The One After Ross Says Rachel

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"The One After Ross Says Rachel" is the first episode of the fifth season of the sitcom Friends.

First aired: September 24, 1998

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

1 Plot
2 Trivia
3 Additional Cast
4 Writer/Director

[edit] Plot

This episode continues right where the season 4 dramatic finale, "The One With Ross' Wedding" left off. Up at the altar with his fiancee Emily, Ross says, "I take thee, Rachel" instead of "I take thee, Emily". Ross corrects his mistake and the ceremony concludes with a frosty Emily slugging Ross when they get down the aisle.

At the reception, Emily locks herself in the bathroom despite Ross' best efforts to apologize. ("I hate you!" "And I love you!") Rachel and Ross both agree that his saying "Rachel" was just a mistake. Noticing that Emily is still in the bathroom, Rachel reminisces about her aborted wedding to Barry when she escaped from the ceremony by going out the bathroom window. It turns out that Emily has done the same thing to Ross, as the bathroom is empty when Ross opens the door.

After vainly searching for his wife, Ross decides to wait for her at their hotel room. Emily's parents come to collect her things, and Ross convinces Mr. Waltham to give Emily a message.

Monica and Chandler are afraid that their London fling may damage their friendship, but they decide to continue sleeping together while in London. A series of complications prevent them from getting together after the wedding, as Monica has to comfort her brother, Ross.

Joey, Chandler, and Monica return to New York to find a very pregnant Phoebe who is more pregnant than before. She is wearing a black flower dress. She is happy and rushes her pregnant self out of the apartment.

Rachel, still trying to get a flight back to New York, runs into Ross at the airport; Ross had hoped that Emily would come for their flight to Athens for their honeymoon. After hearing the final boarding call, Ross asks Rachel if she would like to come with him to Athens, since he doesn't want to be alone. She agrees, and the two are just about to board the plane when Ross sees Emily, who had just arrived. Emily runs away, and Ross tries to catch her in the airport. Unaware that Ross is not on board, Rachel boards the plane and takes off for Athens all by herself.

[edit] Trivia

Helen Baxendale was intended to have a much larger part in the season; however, she fell pregnant during the hiatus, and was therefore precluded from flying to the USA to film. Her part was greatly reduced, and for many of her subsequent appearances, she is either filmed above the waist, or is tucked up in bed.
For this episode and The One with Ross's wedding, an exclusive Title sequence would be used, featuring only 1 shot from the usual fountain intro & all the other footage from these The One with Ross's wedding episodes.