Phoebe brings a tape of a friend of hers giving birth for Rachel. She leaves it at Monica's apartment and Chandler mistakes it for porn. The content disturbs them and ruins their Valentine's. Phoebe lends a friend's dog to Joey to help him get over Rachel moving out. Ross struggles to tell Mona about Rachel moving in with him.
Tropes:
- Bait-and-Switch: Chandler explains he watched the birthing tape thinking Monica got him porn for Valentine's Day. She reacts, as if ready to chastise him for mistaking her intentions, but then shows him the real porn tape she got him.
- Brick Joke: Chandler watches the birthing video by accident, thinking Monica got him porn for Valentine's Day. Turns out she did get him porn - on another video, about a woman who uses sex to get to stardom. That tape is heard in the tag scene, where Rachel accidentally watches it, mistaking it for the birthing video she was meant to watch.
- Cliffhanger: Joey tells Ross that he has feelings for Rachel at the end of the episode. It cuts to the credits without showing Ross' reaction. Also, the show went on a two week hiatus for the Winter Olympics.
- Comically Missing the Point: Rachel decides to watch the birthing video to know what she's in for, she fails to realize she grabbed the porn tape Monica got for Chandler by accident and thinks the video is explaining how she got pregnant.
- Crotch-Glance Sex Check: Joey does this to the dog Phoebe leands him to see if it's a boy or a girl.Joey: You understand, right? You're a guy. [lifts the dog by its front legs and looks] Well, you used to be.
- Cuteness Proximity: Rachel starts cooing over the dog and worries she won't be able to stop before her big meeting.
- Delivery Stork: Invoked in the extended cut of the episode. Rachel tries to convince Monica to watch the tape by pointing out that she wants to have babies some day too. Monica replies that "the stork is gonna bring mine!"
- I Have This Friend: Joey explains his situation regarding Rachel to Ross. But Joey says he's interested in a woman from work. And she used to date another friend from work. Ross says Joey should talk to the guy first, and maybe he will be all right with it.
- Internal Reveal: Ross learns about Joey's feelings for Rachel.
- One-Steve Limit: Averted by the family in the tape. The child being born is named Cookie, as is her father. After saying this out loud Phoebe pauses for a second before asking herself why she's friends with the couple.
- Precious Puppy: Phoebe brings Joey a cute, fluffy dog to make him feel better. He tells the dog about his situation with Rachel which just makes the dog sad.
- Ready for Lovemaking: Monica gets dressed up in sexy lingerie to surprise Chandler for Valentine's Day. Watching the birth video completely kills his mood. And it isn't the porn video she bought for him to play either.
- Screaming Birth: No footage of the birthing video is shown, but the woman's yells are loud and clear and part of why Monica, Chandler and later Rachel are so disturbed.Rachel: Why is that baby torturing that woman?!
- Take Our Word for It: The contents of the birthing video aren't shown, with the only thing we get being screams of the mother. But apparently it's so graphic, Chandler compares it to Jaws making people afraid to go swimming.
- Valentine's Day Episode: Monica and Chandler gear up to spend Valentine's as romantically as they can, but viewing the birthing video ruins everything. Mona wants to spend the day with Ross at his apartment, but is shocked that he has his ex-wife (Rachel) living with him and they break up.
- Wham Line: Joey delivers one to Ross as they discuss the girl he likes:Joey: It's Rachel. (Ross stops in his tracks hearing this)
