The One After the Superbowl

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“The One After the Superbowl”
Friends episode
Episode no. Season 2
Episode 12/13
Written by Michael Borkow (part 1)
Mike Sikowitz & Jeffrey Astrof (part 2)
Directed by Michael Lembeck
Original airdate January 28, 1996
Episode chronology
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"The One with the Lesbian Wedding" "The One with the Prom Video"

"The One After the Superbowl" is a double-length episode of the second season of the American television situation comedy Friends, which aired on NBC on January 28, 1996, immediately after NBC's telecast of Super Bowl XXX.[1] The main plot of both episodes has Ross (David Schwimmer) searching for his former pet monkey, Marcel, and discovering him working on a film set in New York.

The first part was written by Michael Borkow and the second part by Mike Sikowitz and Jeffrey Astrof. Both parts were directed by Michael Lembeck.[1] It is the most-watched episode of Friends, drawing 52.9 million viewers.

Contents

[edit] Plot

[edit] Part 1

Ross discovers that his his former pet monkey, Marcel, has been forced into show business and is currently filming a movie in New York. Meanwhile, Joey (Matt LeBlanc) has to contend with a stalker (Brooke Shields) who he ends up briefly dating, while Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) starts dating a man (Chris Isaak) who hired her to perform at a children's concert. [1]

[edit] Part 2

Ross, hoping for a reunion with his former pet, looks for Marcel on the movie set. Joey accepts Phoebe's help to land a part in the movie. While on set, Chandler (Matthew Perry) meets an old childhood friend Susie "Underpants" Moss (played by Julia Roberts) working on the production, with whom he has a colored history. They arrange a date, Chandler unsuspecting that it is a plot to get revenge. Meanwhile Monica (Courteney Cox) and Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) meet the movie's star Jean-Claude Van Damme, and compete for his attentions, creating tension between them. Joey finally lands a small role in the movie, but loses his solitary line after overacting.[1]

[edit] Production

[edit] Casting

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Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion.


[edit] Reception

Entertainment Weekly rates the episode "C", calling it "fragmented, poorly paced, and only sporadically funny. Cramming the already crowded ensemble with celebs may have been a ratings grabber [...] but the results are forced sitcomedy and stilted acting" specifically citing Van Damme.[2] The authors of Friends Like Us: The Unofficial Guide to Friends write of the first part "There are some lovely moments of slapstick", mentioning "what Matthew Perry does with the washing-up liquid bottle when he first sees Erika", though call Isaak "positively wooden". Of the second part, they call Julia Roberts' "a fine guest-star", and Van Damme "embarrassing".[1]

This episode was the highest rated episode of the series, recording 52.9 million viewers.[2] Director Michael Lembeck won the 1996 Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Directing for a Comedy Series for this episode, the only Emmy won by the series in that year.[3]

Brooke Shields' performance in this episode impressed NBC so much that she was offered her own sitcom, Suddenly Susan, for the network's 1996 fall lineup.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e Sangster, Jim; David Bailey (2000). Friends Like Us: The Unofficial Guide to Friends, 2nd ed., London: Virgin Publishing Ltd, pp.98–103. ISBN 0-7535-0439-1. 
  2. ^ a b Staff writer. "Review: Season 2 (1995–1996)", Entertainment Weekly, 2001-09-15. Retrieved on 2007-08-21. 
  3. ^ Multiple authors. Awards for "Friends" (1994). Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on 2007-08-19.

[edit] External links

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