It starts out with Chandler and Joey in Central Perk, contemplating everything that's changing in their friend's lives, like Phoebe having babies and Ross getting married. They decide they're wasting their lives sitting around. Joey wants to climb Mt. Everest, and convinces Chandler it's a good idea to look into. Phoebe comes in, telling them that she looked into climbing Everest, but it's expensive and they could die. So much for mountain climbing.
Emily puts Ben down for a nap, while she and Ross work on their wedding invitations. Emily is really good with Ben, getting him to go down for his nap in a short amount of time. Ross has Emily look over the invitations he addresses, to make sure they look okay. Emily sees that Ross is inviting Rachel; Emily doesn't care about Rachel being there, she's only worried it'll be weird for Ross. Ross begins to reminisce on his relationship with Rachel. We flashback to:
- TOW: Monica gets a New Roommate-Rachel runs into Central Perk in her wedding gown.
- Same episode: Ross and Rachel eat Oreo's, and Ross asks permission to ask Rachel out sometime.
- TOW: the Blackout-Ross works up the nerve to finally talk to Rachel about her feelings, but is interrupted by Paolo's cat.
- TOW: the East German Laundry Detergent-Rachel fights with the mean lady, kissing Ross after her triumph, and Ross runs into the dryer door.
- TOW: Ross and Rachel go on a Break- As the title says, Rachel suggests they go on a break.
- TOW: The Morning After- Rachel comes over to Ross's to make up, while Chloe is still over.
- Same ep: Rachel finds out about Chloe, and she and Ross fight.
- TOW : The Jellyfish- Ross and Rachel sleep together after she writes him the letter. Ross gets mad about being on a break all over again.
Ross goes to mail out the invitations, but hesitates when he comes to Rachel's. There's another flashback to TOW: the Fake Party, and Ross and Rachel's conversation where she apologizes for ruining his evening with Emily. After remembering that, Ross decides to mail Rachel's invitation.
Monica, Phoebe, and Joey all open their invitations. They're all really excited about the wedding. Chandler comes in, but didn't get an invitation. Phoebe's disappointed because she's not allowed to fly, and can't go to the wedding. Rachel comes home from work, and everyone hides their invitations. Rachel goes through her mail, and of course comes across her invitation. Everyone's concerned over how she'll take it, but Rachel assures them that she's trying to be okay. Rachel isn't sure if she's going to go, but Monica tells her it'd be weird if she weren't there. Chandler's worried that if Rachel doesn't go, then they all won't be able to. Monica just wants Rachel to seriously think about it before making any decisions. Rachel starts her own set of reminiscence.
- TOW: Rachel Finds Out-Rachel opens Ross's gift, and Chandler lets it slip that Ross is in love with her.
- Same ep, beginning of TOW: Ross's New Girlfriend-Rachel goes to the airport to pick up Ross, only to see him with Julie.
- Same ep- Ross first introduces his friends to Julie, after Rachel picks them up at the airport.
- Same ep-Ross and Julie are on the phone, and neither will hang up, so Rachel hangs up for Ross.
- TOW: Ross Finds Out-Rachel's drunken 'closure' phone call to Ross.
- Same ep: Ross getting the message, and Rachel confessing her feelings.
- TOW: The List -Rachel learning that Ross broke up with Julie.
- TOW: Ross and Rachel...You know-at the museum where they... y'know.
- TOW: the Morning After-Rachel at Central Perk after she finds out about Ross and Chloe.
- TO:At the Beach- Rachel and Ross contemplating getting back together at the beach house.
- TOW: the Jellyfish- Rachel ending things with Ross after the beach house and the letter writing.
Chandler, Joey, and Phoebe talk about touristy stuff they can do in London. Well, Phoebe mostly listens.
- Not a big fan of the flashback, here's what you may have missed, episodes. They're kind of useless.
- Despite their uselessness, it is set up really nicely. I like that Ross debates whether or not to invite her, and thinks back through their relationship. The same goes for Rachel. I kinda feel like this is what would happen in a real-life scenario.
- There are some truly great Chandler and Joey moments this episode. "It would be nice to leave an ass print on Everest!" Was every dude that obsessed with Die Hard in the nineties? I mean, it's a great movie (ALAN RICKMAN!!!!) but, y' know.
- Chandler's whole, "well if she doesn't go, does that mean we can't?" thing, really bothered me. Like, everyone is Ross's friend, too, they can't exactly miss the wedding without starting some major drama. And Rachel never indicates that that's the case, or that she would ask them to do that for her.
- The moments that are flashbacked to are really excellent moments in the series, but it doesn't make for a particularly great episode, especially in the age of TV on DVD. They're also not particularly good for blogging. I have nothing new to talk about. Sad face.
- Man, Phoebe's right, Chandler totally wouldn't make it on Everest.
Oh. My. God.
"Phoebe is... making people." -Chandler, to Joey, about all that's going on in their friend's lives.
"And we just sit here. I mean, if I die, the only way people would even know I was here would be by the ass print on this chair!" -Chandler, to Joey, about how they're wasting their lives.
"We could climb Mt. Everest!"
"No-no, not something stupid, something huge." -Joey and Chandler, trying to decide how to stop wasting their lives.
"We're going to Everest! Okay, it would be nice to leave an ass print on Everest!" -Chandler, deciding that it'd be fun to climb Everest.
"Hey, pretty smart! Tissue paper! You're at the wedding, you have to cry, 'Handkerchief?' 'No-No, I got my invitation.' " -Joey, opening his invitation.
"I knew that!! I soooo didn't know that, but you should see your faces!" -Joey, making everyone think he knew that women can't fly in their third trimester.
"See, maybe that's the one we should've actually hidden." -Chandler, after they've hidden their invitations from Rachel, but she gets one of her own.
"Check this out. It says here that there's a place you can go to to rent videos of all the museums! 'It's almost as good as being there.'"
"It's better! You can't go to a museum in your underwear!"
"Well, you could, but... probably just the one time." -Chandler and Joey, reading up on stuff the can do in London.
"If we do that, we gotta get Die Hard."
"Oh-ho! I be the British version is goooood." -Chandler and Joey, about watching Die Hard in England.
heh, im not so much a fan of the flashback episodes (they always felt like a cop out to me) so this one wasnt super great. but you did make some good points about it:
ReplyDelete-it does feel like each flashback would legitimately be a rememberance for them both
-i dont recall Die Hard being a big deal back then, but maybe i'm wrong. my husband hates it, but that doesn't mean the rest of the world did too (he's kind of an elitist & i ADORE alan rickman)... plus, i love that joey thinks the british version would be any different :)
i guess on the whole, this episode is pretty forgettable, but i thought you did a nice recap of it!
Thank you! It was definitely a difficult post. I couldn't decide how to deal with the flashbacks, and I knew there weren't going to be any pictures.
ReplyDeleteI agree with them being a cop out. I've always felt that way while watching them. It's like the writers got together and said, "Hum, well we want Rachel to get the invitation, but we don't really know how to make a whole episode out of that..." I'm pretty sure there's a flashback episode every season from now on.