The One With The Baby On The Bus

"The One With The Baby On The Bus" is the sixth episode of the second season of Friends, which aired on November 2, 1995.

Plot

Ben can't stop crying in Monica's hands, and Joey and Chandler make fun of her. She gets back at them by throwing their basketball out of the window. Ross has an allergic reaction to Monica's kiwi-lime pie, and Chandler and Joey volunteer to baby-sit Ben while he and Monica head to the hospital. Ross half-heartedly allows them to baby-sit. At the hospital, Ross is worried about having to take a shot for the allergic reaction, and he squeezes Monica's hand to a pulp when he has the shot.

On the streets, Chandler and Joey are tending to the baby, when a beautiful woman notices them with him. She also, however, mistakes them for a gay couple. Things go quite differently with two other girls, who the boys ride the bus with. Just they all agree to go have drinks, the guys notice that they don't have Ben. With a look of horror at each other, they realize that they left him on the bus. They try to catch the bus again, but are left flabbergasted when the bus is joined by two other identical buses on its way away.

Terry, the manager at Central Perk, tells Rachel to tell Phoebe that a paid professional singer, Stephanie, is replacing her. Phoebe takes it hard, and Rachel asks Terry to let her perform after Stephanie, which he reluctantly consents to. Phoebe, however, refuses to play at Central Perk when she learns she has to do it for free, and instead sings hate songs outside the coffeehouse for charity. Rachel is sad for Phoebe, and comforts her on the street. A stranger arrives and asks for the condom he dropped in the case.

After phoning Joey and Chandler, they finally find the baby at the Department of Human Services, but are left stricken when they have to pick the one from two identical babies. Luckily for them, they pick the right one. This they recognize when he starts crying again in Monica's hands. Ross thinks it's time to change his diaper, but sees "Property of Human Services" on Ben's butt. Chandler holds Ross off with a slice of kiwi-lime pie whilst he yells: "Run, Joey, run!" At the coffeehouse, Phoebe teaches "Smelly Cat" to Stephanie.

Cast and Crew

Main Cast

Supporting Cast

Chrissie Hynde - Stephanie Schiffer
Max Wright - Terry
Victor Raider-Wexler - Doctor Karl
Catherine Bell - Robin
Hugh Dane - Jim
Jennifer Sommerfield - Becky
Lea Thompson - Caroline Duffy
Giovanni Ribisi - Condom Boy / Frank Buffay Jr (uncredited)
James Michael Tyler - Gunther (uncredited)

Crew

Directed By:
Gail Mancuso

Written By:
Betsy Borns

Trivia

General

Rachel and Phoebe do not share any scenes with the rest of the gang in this episode; they are only seen together in Central Perk.
This is the episode where Ross is revealed to have a PhD. Monica reveals it to the doctor administering the shot to Ross.
In the spin-off show Joey, in "Joey and the Book Club", Joey is seen singing "Angel of the Morning," the exact song Chrissie Hynde was singing at Central Perk.
- In the uncut DVD version of the episode, Chrissie Hynde plays "Angel of the Morning" for a longer time.
Lea Thompson crosses over in her role from Caroline in the City. Later on the night this episode was aired, David Schwimmer appeared as Ross on The Single Guy and Matthew Perry appeared as Chandler on Caroline in the City.
Giovanni Ribisi appears in this episode as 'Condom Boy'. He returns later in the series as Frank Buffay Jr., Phoebe's half-brother. It's likely they are the same character, but Frank and Phoebe don't know each other like that until The One With The Bullies, and are just strangers at this point.
Ross mentions to Monica in this episode that he hopes Ben will have a sister, which happens when Rachel gives birth to Emma Geller-Green.
This is the first episode to feature "Smelly Cat".

Goofs/Continuity

During the bus ride scene, as Chandler & Joey chat up the two young ladies, we can see through the windows as the bus makes a turn. Cut to the girls reactions, then back to Chandler & Joey as the background shows the bus making the same turn with the same background, including the same pedestrians walking as in the previous shot.
Phoebe questions Stephanie outside of Central Perk about her knowledge of chords on the guitar. Later in the series, Phoebe mentions that she doesn't know the names of any of the chords. In this episode, she mentions chords by names, indicating that she knew the chords.

Episode Navigation

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Preceded by "The One With Five Steaks And An Eggplant"	"The One With The Baby On The Bus"	Followed by "The One Where Ross Finds Out"


<< Season 1		Season 2				Season 3 >>
#01	"The One With Ross' New Girlfriend"		#09	"The One With Phoebe's Dad"	#17	"The One Where Eddie Moves In"
#02	"The One With The Breast Milk"		#10	"The One With Russ"	#18	"The One Where Dr. Ramoray Dies"
#03	"The One Where Heckles Dies"		#11	"The One With The Lesbian Wedding"	#19	"The One Where Eddie Won't Go"
#04	"The One With Phoebe's Husband"		#12	"The One After The Superbowl, Part 1"	#20	"The One Where Old Yeller Dies"
#05	"The One With Five Steaks And An Eggplant"		#13	"The One After The Superbowl, Part 2"	#21	"The One With The Bullies"
#06	"The One With The Baby On The Bus"		#14	"The One With The Prom Video"	#22	"The One With The Two Parties"
#07	"The One Where Ross Finds Out"		#15	"The One Where Ross And Rachel... You Know"	#23	"The One With The Chicken Pox"
#08	"The One With The List"		#16	"The One Where Joey Moves Out"	#24	"The One With Barry And Mindy's Wedding"