The One With Two Parts, Part 1

"The One With Two Parts" is (like the title says) a two-part episode of Friends; the first of the series. Both parts aired on February 23, 1995.

Plot

At work, Chandler has to fire an employee for the first time ever. However, the worker he has to fire is Nina, a very attractive woman whom he asks out on a date. When he discusses with his friends what he should do, they tell him not to get involved in any way with her, but this advice falls on deaf ears and he goes out with her anyway. During this discussion, Marcel grabs the TV remote and switches the audio mode to SAP, changing the audio on all the channels to Spanish. No one can switch the TV back to normal mode.

Chandler keeps going out with Nina, but when his boss sees her still at work, he asks Chandler why she's not fired yet. Chandler makes up a lie about her being mentally unstable, which keeps her at the job. When strange things start happening around Nina (such as colleagues taking her scissors away from her), she works out her suspicions about this to Chandler, who tries to cover everything to her that she's getting a pay rise. When he asks his colleague to get Nina's papers to human resources, she mentions Nina's psychological profile, confirming Nina's suspicions. Chandler ends up confessing everything to her. In her indignity, she staples his hand on the desk.

Ross attends Lamaze classes with Carol and Susan. Several lessons along, Carol experiences false labor and Susan consoles her by reminding her how giving birth will make them parents for the rest of their lives, which makes Ross doubt his parental skills.

While dining out, Joey and Chandler meet Phoebe's twin sister, Ursula. Joey finds Ursula hot, and goes out with her, making Phoebe feel neglected. When Phoebe talks about this with her friends, they try to comfort her by pointing out that he hasn't even slept with her yet, so she has nothing to worry about. Just as she knocks on Joey's apartment door, Ursula answers at the door half-naked, proving her fears right and her friends wrong.

Monica and Rachel argue on who should have taken down the Christmas light. Rachel decides to take them down, but slips and falls off the balcony. Fortunately, her ankle gets caught in the wire which stops her from falling. In the meantime, she sprains her ankle.

Cast and Crew

Main Cast

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

Supporting Cast

George Clooney - Dr. Mitchell
Dorien Wilson - Mr. Douglas
Jane Sibbett - Carol Willick
Jessica Hecht - Susan Bunch
Larry Hankin - Mr. Heckles
Jennifer Grant - Nina Bookbinder
Michele Lamar Richards - The Lamaze Teacher
Leila Kenzle - Fran Devanow
Helen Hunt - Jamie Buchman
Patty Tiffany - Woman
Katie - Marcel the Monkey (uncredited)
James Michael Tyler - Gunther (uncredited)

Crew

Directed By:
Michael Lembeck

Written By:
Marta Kauffman & David Crane

Trivia

General

This is the first two-part episode in the series.
Like "The One That Could Have Been" (S6E15/16), this episode had both its parts aired on the same date. Other two-part episodes have different names and had different air dates (as happened with "The One Where Ross And Rachel Take A Break" (S3E15), "The One With The Morning After" (S3E16), "The One With Rachel's Sister" (S6E13) and The One Where Chandler Can't Cry" (S6E14). From Season 4 onwards, all season finales followed this episode's format.
This is the first appearance of Phoebe's twin sister, Ursula, also played by Lisa Kudrow. The character of Ursula comes from the TV series "Mad About You", an inept waitress who works at Riff's. Helen Hunt and Leila Kenzle also appear in this episode as their "Mad About You" characters Jamie Buchman and Fran Devanow, and mistake Phoebe for Ursula in Central Perk.
In this episode, W.E.N.U.S. stands for "weekly estimated net usage statistics". In the previous episode, it stood for "weekly estimated net usage systems".
This is the first time Mr. Heckles complains about the noise coming from Monica and Rachel's apartment.
At the end of a scene, the hotel on the right is the one that would later be used as the Tipton, the main setting of the Disney show, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, which starred Cole Sprouse as Cody Martin who lived in the hotel. Cole played Ross Geller's son, Ben on Friends.

Goofs

Just after the credits, a boom mic appears at the top of the screen in the center of the window on the right.
When Rachel falls while taking down the Christmas lights, she takes the whole cord down with her. Therefore she wouldn't have anything to be hanging from.
It makes no sense that Monica would put up Christmas lights, because her and Ross are Jewish.

Memorable Quotes

Ross: I don't know if he's testing me, or just acting out, but my monkey is out of control.
Joey: Hey, Pheebs, guess who we saw today?
Phoebe: Oh, great! Liam Neeson.
Joey: No.
Phoebe: Morley Safer.
Joey: Nope.
Phoebe: The woman who cuts my hair.
Monica: This could be a really long game.
Ross: I've got to go; I've got Lamaze class.
Chandler: And I've got Earth Science, but I'll catch you in gym?
Mr. Heckles: I can hear you through the ceiling. My cats can't sleep.
Rachel: You don't even have cats.
Mr. Heckles: I could have cats.
Monica: Goodbye, Mr. Heckles.
Rachel: Are you seeing her again tonight?
Joey: Yep. Ice Capades.
Chandler: This is serious. I've never known you to pay for any kind of capade.