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"The One With Ross' Tan" is the third episode of the tenth season of Friends, which aired on October 9, 2003.

Plot

Jealous of Monica's spray-on tan, Ross tries to get one himself. However, he gets the procedure wrong, spraying himself twice in the front after counting to five in Mississippi before it starts to spray again. He tries to patch it up with another tanning session, but he gets two other spray tans in the front. By the end of the episode, Ross looks nothing less than half a golliwog doll. Chandler makes sure this tan is a memorable one for Ross by taking a picture of it.

Phoebe and Monica's old roommate, Amanda, comes to visit. Amanda, a New Yorker (from Yonkers), has picked up a British accent and is pretty much of an ego-centric, but in spite of her annoying nature, the two still catch up with her so as not to hurt her feelings when Chandler takes a phonecall from her, bemusing her by informing her that he takes pedicures in the process. Amanda inadvertently lets out that Phoebe wanted to cut Monica out of her life in 1992. Monica is upset about this, but Phoebe explains to her how although Monica had been driving her mad by being "controlling and compulsive and shrill" at first, she eventually saw that Monica was a really nice person despite all of these things and she's glad now that she changed her mind about cutting Monica out of her life. The two make up.

Rachel and Joey have their first date. Joey, a specialist in the stuff after the date, tries to lay the groundwork with Rachel, but she keeps slapping his hand away. After talking about it with Monica, Rachel and Joey "power through". Completely taken by the excitement of their first time, Rachel, while climbing onto Joey, accidentally sinks her knee into his groin, preventing him from performing. The two stop to reflect on their sexless experience and how this affects their relationship, and when they talk to Chandler about it, they realize that their friendship is too strong for them to take it beyond. The two break up amicably.

Cast and Crew

Main Cast

Jennifer Aniston - Rachel Green
Courtney Cox - Monica Geller
Lisa Kudrow - Phoebe Buffay
Matt LeBlanc - Joey Tribbiani
Matthew Perry - Chandler Bing
David Schwimmer - Ross Geller

Supporting Cast

Jennifer Coolidge - Amanda Buffamonteezi
Luis Antonio Ramos - The Tanning Salon Guy

Crew

Directed By:
Gary Halvorson

Written By:
Brian Buckner


Trivia/Goofs

  • This is the first episode to not feature Charlie since she was introduced in "The One With The Soap Opera Party" (S9E20).
  • At the start, after Chandler says "are you trying to do a British accent?" it cuts to Monica's face and you can see Chandler saying the same line but no sound come out.
  • At the start, the lid on Joey's bottle is on and off depending on the shot.
  • When Rachel is talking to Monica about how weird the thing with Joey was, behind her in a yellow vase, you can see a huge light blur reflected from a stage light.
  • In the scene where Joey and Rachel are sitting on the couch in their apartment after they decide their relationship is hopeless Rachel puts her head on Joey's shoulder. Her hair is on her face but when she lifts her head up in the very next shot her hair is now behind her right ear which she couldn't have done because her hands never left her lap.
  • Chandler says he's never shut anyone out his life, however he admits to Monica in The One With Chandler's Dad, he tells Monica he kept shutting out his dad when he tried to get into contact with him. 
  • Joey & Rachel realize neither of them had paid for dinner. This joke was made before in The One With All The Cheesecakes. In that episode, it's Chandler and Rachel who forgot to pay for lunch.  
  • Monica says that the first time Rachel kissed Ross was when she couldn't stop giggling when he touched her butt (The One Where Ross And Rachel... You Know), however their first real kiss was in The One Where Ross Finds Out.
  • When Amanda says "Oh bugger. I feel like a perfect arse", the camera moves, due to the camera man laughing along with the audience.

Memorable Moments

  • Assistant: Wow, you catch on quick.
  • Ross: Well, I have a PhD, so...
  • Ross: (Entering the apartment looking very tanned) I went to that tanning place your wife suggested.
  • Chandler: "Was that place The Sun??"
  • Rachel: (laughing) oooh! Oh oh! (as Ross goes to the door to leave)
  • Ross:(yelling) I Know!
  • Rachel:oh oh! What is up with Miss Hawaiian Tropic?

Episode Navigation

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
Preceded by
"The One Where Ross Is Fine"
Series Ten Episodes Followed by
"The One With The Cake"
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