The One with Monica's Thunder

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"The One with Monica's Thunder" is the first episode of season 7 of the sitcom Friends.

Friends season seven September 2000 - May 2001 List of Friends episodes

Episodes: The One with Monica's Thunder The One with Rachel's Book The One with Phoebe's Cookies The One with Rachel's Assistant The One with the Engagement Picture The One with the Nap Partners The One with Ross's Library Book The One Where Chandler Doesn't Like Dogs The One with All the Candy The One with the Holiday Armadillo The One with All the Cheesecakes The One Where They're Up All Night The One Where Rosita Dies The One Where They All Turn Thirty The One with Joey's New Brain The One with the Truth About London The One with the Cheap Wedding Dress The One with Joey's Award The One with Ross and Monica's Cousin The One with Rachel's Big Kiss The One with the Vows The One with Chandler's Dad The One with Chandler And Monica's Wedding, Part One The One with Chandler And Monica's Wedding, Part Two

First aired: October 12, 2000

[edit] Plot

The episode begins with the gang celebrating Monica and Chandler's engagement, as depicted in the season 6 finale (The One with the Proposal, Part 2). Monica suggests that everyone dress up so that they can go to The Plaza for champagne.

Joey announces that he can't stay out too late as he has a commercial audition in the morning. He is auditioning for the role of a nineteen-year-old, which of course he is not (the character of Joey was 31 at this time, and actor Matt LeBlanc 33), and his efforts to "de-age" by dressing and acting like a teenager are met with ridicule. Phoebe, on the other hand, would love to sing at the Bings' wedding, and badgers Monica until she agrees just to shut her up. Unfortunately, Joey blows that one out of the water, and Phoebe starts pestering Monica for a down payment, culminating in her picketing Monica's apartment, guitar in hand, over the closing credits. Chandler gives her a down payment—one dollar—but Phoebe won't give up, so instead he takes her guitar.

While everyone is getting ready, Monica and Chandler have an intimate moment, but are derailed when Chandler develops technical difficultites. Chandler leaves to confide in Joey; the next time Monica opens the door, she is shocked to see Rachel and Ross kissing at the threshold. (Monica: "I'm sorry, I seem to have opened the door to the past.") When Rachel and Ross try to apologize, Monica accuses Rachel of stealing the episode's titular thunder, and pre-empting Monica's big night by getting back together with Ross. The two ex-lovers protest mightily, and Monica is almost convinced when Phoebe comes in, immediately misinterprets the situation and asks if she can sing at Ross and Rachel's wedding too. When Chandler and Joey return, Joey is also delighted at the "reunion," and Monica blows her stack. She accues Rachel of being unable to to stand for anyone else to be in the spotlight, and compares tonight to her (Monica's) Sweet Sixteenth birthday party, where Rachel made out with her cousin, after which nobody could talk about anything else. Rachel tries desperately to patch things up, but Monica is not in the mood to listen.

Chandler follows Monica into the bedroom to calm her down, and they begin to kiss, leading a resurgence of Chandler's erection, but they are soon interrupted by Phoebe and Joey; Phoebe begins demanding her down payment at this point. No sooner have Chandler and Monica reasserted their privacy, Rachel returns to make amends; unfortunately, this evolves into an even bigger fight, and Rachel storms out, telling Ross to come with her so they can have sex. Ross, excited, follows to Rachel's room... Where she tells him they aren't really going to do it, she just wants Monica to think they are. (Ross, glum: "So everybody wins.") She is trying to maintain this illusion when Monica knocks on the door, but Ross refuses to play along. Rachel finally admits that seeing Monica and Chandler get engaged made her feel sad and lonely, and she turned to Ross for sex to feel better about herself; the thunder-stealing (such as it was) was unintentional. The girls make up, and Ross tries to reclaim some dignity by telling Rachel firmly that it's not a good idea for them to spend the night together.

[edit] Trivia

The opening of one season is filmed several months after the end of the previous season. As a result, several differences can be noticed in the appearences of some of the actors:

• It can be seen that Rachel's hair is several inches shorter than at the end of Season 6, even though Season 7 begins where Season 6 left off.

• Matthew Perry was battling weight loss problems at the time, and as a result had lost an unbelievable amount of weight in the gap between Season 6 and Season 7 of Friends. As a result, Chandler looks much thinner than he was just moments ago in the story timeline.

Preceded by "The One with the Proposal, Part 2"

List of Friends episodes

Followed by "The One with Rachel's Book"