Radiant Comics

It’s time for another “Friends” walkthrough. Let’s see which one in next in my queue. It’s Season Three Episode Ten “The One Where Rachel Quits.” By the name I know it’s the one where Rachel finally quits her job as a waitress at Central Perk and begins her career as in the fashion world. I’m not even sure what to call her fashion carrier. I wanted to call her a fashion executive but I don’t think she was ever that. At least not until near the end of the series. She may have been a fashion buyer in the middle too but at first she’s just a fashion office grunt worker.

The show premiered on December 12, 1996. Let me consult my calendar and see what I was doing on that Thursday besides watching this episode as it first ran. Looks like I was working from home that day but with no notation of what I got done. I even went to the art store at the Nanuet Mall. I wonder what I bought? There is a strange line in my calendar that says “Distributed Art Pub NY $73.” I’m not sure what that means. It may have been some sort of art magazine I bought a subscription to.

Now onto the show. It starts with a Chandler Snoopy joke and then some solid “Rachel is a bad waitress jokes.” She really is and it sets up our first plot line. Now here comes the theme song. Our first scene is in the apartment building stairwell/hallway (a place we rarely get to see) with our second plot line being set up. Ross accidentally injures a Brownbird (a Girl Scout substitute) and now he will have to sell her cookies. As I remember it I wasn’t too fond of this storyline. It was a bit clichéd and predictable. We’ll see how it holds up.

Next scene is in the coffee house as they continue talking about Ross and his injuring the little girl. A quick line about Joey having a holiday job selling Christmas trees sets up our third plot line. Joey selling trees and Phoebe feeling sad for the trees. A lot of Phoebe being a weird jokes will be happening.

Some more Rachel is a bad waitress jokes follow. I think this was my favorite of the three plot lines. I think Gunther did a good job with this episode. It may have been his most screen time so far in the series.

Ross visits the little girl with the broken leg and tells him she was trying to win a trip to space camp. He finds out she loves science just like him and her father is a gambler maybe not boding well for her future. The little girl does a good job with her part.I just looked her up and she’s Mae Whitman. She was born in June of 1988 so she’s 32 years old now.

The next scene is Ross going door to door in his apartment selling the cookies. The lady behind her closed door isn’t believing his story. It’s an okay scene. Not my favorite plot line.

Now we get Phoebe visiting Joey at the Christmas tree stand. This scene has alway looked the most fake to me out of any scene on the show. I think I’ve even seen this same Christmas tree set on other shows. Despite Joey’s hat and coat is doesn’t look cold out at all and they look like they’re on a set the whole time. The wood chipper gag is funny though. Goofy funny.

Now Ross is at the coffee shop trying to sell the cookies to the gang. Some Monica was fat jokes and then Ross takes advantage of her weakness for cookies which sends her fleeing. That’s all a lead-in to Rachel’s plot. I like Gunter’s ‘Coffee mugs and spiders” joke. Rachel goes on about hating her job and the gang encourages her to pursue her fashion career. Joey tells here she needs the fear. Chandler helps out too and it’s good stuff. Rachel goes off and then quits. Good for her.

Now we’re back in Monica and Rachel’s apartment and the cookie plot line. Ross has to cut Monica off from the cookies. It’s middle of the road stuff. Except for the Pink Floyd joke. “Cookie Dude” is good stuff. Rachel walks in all wound up and working on her resume. She let’s Chandler have it for convincing her to quit her job. It’s a good scene.

Meanwhile at the tree stand Phoebe is trying to sell the trees that are sad so they don’t get thrown in the chipper. Not much happens and then we’re at a Brownbird meeting with Ross. The other girls don’t like him (no duh!). Ross doesn’t sell the most cookies and the little girls doesn’t get to go to space camp. He tries to fudge it but isn’t able to. Mediocre stuff.

Rachel thinks she blew the interview at Fortunata Fashions and is upset. And as a culmination of the Christmas trees plot line they all walk into Monica and Rachel’s apartment and all the unsold trees are there fulfilling their Christmas destinies. A fun little climax. Then the phone rings. Rachel got the job. She serves her last cup of coffee at Central Perk in a new scene. And she makes a scene at the coffee shop making Gunther cry. Of course then we get a quick scene at her new job where she has to make coffee.

Our end credit scene is the boys making their own space camp for the little girl. It’s cute and quick.

Now to stop in with http://uncutfriendsepisodes.tripod.com/season3/310uncut.htm and see what was cut from the episode for syndication and streaming. Seems like just one line was cut. Chandler saying “I’m going to call you that” after Ross tells him about being called “Cookie Dude.” That seems odd. Usually there is nothing cut or a few minutes cut. Not just one line.

Now I’m going to check what rating I gave it a few years ago when I rated all the shows on iTunes. I’m guessing I gave it a three out of five stars. Turns out that’s exactly what I gave it. It was a solid middle of the road episode. The Rachel quitting was the best of the plot lines and the other two weren’t bad but neither were they great. They each had some good jokes and some mediocre jokes. Still it was a fun trip back to December of 1996.