TOW: Old Yeller Dies

Phoebe: walks into Monica and Rachel's just as they finish watching Old Yeller. Phoebe doesn't understand why everyone, Richard and Ross included, are sad because Old Yeller is a happy movie. Phoebe has no clue about the dog getting rabies and is horrified when the boy kills the dog. Phoebe's mom used to turn sad movies off before the sad parts. Phoebe talks to her grandma and learns of the other movies her mom would turn off before they got sad. Phoebe rents and watches all those sad movies. She's angry and bitter about what a horrible place the world is and to make her feel better Monica loans her It's a Wonderful Life. Phoebe hates it because of all the bad things that happen in the beginning and won't finish it. She's mad at Monica for suggesting she watch it. Phoebe watches Sesame Street with Ben and is worried that the content might upset him. She screens ahead to make sure it'll be okay.

Rachel and Ross: Carol and Susan come by Ross's to pick up Ben. Ross tells them that Ben stood up by himself for the first time, but they'd already seen Ben stand. Ross feels like he misses lots of stuff with Ben and wants to start keeping him for the weekend. Carol and Susan agree and go on a trip to Colonial Williamsburg. Ross brings Ben to see Rachel at Central Perk and Rachel's really awkward with Ben. She's never been around children and doesn't know how to act with him. Ross tries to help her get comfortable and mentions that he's thought about their kids. He tells Rachel all his plans for their future and Rachel freaks out. They go back to the apartment and argue. Rachel says she doesn't like having everything planned for her because her life has always been like that. Ross says he can't help planning for their future because he knows they're going to be together. They yell that they love each other. At Ross's apartment, he shows Rachel how to put a diaper on Ben. She's able to do it and is proud. Carol and Susan buzz up and Ross goes to gather up Ben's stuff. While he's gone Ben says 'hi.' Rachel tells everyone about Ben's first word and Ross is sad he missed it. As Carol and Susan leave Ben says 'Bye.' Ross is joyous.

Chandler and Joey: have an extra ticket to a Knicks game and can't decide who to invite. Monica suggests that they ask Richard, a big Knicks fan. Chandler and Joey are wary at first because Richard is so much older, but Monica convinces them when she suggests they could go in Richard's Jaguar. Chandler and Joey have a great time with Richard. Joey starts carrying a cigar and Chandler grows a mustache. Richard, Chandler, and Joey start spending a lot of time together, going to a Ranger game and watching basketball. Richard likes feeling as though he's one of the guys, but it's ruined when Joey lets slip that he and Chandler think of Richard as a father figure.

Monica: makes everyone watch Old Yeller. She gives Phoebe It's a Wonderful Life to make her feel better after watching all the sad movies, but it doesn't work. She arranges for Richard to spend time with Chandler and Joey, but when he enjoys spending time with them she gets jealous. She tries to tell Phoebe and Rachel her problems, but they're both having issues and don't listen. Monica goes to Chandler and Joey's to get Richard for dinner. Richard starts to sense that something is wrong and Chandler apologizes for hogging Richard, they just really like hanging out with him. This is when Joey chimes in that they see Richard as a father. Richard's disappointed because he thought he was just one of the guys and Monica comforts him.

• I have never seen Old Yeller. I will never see Old Yeller. I can't say that I understand the draw of that movie. I love that Phoebe thinks it has a happy ending, though. It's sorta like thinking that Rose and Jack dock safely in New York in Titanic.
  

• Trying to be more like Richard:

Joey really can't pull that off.

Not in this particular picture, but throughout the episode Chandler sorta looks like Sean Penn.

• Rachel has no idea what to do with a baby.
  

That's probably exactly what I'd do.

• Some other movies that Phoebe watches: Love Story, Brian's Song, Terms of Endearment, Rocky, E.T., The Pride of the Yankees, and Charlotte's Web. Yeah, I always thought it was a bum rap that Charlotte had her babies then keeled over. Boo, E.B. White.
  

• Aw, I feel bad for Richard. He just wanted to have guy time and Chandler and Joey had to make it all weird. In their defense, neither of them really have great dad's and Richard's such a good guy. Plus, I love, love, love that Richard starts doing the Chandler inflection thing. It's amazing.
  

• Something I just realized is that Ross has calmed down with the Susan hating. Maybe it's because he's with Rachel and happy or he's finally moved on from his divorce, but Ross and Susan are much nicer to each other.

• Ross and Rachel say "I love you," during their fight. It's nicely done with them yelling it at each other.
  

• This episode's kinda blah. The Old Yeller stuff is kinda funny and so are Chandler and Joey, but coming off the Eddie arc, it's not very good.
  

• This is something of a milestone for me. I have the boxed set of Friends DVDs. Inside there are six cases, each with a cast member on it, and each of these cases holds six or seven DVDs. I JUST FINISHED MY FIRST CASE!!! All 43 episodes in the Monica Case have been watched and reviewed! Yay for me!!
  

Oh. My. God.

"Alright, I've got a leg, three breasts, and a wing."
"Well, how do you find clothes that fit?" -Monica and Chandler, when the guys come over for leftovers.

" Uh, it's just that we don't know him really well, y'know, and plus he's, y'know, old--er than some people, but, uh, younger than some buildings." -Chandler, on why he doesn't want to take Richard to the Knicks game.

"Ok, Love Story, Brian's Song, and Terms of Endearment."
"Wow, all you need now is The Killing Fields and some guacamole and you've got yourself a par-tay." -Phoebe and Monica, on the movies Phoebe rented.

"She told me that my mom used to not show us the ends of sad movies to shield us from the pain and sadness. Y'know, before she killed herself." -Phoebe, about how her mom used to turn off sad movies.

"Where is he, where's Richard? Did you ditch him?"
"Yeah, right after we stole his lunch money and gave him a wedgie." -Monica and Joey, after the guys go to the game with Richard.

"Well for starters, you may want to light it and lose the spatula." -Ross, teasing Joey who's trying to be like Richard.

"Look, it's the artist formerly known as Chandler!" -Ross, seeing Chandler with his mustache.

"I got the cigar, he got the mustache. Figured if we both grew it, we'd look like dorks."
"Yeah, you really sidestepped that land mine." -Joey and Ross, about Joey and Chandler trying to be more like Richard.

"With that mustache doesn't Chandler remind you of Aunt Sylvia?" -Monica, teasing Chandler.

"Yeah, well, he's a baby not a bomb." -Ross, seeing how Rachel's holding Ben.

"Hey Pheebs, what's happening?"
"Oh, ok, murder, cancer, soccer teams eating each other in the Andes." -Richard and Phoebe, after Phoebe watches all the sad movies.

"She has babies and dies. It's like, y'know, 'hey welcome home form the hospital!' Thud." -Phoebe, talking about Charlotte's Web.

"Uh, they guy was Lou Gehrig. Didn't you kinda see it coming?" -Richard, when Phoebe's surprised that Pride of the Yankees is sad.

"I just got my pick-up sticks back from the shop. Bring your nerves of steel." -Chandler, getting ready to hang out with Richard.

"Y'know, I mean, you're at work, you're assembling bones, your mind wanders." -Ross, on why he's planned so much of his future with Rachel.

"Could that shot be any prettier?" Richard, playing Foosball and talking like Chandler.

"Oh really, I didn't know they had Foosball in the 1800's."
"Nice mustache by the way. When puberty hits that thing's really gonna kick in." -Chandler and Richard, teasing each other.

"What, the word hi?"
"No, my Uncle Hi." -Ross and Rachel, when Ben says 'hi.'

TOW: Ross and Rachel...You Know

Ross and Rachel: have their first official date. They go to a movie and come back to Monica and Rachel's. They start making out, but Rachel's too giddy to take it seriously and she keeps giggling. All her laughing ruins the mood. The next day, Rachel tells Ross she wants to have a romantic dinner to make up for her giggling. They're ready to go on their date, but Ross gets a page from the museum; one of the displays is messed up. He has to go in and Rachel goes with him, hoping it'll be a quick thing and then they'll have their date. The museum issue takes longer than Ross expected and by the time he's done all the restaurants are closed. Rachel suggests they reschedule, but Ross makes impromptu plans. They get juice boxes and sandwiches and go into the museum's planetarium. They start making out and this time Rachel doesn't laugh. They...you know...The next morning they wake up wrapped in furs in one of the museum displays. A church youth group is watching them.

Chandler and Joey: Joey buys new recliners and a tv for he and Chandler because his option was picked up by Days of Our Lives. They spend the entire episode sitting in their chairs, watching bad tv. Rachel tries to get them out of their chairs by saying she'll flash them, but it doesn't work. Phoebe tries, too. In order not to get up, the call for take out and have it delivered to Monica and Rachel's. They're watching Beavis and Butthead when the fire alarm goes off; they don't get up.

Monica: gets a catering job through her parents influence. Rachel's supposed to waitress for her, but Phoebe agrees to take over so Rachel can go on her date with Ross. Monica's working for Dr. Richard Burke (Tom Selleck) an ophthalmologist friend of her parents. Monica and Richard flirt; he spends more time in the kitchen than at his party. Monica schedules an eye appointment with him for the next day. At the appointment, there's a lot of tension between them. Richard tries to diffuse it, but they end up kissing. They go on a date, which Monica tells Ross about and he's not too pleased, since Richard is so much older. The date goes really well, until Richard shows Monica pictures of his grown kids and grand kids. They talk about their relationship and the twenty-one year age difference between them. They decide not to see each other anymore, but then kiss. Monica suggests they shouldn't make any decisions yet.

Phoebe: waitresses for Monica and notices the sparks between her and Dr. Burke. She suggests Monica and Richard date. She tries to get Chandler and Joey to go outside, but then Xanadu comes on and she's hooked, too.

• Good episode, but I've seen it too often. There's not much excitement left.

• I don't know what it means for an actor to get his option picked up, but I'm guessin' it's a good thing.

• I freaking LOVE Richard. I'm not a huge Tom Selleck fan, or anything, but my god, Richard's great.
  

It takes a real man to brandish a sauce covered brush with such authority.

• Chandler and Joey watch so much tv that they become enthralled by an infomercial for car wax.
  

You know you've hit rock bottom when you've got a Cheeto on your face.

• Xanadu and Phoebe. It's like a match made in heaven.
  

• I'm not too freaked out by age differences. I'm sorta the kind of person who thinks as long as you love your partner and they treat you well, it doesn't matter how old they are. Plus, Richard's pretty sexy. Just sayin'. Oh, and I thought Richard's wife died, not that they'd gotten a divorce. Hm.
  

• Ross and Rachel finally have sex. The planetarium thing is pretty awesome.
  

I probably saw this episode for the first time when I was ten or eleven. I barely had an idea what sex was, let alone premature ejaculation. I was soo confused about why Rachel was upset about the juice box. I was like, 'yeah, it sucks you got juice on your clothes.'

• Awwwwkward.

• Hehehehe, I just saw this picture and had to post it.

Beautiful.

Oh. My. God.

"Alright, alright, but you better be wearing clothes when I open my eyes." -Chandler, being show a surprise by Joey.

"Now we can finally watch Green Acres the way it was meant to be seen." -Chandler, admiring the recliners and tv.

"I can't believe two cows made the ultimate sacrifice so you guys could watch tv with your feet up."
"Well, they were chair-shaped cows. They never would have survived in the wild." -Phoebe and Chandler, about the new recliners.

"It's James Bond." -Phoebe, seeing Dr. Burke for the first time.

"Who needs glasses?" -Richard, making an ophthalmologist joke at his party.

"You are so much the smitten kitten." -Phoebe, teasing Monica for flirting with Dr. Burke.

"Well yeah, but, y'know, uh, 27 is a dangerous eye age." -Monica, justifying her appointment with Dr. Burke.

"It would really help when I'm kissing you if you didn't shout out my sister's name." -Ross, coming home with Rachel after their first date.

"I'm sorry, it's just that when you moved your hands down to my butt, it was like 'woah! Ross's hands are on my butt!' -Rachel, making out with Ross.

"Yeah, but uh, it was 1982 and my Flock of Seagulls haircut was tickling her chin." -Chandler, telling Ross about a time a girl laughed at him when they were kissing.

"Listen, can you guys uh, speak up, it's harder for us to hear you when you lower your voice." -Chandler, trying to eavesdrop on Ross and Rachel.

"Good. They feel good. In my head." -Monica, talking about her eyes with Dr. Burke.

"Drops!" -Richard, trying to ease the sexual tension with Monica.

"No. Inside good. Outside baaaad." -Joey, when Phoebe tries to get them to stop watching tv.

" I--I love that man, he's like a uh, brother to dad." -Ross, learning Monica's dating Richard Burke.

"N--Homo-Habilis was erect; Australopithecus was never fully erect."
"Well, maybe he was nervous." -Ross and Chandler, as Ross deals with a phone call from work.

"I mean, I'm dating a man who's pool I once peed in." -Monica, their age difference with Richard.

"Ah, oh God. Oh, honey, oh that's ok."
"What? Oh no, you just rolled over the juice box." -Rachel and Ross, making out.