Time for another “Friends” walkthrough. This time I’m on Season 5 Episode 2. I haven’t watched a lot of “Friends” lately so I’m only one episode further along since the last time I wrote a walkthrough. This episode originally aired on October 1, 1998. Over 22 years ago. I was 32 at the time. Just a couple of years older than the Friends. Now they’re eternally younger than me.
Checking my calender I see that I commuted into Manhattan that day to work at Marvel Comics. I did typesetting. No other notes for that day but I can see a couple of weeks before on September the 18th there is a receipt from Brenner Printing. That from when my friends and I published our own comic. That was a lot harder to do in those days than today. We had fun doing it but never made any money. Good times.
Meanwhile back at the show the episodes name is “The One With All the Kissing.” If memory serves Chandler was being “European” and kissing the girls hello and goodbye to cover for he and Monica secretly sleeping together. I think I’m going to watch this one on my computer instead of my TV as a change of pace.
We open with Monica and Chandler in a bubble bath together. It’s all new, secret, and romantic for them. Of course Joey walks in and Monica has to hide under the bubbles. Joey wants to know if Chandler is up for ordering food. Hijinks ensue. It’s a good opening gag. Here comes the theme song. It’s always enjoyable.
Phoebe shows up. I forgot she was pregnant in the show at this time. But she’s obviously no longer pregnant in real life. Her baby belly looks fake now. She’s feeling left out that she didn’t get to go with everyone else to London as she doesn’t get all their London jokes and references.
Ross shows up to the apartment. He said the wrong woman’s name at his wedding and even though Emily went through with the ceremony she never wants to see him again. And somehow Ross ended up almost going on his honeymoon with Rachel but instead he stood Rachel up and she went on his honeymoon trip by herself. This plot line deals with the aftermath of that. Ross is spinning out a bit. All sorts of jokes about him not being fast enough to catch Emily at the airport.
Rachel returns home after her trip and puts on a brave face for Ross. Says she’s not angry at all. She’s happy about the trip to Greece. But as soon a Ross leaves we find out she’s really pissed. Rachel decides she makes bad decisions so she puts Monica in charge of her decisions for now on. Chandler kisses Monica goodbye accidentally in front of everyone so he puts on a show kissing everyone else.
Now Rachel and Monica are at the coffee shop and we get a joke that would be an anachronism if they did it today. Monica is showing Rachel some snapshots and is getting upset that Rachel isn’t holding the photos by the edges. She’s getting fingerprints on them. This was a real thing back in the days of film photography. There was always someone telling you to hold photos by the edges. And they used that joke in TV shows and such to let you know that a character (like Monica) did things the right way and was bothered by carelessness. Not that we look at photos on screens that never happens anymore.
Since Monica is making Rachel’s decisions she is sending her over to talk to a cute guy at the coffee shop. Joey and Chandler are making funny comments in this scene. Phoebe walks in and gives us more Phoebe hates London stuff. She’s tired of being pregnant and not being able to do anything. Rachel gets a date. Like she wouldn’t.
Next Monica and Chandler get caught kissing in the apartment so Chandler pretends he’s leaving and kisses the other girls too. Joey wants in on the action! Now we’re at the end of Rachel’s date. She needs Monica to decide if she’s going to invite her date inside. Monica is not there but Ross is and he’s heartbroken so Rachel sends her date away never to be seen again.
Heartbroken Ross is funny as well as sad. Rachel comforts him but Monica shows up and, as the maker of Rachel’s decisions, wants her to leave Ross alone. Rachel admits to Monica that she’s still in love with Ross. Rachel fires Monica from decision making. That goes around and around.
Still in the apartment Rachel wants to confess her feeling to Ross but Monica interrupts. For me this is Rachel at her most annoying. She loves Ross best when she can’t have him. When she can have him she’s less interested in him. Ross keeps sending Emily love momentos to try and win her back and she keeps destroying them.
Back to the coffee shop and Rachel is trying to find someone to back up her plan to tell Ross she’s still in love with him but none of the Friends agree. Then they try to cheer up Phoebe by planning a trip to Central Park (not Perk). It doesn’t work. Rachel confronts Chandler about the kissing. Monica protests the kissing a bit to hard. New Phoebe plan. They’re all going to Atlantic City.
Rachel still wants to confront Ross. She awkwardly tries to speak to him as he’s reading his paper in the coffee shop but then actually tells him she’s still in love with him. He’s not sure to do with that and then she sees the ridiculousness of it all. They both kinda just revel in their absurd misery. What a weird scene but Rachel finally comes off as likable. She asks him to forget all about it.
Now one last scene with the girls. Monica wants to know how it worked out with Ross but then the boys come in and they cheer on their trip to Atlantic City. Phoebe’s water breaks. They’re on their way to the hospital and we end on another kiss between Chandler and Monica. This time privately.
Now it’s time to check http://links.giveawayoftheday.com/uncutfriendsepisodes.tripod.com/ and see what was cut out of this episode for syndication. A couple of lines from the opening bubble bath scene including Joey saying that his date threw up. They cut a whole lot of the Ross spinning out scene. There was good stuff in there. Especially with Monica. They also cut out Rachel running through all her recent bad decisions. That was funny too. And some Monica and the photos stuff. Plus the Joey trying to get some kisses scene. A lot of the Monica trying to get Rachel not to tell Ross scene. More Central Perk stuff. They also cut out all of Rachel telling Ross about a mix tape full of “Their Songs.” And most of the final “We’re going to Atlantic City” scene. That’s a lot.
I’m glad I watch these old DVD copies of the show with all the extra stuff still in. This must have been one of the extra length 40 minute (with commercials) shows they occasionally ran. There is more stuff cut out of this one than usual. I’d prefer they keep it in.