TOW: the Morning After

For a recap of TOW: Ross and Rachel take a break click here.

Ross and Rachel: Rachel tells Monica that she and Ross broke up, but that she wants to get back together with Ross. Ross wakes up, thinking he's alone. He rolls over to go back to sleep, but Chloe comes out of the bathroom. Ross is hung over and listening to his messages. Rachel called to tell Ross that she doesn't want to break up; she wants to get back together, but not over an answering machine. She tells Ross she'll come by his apartment around 8:30 am. It's almost time for her to show up, but Chloe is still there. Ross hurries Chloe along, but she's lost a shoe. He searches frantically for it, explaining that Rachel is coming by. He finds the shoe, hands it to Chloe, attempts to shoo her outside, but when he opens the door Rachel is there. Ross hides Chloe behind the door and makes up with Rachel. Ross goes to Chandler and Joey's and tells them about sleeping with Chloe. Ross plans to tell Rachel, but Joey and Chandler convince him that's a bad idea. Joey then brings up the "trail" of people from Chloe to Rachel, who may tell Rachel about Ross sleeping with Chloe. Chandler thinks he figures out the trail and Ross goes to take care of it. Ross talks to Chloe, Issac (the dude from the copy place), and Jasmine (Issac's sister who works with Phoebe). But Jasmine told her roommate about Ross and Chloe. Her roommate is Gunther. Ross hurries to Central Perk to ask Gunther not to tell, but he already has. Rachel is sitting in the window seat very upset. Ross follows her back up to the apartment, apologizing. Rachel doesn't want to hear it. They get in a huge fight. Ross says he wants to talk and Rachel asks him about his night with Chloe. He says all the wrong things. Rachel starts hitting him with a newspaper. She learns Chloe was still in his apartment when she came by in the morning. She hits him some more. Ross brings up that they were on a break, and for all he knew it was a break up. Ross then lets slip that he tried to keep Rachel form finding out. Ross says he thought she was with Mark, and they discuss that for quite awhile. Ross finally says that it'd bother him if she'd slept with Mark, but that he'd still want to be with her. Rachel orders a pizza. Ross asks for no anchovies; Rachel asks for extra anchovies. Ross says she bailed when things got tough, but admits he was wrong for sleeping with Chloe. He starts kissing Rachel and she almost responds, but then pushes him away. Rachel tells him to leave. Ross begs her not to end their relationship. Rachel says she sees him differently now that he slept with someone else. She thinks it's changed everything about them. She falls asleep on the couch after Ross leaves.

Chandler, Joey, Monica, and Phoebe: Chandler and Joey convince Ross not to tell Rachel about Chloe. They also tell Ross about the trail and try to help him get rid of said trail. Monica is under the impression that Ross and Rachel are getting back together. She and Phoebe decide to try a new leg waxing thing Monica bought from an infomercial. The wax isn't supposed to hurt. They go into Monica's room and wax up. They discover that the painless wax does, indeed, hurt. They pull each others wax strips off and scream. Chandler and Joey run in with weapons, thinking Monica and Phoebe are being attacked. Joey laughs at them for saying the wax hurts. Phoebe puts some wax and a strip on Joey's arm and yanks. It hurts. During this, Ross and Rachel come in and are fighting. Someone shuts Monica's bedroom door, so Ross and Rachel have no idea they're in the apartment. Joey and Chandler get in trouble for not telling about Ross sleeping with Chloe. When Ross tells about sex with Chloe, Joey and Chandler commentate on all the wrong things he says. All of them wonder if they should help Ross when Rachel starts hitting him with a newspaper. Joey wants to leave because he's hungry. Chandler seconds Joey's suggestion, but Monica doesn't think it'd be a good idea. Ross lets slip that he tried to get to people before they told Rachel. Rachel freaks out, and Ross says he didn't tell her because of Chandler and Joey's advice. Chandler decides they shouldn't leave the room. Joey is starving and wants pizza when Ross and Rachel order it. Phoebe suggests they eat the organic leg wax. Phoebe has to call and cancel a massage appointment because she's stuck in the room. They all eat the leg wax. They discuss Ross and Rachel's chances of survival, but Monica wonders what'll happen if they break up. Joey starts talking about needing a new walk. They listen to Ross and Rachel fight more. Monica is a little miffed that it's 3am and Ross and Rachel aren't concerned about where she is. When Ross and Rachel break up, Monica and Phoebe are crying; Joey and Chandler are close to tears. They finally leave the room when they haven't heard anything from Ross or Rachel for awhile. Rachel is asleep on the couch. They all sneak out, but Monica covers her up with an afghan.

• I missed seeing this shirt while watching TOW: Ross and Rachel take a Break. It's pretty bad though.
  

The color and design kinda reminds me of snake skin.

• Let's get the 'were they on a break' thing out of the way. Yes, you were on a break, Ross. But you still shouldn't have slept with someone else. To me, Ross uses the break as an excuse to keep from admitting that he was wrong to sleep with Chloe. BUT, in Ross's defense, there was never a discussion of what the break entailed. So, it's true that for all he knew, they could've been breaking up. He still shouldn't have hopped in the sack with Chloe, though. If my significant other ever did this to me, I'd react much the same as Rachel.

• I find Issac to be a pretty disgusting character. "Monogamy is too cruel a rule" my ass.
  

Pigeons could nest in that hair.

• Chandler decides the trail is Chloe to Issac and Issac to his sister, Jasmine, who works with Phoebe.
  
  

Jasmine is the co-worker Frank Jr. groped, thinking she was a hooker.

• To add some levity to the seriousness of Ross and Rachel's relationship falling apart, we have this:

Joey and Chandler think Phoebe and Monica are being attacked. I think it's a pretty creative way to get them all stuck in the room together for Ross and Rachel's fight.

• I've never felt the need to wax and I think it's because this episode. It looks so painful! Even Joey whimpers.

• Monica, Phoebe, Joey, and Chandler are stuck in Monica's bedroom for hours.
  

They decide to eat the organic leg wax. Yummy?

• The end for Ross and Rachel.

I cry every single time. It's absolutely heartbreaking.

• I love this episode. It's one of my most favorites, even though it's incredibly sad. The heavy emotional stuff is punctuated nicely with the humor from the people stuck in the bedroom. I don't think I'd be able to watch this episode if it wasn't for the eating of the leg wax and Joey's new walk.
  

Oh. My. God.
"That's okay, this is more important than fruit on my ceiling!" -Monica, to Rachel, after exploding her smoothie when Rachel tells her she and Ross broke up.

"Yes. Yes I am, one of the many things I'm feeling." -Ross, to Chloe, talking about how happy he is and trying to get her out of the apartment.

"Hey, why are you mopping the ceiling?"
"Oh, there's banana on it." -Phoebe and Monica, because of Monica's cleaning habits.

"Hello! Organic substances recently discovered in the depths of the rain forest!" -Monica, to Phoebe, about the wonders of Waxine.

"Alright, look, if you absolutely have to tell her, at least wait until the timing's right. And that's what deathbeds are for." -Chandler, to Ross, about when to tell Rachel about Chloe.

"That's because their nerves are probably deadened from being so stupid!" -Monica, to Phoebe, about the ladies in the Waxine commercial.

"Oh, hey, man I know, doesn't matter how much we love 'em monogamy is too cruel a rule." -Issac, to Ross, about why he won't tell Rachel.

"We were just waxing our legs."
"Off?!?!" -Monica and Chandler, when the guys burst in after hearing the girls scream.

"A mistake?! What were you trying to put it in?! Her purse?!"
"Wh-where did he put it?" -Rachel, to Ross, and Phoebe, to the others trapped in the bedroom.

"He has sex and we get hit on our heads." -Chandler, to Joey, when Monica smacks them for not telling about Ross and Chloe.

"Nobody likes change." -Ross, to Rachel, after she asks if sex with Chloe was good.

"Well, you sure had a hell of a time at the wake!" -Rachel, to Ross, when he explains he thought they were breaking up.

"Oh great, food with hair on it."
"No, not the used wax."
"Because that would be crazy?" -Chandler and Phoebe, about eating the organic leg wax.

"Well, I should think so. You slept with someone." -Rachel, after Ross tells her she can have the last piece of pizza.

"Are you actually saying these words?" -Chandler, to Joey, when Joey talks about getting a new walk.

"Yeah, but this can't be it, I mean..."
"Then how come it is?" -Ross and Rachel, ending their relationship.

"Maybe she killed him?" -Joey, after Rachel and Ross've been quiet for awhile.

"Is that your new walk?" -Chandler, to Joey, who's tiptoeing out of the apartment.