The One Where No One's Ready
From Friends Central
| "The One Where No One's Ready" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friends episode | ||||
 Chandler and Joey fight over the chair. | ||||
| Season | 3x02 | |||
| Episode no. | 50 | |||
| Written by | Ira Ungerleider | |||
| Directed by | Gail Mancuso | |||
| Guest stars | Tom Selleck as Richard Burke (voice only) Peter Dennis as Sherman Whitfield | |||
| Original airdate | September 26, 1996 | |||
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| ← Previous | Next → | |||
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"The One Where No One's Ready" is the second episode of the third season of Friends, which aired on September 26, 1996. The plot centers on Ross's anxiety as his friends take too long getting ready for a function that evening.
The episode was written by Ira Ungerleider and directed by Gail Mancuso. It is one of the few bottle episodes of the series; the bulk of the episode takes place on only one set and in real time. There are no guest stars, with the exception of two brief cameos.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
Ross arrives at Monica's apartment to discover Joey, Chandler and Rachel are not yet dressed for a function that evening. Joey in this episode sits on the chair Chandler was recently sitting in causing an argument between them, resulting in hummus staining Phoebe's dress. Meanwhile, Ross yells at Rachel causing her to say she will not go to the function. Chandler then gets ready while Ross tries to win back Rachel and get her to come to his function. Chandler then tells Joey to get ready and Joey does but steals the cushions which Chandler describes as "stealing the essence of the chair". Chandler then knowing Joey was wearing no underwear stole his underwear. Joey not wanting to wear a rented tux which another man has been in wears all of Chandler's clothes and starts doing leg stretches. Ross tells Joey to give back the cushions and tells Chandler to give back the underwear, Joey in turn tells Ross to drink chicken fat to win back Rachel. Rachel says that's not a bad idea and tells Ross to do it but changes her mind when she realises Ross will actually do it she then realizes how much he loves her. The episode focuses on the difficulties the group has in getting ready.
Meanwhile, Monica is thrown into doubt after her ex-boyfriend Richard leaves a message on the answering machine (a voice cameo by Tom Selleck).
[edit] Cast and Crew
[edit] Main Cast
Jennifer Aniston - Rachel Green
Courteney Cox - Monica Geller
Lisa Kudrow - Phoebe Buffay
Matt LeBlanc - Joey Tribbiani
Matthew Perry - Chandler Bing
David Schwimmer - Ross Geller
[edit] Supporting Cast
Tom Selleck - Richard Burke (voice only)
Peter Dennis - Sherman Whitfield
[edit] Crew
Directed By:
Gail Mancuso
Written By:
Ira Ungerleider
[edit] Production
The bottle episode format of the series was conceived by executive producer Kevin S. Bright as a way of saving money for other episodes by using a single set and no guest stars. The success of this episode led to the format being used at least once per season thereafter, with episodes including "The One With Monica's Thunder" and "The One On The Last Night" being based solely around the six core cast. Bright believes these episodes were some of the best of the series.
[edit] Reception
Entertainment Weekly notes that the episode "owes a large stylistic debt to Seinfeld", specifically citing the 1991 episode "The Chinese Restaurant", which also plays out in real time. It rates the episode C and calls the answering machine gag "derivative of George Costanza". The authors of Friends Like Us: The Unofficial Guide to Friends call it "forgettable"; "The script is dull and the performers seem to know it, with none of them trying particularly hard to make it work". All Movie Guide says it "stands out for the way it realistically portrays how group inertia can slow you down".
Popular reaction is more positive; the episode appeared on one of the first region 1 "best of" DVD releases and it was voted the third most popular episode in an NBC poll in 2004. Joey's use of the phrase "going commando," which originated in the U.S. on college campuses in the early 1970's, became a popular catchphrase, especially with sports-related media.
[edit] Trivia
[edit] General
- The New Oxford English Dictionary now includes a definition for "going commando." They actually credit this phrase to Friends.
- This is one of Friends few bottle episodes. Except for the closing-credits scene and a two-line voice-over by Tom Selleck, it utilizes no guest stars or extras whatsoever, and only one set.
- Ranked number 3 in "NBC's 6 Favorite Friends Episodes Countdown"
[edit] Goofs
- The hummus stain on Phoebe's yellow dress changes size throughout the episode.
- Chandler defends taking Joey's underwear because Joey took his cushions. But Chandler stays in the room the entire time after Joey leaves with his cushions, so Chandler must have taken Joey's underwear before Joey took the cushions.
[edit] Episode Navigation
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
| Preceded by "The One With The Princess Leia Fantasy" | Followed by "The One With The Jam" |
