The One with George Stephanopoulos

A transition episode written by Alexa Junge that relies mostly on one liners and pop culture inside jokes rather than plot, this one serves a solid purpose in sketching out the characters a bit more and giving the audience a bit more background on the life and relationship dynamic of Ross in particular before the pilot that makes his awkwardness and lack of self confidence seem endearing and warming to the female audience of the show. Neither of the story lines really come alive but do take note of the pizza boy, he's now an excellent and versatile lead and character actor on many a popular TV show in the last twenty years since this aired. Most likely this episode was written in isolation and given the to ahead weeks and months before the writer had any idea how her episode would fit into the overall story arch and that's why you see it lacking in cohesiveness with the previous episodes in forwarding the plot line. Given its circumstantial limitations, this one still has a few memorable comedic scenes, though ends on a ridiculously silly note.

Than a rewatching 15/20 years later.

It was very good at it's time, and a good reason to continue watching the show.

It has the charm of early Friends, and funny scenes...but fails to really draw me in and leave me extremely entertained.

It being only episode 4, it's amazing.

But...the series gets way better...and also way worse.

I could easily give it a 6, as if it came on reruns, I could easily skip it...and 7's are usually automatic rewatched. So...this is a 6 masquerading as a 7.

I always remember this episode as the one where the crazed guy from The People Under the Stairs is a pizza deliveryman.

After it's best episode so far, this one falls a bit flat.

Plot In A Paragraph: Joey and Chandler take a depressed Ross to a hockey game to distract him from his problems, but an accident sees them spend the night at the hospital. Rachel is happy to get her first-ever pay-check, till she notices how little is left after taxes. Monica, Phoebe and Rachel get Bill Clinton's hunky PR guy George Stephanopoulos's pizza delivered by mistake, and spend the evening spying on him from Monica's balcony.

We also have a new opening featuring several scenes from episodes mixed in with the original opening of the gang in the fountain.

And the incredible catchy theme tune now has the hand claps inserted in to it.

I didn't find this show funny but it must have been because the laugh track featured heavily