"The One With The East German Laundry Detergent"
Friends episode
Ross and Rachel wash their dirty laundry together.
Season	1x05
Episode no.	5
Written by	Jeff Greenstein & Jeff Strauss
Directed by	Pamela Fryman
Guest stars	Camille Saviola as The Horrible Woman Kim Gillingham as Angela Jack Armstrong as Bob Maggie Wheeler as Janice
Original airdate	October 20, 1994
Episode List
← Previous	Next →
"The One With George Stephanopoulos"	"The One With The Butt"

"The One With The East German Laundry Detergent" is the fifth episode of the first season of Friends, which aired on October 20, 1994.

PlotEdit

Eager to spend time with Rachel, Ross pretends his building's washroom is rat-infested so he can join her at the laundromat. Chandler points out this could be a 'date' and the first time she'll see his underwear so it shouldn't be dirty! Rachel, the spoiled 'laundry virgin' feels managing this domestic chore is a real step to independence, but despite Ross's good advice she leaves a red sock in the machine. The real accomplishment comes where she has to stand up as no-nonsense-New Yorker against a rude, aggressive woman who invents rules to pretend it's not Rachel's turn to do her laundry. Joey realizes he regrets dumping foxy Angela when he learns she is dating Bob. He proposes a double-date, then needs a girl stat. Monica agrees to be Joey's date but when she sees hunky Bob and realizes he's not Angela's brother she starts to enjoy the evening. Chandler drinks too much espresso while desperately trying to break up with Janice. Phoebe seems to have a gift for breaking up with people, as hers is quick, painless, and ends with a hug. Chandler's attempts, by contrast, become increasingly awkward to the point where he pokes Janice in the eye. He finally asks Phoebe for help. Phoebe says a few words to Janice, the two hug, and Janice leaves. Chandler says "We should always break up together." Phoebe agrees. The episode ends with Phoebe liking Rachel's "idea" because all her clothes match. Monica and Joey return, triumphant because they successfully broke up Bob and Angela. Somebody asks where Chandler is. Phobe says "He needed time to grieve." Chandler then runs past outside yelling "I'm free!"

Cast and CrewEdit

Main CastEdit

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

Supporting CastEdit

Camille Saviola - The Horrible Woman
Kim Gillingham - Angela
Jack Armstrong - Bob
Maggie Wheeler - Janice

CrewEdit

Directed By:
Pamela Fryman

Written By:
Jeff Greenstein & Jeff Strauss

TriviaEdit

GeneralEdit

• Ross's detergent Überweiss is German for "Super White."
• The executive producer credits are moved to the end of the opening sequence, with the creator credits preceding them.

Goofs/ContinuityEdit

• While on the date, Monica says that her brother never told her when he lost his virginity, but in the The One With George Stephanopoulos, Monica states that Ross told everyone, including her, that he had lost his virginity to Carol. ( although it may have been that he told everybody that he slept with Carol for the first time, not that he lost his virginity. )
• A sign in the laundromat reads "lost cloths" not "lost clothes", though a surprising number of laundromats have the same spelling error.
• Rachel tells Ross that she can't even send back soup, but she sends back a drink in "The One With The Flashback". Chronologically that would have been a year earlier.
• In this episode, Monica says she sees Ugly Naked Guy laying kitchen tile. It is impossible for Monica to see into his kitchen. As we see in Season 5 when Ross gets that apartment, the kitchen is in the upper right of the screen with a door. And when Phoebe finds out about Chandler and Monica at a straight on shot of the window in that apartment you can't see the kitchen.
• In this episode Monica and Rachel must go to the laundromat because they do not have a laundry room in their building. However, in other episodes Monica and Rachel do have a laundry room, as they often come home with their laundry and are wearing pajamas.
• If you look carefully, when Rachel yells to the horrible woman and says "You're gonna have to take me with it", Ross is mouthing the line.
• While on the "double date" with Joey, Monica tells a story about Underdog's head failing to inflate. Frankly, a few episodes later, in the Thanksgiving special, Underdog gets away.

Episode NavigationEdit