Ross gets a date and whitens his teeth in preparation for it, but they become far too white. Phoebe claims to have made out with Ralph Lauren, which Rachel uses as gossip to get along better with her boss. Joey has a problem with Janine making their apartment "too girly".
Tropes:
- As Himself: Ralph Lauren himself appears in the episode.
- Gone Horribly Right: The whitening gel Ross uses is left longer than directed, resulting in teeth so pearly white, it entices awkwardness from his friends who can't ignore them. Despite his best attempts to hide it later, his date becomes uncomfortable when she shows off blacklight art.
- In Touch with His Feminine Side: Janine gets Joey to enjoy girly things including potpourri, knitting and flower-arranging, and Monica has Ross use make-up to make his ridiculously over-whitened teeth less noticeable. Making potpourri sachets with Monica in one day prompts Chandler to seek guy time with the other men, but walking in on Joey and Ross in feminine situations, Chandler is upset that he is now the Only Sane Man in this.
- One-Hour Work Week: Lampshaded. Rachel, Monica, Ross and Chandler talk about how their bosses don't seem to like them much. Joey, in a rare moment of wisdom, comments that it's probably because they're hanging out in a coffee house at 11:30 am on a Wednesday.
- Uncomfortable Elevator Moment: Much of Rachel's part of the story takes place in awkward elevator encounters with her boss Kim, who's cold to her. And Ralph Lauren himself twice steps in the elevator, making things even more awkward because of the gossip that Rachel spread.
