Ross tries to get everyone out the door on time for a work event, but ridiculous obstacles keep them from being completely ready to leave.
The episode begins with Joey and Chandler hanging out in Monica's apartment. At Chandler's instigation, Joey takes a sip from an appetizing-looking drinking glass, only to discover that it's chicken fat. "Yeah, I did that five minutes ago," Chandler agrees. After this Ross arrives, and the episode unfolds:
- Ross will be giving a speech at the museum and has invited everyone to attend with him.
- Phoebe arrives properly dressed. However, a hummus mishap leads to a massive stain on her bodice. She eventually hides it by adorning herself with a wrapping-paper bow.
- Monica, still pining after Richard, hacks into his answering machine to prove that a message she left was totally casual. (It wasn't.) The one after it, however, is in a woman's voice, saying that she had fun the other evening. This leaves Monica depressed until she realizes it was Richard's daughter Michelle, leading to even more compromising phone calls. She solves the problem by deleting the message on Richard's machine and then leaving a new one... that ends up overwriting his outgoing message.
- Joey and Chandler are arguing over who gets to sit in an armchair, leading to the above hummus mishap. As neither is dressed yet, Ross sends Chandler across the hall to get into this tuxedo. When it's Joey's turn, he abandons the chair... but takes the cushions.
- Chandler, it turns out, had planned for this by hiding Joey's underwear. Joey retaliates by putting on all of Chandler's clothes — whilst still without underwear. Angrily, Ross bans them both from attending.
- Rachel has been trying to decide what to wear, constantly changing her mind. Ross criticizes her indecision, inadvertently offending her and leading to decide that she's flaking on the event.
To prove his remorse to Rachel, Ross offers to do anything he is asked to. "He could drink the fat," Joey suggests. Ross does — or at least is about to, until Rachel forgives him. He runs downstairs and hails two cabs, and the True Companions rush to the event... after Rachel finds the right dress with seven seconds to spare.
In The Stinger, a fellow museum employee sits in Chandler's chair to congratulate Ross on something. Chandler demands he surrender his underwear.
Tropes
- Actually Pretty Funny: At one point, Joey agrees to give the chair back to Chandler, only to reveal a Lying Finger Cross. Ross, who otherwise spends the entire episode stressing out about being late, still chuckles over Chandler's predicament.
- All Periods Are PMS: Monica uses PMS as an excuse for her actions in her last message to Richard. She immediately regrets doing so after realising it's now his outgoing message.
- Big "NO!": Monica reacts this way when she realises she replaced Richard's outgoing message, and again when the machine cuts her off.
- Big "OMG!": Chandler's frustrated reaction to Joey wearing all of his clothes.
- Bottle Episode: Except for The Stinger, the episode takes place entirely in Monica's apartment and features no one outside the starring cast.
- Brief Accent Imitation: Joey while wearing all of Chandler's clothes at once.Joey: Look at me, I'm Chandler. Could I be wearing any more clothes?
- Cat Fight: Chandler and Phoebe try to stop Monica from using the phone in her bedroom. Off-screen, Phoebe ends up having to get physical about it and forcibly takes the receiver. Walking out with her, Chandler admits it was all rather arousing.
- Copycat Mockery: Joey wears all of Chandler's clothes and mocks him.Joey: Hey, I'm Chandler! Could I BE wearing any more clothes?!
- Delayed "Oh, Crap!": Joey explicitly saying he's Going Commando causes Chandler to realize just how bad him wearing all of his clothes really is.
- Early-Installment Weirdness: In the extended cut of the episode there's a message on the answering machine from Rachel's sister. The fact that she doesn't bother to leave her name and the content of the message suggest that she's Rachel's only sister. Later seasons would establish that Rachel has two sisters.Rachel's sister: Did you ever sleep with Donnie Mazio? Cause last night he kept on shouting "Two for two".
- Escalating War: Joey and Chandler get in one after Joey takes Chandler's seat. First Joey takes away the cushions (the "essence" of the chair, according to Chandler); then Chandler hides Joey's underwear; then Joey puts on all of Chandler's clothes at once.
- Embarrassing Voicemail: Subverted since Monica messes up and doesn't leave an actual message, but instead re-records Richard's outgoing answering machine message, making it at least ten times worse.
- Exact Words: Chandler tells Joey to get out of his chair. So Joey does. And takes the cushions with him.
- Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap!: After Phoebe opts for the bow, Ross is relieved and discusses the situation while checking his watch. He realizes mid-sentence that his watch has stopped.
- The Gadfly: The more Chandler is irritated about losing his seat, the more Joey gladly irritates him.
- Going Commando: Spoken word for word.
- After Chandler hides all of Joey's underwear, he reveals that he's not wearing any now, and he needs them because he's going on a rented tux, and "I'm not gonna go commando in another man's fatigues."
- Later, when Joey is wearing all of Chandler's clothes, he mortifies Chandler by stating that he's not wearing underwear, and procedes to do lunges.
- In the end, Rachel teases Ross by saying "I'm going commando too."
- Half-Dressed Cartoon Animal: Chandler questions why Donald Duck never wore pants in the course of a normal day but nevertheless always wore a Modesty Towel after a shower.
- Here We Go Again!: Chandler gets upset at Ross' coworker taking his seat during The Stinger and begins to argue with him.
- Hypocritical Humor: Ross eventually gets fed up with Joey and Chandler behaving like 2-year-olds and fighting over the couch for the entire episode and says they aren't allowed to come to the banquet. Chandler remarks that Ross is acting like a baby.
- I Drank WHAT?!: The episode opens with Chandler tricking Joey into drinking from a glass of chicken fat in Monica's fridge. Later, Ross concedes to drink the fat as penance for insulting Rachel.
- Lying Finger Cross: Joey promises to give the chair back to Chandler, only to reveal that he is doing this. Even Ross can’t help but to chuckle at Chandler’s predicament.
- Mood Whiplash: Rachel is touched that Ross would actually drink the fat, so they share a happy moment. Joey then excitedly shouts, "Let's see what else he'll do!"
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Joey and Chandler's Escalating War causes Phoebe's dress to get stained with hummus. Rachel has to help her find a replacement in addition to getting ready herself, which just adds to Ross's stress.
- Not What It Looks Like: A dress that Ross suggested for Rachel was actually a Little Bo Peep costume, and the discussion prompts Rachel to tell Chandler that she wants the sheep prop back. Chandler at least claims he simply used it as a pillow for when he went camping, though Ross is clearly skeptical.
- Only Sane Man: Ross takes this role as Hilarity Ensues.
- Rage Breaking Point: Ross finally loses it when Rachel tries to decide which shoes to wear and suggests once again changing her outfit to compensate.
- Real Time: The only episode of the series to use it (although The Stinger takes place an hour or two later). Ross, consulting his wristwatch, provides running commentary — at least until it breaks ("My watch stopped. My watch— Okay, see, the little dinosaur tail isn't going around anymore—")
- Rhymes on a Dime: Lampshaded.Ross: It starts at 8. We can't be late.
Phoebe: We could not, would not, want to wait. - Schmuck Bait: The glass of chicken fat, used first by Chandler on Joey, and then by Joey on Ross.
- Sophisticated as Hell: "So in the words of A. A. Milne, 'Get out of my chair, dillhole!'"
- Suddenly Shouting: Leaving the room, Joey claims that he's going to do the opposite of Chandler hiding his underwear.Chandler: HE'S GOT NOTHING!
- This Is My Chair: Chandler and Joey fight over a chair.
