn't cheat on Barry,
returns home and find Barry in bed with another woman... their neighbor's dog walker. She returns to the city to hook back
up with Joey, but runs into Ross. They console each other on their bad marriages and Rachel helps Ross realize that Carol
is a lesbian. Phoebe goes back to singing at the coffee house.
Joey's financial needs aren't being met by his job at the coffee house, so he looks into participating in
another medical study. The only one available is for identical twins, but it pays so much that Joey can't resist.
He hires another actor to play his twin brother. Rachel and Phoebe are taking a self-defense class, but Ross feels
they don't have Unagi, a state of total awareness, in which you can be prepared for any danger. He startles
them in the hallway to prove his point, which sets off an on-going competition of psuedo-attacks. Chandler and Monica
plan to celebrate Valentines day (late) by making gifts for each other. Chandler can't make anything and Monica
forgets until the last minute. Chandler gives Monica a customized tape of music which actually was a previous gift
from Janice; Monica give him a sock puppet that Phoebe made.
Flattery in a teacher evaluation leads to Ross dating one of his students (Elizabeth). He finds out he could
get fired, but the forbidden nature of the relationship makes Elizabeth want it even more. An old friend of Chandler's
(Dana) is Directing an Al Pacino movie, and Joey asks Chandler to get him an audition. A fire in Phoebe and Rachel's
apartment means they'll have to stay with their friends for a few weeks--one at Monica's and one at Joey's. At first
Monica's apartment seems to be the accomodation of choice, but it soon becomes clear that Joey's is the place to be.
Joey's refrigerator breaks down, so he tries to manipulate his friends into paying for part of it. Plus he has
to eat all those perishables by himself. Rachel is looking for a date to a charity ball; Phoebe finds a guy for her, but
so do Monica and Chandler; things get competitive. Ross and Elizabeth continue their "secret" romance. When Elizabeth
announces she's going away for Spring Break, Ross misunderstands and thinks she's asking him to go with her. When he finds
out she's going away without him, he starts to worry about how much "partying" she might be planning.
Joey auditions for a new TV show and makes the call-back list; but when the call-back time gets changed,
Chandler neglects to give Joey the message. Chandler has a chance to redeem himself when he takes a message that
the part is available again. Phoebe and Ross help Joey run his lines, and they become convinced that they're great
actors. Monica doesn't like the chick and the duck. We see flashbacks to earlier episodes demonstrating: Joey's
acting; the pressure everyone feels at work; Chandler's mistakes; Joey's mistakes; friends fighting and making up;
Chandler and Joey hugging.
Joey doesn't get along well with the roboticist (Wayne) who controls his co-star, "C.H.E.E.S.E." To save himself
from being fired, he teaches Wayne how to talk with women. Phoebe writes a book about relationships, which is really
a book about Monica and Chandler, and everything they do. Ross meets Elizabeth's dad (Paul), who really doesn't
approve of his daughter dating an older man. Paul and Rachel start dating. The gang's attempts to make Ross look good
for Paul continually backfire.
Monica, not yet engaged, gets on a two-year waiting list to hold a wedding at a local museum; however,
due to a cancellation, the museum calls and offers her a spot sooner, to Chandler's surprise. He freaks out...
or so it seems. Paul tells Ross to stop dating Elizabeth; Ross and Elizabeth go away for a secret weekend at her
grandmother's cabin, but Paul and Rachel show up there as well. Ross gets away with it, thanks to some emotional
blackmail. Joey, back in show businees, tries to get his celebrity picture back on a dry cleaner's wall. Gunther
realizes Joey's not working at the coffee house any more.
Chandler picks out an engagement ring for Monica, with Phoebe's help. Unfortunately, someone else buys the ring
before Chandler has a chance to. He has to convince the other buyer to trade rings with him. Meanwhile, Joey and Ross
are feeling brushed-off because Chandler isn't hanging out with them. Phoebe makes matters worse by suggesting that
Chandler is angry with them. Rachel tries to get Paul to open up and express his feelings. She gets more than she
expects and can't turn it off... so she dumps him.
Everyone except Monica knows that Chandler is about to propose. He plans to do it at Monica's favorite restaurant,
but they bump into Richard there, which derails his plans. Returning home, the rest of the gang almost blows the secret, and
Chandler decides to act like marriage is the furthest thing from his mind, so Monica won't get suspicious. Rachel takes
Phoebe and Joey to a charity event which her boss is hosting. Phoebe drinks a lot; Joey thinks the silent auction is just
a contest to guess the right price, and he ends up buying a sailboat for $20,000. Rachel convinces the second-place bidder
to buy it, but she also convinces Joey to keep it, in the process. A dorm-room water-balloon fight shows Ross that his
relationship with Elizabeth doesn't have a future, so he breaks up with her.
To make his eventual proposal a surprise, Chandler begins his campaign to convince Monica he never wants to get
married. Richard shows up at Monica's restaurant and tells her he still loves her, leading Monica struggling with what
she wants for her future. Joey hangs out in his new Captain's outfit. Rachel and Phoebe talk about having backups:
guys to marry if they're not married by the time they're 40. Rachel tries to line up Ross as a backup, but discovers
Phoebe has already made that deal with Ross... and with Joey, too. The four of them have a confrontation and decide
that Ross is Rachel's backup, and Joey is Phoebe's. Chandler and Monica finally get engaged.
The gang celebrates Monica's engagement night. Rachel, feeling lonely, kisses Ross (and considers doing more).
Everyone thinks it's a big deal and Monica accuses Rachel of stealing her thunder. Phoebe asks if she can play at
the wedding, and won't let up until she's convinced they'll really let her. Joey prepares to audition to play the
part of a 19-year-old. Phoebe eats Joey's candy bar. Chandler is unable to perform in the bedroom.
Monica begins to make wedding plans with Rachel's help; Chandler feels left out. Phoebe wants to give Monica
and Chandler some time alone, so she moves in with Ross for a couple days. But Ross is not happy with her running the
massage business from his apartment. While Phoebe is out, he agrees to give a massage, thinking the client is a beautiful
young woman, but it turns out to be her old, overweight father. The duck gets sick after eating Rachel's face cream.
Chandler and Monica find out that Mr. and Mrs. Geller have spent Monica's wedding fund. Chandler has enough savings to
cover it, but isn't sure that's the way he wants to use the money. Joey finds an erotic book that Rachel's been reading,
and won't let her live it down.
Chandler gets glasses but everyone thinks he had them all along. Phoebe decides to give Monica her grandmother's
chocolate-chip cookie recipe as an engagement present, but discovers it was destroyed in the fire. She and Monica try
to figure out the secret recipe, only to discover that they are Nestle Tollhouse cookies. Rachel tries to teach Joey to sail
his boat; she turns into her Dad in the process. Chandler spends time with Mr. Geller, and keeps having embarrassing
moments at the gym.
Joey's TV show (Mac and C.H.E.E.S.E.) premiers. He gets called in to audition for the part of Stryker Ramoray
(Drake's twin brother) on Days of Our Lives. But his new-found stardom goes to his head and he walks out.
Since his TV show stinks, it gets cancelled and he has to come crawling back to Days. Rachel hires an assistant,
and choses a pretty-boy (Tag) instead of a qualified woman. Monica and Chandler decide they shouldn't have secrets
from each other, but it backfires on upsets them both, and Ross as well.
Monica and Chandler try to get a good engagement picture, but it seems impossible because Chandler can't seem to smile
properly when there's a camera involved. Phoebe and Ross date a couple who're getting divorced. They constantly argue about
their dates' bad qualities. Ross ponders starting a divorced men's club. Rachel arranges for her assistant, Tag, to spend
time with Joey, so he can't go out with women at the store. But Joey hooks him up with lot of women. Joey keeps staining his shirts.
Monica tells Rachel and Phoebe to decide who is going to be her Maid of Honor. They can't come to an agreement, so
Joey and Ross hold "auditions" for the part. Someone overhears that Monica is marrying Chandler, and wishes a sarcastic
"good luck." She turns out to be Julie Graff, whom Chandler dumped when he was 15 because she got fat. Monica convinces him
to apologize to her. After watching Die Hard, Ross and Joey fall asleep on the couch and have a very good nap. At
first they are very upset that it happened, but eventually they decide to try it again.
Joey has a one night stand and wants Rachel to dump the girl (Erin) for him. Not only can't Rachel do it, but
she and Phoebe become friends with Erin and arrange for Joey to go out with her again. Joey decides he really likes Erin,
but Erin decides there isn't a future in the relationship. Ross discovers that his Doctoral Thesis is in NYU's library.
When he goes to visit it, he finds that it's in a remote corner frequented by couples engaging in sexual activities.
He begins to patrol that area of the library, but ends up being a culprit himself. Monica runs into Janice,
who invites herself to Monica and Chandler's wedding.
The gang all play a game where they have to try to list all 50 states; Ross gets so involved in it that he misses
Thanksgiving dinner. Chandler and Monica find out that Phoebe is keeping a dog in the apartment; Chandler reveals his fear
of dogs. Rachel invites Tag over for Thanksgiving dinner. He's depressed because he and his girlfriend just broke up. Rachel
tries to decide whether to comfort him as a friend, or to make a move. She decides to just be a friend, but Joey lets the
secret slip out.
Ben's first "big kid's bike" prompts Phoebe to reveal that she's never had a bike of her own; Ross gives her
one as a gift. However, it soon becomes clear that Phoebe has never learned to ride. Monica decides to get to know her
neighbors better by making candy for them; it becomes so popular that she can't keep up with the mob waiting outside
her door for more. At work, Rachel writes a joke evaluation of Tag, full of sexual comments, which accidentally gets
sent to the Human Resources department.
Ross has his son, Ben, for the holidays and decides to teach him about Hanukkah. Ben can't handle the idea of no visit from Santa, so Ross
tries at the last minute to find a Santa costume. The rental shop is all out so he rents an Armadillo costume instead. Things go from bad to worse but
in the end he finally gets to give Ben Hanukkah and Christmas. Phoebe's apartment in finally done being rebuilt after the fire. Worried that Rachel
won't want to move back in with her, she tries to rive a wedge between Joey and Rachel by giving Joey a drumset and a tarantula. It backfires, but
Rachel wants to live with Phoebe anyway. The apartment looks great but no longer has two separate bedrooms. Phoebe likes the spaciousness,
so Rachels keeps living with Joey. Chandler tries to master the art of smoothing slipping someone money during a handshake.
Chandler and Rachel can't stop eating someone else's cheesecakes, which are mistakenly delivered to Chandler's
apartment. Monica is upset that she wasn't invited to her cousin's wedding, but the rest of her family was. Phoebe
chews out Joey for cancelling their plans together so he can go on a date; then she does the same to him when her old
flame David (Scientist Guy) shows up in town for a day.
After watching for a comet on the roof of their building, the gang goes their separate ways; but all end up staying
up all night. Joey and Ross get stuck on the roof and spend the night trying to get down. Rachel and Tag spend the night
trying to find some important documents that were supposed to get sent earlier that day. Phoebe is kept awake by the smoke
alarm that won't die. Monica and Chandler can't get to sleep and spend the night reading, talking, coupling, and cleaning.
Rachel breaks Joey's chair (Rosita) so she buys him a new one; meanwhile Chandler thinks he broke it, so he replaces
it with his own identical chair. Joey believes the chair miraculously healed itself, so Rachels keeps the new chair. But Joey
is jealous, so he breaks "his" chair so he can have Rachel's. Mr. and Mrs. Geller are selling their home so Ross and
Monica go to pick up their childhood things. Ross's are fine, but Monica's have been ruined by flood water. To make it up
to her, Mr. Geller gives her his Porsche. Phoebe takes a job as a telemarketer and her first contact (Earl) doesn't want to
buy anything because he's planning to kill himself. Phoebe convinces him to keep living.
Rachel's struggles with turning thirty prompt the rest of the gang to remember they're thirtieth birthdays. Monica
got drunk just before her surprise party; Phoebe tried to reconcile with Ursula and found out she was actually 31; Ross
bought a sportscar, but couldn't get it out of it's parking spot; Chandler just turned 30; Joey cried and blamed God. Rachel
decides that in order to accomplish her goals in life, she needs to find the man she's going to marry. So she breaks up with
Tag.
While arranging the wedding, Monica and Chandler learn that Ross has a
surprise in store: He's planning to play the bagpipes. His playing leaves
much to be desired. Joey's comatose character on Days of Our Lives
gets a brain transplant from the dying star, so he goes to her for advice.
Rachel and Phoebe find a cell phone left behind by a cute guy, and wait for
him to call so they can make a date with him. Unfortunately, the cell phone
really belongs to the cute guy's elderly boss.
Rachel watches Ben while Ross has a meeting, and she teaches him all about practical jokes. Ross doesn't like it,
but he eventually turns the tables on Rachel. Chandler and Monica try to find a minister for their wedding, but don't
like their options. They decide to let Joey (who's being ordained over the Internet) perform the ceremony. Monica gives
Phoebe some pills for her headache. When Phoebe finds out about the possible side-effects, she fears the worst. While
discussing how they first got together in London, Chandler finds out that on the fateful night when Monica first came
to his hotel room, she had been planning to hook up with Joey. Phoebe can't help wondering what things would have been
like if Joey and Monica ended up together, prompting an alternate-storyline flash-forward of Monica cooking lots of fried
food for a very fat Joey.
While searching for the right wedding dress, Monica meets Megan, another woman engaged to be married. Monica tells her
about a great wedding dress sale the next day. Not only do they both go to the sale, they both grab the same gown. After
a brief struggle, Monica previals. However, Megan books the band the Monica and Chandler want for their wedding,
and blackmails Monica into returning the dress. Ross and Joey both meet and begin dating a pretty woman who is moving into
the neigborhood. Once they find out that they're both dating the same woman, the competition gets fierce. Chandler, Ross, and
Joey give themselves facials for their T-zones.
Joey gets nominated for a "Soapie" award for his return as Drake Ramoray in Days of Our Lives. He loses, but
he steals a trophy from one of his costars (Jessica) who doesn't appreciate it. Rachel, Phoebe, and Joey practice
receiving awards. Ross makes Dinosaur sounds for his class. A male student (Ned) reveals he's in love with Ross,
claiming that's why he's doing so poorly in class. Ross sympathizes and decides to change Ned's grade for the better,
until he finds out it's just a scam. Phoebe's new romance with Jake makes Monica realize that once she's married, she'll
never have another "first kiss" or be with anyone else.
Joey is up for a leading role in a movie, but the director is looking for an uncircumcized male to do a nude scene.
Joey claims he's not circumcized, and then Monica helps him by making a variety of attachments to choose from. (He chooses
Silly Putty.) But the piece falls off during Joey's final audition. Rachel and Phoebe realize they're expected to
throw Monica a bridal shower, so they quickly put one together. Ross and Monica's cousin Cassie comes to visit for a few
days. She's so drop-dead gorgeous that Chandler can't stop staring; Ross makes a move on her; and Phoebe considers her
options as well.
Rachel runs into a former college sorority sister (Melissa) with whom she made out once, while drunk. Melissa claims
not to remember the event, until Rachel kisses her again (just to prove a point); then Melissa reveals she's been in love
with Rachel ever since. Monica discovers Joey has invited his parents to the wedding, so she has to re-arrange the guest
seating. Chandler and Ross get celebrity tuxedos through Rachel at Ralph Lauren, but Chandler doesn't want Ross's Batman
tux to out-shine his 007 tux.
Monica and Chandler each attempt to write their wedding vows, but both have difficulty. Their friends try to help
by reminding them of their pasts together, which we see in the form of flashbacks from previous episodes.
Rachel finds out she's the only one whom Monica doesn't let drive the Porsche; when Ross has the keys she steals
them and takes Ross for a joy-ride. Chandler reveals that he hasn't invited his Dad to the wedding; Monica arranges a
trip to Las Vegas, where his father performs, so they can reconcile. Joey discovers that Phoebe's boyfriend (Jake) is
wearing Phoebe's underwear; Phoebe tell's Joey that it's a sign that Jake is secure in his masculinity. Joey decides
to try it out, but takes it a bit too far.
7.23 The One With Monica and Chandler's Wedding, Part 1
In preparation for the wedding, Ross has the "big brother" talk with Chandler, telling him that if he ever
hurts Monica, he'll kick Chandler's ass. This amuses everybody. Monica stresses that Rachel will forget one of her
responsibilities. Joey gets a part in a World War I movie (Over There), with an actor (Richard) who teaches him that great acting means
enunciation, and enunciation means you spit. The wedding rehearsal dinner is held; Chandler's parents
feign civility. Chandler freaks out about becoming "the Bings" and disappears; Ross goes to look for him. The Geller
parents stop by the coffee shop; Mrs. Geller takes a liking to Gunther. While Rachel and Phoebe wonder how to keep
Monica from finding out Chandler is missing, Phoebe finds a positive pregnancy test in Monica's bathroom.
Joey finds out he's scheduled to work the day of the wedding.
7.24 The One With Monica and Chandler's Wedding, Part 2
Rachel and Phoebe decide to keep their knowledge of Monica's pregnancy a secret. Joey tries to get out of filming, but can't. He only has one
scene to do, but it drags on all day because the star is drunk. Ross and Phoebe find Chandler at his office and convince
him to come back, one step at a time. Rachel stalls Monica, but is just about to reveal that Chandler is missing when Ross
and Phoebe return with him. Joey still can't leave the set, so Rachel finds another minister, a Greek Orthodox Priest.
Chandler is still a bit flighty, but then he overhears Phoebe mention Monica's pregnancy, and that brings him back to
reality. Joey kidnaps the star so he can leave the set, and barely makes it to the ceremony in time. Chandler tells Monica
he knows about the baby; but she tells him there is none. Unbeknown to everybody, Rachel is apparently the pregnant one.
After everyone finds out Monica is not pregnant, much of the wedding reception is spent figuring out who is.
Phoebe pretends it's her, to cover for Rachel, but Monica realizes the truth. Chandler surprises Monica by announcing
he's been taking dancing lessons; but his wedding shoes are so slippery, he can't dance. Joey changes out of
his film costume, but all he can find is a tennis outfit. Mrs. Bing's date is a Broadway producer, and Joey goes
way too far trying to impress him. Ross changes the seating arrangements to be nearer a pretty woman (Mona),
but ends up at the kids table instead. Each attempt to dance with Mona is foiled by dance requests by the female
children. To impress Mona with his sweetness, he lets them stand on his feet while dancing. Rachel takes another pregnancy test to be sure; it's positive, but first Phoebe tells her it's negative, so
she has a chance to realize how she really feels. Joey has freakishly tiny feet.
The day after the wedding, everyone checks out of the hotel. Ross, always wanting to get his money's worth,
won't check out until the last minute. Thanks to Joey, there are unexpected food and porn charges on several bills.
Chandler forgot to make sure the disposable cameras were gathered after the reception, so he and Ross attend another
wedding at the same location, to fake the photos (including one of Chandler kissing a different brunette bride).
Monica can't wait for Chandler's return, so she opens all the wedding gifts without him. Joey, thinking that Phoebe
is pregnant, proposes marriage and she accepts. Later, when he learns it's Rachel, he proposes to her. She doesn't
accept. Joey remembers Rachel had someone spend the night a month earlier, who left behind a red sweater. Phoebe
thinks it belongs to Tag, Rachel's old boyfriend; but he's not missing a red sweater. Later, Ross sees the sweater
on the table. He picks it up and announces he's been looking for it for a month.
Chandler and Monica go on their honeymoon. Everywhere they go, another honeymooning couple beats them to the last of
the free newlywed upgrades. Rachel prepares to tell Ross that he's the father of his child. Joey and Phoebe realize
neither of them have keys to Chandler and Monica's apartment. Phoebe needs her guitar and Joey wants food, so they
call the superintendent saying there's a gas leak. Mr. Treeger has the door broken down. Rachel tells Ross, and he and
Joey learn that condoms are not 100% effective. Rachels gets a sonogram but can't tell where the baby is.
Monica and Chandler return from their honeymoon, having made friends with another couple on the flight home.
Afterwards they discover that the phone number the couple gave them is wrong, and they begin to wonder if they didn't
make a good impression. The gang ask Ross and Rachel how they got together the night she became pregnant. Rachel tells the
story; when she says that Ross was the one to make the first move, an argument ensues. Ross announces that he can prove his
side of the story, because he has the whole thing on video tape. Later, Ross (without Rachel) explains to Monica, Phoebe,
Chandler and Joey what happened that night. In the form of flashbacks, we learn that Ross had been going through a sexual
"dry spell" and Joey gave him help in the form of a seductive story to tell his date (Kristen), about back-packing in
western Europe. It didn't go very well, so later Ross was practicing the story in front of a video camera. Rachel came in,
and Ross forgot to turn off the camera. He and Rachel began talking about their relationship. One thing led to antoher,
and they ended up having sex on tape. Ross shows the first few minutes of the tape and settles the argument.
Phoebe starts dating Monica's new assistant chef (Tim). But when he doesn't work out either as a chef or a boyfriend,
they fight over who's going to dump him first. Chandler (whose middle name turns out to be Muriel) blocks the
promotion of Bob, who is under a 5-year mistaken notion that Chandler's name is Toby. Joey introduces Rachel to
his Days of Our Lives co-star (Kash), and they go out on a date. This bothers Ross, who is concerned with whom his
unborn child is spending time. Her date doesn't go well because Kash doesn't react well to news that she is pregnant.
Ross helps her understand how great it will be to have a baby, and invites her to have a cup of coffee. She declines,
so he goes to the coffee shop on his own. Rachel, realizing how great Ross is, changes her mind, but she reaches
the coffee shop only in time to see Ross hook up with Mona (from Monica's wedding).
Chandler and Monica plan a Halloween party. Phoebe bumps into Ursula and learns she's getting
married. She invites Ursula and her finance (Eric) to the party, where she
learns Ursula's been lying to him, about everything. Monica choses Catwoman for her costume
and a big pink bunny for Chandler's. Phoebe is Supergirl; Joey is Chandler; Ross is
Spudnik (or is he doody?). Rachel is Rachel. Chandler and Ross arm wrestle to
see who's toughest. It's a draw, but Chandler lets Ross win so he can impress Mona,
his date. Rachel gives away all the candy to trick-or-treaters, then money, then
insults.
Chandler hires a maid (Brenda), but Monica isn't sure she wants anyone else cleaning the apartment. She becomes
convinced that the maid is stealing clothes - her stained jeans and her bra. Eric breaks up with Ursula and starts seeing
Phoebe. The relationship starts a little weird, because Eric (upset from the break-up) gets angry when he sees Ursula...
or her twin. It crosses the line when Ursula comes by and he has sex with her, thinking it's Phoebe. Rachel looks for
a new apartment so she can have her own place once the baby comes. Ross helps Rachel stake a claim to an apartment
in his building, occupied by a woman (who only speaks Dutch) on the verge of death. But Rachel decides not to move.
Rachel tells her dad she's pregnant and Ross is the father. Mr. Green reacts harshly when he finds out Rachel
isn't getting married, so she tells him Ross refused to marry her. Phoebe lets slip that Monica had a bachelorette party,
upsetting Chandler and Joey, who hadn't been allowed a bachelor party. To make up for it, Monica hires Chandler a
stripper, who turns out to be a prostitute. Rachel's dad accosts Ross while he's on his date with Mona, almost
causing Ross to lose her.
Monica announces there will be no turkey for Thanksgiving because not enough people eat it; Joey convinces her
to make it anyway, and he'll finish it off. Monica also invites an old friend from high school (Will), not knowing he
hates Rachel for how she treated him. Will reveals that in high school, he and Ross formed the "I hate Rachel Green
Club," and spread a rumor that she was a hermaphrodite. Rachel is quite upset until she's reminded that she spread
the news that Ross made out with the 50-year old librarian. Joey does eventually finish the turkey, then has some pie.
Monica spends a fortune on a pair of boots; She decides to keep them, over Chandler's objections. But the longer she
wears them, the more pain she's in. Joey's sister Dina wants to talk to Rachel -- supposedly about the fashion
industry -- but it turns out she's pregnant and actually wants advice on how to handle being a single mom. Phoebe finds
out that Ben goes to the same private school as Sting's son. She poses as Susan and tries to use Ben to get tickets to
Sting's concert.
Rachel's pregnancy has her hormones running wild, and she tries to find some action. Ross and Mona get photos back from
their date at Rockefeller Center, and Mona wants to send one out together as a holiday card. Ross agrees but is actually
freaked out, and he's forced to consider where the relationship is going. In an effort to prove he's ready for the next step,
he gives Mona a key to his apartment. Later he has second thoughts and gets the lock changed. Because Monica doesn't like
Chandler's recently divorced Boss, Chandler tries to cancel a dinner date with him. His boss gets suspicious, so Chandler
says he's cancelling because he and Monica broke up. But it back-fires when his boss insists on taking him out to some strip
clubs. When Rachel explains her sexual frustrations to Joey, it occurs to them that they could get together for the night.
But that would just be too weird.
Phoebe's wedding gift for Chandler and Monica finally arrives: A video arcade game machine, Ms. Pac Man. Chandler plays all day, fills
the top scores, and spells dirty words with the initials. Then they have to try to clear them off, because Ben's coming
over to play. Rachel misses dating, so Joey offers to take her out and show her a good time. They have a great date,
and at the end of the night Joey realizes he's starting to fall for her. Ross begins teaching a graduate seminar,
which starts 10 minutes after his regular classes, but is clear across town. Rachel watches Cujo and gets scared,
so Joey keeps her company.
Joey tries unsuccessfully to believe that he's not feeling anything special for Rachel. He tries to discuss his dilemna
with Chandler and Monica, but he can't discuss it intelligently because he's worried about giving himself away. They figure it
out anyway... only they think he likes Phoebe, rather than Rachel. Monica introduces Chandler to the art of relaxing baths.
Ross and Rachel discuss possible names for the baby; later, after a visit to the doctor, they learn that the baby is a girl.
Phoebe tells Joey that his affection for Rachel are just a passing crush; it sounds good, but it doesn't change the way he
feels.
Phoebe is upset after catching Monica for using a different masseuse. Monica finally agrees to let Phoebe massage her,
and really enjoys it. But Monica's pleasure sounds are too much like sex noises, which makes Phoebe uncomfortable. Joey
dreams of being with Rachel, and continues to struggle with his feelings for her. Rachel's baby starts kicking for the
first time. Ross is upset about missing pregnancy stuff, so he tells Rachel to page anytime anything happens. This
interrupts Ross's dates with Mona, and even makes him completely forget about her now and then. Chandler discovers Monica
has a secret closet which is always locked. When he finally gets it open, he discovers a terrible, messy pile of junk.
Because Ross is missing too much of his child's pregnancy, Joey suggests that Rachel move in with Ross.
Rachel likes living with Ross, except for all the documentaries on the Discovery Channel. Joey's yearning for Rachel
worsens. Phoebe brings over a friend's dog to cheer Joey up. Soon even the dog is bummed out. Mona gives Ross salt-water
taffy, and Ross reveals his knowledge of boring taffy trivia. Valentine's Day is ruined for Chandler after he watches a
child-birth video (which he mistook for porn). Monica doesn't understand why he's so bothered by it, until she watches it
as well. Then Rachel (for whom the video was intended) gets a bit freaked out, too. Ross prepares just the right way to
tell Mona that Rachel has moved in with him. But Mona comes over to his apartment early and finds out ahead of schedule.
Then she dumps him. Ross, sensing Joey's mood, gets him to talk about his "girl trouble." Joey reveals (to Ross) his
feelings for Rachel.
Ross comes to grips with the knowledge that Joey is falling in love with Rachel. Phoebe meets a guy who
she thinks is "Monica's other half," and she introduces them, much to Chandler's dismay. They get along great,
and they both really like cheese. Joey takes Rachel out to dinner and tells her he's falling in love with her;
Rachel can't return his feelings.
Joey and Rachel live the with awkward aftermath of the announcement of his feelings. To give them
something to talk about, Rachel invents a story that her boss wants to buy her baby. This backfires when Joey
visits the office and confronts him. Phoebe reads the group's tea leaves to tell their fortunes. Her own leaves
tell her she's about to meet the man of her dreams. She does meet someone (Jim), but her turns out to be a creep.
But then she meets another guy (Parker) who seems more promising. Ross realizes he's left his favorite shirt at Mona's
apartment. He tries to retrieve it when she's not there, but gets caught. Monica discovers that Chandler doesn't put
the CDs back in the right cases, so a project to organization them is undertaken.
Ross and Monica's parents have their 35th anniversary party in Massapequa. Phoebe brings Parker, who turns out to
be annoyingly positive about everything. Monica tries in vain to give a toast that will hit everyone emotionally
and make them cry. Mr. and Mrs. Geller have told all their friends that Ross and Rachel are married, so they have
to make up stories about their engagement and wedding. Ross' story about how he proposed to Rachel touches her.
Joey's interview with Soap Opera Digest is punctuated with flashbacks of Joey's previous acting experiences,
spare time, activities, eating habits, sexuality, romances, and his friends, who hover nearby to make sure he doesn't
say anything stupid.
Joey, preparing to audition for a new game show, gets help rehearsing from Ross and Chandler. The complex rules
are confusing at first, but after a while the guys really take a liking to it. Monica and Phoebe throw Rachel a
baby shower, but forget to invite her mother until the last minute. Mrs. Green offers to live with Rachel and Ross
for a couple months, to help with the baby. Rachel becomes convinced that it is necessary, but Ross doesn't share
her feelings. When Joey finally goes for his audition, he learns that the game show has been simplied to a basic
question and answer format.
Monica's restaurant gets a bad review by someone who teaches at a local school. After she and Joey confront the critic,
they participate in a beginning cooking class so she can feel better about herself. The teacher (Sarah) is quickly impressed by
her talents. Ross and Rachel buy baby furniture, and the saleswoman (Katie) asks Ross out. Rachel is terribly jealous and
wants Ross to be with her at all times to help her out (which he is happy to do). Phoebe helps Chandler prepare for a job
interview, so he can control his tendancy to make jokes about everything. He almost makes it.
Joey's war movie (Over There) comes out, and he plans to take the gang to the premier. Later he find he can only take one, so he
choses Chandler, who falls asleep during the screening. Rachel's due date comes but the baby doesn't. She becomes horribly
irritable, and desperate to try anything to induce labor... including sex with Ross. Monica and Phoebe bet on when the baby
will come; Monica always loses.
Ross rushes Rachel to the hospital using his specially tested route, but they still end up being the last ones there.
They gets put in a semi-private room, and see couple after couple come and go, while Rachel's own labor progresses very
slowly. Monica and Chandler decide to have a baby, and want to start trying right away -- at the hospital. Ross' mother
stops by with her mother's engagement ring and a suggestion that Ross propose to Rachel. Ross refuses the idea but takes the
ring to satisfy Mrs. Geller. Phoebe meets a nice guy (Cliff) at the hospital and sends Joey in (posing as Dr. Drake Ramoray)
to find out more about him. The rotation of Ross and Rachel's roommates are disgustingly friendly; horribly rude; having
unbelievably mild contractions; giving birth upon arrival; and... Janice.
Janice's annoying laugh is surpassed only by the noises she makes during labor. Luckily for Janice's new husband (Sid), he's
mostly deaf. Monica and Chandler, preparing again to attempt conception, stop when they hear Janice next door. Phoebe gets
to know Cliff better; when he finds out she had Joey pretend to be a doctor to pump him for information, he's upset... but
he gets over it. Rachel finally delivers the baby, breech. The names they had in mind don't sound right to Rachel anymore,
so Monica lets her use a name she had planned for her own daughter: Emma. Phoebe is very persuasive in convincing Ross
to propose to Rachel; but before he can get back to the room, Joey stumbles upon Ross' grandmother's ring and shows it to
Rachel. She mistakes it for a proposal, and accepts.
Joey tries to tell Rachel that he didn't really propose, but can't get a moment alone with her. Phoebe gets involved
but that just confuses things. Joey tries to keep Ross away from Rachel until he can straighten it out. Monica and
Chandler continue trying to get pregnant; Mr. Geller discovers them having sex in the janitor's closet and is
mortified, until he learns that they're trying to conceive; then he's so enthusiastic he starts giving them advice,
and Monica is mortified. Joey, Ross, and Rachel finally straighten out that no one was going to propose; Ross was
just planning to ask Rachel if they could start up their relationship again. Everything is just about smoothed out when
Ross realizes that Rachel is wearing the ring, and therefore must have said yes to Joey.
The gang has a welcome-home party for Rachel. When Emma sleeps, Rachel misses her, so she wakes
her up. Nothing can get her back to sleep. Chandler, nervous about a big meeting, has missed a night of sleep,
and falls asleep in the meeting. At the end, he wakes up just in time to unknowingly agree to move to Tulsa,
Oklahoma. Monica won't agree to it, but management won't let him off the hook. Ross is still angry with Joey for
being engaged (even if by accident) to Rachel. Joey tries to get Ross to punch him, but then ducks and Ross hits a post,
breaking his thumb. Joey continues causing additional injuries to Ross. Joey doesn't understand the "quotes" gesture.
"SuperMonica" finally gets Emma to go back to sleep.
Chandler and Monica announce their plans to move to Oklahoma. Monica contacts a restaurant head-hunter to see if there's
a chef position in Tulsa, and ends up getting a great offer for a position in New York. She decides to take it, so Chandler
arranges to spend just 4 days a week in Tulsa. Joey can't get over the fact that Emma's pediatrician is named Dr. Weiner.
Phoebe and Joey agree to set each up with dates; Joey forgets, but lies that he's set her up with someone named Mike;
then he has to find someone to fit the bill. Phoebe finds out the truth and leaves, but later Mike finds her at the coffee
house and they arrange to go out again. Rachel abuses Emma's pediatrician too much, so she has to find a new one; she goes
to Ross's old pediatrician (Dr. Gettleman) only to discover that "Rossy" still goes there, as well.
Ross points out that Phoebe's never been in a long term relationship, which freaks her out just as she leaves on a
date with Mike. Ross tracks down Mike later to explain why Phoebe was so disturbed, but just makes things worse
with a fictional story about a six-year relationship she had. Chandler has to stay the weekend in Tulsa, so
Monica flies there to surprise him. He's watching porn when she arrives, but he changes the channel quickly, which
makes her think he gets off to shark documentaries. Joey meets a hot woman (Hayley) and starts dating her, but he recognizes her
apartment and thinks he's slept with her before. She obviously doesn't remember it so he finally confronts her about it,
only to find out he previously dated her roommate.
Phoebe plans a special dinner out for her birthday, and all the gang plans to come. However, only she and Joey make it
on time. Monica and Chandler are late because they fight over the fact that he's started smoking again; and because she's
ovulating and wants to conceive. Rachel and Ross are late because they lock themselves out of their apartment while Emma's
inside; and their babysitter (Mrs. Geller) is late. Ross uses a lot of antiquated phrases, and Monica has the breasts of a
greek goddess (according to Phoebe). Joey struggles with hunger, but in the end gets to eat everyone's food.
Monica's excitement about her new place of work doesn't really phase Chandler, until she mentions that
one of her co-workers (Jeffery) is the funniest guy she's ever met. Chandler tries to prove he's funnier.
Phoebe and Mike take the next step in their relationship, by exchanging apartment keys. Then Phoebe's old flame,
David (The Scientist Guy), comes to town from Minsk for a few days, putting Phoebe's emotions in conflict. Rachel
and Ross hire a male nanny (Sandy) to care for Emma, but he's too sensitive for Ross's comfort. Joey learns life
lessons from the nanny's puppet shows.
Ross makes Emma laugh for the first time, by singing "Baby Got Back," which offends Rachel (until she finds
she can't make Emma laugh any other way). Joey contemplates investing in an Emu farm, but Monica says he should
invest in real estate, and suggests her ex-boyfriend Richard's apartment, which is up for sale. While Joey
and Chandler look over Richard's apartment, Chandler finds (and steals) a video tape with Monica's name on it,
worried about what might be on it. Chandler confirms that it's a sex tape, and Monica tries to calm
him down, until she realizes that it's not her on the tape; then she's upset that Richard taped over her. Phoebe
goes to dinner at Mike's parents place, and makes a terrible impression; but learns that Mike loves her.
Chandler convinces Monica to use the good china dishes for Thanksgiving. Joey forgets he's supposed to be in the
Thanksgiving parade with the rest of the Days of Our Lives cast, so Phoebe teaches him how to lie to his
producer. Rachel's other sister (Amy) shows up unexpectedly for Thanksgiving and is upset when she finds out
Chandler and Monica get Emma if Ross and Rachel die. And Chandler is upset that he only gets Emma if Monica is alive.
Amy can't get Emma's or Phoebe's names right, carelessly insults everyone, and in general drives everyone crazy.
Joey gets Knicks tickets for himself and Chandler, but Chandler wants to be with Monica. He tells Joey
that he has to stay in Tulsa, but when Joey finds Monica preparing for a night of seduction, he thinks she's
having an affair. Rachel (in a dress that really shows off her assets) goes out with Phoebe for a night on the
town. Meanwhile, Ross and Mike hang out together but find they have nothing interesting to talk about. Rachel
gives out her phone number to a guy and then regrets it later, worried about it interfering in her possibilities
with Ross. She and Phoebe try to get home before the guy calls for her. Ross gets the call anyway, but doesn't
tell Rachel.
Chandler has to spend Christmas in Tulsa to get paperwork done, and realizes he's the only one in his group of
Friends who hates his job. He remembers past Christmases in a series of flashbacks from earlier Christmas episodes, and
decides to send his subordinates home. One (Wendy) stays behind. Monica is not comfortable with Chandler working
alone with her. He believes she has nothing to worry about, until Wendy makes a pass at him. He turns her down,
professing his love for Monica. She asks why he's not with his wife on Christmas, which prompts a series of flashbacks
about his relationship with Monica; also prompting him to quit his job and return to New York.
Monica helps Chandler consider what careers he's interested in. He choses advertising, and Monica arranges a
meeting with a friend (Steve) in the business. Joey gets Phoebe a job doing extra work on Days Of Our Lives, but she
takes her characters a little too seriously. Ross and Rachel take Emma into Ralph Lauren to meet the staff. While there,
Rachel discovers that her temporary replacement (Gavin) it determined to take over her job permanently, so she returns to
work immediately. He turns out to be a little nicer than expected. Chandler gets offered an unpaid internship at Steve's
agency, which might mean he and Monica need to postpone having a child for a while.
Ross and Rachel have a new nanny (Molly), who is hot. Ross tells Joey not to go after her, which just makes him want
her more. Mike discovers that Phoebe has a rat in her apartment, which she treats as a pet (or rather, as an occasional
visitor for whom she puts out food). Then they discover that the rat has had babies. Mike mistakenly kills the rat,
and Phoebe feels they are responsible to raise the orphans. Rachel continues to fight with her co-worker, Gavin;
Monica invites him to Rachel's birthday party. Gavin comes over at the end of the party and makes a move on Rachel;
they kiss. Ross is upset when he sees them his apartment, as he's cleaning up after the baby. Molly turns out to be gay.
Ross is upset that Rachel kissed Gavin, but is hesitant to talk with her about it. Rachel is worried that it was the
wrong thing to do, and unsure about her relationship with Ross, but is hesitant to talk with him about it. Ross tries
to move on; he hits on every woman around,and hooks up with a weird one (Michelle). When Ross and Rachel finally do talk,
it's all negative, and Rachel decides to move back in with Joey for a while. Joey needs new head shots, and his
photographer advises him to get his eyebrows waxed. The pain is too much, so he only gets one done. Chandler helps him out
by doing the other one, with suprising skill. Even so, Joey looks really strange. Phoebe and Monica go to Mike's piano
bar where the patrons sing. She decides to perform; the crowd really loves her, because the spotlight makes her shirt
transparent.
Phoebe and Joey set up Rachel on Ross on terrible blind dates, in hopes that they'll realize by comparison how good
they are together. Joey arranges for Ross to be stood up, and Phoebe arranges for Rachel to go out with Steve (the
Stoned Guy). Monica and Chandler take care of Emma; when she falls asleep, they go into the bedroom to try to make
a baby of their own. Joey comes into the apartment and Emma wakes up, so he takes her to his place. Once they return
from the bedroom and discover Emma is gone, they panic. Joey tries to get someone to name their first child Joey, to carry
on his "family name."
Chandler gets an internship in advertising. At first his age seems to be a problem, relative to all the young
college kids. But his age and experience gives him a perspective that serves him well, even in marketing products
to teenagers. Joey gets a audition for a broadway play; at first he's terrible, but later (when he really needs to
go to the bathroom) his nervous energy impresses the producers and star, and he gets the part. Phoebe and Ross get
mugged, but it turns out Phoebe knows the mugger from her days on the streets, when she occassionally mugged people,
too. This reminds Ross of the time he was mugged as a child; Phoebe realizes she was the one who mugged him all those
years ago. He's very upset about it, until she returns his childhood home-made comic book, "Science Boy."
Chandler and Monica are a little short on funds, due to Chandler's lack of a paying job. Each individually asks
Joey for a loan, swearing him to secrecy. When Chandler notices that Joey recently wrote a large check to Monica,
Joey covers by saying it's for breast implants. Phoebe and Mike decide to live together; Phoebe gets excited about
the possibilities in their future, including marriage. Then she learns that due to his first failed marriage,
Mike never wants to get married again. They decide they want different things, and end their relationship. Rachel
buys equipment to baby-proof the apartment, but has to hire a handyman to install it. Then Joey can't get past the
baby protection devices.
Ross and Chandler post bogus information about each other on their college's alumni web site. It escalates until
Chandler posts that Ross has died, and Ross arranges a memorial service to see who comes. Emma grows attached
to Joey's stuffed toy penguin, Hugsy. He gets another one so he can have the original back, but Emma doesn't go
for it. Phoebe and Mike struggle with their break-up, and are drawn back together.
Everyone decides to pool some money and buy lottery tickets, except Ross, the lottery skeptic. Rachel and
Ross, expecting Emma to start talking soon, eliminate offensive words from their conversation and start
calling each other "Mommy" and "Daddy." Chandler waits for news about whether his internship will turn
into a permanent assistant's position. The open positions get filled and he's depressed about not getting chosen,
until he learns that he's being offered a better position - Junior Copywriter. Phoebe, frightened by a pigeon,
accidentally drops the lottery tickets off the balcony, and half are lost. But they still win... three dollars.
Joey needs inspiration for his love scenes on Days of our Lives, and uses his past love for Rachel as a source
of motivation. It touches Rachel and gives her something to think about. Chandler plans a romantic weekend away,
but Monica has to work. He can't get a refund on the room, so he and Ross go there to spend the weekend, and try
to take enough hotel amenities to make the money back. Phoebe, hearing that Monica has guests standing in line
outside her restaurant, decides to play her music there. This stresses their relationship a bit more than either
can bear. Ross gets sugar highs from maple candy.
Rachel continues to struggle with her feelings for Joey. Joey gives the gang tickets to a one-woman play (Why Don't You
Like Me?) to get rid of them while he has a party for his Soap Opera buddies, on the roof. Everyone finds out and comes
to his party, except Chandler, who gets stuck at the play, watching a bitter woman complain about life. Ross meets a beautful
new professor (Charlie) and they hit it off really well. He brings her to Joey's party, but hesitates to make a move because
he's intimidated by her past romantic interests, all Nobel Prize winners. Rachel decides to go after Joey, but then
she finds him making out with Charlie, which spoils her plans and Ross's. Chandler tricks Monica and Phoebe into going to the
play.
Ross struggles with the conflict between his own interest in Charlie and Joey's desire to impress her. He coaches
Joey on doing and saying things that she'll appreciate. Rachel has a gift certificate for a free massage at a big
corporate massage chain; Phoebe makes her promise not to go. She goes anyway, and discovers that Phoebe works there.
Monica and Chandler go in for fertility testing and bump into Janice. Later, the doctor calls and tells Chandler
that he and Monica both have fertility problems.
Joey arranges for a reluctant Rachel to help Charlie shop for some new clothes. Phoebe comes along as well, and
Charlie overhears Phoebe and Rachel talk about Rachel's feelings for Joey; but Charlie thinks it was Phoebe who has
feelings for him. Phoebe is invited to a party which Mike will also be attending, and stresses about looking great
but pretending to be over him. But on her way, she runs into her old flame, David (the Scientist guy), and changes
her plans. Ross has a chance to be the keynote speaker at a Paleontology convention in Barbados; when
he's making his pitch to the deciding professor, it puts him to sleep. Chandler and Monica visit their Doctor about
reproductive options, and begin searching for a sperm donor. Chandler invites a likely but unsuspecting candidate
(Zack) to dinner, and he gets a little creeped out by the odd questions Chandler and Monica are asking. In the end
they decide to adopt.
The gang (including Phoebe's boyfriend, David) travel to Barbados for Ross and Charlie's conference. The constant
rain prevents most of the gang from enjoying their time on the island. David is worried he can't compare to Mike;
Chandler tells him Mike's failing was that he was against marriage, so David decides to propose to Phoebe. Monica,
knowing Phoebe is still hung up on Mike, tries to undo Chandler's meddling with some of her own, and calls Mike asking
him to step up. Chandler accidentally erases Ross's keynote speech, so Ross and Charlie stay up all night together
to rebuild it, while Rachel and Joey have fun crashing the neighboring pharmaceutical convention. Ross and Charlie
learn that they have a lot of fun together, and a lot in common -- including ex-es who turned out to be gay. Rachel is
about to tell Joey how she feels about him, but they're interrupted. David begins to propose to Phoebe, but Mike shows up
and proposes first. Phoebe says no, but gets back together with him, knowing that now they can have a future together.
The weather in Barbados is finally nice, but only during Ross's speech. Rachel and Joey giggle over the term
"Homo-Erectus." After the speech, while it rains again, Monica and Mike get into a ping-pong match and their
competitive sides really take over. Monica hurts her hand, so Chandler finishes for her -- and wins. Joey and
Charlie realize they don't have anything in common, and break up. Joey learns of Rachel's feelings for him, but
doesn't feel he can do anything about it because of Ross. Meanwhile, Ross and Charlie spend more time together,
and realize their feelings for each other. They kiss; Joey sees them, and decides not to let Ross stand between
himself and Rachel. He returns and kisses her.
Chandler, Monica, and Phoebe listen through the thin walls as Ross makes out with Charlie and Joey makes out with Rachel. Before things go too far, Ross decides
he better talk to Joey about Charlie. Joey decides he better talk with Ross about Rachel. Monica gets corn rows put in her hair to overcome the frizziness caused by the
humidity. Ross talks with Joey about Charlie on the flight home, but Joey can't bring himself to talk about Rachel. Mike reveals that he has a girlfriend (named Precious),
and tells Phoebe he'll break up with her at dinner. Phoebe waits for Mike at his apartment; Precious shows up there by mistake, so Phoebe breaks the news to her.
Monica's hair causes her problems at home, so she agrees to get rid of the corn rows.
Ross is clearly freaked out by Rachel and Joey's relationship, but keeps insisting he's fine. He arranges for Rachel and Joey to have dinner with Charlie and him,
where he's an emotional wreck and very drunk. Chandler and Monica, frustrated by the complexity of adoption, visit Phoebe's friends (Bill and Colleen) who have an
adopted son (Owen). Chandler mistakenly reveals to the boy that he's adopted. Phoebe gets a visit from Frank Jr. and the triplets. Frank is totally overwhelmed by
the responsibilities of fatherhood, having not slept in four years. He asks Phoebe to take one of the kids, but then realizes he could never give up any of them.
Joey and Rachel have their first official date, but when it comes to getting physical, they just don't feel at ease.
Ross like's Monica's sprayed-on tan, so he decides to get one. But confusion about the instructions (and whether to
count "Mississippily") lead to multiple doses on his front and none on his back. An old friend (Amanda) of Monica's
and Phoebe's moves back into town from England. They try to cut her out of their lives by ignoring her, without success.
It comes out that years before, Phoebe tried to do the same to Monica. Joey and Rachel realize their relationship is
not going to work.
Ross and Rachel have a party for Emma's first birthday. They insist that everyone be there, which strains all their plans: Chandler and Monica are trying to
get away for the weekend; Phoebe has a massage appointment; Joey has an audition. The party gets underway, but drags on because Emma is napping and
Rachel won't wake her up. Joey didn't know he was supposed to get Emma a present, so where he hears that Phoebe has written Emma a song, he decides
to do a dramatic reading. His last minute effort out-does Phoebe's song. The bunny-shaped cake with Emma's picture is mistakenly replaced with a
novelty cake shaped like a penis (still with Emma's picture on it). Rachel goes to get it replaced, tempting everyone else to leave.
Monica and Chandler ask Rachel to write a letter of recommendation to their adoption agency; Joey feels left out
because they didn't ask him, so they do. After a botched attempt to write a good letter, he does a re-write and drops it
off without showing it to them first. The adoption agency thinks it's wonderful that they had a "child" write their
recommendation. Phoebe unknowingly ridicules every idea Mike has for proposing to her. He finally does it the right
way - he gets down on one knee and opens his heart. On Rachel's advice, her sister, Amy, breaks up with her fiance (whom
she doesn't love), and temporarily moves in with Rachel. Rachel wants to help Amy be a better, more responsible person,
so when Emma's nanny gets sick, Rachel decides to let her take care of Emma for the day. Emma ends up with pierced ears,
and Rachel realizes Amy is beyond help.
Chandler's ad agency gets a new account and Joey wants Chandler to get him in the commercial. Chandler doesn't think he's right for the part, so Joey gives
him a video tape containing a sample of his commercial work. Chandler doesn't watch it, but lies that he did. Joey realizes the truth because Chandler never says
anything about his Japanese 'Ichiban: Lipstick for men" commercial. Ross is applying for a paleontology grant and finds out Charlie's old boyfriend (Benjamin)
evaluates the applicants. Charlie introduces them, and Benjamin immediately starts pressuring Ross to break up with her, so he can get her back. Ross doesn't give
in, but eventually Charlie decides to get back together with Benjamin anyway. Phoebe is clearing stuff out of her apartment to make room for Mike; she decides to get
rid of some hideous artwork she created, and tries to give it to Monica and Rachel, who had been pretending to like it.
Phoebe and Mike, stunned by the expenses involved with a wedding, decide they'll get married in City Hall
and give the money to charity. Once they donate it, Phoebe changes her mind and they ask for it back. But
Phoebe is still unsure. The adoption agency sends a woman (Laura) to evaluate Chandler and Monica and their
home. They want everything to go perfectly, so when it turns out that Laura had a bad dating experience with Joey,
they pretend not to know him. Joey manages to turn the situation around and make Laura think she wronged him.
Rachel freaks out when Ross wants to take Emma to the playground, due to her childhood hair-related playgound
accident. Ross convinces her it will be okay, so they all go together. Ross gets kicked in the head by a kid on the
swings.
Monica doesn't want to host Thanksgiving until Phoebe suggests that she see it
as a competition with herself, to top her previous year. Phoebe convinces Rachel to enter
Emma in a baby beauty pageant. Joey gets tickets to a hockey game and he and Ross go,
even though it could conflict with the Thanksgiving dinner. Rachel, Phoebe, Joey, and Ross
are all late for dinner, angering Monica and Chandler, who didn't want to host the dinner
anyway. At the height of the conflict, Monica gets a call from the adoption agency
telling them they're getting a baby.
Chandler and Monica go to Ohio to be interviewed by the birth mother (Erica) of their prospective child.
Due to a mix-up, she thinks Chandler is a doctor and Monica a reverend. Monica wants to let the
illusion continue, but Chandler insists on telling the truth, which almost costs them the baby. Joey
persuades a reluctant Phoebe to set him up with her friend, Sarah. Joey is hesitant to call Sarah for a
second date, because during dinner she took some fries from his plate (Joey doesn't share food). Ross
seeks fashion advice from Rachel and Phoebe for an upcoming date (with Joan), so they take him shopping.
Their bags get mixed up; Ross ends up wearing a women's blouse -- the same blouse Joan is wearing.
Rachel and Phoebe spot Chandler with a blonde stranger; Phoebe thinks he's having an affair. They follow the pair to
a house outside the city. They tell the rest of the gang, and then confront Monica and Chandler, forcing the revelation
that Monica and Chandler are trying to move to a house outside the city to raise their child. In attempts to convice Chandler and
Monica to stay, their friends remind them of all the great memories they've had in their apartment in the city (shown
as clips from previous episodes).
Joey's a celebrity guest on Pyramid; he does horribly until he's in the Winner's Circle, where he does very well... until the last clue.
Rachel and Monica throw a bachelorette party for Phoebe, but haven't hired a stripper. When they learn that Phoebe's counting on
one, they make a quick call and hire the first one that is available. He turns out to be short, fat, and old. When Phoebe doesn't like
him, he cries. Ross and Chandler go to a college alumni gathering. They argue about girls from their past, prompting a series of
flashbacks to 1987 and their freshman year of college, including a party where Rachel (with her old nose) and Monica (before she
lost the weight) come for a visit. Several discoveries are made, including the fact that Chandler kissed Rachel, and Ross (who thought
he kissed Rachel) actually kissed Monica.
Phoebe's Dad can't come to the wedding, so she asks Joey to walk her down the aisle; he plays the overprotective
father figure a little too well. Phoebe is driven crazy by her wedding planner - - Monica. Chandler and Ross realize
they aren't in the wedding. When one of the groomsmen drops out, they compete for the spot.
Joey is auditioning for a play and need to speak French, so he enlists Phoebe to teach him. She tries, but he just
can't get it. Rachel's father has a heart attack; accompanied by Ross, she goes home to Long Island to visit him. In her
vulnerable state, she asks Ross to spend the night and makes her desires very clear. He doesn't want to take advantage of
her, so he leaves. Rachel is angry. Erica (the mother of Monica and Chandler's future child) comes to New York for a visit.
They ask about the child's father, and find out she's not sure whether the father is the all american football player, or
the convicted murderer who killed his father with a shovel. Joey thinks he can drink a gallon of milk in ten seconds.
Rachel's lunch interview with Gucci turns out to be right next to her current boss's table.
She doesn't get the new job; she loses her current one. Meanwhile, Ross is given tenure at his job
and his happiness makes Rachel's misfortune even harder to bear. While moving her stuff out of
Ralph Lauren, she bumps into Mark (who caused all the jealousy seven years earlier); he now works
at Louis Vuitton and once again knows of a possible job opening for her. Phoebe contemplates
changing her surname to Hanigan. Once she find's out she can change her name to anything she wants,
she chooses Princes Consuela Bananahammock, leading Mike to threaten to change his name to Crap Bag.
Monica and Chandler take Joey to see their new house. He tries to convince them not to go through
with the purchase, until the little girl that lives there helps him understand. Rachel gets a job
offer... in Paris.
Ross visits Rachel's old boss at Ralph Lauren to try to get her job back, so she won't have to go to Paris. She
decides to stay, but Ross realizes how important Paris is to her, and tells her to go. When the house next to their's goes
up for sale, Chandler and Monica check it out and are disturbed to find Janice as their potential new neighbor. Chandler
pretends he's still in love with her so she'll think it's a mistake to move there. Joey's agent (Estelle) dies, but the
gang doesn't want to tell him, because he's already upset about all the other changes going on. Phoebe calls him pretending
to be Estelle, and Joey fires her. Later, he finds out she's dead, but Phoebe calls again, leaving Joey freaked out.
Rachel finishes preparations to go to Paris. Monica and Chandler pack up their apartment with the gang's help.
While packing, Chandler finds a pair of fur-lined handcuffs and has trouble tracking down their owner. During a going
away party for Rachel, she says individual goodbyes to everyone except Ross; he's upset and confronts her, leading to a
passionate kiss. Erica goes into labor.
Ross and Rachel spend part of the night together, their kiss having led to more. Ross decides he wants to be
with Rachel, but she views their night together as the perfect way to say goodbye. Monica and Chandler coach Erica
through delivery at the hospital, and all are surprised when she delivers twins. Joey buys a new chick and duck
as a house-warming gift for Chandler and Monica, the previous pair having gone to that "special farm" for old birds.
Gunther confesses him love to Rachel.
Ross and Phoebe race to JFK airport so Ross can tell Rachel how he really feels. Once there, they realize Rachel is
at Newark airport. Joey's Chick Jr. and Duck Jr. escape from their box and get stuck inside the foosball table; it has
to be torn apart to get them out. Ross and Phoebe get to Newark airport just before Rachel departs. Ross pours out his
heart to her, but she leaves anyway. Ross arrives home; a few minutes later, Rachel shows up, having realized she loves
him, too.
