The One With The Lesbian Wedding
From Friends Central
| "The One With The Lesbian Wedding" | ||||
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| Friends episode | ||||
 Susan and Carol get married. | ||||
| Season | 2x11 | |||
| Episode no. | 35 | |||
| Written by | Doty Abrams | |||
| Directed by | Thomas Schlamme | |||
| Guest stars | Marlo Thomas as Sandra Green Jane Sibbett as Carol Willick Jessica Hecht as Susan Bunch Phil Leeds as Mr. Adelman Candace Gingrich as Minister Symba Smith as Chrissy Lea DeLaria as Woman | |||
| Original airdate | January 18, 1996 | |||
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| ← Previous | Next → | |||
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"The One With the Lesbian Wedding" is the eleventh episode of the second season of Friends, which aired on January 18, 1996. It attracted mild controversy and censorship as a result of its portrayal of same-sex marriage.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
Carol and Susan announces their plans to marry. Monica caters the wedding. Reflecting the larger controversy surrounding gay marriage, Carol's parents refuse to attend the wedding, causing Carol to second-guess her decision, but Ross finds himself in the position of being the one to encourage her to go ahead with the ceremony despite their opposition. In the end, Susan and Ross are on better terms and Susan offers him a dance, promising she'll "let him lead".
Joey makes his first appearance on the soap opera Days of our Lives as Dr. Drake Ramoray.
One of Phoebe's massage clients, Rose Adelman, dies on the massage table and her spirit gets stuck in Phoebe.
Meanwhile, Rachel's mother, Sandra, makes a major life decision after seeing how Rachel has learned to fend for herself: she is divorcing Rachel's father.
[edit] Cast and Crew
[edit] 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
[edit] Supporting Cast
Marlo Thomas - Sandra Green
Jane Sibbett - Carol Willick
Jessica Hecht - Susan Bunch
Phil Leeds - Mr. Adelman
Candace Gingrich - Minister
Symba Smith - Chrissy
Lea DeLaria - Woman
[edit] Crew
Directed By:
Thomas Schlamme
Written By:
Doty Abrams
[edit] Reception
As a result of its portrayal of a lesbian couple marrying, the episode attracted some controversy across the United States. Two network affiliates refused to air the episode - KJAC-TV in Port Arthur, Texas and WLIO in Lima, Ohio - citing objectionable content, although the decision drew little press attention, partly due to the small size of the markets in question. Gay and lesbian groups - notably GLAAD - decried the censorship of the episode.
While the episode was one of the first mainstream portrayals of gay marriage on US television, it was the second gay marriage on a sitcom that season; the show Roseanne had aired an episode just five weeks before in which the title character coordinated a wedding for her co-worker Leon and his lover Scott. The New York Times claimed "The biggest news about the wedding on Friends was that it was almost no news at all." However, the fact that Carol and Susan's ceremony was officiated by Candace Gingrich, a gay-rights activist and sister to conservative Congressman Newt Gingrich did draw some media attention, as the casting was perceived as a comment on the Republican Party's anti-gay rights stance and the "Contract with America" platform.
A writer with the Associated Press noted in an article that week that the ceremony would not include a kiss by the newlyweds, including the episode as part of an observed trend of portrayals of gay characters while skirting controversy by avoiding or minimizing physical contact.
The episode was the highest rated television program for the week, with 31.6 million viewers.
[edit] Episode Navigation
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| Preceded by "The One With Russ" | Followed by "The One After the Superbowl, Part 1" |
