I haven’t watched an episode of “Friends” in about six weeks. Not since the last time I wrote a walkthrough so now I’m writing about back-to-back episodes. I think this may be the first time that has happened. Anyway this is episode three of season six. It’s titled “The One with Ross’s Denial.”
I’m going to check my calendar to see what I was doing the week of October 7, 1999 when this first aired. It looks like I was home sick that week. But that’s weird. I was at Marvel on Monday and Thursday but home sick on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. Then on that Saturday I was at a friend’s wedding. I don’t remember being sick at that wedding. I wonder what was going on with me? I’ve never been sick very often and if I am I’m usually out for a few days and then better. I must have relapsed.
Let’s start the show. The gang is at what is now Monica and Chandlers’ apartment. It’s no longer “The boys’ place” and “The girls’ place” in the show. A solid Joey holding his breath joke starts us off. Rachel hasn’t quite moved out. Phoebe mentions for the first time ever that she has a roommate named Denise. No one else has ever heard of her. It becomes the episode’s running joke. Naked Thursdays! Hah! Here comes the theme song.
Now we’re at the coffee place. Ross still hasn’t told Rachel that they’re still married. Phoebe tells Ross that he’s still in love with Rachel. Hence the episode’s title. Ross is in denial in a couple of ways about Rachael. A big tell was that Ross smelled Rachel’s hair when he hugged her. There is your proof! Phoebe and Ross are both good in this scene.
Back to Chandler and Monica’s place and Joey walks in and out with a quick joke. Monica has big ideas about what to do with their new spare room after Rachel moves out. Chandler has other ideas. There is our “Humor through conflict” plot for the episode. Fancy guest room versus game room. Not the funniest of plot lines.
Chandler walks across the hall to visit Joey. Joey is advertising for a new roommate. Of course he wants a hot female roommate. Scene ends. That was quick.
We’re off to the coffee shop with Phoebe and Rachel. I bet Phoebe is going to tell Rachel that she’s still married to Ross. Nope, I’m remembering wrong. This scene is about Rachel trying to find a place to live. Ross comes in with a solution. A friend has a sublet. Rachel leaves and now we get Phoebe talking to Ross again. She sees his love for Rachel but Ross denies it. He does not re-love her! Then the sublet is gone so Ross invites Rachel to live with him. Rachel says yes but Phoebe is flabbergasted. Jokes ensue. A solid scene.
Here comes Chandler and Monica to make up after their spare room fight. I think they should make it a dinosaur room for Ross! They make up and try to compromise but then they put off the conflict. Of course that leads to a new problem. Chandler wants to bring his lounge chair over to the living room. Monica hates that thing.Chandler storms off again.
Now Joey is interviewing an attractive young woman. Could she be his new roommate? No, because she says she’s not really a party girl. On to the next potential roommate! Chandler declares to Joey that he can call off the roommate search because Chandler is not moving out. Joey begs to differ.
Now Rachel is at Ross’s and she’s moving in. Disaster beckons. Rachel informs Ross about the big fight and how Chandler is not moving out. Ross will fix this! He gathers Chandler and Monica together and referees their childish bickering. Ross being the voice of reason as he is clearly freaking out over Rachel is funny.
Now it’s time for a quick “Gunther loves Rachel scene” in the coffee ship. I always enjoy these scenes. Rachel is oblivious to his affections. Ross tells Rachel the good news that the moving in together is back on. For all of them. Some funny Ross and Rachel stuff ensues. I like crazy on the edge Ross. He’s the most amusing Ross. “Mental” Gellar rules!
Next Phoebe is singing at the coffee shop. A song about finding a stray public hair. Inappropriate Phoebe songs are always welcome. Ross and Rachel are on the coffee couch. Will we have a revelation? Nope. Rachel runs out to make a copy of Ross’s apartment key. Now Joey is giving Ross advice. Don’t let her move in id Joey’s advice. It will lead to no good! Then Joey invites Rachel to move in with him. It is right across the hall. She declines. Still no Rachel and Ross resolution!Now the credits and the post credit joke.
The woman who applied to live in Joey’s apartment is back. Joey has a test for her. A little bit of word association. She almost gets it but the answer to “Doggy” is not “Kitten.” Joey shows her and the rest of us out the door.
Now it’s time to see what was cut out of the show for syndication, HD, and streaming (from “The One With the Uncut Friends Scripts” website). They cut out a quick bit during Ross and Phoebe’s first scene. No big loss. They cut another Phoebe joke as she and Rachel read Joey’s ad. That was a better one. A joke at the expense of the sublet guy is cut. One of Phoebe’s “Denise” lines was cut. Freaking out Phoebe is funny! And that was it. Not too much was cut from this one.
Now I’m going to look up what I rated this one a decade ago when I rated each and every episode. Right now I’d give it a three out of five stars. I’s say it was an average episode. Not great nor a clunker. Sure enough I gave it three stars back in 2013 too. Sometimes I feel differently all these years later but most of the time I don’t. The highlight of this episode was Ross and Phoebe and their interactions. The Monica and Chandler fight was not very interesting and only served to move the Ross plot along. Rachel wasn’t given much to do this episode either. But it was still solid. I’ll take that over a clunker.