The One with the Jellyfish

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"The One With The Jellyfish" is the first episode of Season Four of the television situation comedy Friends.

First aired: September 25, 1997

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

[edit] Plot

Leaving off where Season 3 ended, Ross is in the hallway between two bedrooms. One is the room he's sharing with Bonnie; the other, Rachel's. He picks a door - and finds both Rachel and Bonnie sitting on Rachel's bed. Bonnie's bald head got sunburned, so Rachel was helping her rub some aloe on. After Bonnie leaves, Ross and Rachel kiss - and Ross leaves to break up with Bonnie.

Phoebe is upset after Phoebe Abbott told her the truth about her mother. Older Phoebe explains that Frank (Phoebe's father) had gotten her pregnant, and since she was so young and scared she thought Ursula and younger Phoebe would be better off with Frank and Lily. An angry Phoebe Buffay declares she never wants to see her real mother again.

Rachel writes Ross a long letter ("Eighteen pages! Front and back!") about their relationship and asks him to read it - but he falls asleep while doing so. Rachel asks him if he agrees with what she wrote. Ross says he does, and the two reconcile (albeit briefly). He later finds the part in the letter she's asking about - and immediately disagrees with it.

Chandler, Monica and Joey are enjoying the beach now that it has finally stopped raining. Joey digs a really long, deep hole. Chandler still tries to convince Monica he'd make a great boyfriend. Chandler and Monica go check out Joey's hole - and Monica gets stung by a jellyfish. Joey remembers a documentary he saw on jellyfish that mentions a cure for jellyfish stings - urine. The guys prompt Monica to try peeing on herself. "If you want some privacy, you can use my hole!" offers Joey.

Ross reveals to the guys that in the letter, Rachel wanted Ross to accept full responsibility for their breakup (because he slept with Chloe). Ross, still stuck on the fact that she was the one who suggested they "take a break," can't do that. After Rachel goes on about how Ross is so great for accepting responsibility, Ross can't hide his feelings anymore. He reveals he never finished the letter, and ends up criticizing her grammar before they break up again.

Phoebe goes to Ursula's apartment to tell her about their mom - but Ursula already knows. She even produces a "suicide note" supposedly left by Lily (that Ursula herself writes while Phoebe is waiting in the hall). Phoebe Sr. comes into Central Perk to try and reconcile with Phoebe - who isn't having any of it. Phoebe Sr. finally gets Younger Phoebe to change her mind, by pointing out that she came to the beach looking for family - and found it.

After being uncomfortable around each other for a couple of days, Joey, Chandler, and Monica reveal what happened after Monica got stung by the jellyfish. Joey mentioned the "urine cure." Monica tried to pee on the wound, but couldn't bend that way - so Joey stepped up. Unfortunately, Joey got stage fright - leaving Chandler to do the dirty work. At the end of the episode, Chandler again asks why Monica won't consider going out with him. She says that while she thinks he's a great guy, to her he'll always be "the guy who peed on me."

[edit] Trivia

Ironically, Monica and Chandler end up getting married even though Monica said she would not consider going out with Chandler. Chandler is never known as "the guy who peed on me" for the rest of the series.