I’m in the mood to write another “Friends” walkthrough so here we go. I’m up to Season 6 Episode 2 “The One Where Ross Hugs Rachel”. I watched it as it aired back on September 30, 1999. Let me check my calendar to see what I was doing back then. Looks like on that exact day I was home in my studio working on some animated GIFs that I was doing for the company Uproar. I had forgotten about that freelance job. I was also at Marvel a few days that week and it was a friend’s bachelor party that weekend. Looks like I was having a busy time. But I was home that Thursday to watch “Friends.”
This is the episode right after the gang gets back from Las Vegas where Ross and Rachel drunkenly got married. We start with a coffee shop scene where we learn that Ross never got the annulment that he promised Rachel he’d get for them. He tells this to Phoebe. I think this was the ending scene from last episode.
Now we get a new scene with Phoebe running outside to talk to Ross as he and Rachel are going to a movie. The outside street in front of Central Perk never looked quite right to me. There is something off about it visually. Next is a Phoebe putting Rachel in a cab gag that’s amusing. Ross explains to Phoebe that he doesn’t want three divorces. I like that they came up with the three divorce thing for Ross. It’s almost always amusing. Ross in distress is funny to me.
Rachel finally comes back in the cab and Phoebe plays dumb and sends her off again. Good stuff. I like this goofy gag. Here comes the theme song.
The next scene is Chandler and Monica on the couch. Last episode they decided to move in together. They are concerned with telling their respective roommates that they are going to be shacking up. Chandler is moving out on Joey and Rachel has to move out from Monica’s. Big changes!
Joey shows up and they tell him. Joey is stunned and almost runs out. He doesn’t want Chandler to go. Some funny and touching stuff.
Back to the coffee shop as Monica is looking for Rachel but tells Phoebe and Ross instead. Hugs all around. Lots of annulment jokes from Phoebe but then she spends a scene trying to reassure him.
Monica is at the apartment waiting for Rachel. She finally shows up after having a bad day at work. A funny bad day at work. Monica tells her but Rachel doesn’t get that she’s supposed to move out. That becomes the joke. Then a Three’s Company joke!
We’re back at Central Perk and Ross is explaining his three marriages to a couple of random women that Phoebe called over. Even one of the women can figure out that he’s still in love with Rachel. This is a funny scene top to bottom.
Back to the apartment as Monica and Chandler try to figure out how to tell Rachel that she’s moving out. Chandler leaves so Monica can straighten things out. We get out third “Monica is pregnant” joke of the episode. Everyone keeps guessing that instead of moving in together.
Rachel takes the news really well and then Monica is upset about that. Meanwhile Joey and Chandler are splitting things up back at their apartment. Joey is remembering the good times and feeling nostalgic as Monica walks in. She is upset that Rachel didn’t cry. All Joey’s friendship combo nicknames for he and Chandler are amusing.
Now we get a scene with Ross and his lawyer about getting an annulment. His lawyer is Ron Glass from “Barney Miller.” A veteran comedic actor. It’s always good to see him show up in something.
He can’t believe Ross got married again. Ross wants to get this done without Rachel knowing since he told her it was already taken care of. Of course he can’t. Overall this is a funny scene. Panicked three divorce Ross is always funny.
Here we go with Rachel and Monica back a their apartment as Monica tries to make things so sad that Rachel will cry. Rachel is calm and cool. Monica is flipping out in a very funny way. She’s giving us the crazy eyes. Monica finally breaks and tells Rachel that she wants Rachel to be upset. Rachel explains that she doesn’t quite believe it. Monica explains that it is going to happen and the tears finally flow.
We get a scene with Phoebe and Ross in the hall. Phoebe explains to Ross that she thinks he’s totally in love with Rachel. Ross tries to dissuade her but he can’t. Ross walks in on Rachel crying and he clearly cares about her a lot. The credits roll with Ross giving Rachel a hug and we see his face as he realizes that he does love her. Hence the title of this episode.
Now we get an end scene with Joey talking to Phoebe at Central Perk. Since everyone else got married or almost got married he’s wondering if he and Phoebe should hook up. Phoebe has a funny long winded Phoebe answer.
Now it’s time to check the website to see what was cut out of this episode for syndication and HD. One of Monica’s funny lines said to Chandler was cut out. A whole beginning park of a Central Perk scene with Phoebe making fun of Ross. That was a good scene. Another small part of that conversation. A single line from Phoebe in the “Ross and the three girls on the couch” scene. It wasn’t a very good line anyway. Wow, they cut out nearly the whole scene with Chandler and Joey dividing things up. They cut out the first half of that scene, left in a couple of lines, and then cut out the second half of the scene too. I liked that scene.
That’s it. That’s what they cut out. Now I’m going to check what rating I gave this episode years ago when I rated them all in iTunes. Right now I’d give it a four out of five stars. I enjoyed this one a lot. Wow, I gave it two stars back in 2013. That’s a big swing. It went from below average to above average for me. Mood might really have a lot to do with rating things now mightn’t it?