The One with the Embryos
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| “The One with the Embryos” | |||||||
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| Friends episode | |||||||
| Episode no. | Season 4 Episode 12 |
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| Written by | Jill Condon & Amy Toomin | ||||||
| Directed by | Kevin S. Bright | ||||||
| Guest stars | Giovanni Ribisi as Frank Jr. Debra Jo Rupp as Alice Knight |
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| Original airdate | January 15, 1998 | ||||||
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"The One with the Embryos" is the twelfth episode of the fourth season of the American television situation comedy Friends, which was broadcast on NBC on January 15, 1998.[1] While the title refers to Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) having in-vitro fertilisation as part of the on-going storyline designed to cover up the actress's pregnancy, the episode is best remembered for the trivia game played by the other characters.
The episode was directed by Kevin S. Bright and written by Jill Condon and Amy Toomin. It frequently ranks amongst the series best episodes in polls. Giovanni Ribisi and Debra Jo Rupp reprise their recurring characters Frank Jr. and Alice Knight.
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[edit] Plot
Monica and Rachel (Courteney Cox and Jennifer Aniston) are infuriated by the morning crowing of Joey and Chandler's (Matt LeBlanc and Matthew Perry) birds. Later, the guys correctly identify the contents of Rachel's shopping bag, and Monica suggests a trivia contest to see who knows more about who, the men or the women. They place a $100 bet on the outcome and Ross (David Schwimmer) puts together some questions. Meanwhile, Phoebe learns that Frank and Alice are paying $16,000 for the IVF procedure, and there is nothing that she can do to help the process.
The trivia game begins, with various factoids about the characters being revealed. A tied score leads to a lightning round. Monica raises the stakes; if the women win, Joey and Chandler must give up their noisy birds. Chandler rebuts by suggesting Rachel and Monica give up their apartment to them, which Monica agrees to. The girls lose the lightning round, so Chandler and Joey start moving in their belongings. Rachel demands they stop and an argument ensues, which is interrupted by Phoebe, who tells the group that she is pregnant.[1]
[edit] Reception
In a 2001 review, Entertainment Weekly rates the episode A+, stating that "Thanks to the trivia contest alone, Embryos is quite possibly Friends' finest moment". It singles out Rachel's line "He's a transpon-transpondster!" (in response to the question "What is Chandler Bing's job?") as the best of the episode.[2] The authors of Friends Like Us: The Unofficial Guide to Friends call it a "sure-fire contender for the best episode of all time ... not one to be missed under any circumstances".[1] In 2004 an MSNBC.com reviewer wrote that the character trivia is "revealed in a manner completely organic to the plot. Beautifully written and acted, "The One With The Embryos" encapsulates the whole series in a single episode".[3]
The episode is the favorite of Cox and LeBlanc. Cox likes the episode because she enjoys playing Monica at her most competitive,[4] while LeBlanc spoke fondly of the pace of the episode and the information about the characters that came out. He identified scenes that featured just the six core cast as the best, "because you don't have to introduce a character -- you don't have to lay any pipeline -- you just get right to the funny".[5]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Sangster, Jim; David Bailey (2000). Friends Like Us: The Unofficial Guide to Friends, 2nd ed., London: Virgin Publishing Ltd, pp.230–232. ISBN 0-7535-0439-1.
- ^ Staff writer. (2001-09-15). Review: Season 4 (1997–1998). Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2007-08-18.
- ^ Ariano, Tara. "The one with the best of 'Friends'", MSNBC.com, 2004-05-03. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
- ^ Snierson, Dan (2004-02-24). Friends Forever: Courteney Cox Arquette. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2007-08-18.
- ^ Snierson, Dan (2004-02-24). Friends Forever: Matt LeBlanc. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2007-08-18.
[edit] External links
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