The One with the Thumb
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"The One with the Thumb" is the third episode of season one of the television situation comedy Friends.
[edit] Plot
At the beginning of the episode, Chandler helps Joey rehearse for an audition. The rehearsal calls for Joey to smoke a cigarette. As Joey is not a smoker (and coughs after taking a drag), Chandler, who used to smoke, demonstrates the "proper" smoking technique to Joey. When first asked whether he missed smoking, Chandler said no. But as he began to take a few drags, he exclaims "Oh my god", and picks up his old habit again.
Throughout the episode, the gang persuades him to quit, which irritates him greatly. He defends himself by saying "it's just a flaw" of his, and claims that the gang is being hypocritical, as they all have their own irritating habits (e.g. Monica's snorting, Joey's knuckle-cracking, Phoebe chewing her hair).
Phoebe discovers her bank had accidentally credited her with an extra $500. The gang persuades her to keep the money, but she decides to return it. However, instead of taking back the money, the bank gives her another $500 and a football phone. Stuck with $1,000 and a phone she doesn't want, she gives both to Lizzy, a homeless woman (who refers to Phoebe as "Weird Girl"). Lizzy buys a soda for Phoebe, who, upon opening the can, discovers a severed thumb floating in the soda. The soda company gives Phoebe $7,000, in return for her silence.
Monica begins to date a man called Allan, but is afraid to introduce him to the gang for fear of them ripping him apart (as they have apparently done in the past with her other dates). Much to her surprise, the gang can find no fault with Allen, and enjoys his company very much. Allen even convinces Chandler to stop smoking in a very brief telephone conversation after repeated failed attempt by the other characters. Ironically, after Monica decides to break up with Allen, he tells her that he couldn't stand the gang.
Chandler takes patches to help him stop smoking but at the end decides he can't do it and goes off to smoke but Phoebe shouts after him that she will give him the $7000 in return for not smoking again and Chandler returns replying "Yeah, alright."
[edit] Trivia
- Joey's knuckle cracking, and Phoebe's hair chewing are never seen again after this episode, though Monica's snort returns several times.
- Chandler's epic, series-long battle with smoking begins. Prior to starting back up, Chandler had been smoke-free for 3 years.
- The characters behave in an unusually callous way: none of them ever stop to think whose thumb it is.
- This is one of very few episodes that anyone uses the buzzer in Monica's apartment.
- This is the only episode where you see chandler using his smaller office
[edit] Goofs
- Twice during the last scene (as Monica enters and Chandler tries to leave) one of the wooden posts supporting the set can be seen.
| Preceded by "The One with the Sonogram at the End" |
List of Friends episodes | Followed by "The One with George Stephanopoulos" |
