"The One With Joey's Bag" is the thirteenth episode of the fifth season of Friends, which aired on February 4, 1999. When Rachel helps Joey change his image to help him land an acting gig, she includes a shoulder bag that's rather purselike. Phoebe is shocked when her dad attends her grandmother's funeral.
Plot
Monica and Chandler are massaging each other, but Monica is really bad at it and actually hurts Chandler. However, Chandler doesn't want to tell Monica, because he doesn't want "to screw up his first real relationship by telling the truth". When she massages Phoebe, the truth comes out that no one likes Monica's massages, which is a problem for her as she wants to be the best in everything, but it also creates problems between Monica and Chandler because he didn't tell her the truth. Chandler manages to handle the situation by convincing Monica that she is the best in "giving bad massages".
Joey wants to look great for an audition, but he doesn't have a good style and comes home with a "top hat", which the others make fun of. Rachel takes him down to the store to help him out, but wants to give him a shoulder bag that goes with the clothes. Joey is furious at first, but he starts to really like it, as it isn't just good looking, but also useful. The others still make fun of him, as Joey really looks like a woman with a purse. At the audition, they also think it's a purse and send him away, because he insists on wearing the bag. Rachel finally convinces Joey that the world just isn't ready for Joey and his bag.
Phoebe's grandma, Frances, has died and Phoebe is organizing her funeral. Ursula doesn't come, because she thought Frances was dead already, but who does show up is her father. However, as soon as Phoebe asks for his name, he regrets saying his real name and runs away. Phoebe catches him, and manages to get an appointment with him in Central Perk, pretending to be Frances' lawyer. He tells her that he came to the funeral to speak to Lily, but Phoebe tells her that Lily has been dead for 17 years. When he asks how the kids are, Phoebe reveals that she is his daughter. They awkwardly make up a bit, where it is revealed that her father always sang a sleepsong for her with the same melody as Smelly Cat.
Cast and Crew
Main Cast
Jennifer Aniston - Rachel Green
Courteney Cox - Monica Geller
Lisa Kudrow - Ursula Buffay/Phoebe Buffay
Matt LeBlanc - Joey Tribbiani
Matthew Perry - Chandler Bing
David Schwimmer - Ross Geller
Supporting Cast
Bob Balaban - Frank Buffay Sr.
Daniel Hagen - The Casting Director
James Michael Tyler - Gunther
Crew
Directed By:
Gail Mancuso
Written By:
Michael Curtis & Seth Kurland
Trivia
- In the uncut DVD version of the episode, there is an additional tag scene where Phoebe tells Ursula that she met their dad, but Ursula thinks John Glenn is their dad and cannot be convinced otherwise.
- The song that Phoebe's dad made up for her when she was little and couldn't sleep is very similar to Phoebe's "Smelly Cat."
- Its unknown if Phoebe ever did really make up with her father since he was never seen or mentioned again after this episode, so it seems unlikely or they aren't in contact, particularly since she asks Joey to walk her down the aisle at her wedding and then accepts Chandler as a last-minute substitute when Joey is required to perform the ceremony ("The One With Phoebe's Wedding").
- Phoebe meets her father for the first time, which she tried to do twice in season 2. In The One With The Bullies, its revealed that Frank left 4 years prior to that episode, therefore Frank has left for 7 years in total in between the events before that episode and up to this episode since this episode takes place 3 years (seasons) after that one.
Goofs
- When Phoebe is talking to her dad in Central Perk, she says "Lipstick and a daughter, big day for you" and folds her papers in half. When the camera angle changes, she folds them again.
- When Phoebe's dad is talking to her in Central Perk, his coat alternates between being buttoned and unbuttoned from scene to scene.
- Phoebe tells her dad that Lilly has been dead for 17 years, but she said in The One With The Cat (S4E3) that she hadn't "seen that smile in 17 years" and since this episode is over a year after that one, Lilly would be dead for 18 years, not 17 at this point.
- It is possible that Lilly, who committed suicide due to depression, did not genuinely smile in the last year of her life.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
| Preceded by "The One With Chandler's Work Laugh" |
"The One With Joey's Bag" | Followed by "The One Where Everybody Finds Out" |
| << Season 4 | Season 5 | Season 6 >> | |||||||
| #01 | "The One After Ross Says Rachel" | #09 | "The One With Ross' Sandwich" | #17 | "The One With Rachel's Inadvertent Kiss" | ||||
| #02 | "The One With All The Kissing" | #10 | "The One With The Inappropriate Sister" | #18 | "The One Where Rachel Smokes" | ||||
| #03 | "The One Hundredth" | #11 | "The One With All The Resolutions" | #19 | "The One Where Ross Can't Flirt" | ||||
| #04 | "The One Where Phoebe Hates PBS" | #12 | "The One With Chandler's Work Laugh" | #20 | "The One With The Ride-Along" | ||||
| #05 | "The One With The Kips" | #13 | "The One With Joey's Bag" | #21 | "The One With The Ball" | ||||
| #06 | "The One With The Yeti" | #14 | "The One Where Everybody Finds Out" | #22 | "The One With Joey's Big Break" | ||||
| #07 | "The One Where Ross Moves In" | #15 | "The One With The Girl Who Hits Joey" | #23 | "The One In Vegas, Part 1" | ||||
| #08 | "The One With All The Thanksgivings" | #16 | "The One With The Cop" | #24 | "The One In Vegas, Part 2" | ||||