The One with the Flashback

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Friends season three September 1996 - May 1997 List of Friends episodes
Episodes: The One with the Princess Leia Fantasy The One Where No One's Ready The One with the Jam The One With the Metaphorical Tunnel The One with Frank, Jr. The One with the Flashback The One with the Race Car Bed The One with the Giant Poking Device The One with the Football The One Where Rachel Quits The One Where Chandler Can't Remember Which Sister The One with All the Jealousy The One Where Monica and Richard Are Just Friends The One with Phoebe's Ex-partner The One Where Ross and Rachel Take a Break The One the Morning After The One Without the Ski Trip The One with the Hypnosis Tape The One with the Tiny T-Shirt The One with the Dollhouse The One with a Chick. And a Duck. The One with the Screamer The One with Ross's Thing The One with the Ultimate Fighting Champion The One at the Beach

"The One With the Flashback" is the sixth episode of season three of the television situation comedy Friends.

First aired: October 31, 1996

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

1 Plot
2 Trivia
3 Goofs
4 Additional cast

[edit] Plot

Janice asks the group if any of the six of them have almost slept with each other. The episode then flashes back to three years previous...

Phoebe notices that Cute Naked Guy has put on weight. Also, she's tired of roommate Monica's obsession with cleanliness, so she moves out of their apartment a little at a time. Monica doesn't notice - Phoebe explains her missing things by saying she's taken them to get repaired; and Phoebe sneaks away at night and sneaks back in before Monica wakes. Monica realizes something's up when she's cleaning and notices Phoebe's bed is gone. Phoebe then finally admits she's moved out, because she needs to "live in a land where people can spill."

Chandler is looking for a new roommate after his previous one, Kip, gets married and moves out. He's been doing interviews - after rejecting a guy who spits, a guy who has ferrets and a guy who loves Chandler's last name, he has two more candidates - a photographer and an Italian-American actor. When the photographer - Eric - mentions that there may be models in the apartment and that his sister is a porn star, Chandler immediately jumps at the chance for the guy to move in. However, when Eric comes to move in, the girls' downstairs neighbor Mr. Heckles claims HE is Chandler's new roommate. Thinking Eric was a no-show, Chandler goes with his second choice - actor Joey Tribbiani.

As Joey is moving in, he and Monica flirt, and she invites him in for a glass of lemonade. Joey, however, thinks this means she wants to have sex with him, so he strips naked before she gives him his lemonade. After realizing she didn't want sex after all, he apologizes and hurriedly dresses.

One night, while hanging out at their favorite bar, Monica mentions to Chandler that the bar is closing down to make room for a coffee shop (which would later become Central Perk). While there, she sees old high school friend Rachel Green, celebrating her recent engagement to orthodontist Barry Farber with friends Betsy and Kiki. Rachel mentions to her friends that she wants to have "one last fling" with the next guy she sees. Chandler, overhearing this, throws a pool ball near her table and goes to pick it up - but she ignores him. Monica and Rachel briefly catch up and promise to have lunch the next time Rachel's in the city. Monica then says to Chandler, "Ten bucks says I never see that woman again in my life."

Ross is glad that his wife, Carol, has finally made a friend - a woman she met at the gym named Susan. It doesn't take Ross long to realize that Carol likes Susan as more than "just a friend." He mourns over the death of his marriage; Phoebe consoles him - and they start making out. They almost have sex on the pool table in the bar, but Ross hits his head on the light above the table, then his foot gets stuck in a pocket, then the balls--the pool balls--get in the way. They decide that sleeping together wouldn't have solved anything, and are content to just remain friends.

Monica is sad that Phoebe moved out, and wonders why she doesn't have a boyfriend. Chandler tells her she should have a boyfriend, and offers a hug. He says she's one of his favorite people, and the most beautiful woman he knows in real life. He convinces her that she will find someone, and then goes back to his place to watch Baywatch with new roommate Joey.

At the end of the episode, Chandler introduces Joey to Ross. While driving back, Rachel fantasises about making out with Chandler - which causes her to miss her exit home. When Betsy and Kiki ask what she was thinking about, she tells them she was thinking about Barry.

[edit] Trivia

Marissa Ribisi, the actress who plays Rachel's friend Betsy in this episode, is the twin sister of Giovanni Ribisi, who appears throughout the series as Phoebe's half-brother Frank.

[edit] Goofs

It is established that this episode is set in October 1993, almost a year before the events of The Pilot. In this episode, Chandler meets Rachel for the first time and Joey meets Chandler, Monica, Phoebe and Ross for the first time. However, in later episodes such as The One With All the Thanksgivings and The One Where the Stripper Cries, we see more flashbacks to a time earlier than this episode is set. Rachel and Chandler are depicted as knowing each other during their high school and college days, and even kissed at a college party. The One With All the Thanksgivings features a scene set in November 1992 shows Joey fully aquainted with Phoebe, Monica and Chandler.
When Chandler is interveiwing Joey to be his roommate Joey says "By the way, totally okay with the whole gay thing". In the earlier episode The One Where Nana Dies Twice, Joey claims he'd never believed Chandler was gay.