S04E01

The One With The Jellyfish

Ross decides between Rachel and Bonnie. Joey, Chandler, and Monica face a jellyfish incident at the beach.

14 Scenes243 Lines
Scene 1

Joey lying on a beach towel, recapping what happened in the last episode

12 lines
joey
Joey
Okay, so we went to the beach, because Phoebe found out about this lady who knew her mom and dad, and I don't really know what happened with that.
[cut to Phoebe Sr.'s house, from the last episode]
Phoebe Sr.
(to Phoebe) I'm your mother.
phoebe
Phoebe
Ehh?
[cut to Monica opening the door of the beach house, with Chandler trying to pick her up for a date.]
joey
Joey
(voice-over) Oh, and then Monica joked that she wouldn't go out with a guy like Chandler...
chandler
Chandler
(to Monica) (in a funny voice) Hi there. (Monica turns her head away in disgust)
joey
Joey
(voice-over) ...and he couldn't let it go, and... I don't really know what happened with that either.
[cut to a montage of scenes involving Bonnie, Ross, and Rachel from the last episode.]
joey
Joey
(voice-over) Oh-oh! And then Ross's new girlfriend, Bonnie, shows up and Rachel convinced her to save her head. And then Ross and Rachel kiss, and now Ross has to choose between Rachel and the bald girl and I don't know what happened there either...
[cut back to Joey on the beach towel]
joey
Joey
Y'know what, hold on, let me go get Chandler. (gets up and leaves.)
Scene 2

The beach house, it's the same scene from the end of last year, with Ross in front of the two doors of Rachel's and Bonnie's rooms, trying to decide which door to choose. He finally chooses the one his right and goes in.

26 lines
ross
Ross
(surprised) Hi!
Rachel And Bonnie
Hi!
Bonnie
Rachel was just helping me out. My head got all sunburned.
ross
Ross
Awww.
Bonnie
(to Rachel) Thanks a million.
rachel
Rachel
Oh, you're welcome a million.
Bonnie
(getting up and leaving) (to Ross) Okay, I'll see you in our room.
ross
Ross
Yeah. (closes the door, and goes over and kisses Rachel.)
rachel
Rachel
(softly) Oh my God.
ross
Ross
I know.
(They both kiss again and fall onto the bed.)
ross
Ross
(stopping suddenly and getting up) Okay, I gotta go.
rachel
Rachel
Whoa! What?! Why?!
ross
Ross
Well, I-I gotta go break up with Bonnie.
rachel
Rachel
Here?! Now?!
ross
Ross
Well, yeah. I can't-I can't stay here all night, and if I go in there she's-she's gonna wanna... do stuff.
rachel
Rachel
Well, can't you tell her that you are not in the mood?
ross
Ross
No, she likes that. Yeah. Faking sleep doesn't work either, I can't tell you how many mornings I woke up with her...
rachel
Rachel
(interrupting) Whoa-ho.
ross
Ross
Whoa-oh, okay! Yeah, why am I telling you that?
rachel
Rachel
I don't know.
(they kiss again)
ross
Ross
Yeah, yeah. (opens the door) It wasn't every morning.
rachel
Rachel
Oh, making it worse!
ross
Ross
Okay.
OPENING CREDITS
Scene 3

Phoebe Sr.'s house, it's right after she told Phoebe that she's her birth mother.

16 lines
Phoebe Sr.
So I guess you'd like to know how it all happened.
phoebe
Phoebe
I-I mean I, well I think I can figure it out. I guess y'know I was born, and everyone started lying their asses off!
Phoebe Sr.
Noo! No! It wasn't like that I... Remember how I told you how Lily, Frank, and I we were, we were close. Well, we were, we were very close.
phoebe
Phoebe
How close?
Phoebe Sr.
Well, the-the three of us we were, kind of umm, a couple.
phoebe
Phoebe
I don't even know how that would work!
Phoebe Sr.
Well, we were...
phoebe
Phoebe
(interrupting) I'm not asking!
Phoebe Sr.
Well, any how, some how I got pregnant, and, and I was scared. I was stupid and sellfish, and I was 18 years old. I mean, you remember what it's like to be eighteen years old?
phoebe
Phoebe
Yeah. Let's see, my had Mom killed herself, and my Dad had run off, and I was living in a Gremlin with a guy named Cindy who talked to his hand.
Phoebe Sr.
Well, I'm so sorry. I thought I was leaving you with the best parents in the world, I didn't even hear about your Mom and Dad til a couple of years ago, and by then you were already grown up. I don't know, you're here, and I would, I would really, I would like to get to know you.
phoebe
Phoebe
Yeah, well, everybody does! I'm a really cool person. And y'know you had 29 years to find that out, but you didn't even try! Y'know what, you walked out on me, and I'm just, I'm gonna do the same thing to you.
Phoebe Sr.
Wait!
phoebe
Phoebe
I don't ever want to see you again!
(She walks out and slams the door.)
phoebe
Phoebe
(walking back in with her hand over her eyes.) Umm, where's my purse?
Scene 4

The beach house, Joey and Chandler are sitting at the dinner table, Monica is looking in the fridge.

14 lines
monica
Monica
(closing the fridge in disgust) Shoot! We're out of soda.
chandler
Chandler
(jumping up) Oh, I'll go out and get you some.
monica
Monica
Really?!
chandler
Chandler
Nope! Because I'm not your boyfriend. (to Phoebe, who's entering) Hey Pheebs, how did it go?
phoebe
Phoebe
Well, umm, my Mom's friend, Phoebe, is actually my birth Mom.
(The gang is shocked.)
chandler
Chandler
I found a dried up seashores.
monica
Monica
Sweety, what are you talking about?
phoebe
Phoebe
Oh, my new Mom, who-who's a big, fat abandoner! (starts to go upstairs)
joey
Joey
Whoa, wait, Pheebs, wait a second! Don't you wanna stay here and talk about it?
phoebe
Phoebe
No. I'm just, I wanna, I need to be alone.
(She starts to go upstairs.)
phoebe
Phoebe
(turning around, insistently) Monica!
monica
Monica
Oh.
Scene 5

The beach house, Rachel's bedroom. She is finishing up writing something as Ross walks through the door.

10 lines
ross
Ross
It's over.
rachel
Rachel
Oh, was it awful?
ross
Ross
Well, it was loong. I didn't even realise how late it was, until I noticed the 5 o'clock shadow on her head. (They both start to laugh, then stop themselves quickly.) Anyway, she didn't want to stay. I called a cab; she just left.
(They kiss.)
rachel
Rachel
I wrote you a letter.
ross
Ross
Ohh! Thank you! I like mail. (He goes to kiss her again, but she turns away.)
rachel
Rachel
(handing him the letter) It's just some things I've been thinking about. Some things about us, and before we can even think about the two of us getting back together, I just need to know how you feel about this stuff.
ross
Ross
Okay. (He leans in to kiss her again, but she leans back preventing him from making contact.) Wow, it's-it's 5:30 in the morning. (Rachel laughs) So, I'd better get cracking on this baby.
rachel
Rachel
Well, I'll be waiting for you, just come up when you're done.
ross
Ross
Okay, I'll be up in, (looks at the letter) 18 pages. Front and back. Very exciting.
Scene 6

The beach house, the next morning. Ross is passed out on the kitchen counter. He wakes up with a start and has one of the pages of the letter stuck to his face.

15 lines
ross
Ross
Oh. (looks at his watch) Oh-oh. (takes a drink of coffee and resumes reading the letter)
rachel
Rachel
(coming down the stairs) Hey! (Ross jumps up, and quickly puts the letter back together, pretending like he has just finished it.) What happened to you? Why didn't you come up?
ross
Ross
Done!
rachel
Rachel
You just finished?
ross
Ross
Well, I wanted to be thorough. I mean this-this is clearly very, very important to you, to us! And so I wanted to read every word carefully, twice!
rachel
Rachel
So umm, does it?
ross
Ross
I'm sorry.
rachel
Rachel
Does it?
ross
Ross
Does it? Does it? Yeah, I wanted to give that whole 'Does it?' part just another glance.
rachel
Rachel
What are you talking about, Ross, you just said that you read it twice! Look, y'know what, either it does or it doesn't, and if you have to even think about it...
ross
Ross
(interrupting) No, Rach, no. I don't, I don't, I don't have to think about it, in fact, I've decided, I've decided that, that it.......does.
(Rachel stands there for a moment, starting to cry. Then gasps and runs over and hugs him. While hugging her, Ross tries to find the 'Does it?' part in the letter.)
rachel
Rachel
Are you sure?
ross
Ross
Oh, sure! I'm sure.
rachel
Rachel
I know. (Hugs him more violently this time and pushes him back away from the letter.)
Scene 7

The beach. Chandler and Monica are out getting some sun.

23 lines
chandler
Chandler
All right, there's a nuclear holocaust, I'm the last man on Earth. Would you go out with me?
monica
Monica
Ennnh.
chandler
Chandler
I've got canned goods.
joey
Joey
(jumping up in a hole that he is digging, he is shoulder deep) Hey, you guys! Take a look at this! (Chandler and Monica jump up and go over to the hole.) Check this baby out, dug me a hole!
chandler
Chandler
Excellent hole, Joe.
(A wave crashes on the beach and partially fills up his hole.)
joey
Joey
Oh no! No!! My hole!!
monica
Monica
(screaming in pain) Ow!! Ow!!!
joey
Joey
(climbing out of the hole) What?! What?!! What is it?!
monica
Monica
Jellyfish sting! Oh, it hurts! It hurts!! It hurts!!
chandler
Chandler
Well, can we help?! You want us to take you back to the house?!
monica
Monica
It's like two miles!
joey
Joey
Yeah, and I'm a little tired from digging the hole.
monica
Monica
Oh damn the jellyfish. Damn all the jellyfish!
chandler
Chandler
We've got to do something!
joey
Joey
Well, there's really only one thing you can do.
monica
Monica
What?! What is it?!
joey
Joey
You're gonna have to pee on it.
monica
Monica
What?!! Gross!!
joey
Joey
Don't blame me, I saw it on The Discovery Channel.
chandler
Chandler
Y'know what, he's right. There's something like uh, ammonia in that, that like kills the pain.
monica
Monica
Well forget it! It doesn't hurt that (tries to take a step) baaad!!!!
joey
Joey
If you want some privacy you can use my hole.
Scene 8

The beach house, Phoebe is coming down the stairs all packed and ready to go.

15 lines
phoebe
Phoebe
Well, I'm ready to get the hell out of here! (Sees Ross and Rachel cuddling on the couch.) Oh. Are you? Are you?!! (they nod 'Yes.') Ohh! That's so great!! Ooh, not for Bonnie. (they nod 'No.') But for you, yay! Ohh.
(The rest of the gang arrives with their heads down in shame.)
ross
Ross
Hey!
rachel
Rachel
How was the beach?
monica
Monica
Nothing, I don't know.
ross
Ross
What happened?
monica
Monica
Nothing. I'm gonna take a shower.
chandler
Chandler
Me too!!
joey
Joey
Me too.
phoebe
Phoebe
Okay, I'm gonna put this (her suitcase) in the car.
rachel
Rachel
Ooh, I have to go pack. (Gets up to do so.) It really does?
ross
Ross
It does. It really and truly does.
(Rachel kisses him, and goes upstairs. After she's gone, Ross frantically tries to find and read the 'Does it?' part.)
ross
Ross
(finding the part) (looks up in disgust) It so does not!!!
COMMERCIAL BREAK
Scene 9

Central Perk, Ross is telling Joey and Chandler about the letter.

10 lines
ross
Ross
She wants me to take responsibility for everything that went wrong in our relationship. I mean she goes on for five pages about, about how I was unfaithful to her! (Both Joey and Chandler shrug their shoulders as to say "Well...") (yelling) WE WERE ON A BREAK!!!!!
chandler
Chandler
Oh my God! If you say that one more time, I'm gonna break up with you!
ross
Ross
Fine! Fine! But this break-up was not all my fault, and she, she says here, (reading from the letter) "If you accept full responsibility..." (to Chandler and Joey) Full responsibility! "...I can begin to trust you again. Does that seem like something you can do. (yells at Joey) Does it?!!"
joey
Joey
No?
chandler
Chandler
Look, Ross, you have what you want, you're back with Rachel. If you bring this up now you're gonna wreck the best thing that even happened to you.
ross
Ross
(calming down) Yeah, I know. I mean, no, you're right. Yeah I guess I'll let it go. But you-you understand how-how hard it is to forget about this.
joey
Joey
Sure, it's hard to forget! But that doesn't mean you have to talk about it! A lot of things happened on that trip that we should never, (to Chandler) ever talk about.
ross
Ross
What the hell happened on that beach?!
joey
Joey
It's between us and the sea, Ross!
(Ross laughs and has a 'Come on...' look on his face as he looks and Chandler who nods his head in agreement with Joey. Ross is stunned.)
Scene 10

A hallway in an apartment building. Phoebe is knocks on a door and it opens.

16 lines
phoebe
Phoebe
(to the person that answered the door) Hi, Ursula.
Ursula
Hey!
phoebe
Phoebe
Okay, well umm, I know that we haven't talked in a long time, but umm okay, our Mom is not our birth Mom. This-this other lady is our birth Mom.
Ursula
Right, okay, the one that lives in Montuak, umm-hmm.
phoebe
Phoebe
(shocked) You know her?!
Ursula
No, I umm, I read about her in Mom's suicide note.
phoebe
Phoebe
There-there was a suicide note?! (Ursula nods 'Yes.') Well, do you still have it?
Ursula
(disgusted) Hang on. (She goes into her apartment and slams the door in Phoebe's face.)
phoebe
Phoebe
I can't believe you didn't tell me there was a suicide note!
Ursula
Yeah. So how have you been doing?
phoebe
Phoebe
I, umm, shut up!
(Ursula opens the door and hands her the note.)
phoebe
Phoebe
(reading from the note) "Good-bye Phoebe and Ursula. I'll miss you. P.S. Your Mom lives in Montauk." You just wrote this!
Ursula
Well, it's pretty much the gist. Well, except for the poem. You read the poem, right?
phoebe
Phoebe
Noooo!!
Ursula
All right, hang on! (She takes the note, goes back into her apartment and slams the door shut.)
Scene 11

Monica and Rachel's, Chandler, Monica, and Joey are sitting at the table eating dinner and not talking. Ross and Rachel are outside cuddling on the balcony.

31 lines
monica
Monica
Pass the cheese, please.
(Joey hands her the cheese without looking at her.)
monica
Monica
My God, you can't even look at me! Can you?
joey
Joey
Nope.
(Phoebe enters.)
chandler
Chandler
(jumping up) Hey! Phoebe! We can talk to Phoebe!!
phoebe
Phoebe
No. I'm-I'm to depressed to talk.
chandler
Chandler
I'll give you a thousand dollars to talk to us.
ross
Ross
(coming back in with Rachel) Hey, you guys! What do you, what do you think about making that beach trip an annual thing?
joey
Joey
NO!!!
rachel
Rachel
All right, that's it, you guys! What happened out there?
monica
Monica
What? We took a walk, nothing happened. I can back with nothing all over me.
rachel
Rachel
Come on!
ross
Ross
What happened? Joey?
joey
Joey
All right. (gets up)
monica
Monica
(stopping him) No! Joey, we swore we'd never tell!
chandler
Chandler
(running over and joining Monica) They'll never understand!
joey
Joey
Well, we have to say something! We have to get it out! It's eating me alive!! Monica got stung by a jellyfish.
monica
Monica
(interrupting) All right!! All right. (walks slowly into the living room) I got stung. Stung bad. I couldn't stand. I-I couldn't walk.
chandler
Chandler
(following Monica) We were two miles from the house. Scared and alone. We didn't think we could make it. (He goes to put his hands on Monica's shoulders but for some reason can quite complete the action and pulls back.)
monica
Monica
I was in too much pain.
joey
Joey
And I was tired from digging the huge hole!
chandler
Chandler
And then Joey remembered something.
joey
Joey
I'd seen this thing on The Discovery Channel...
ross
Ross
Wait a minute! I saw that! On The Discovery Channel, yeah! About jellyfish and how if you... (stops suddenly and turns to look at Monica) Ewwww!! You peed on yourself?!
rachel
Rachel
Ewwww!!
monica
Monica
You can't say that!! You-you don't know!! I mean I thought I was gonna pass out from the pain! Anyway I-I tried, but I-I couldn't...bend that way. So... (looks at Joey.)
rachel
Rachel
(turning to look at Joey) Ewwww!!
joey
Joey
That's right I stepped up! She's my friend and she needed help! And if I had too, I'd pee on anyone of you! Only, uhh, I couldn't. I got the stage fright. I wanted to help, but there was too much pressure. So-so I uh, I turned to Chandler.
chandler
Chandler
(wails loudly into his hands) Joey kept screaming at me, "Do it now! Do it!! Do it! Do it now!!" Sometimes late at night I can still here the screaming.
joey
Joey
(laughs) That's 'cause sometimes I just do it through my wall to freak you out.
Scene 12

Central Perk, Phoebe is finishing up a song.

21 lines
phoebe
Phoebe
(singing) "...fuchsia and mauvvve. Those are the 66 colours of my bedroommmm." (applause) Thank you, thank you. Ohh, and I invite you to count the colours in your bedroom. (Sees that Phoebe Sr. has entered, and to her) Except for you. You go away.
Phoebe Sr.
I'll go in a second, I-I just wanted to tell you that there hasn't been a day where I didn't regret giving you up.
phoebe
Phoebe
Okay, bye.
Phoebe Sr.
No, I'm not done. I-I-I just want you to know that I, the reason I didn't look you up was, well I was afraid that you'd react, just well like, the way, the way you're reacting right now, and can't we just, y'know, start from here?
phoebe
Phoebe
No.
Phoebe Sr.
Sorry. But just one last thing. Y'know you came looking for family. I'm family, I'm it. Now, now I'm done. (starts to leave)
phoebe
Phoebe
But, it's not like we're losing anything. Y'know?
Phoebe Sr.
Yeah, I guess you're right.
phoebe
Phoebe
It's not like we-we know each other or anything. Or that have anything in common.
Phoebe Sr.
Well, I don't know. I mean it's not like we don't have anything in common. I mean I like uh, pizza.
phoebe
Phoebe
I-I like pizza!
Phoebe Sr.
You do?! Wait, I like umm, the Beetles.
phoebe
Phoebe
Oh my God, so do I!
Phoebe Sr.
I knew it, wow!!
phoebe
Phoebe
Wait-wait-wait, wait! Puppies. Cute or ugly?
Phoebe Sr.
Ohh, so cute.
phoebe
Phoebe
Uh-huh, well! But umm, still I'm-I'm mad at you.
Phoebe Sr.
I know. I'm mad at me too.
phoebe
Phoebe
Well umm, do you wanna get something to eat? I'm kinda hungry.
Phoebe Sr.
Hey! Me too!
phoebe
Phoebe
All right, stop it. Now you're just doing it to freak me out.
Scene 13

Rachel's bedroom. Ross and Rachel have just finished consummating the new relationship.

28 lines
rachel
Rachel
Oh-hooo, I missed you.
ross
Ross
I missed you too.
rachel
Rachel
Ooh, I was soo nervous about that letter. But the way you owned up to everything, it just showed me how much you've grown. Y'know?
ross
Ross
(getting miffed) I suppose.
rachel
Rachel
You have! Ross, you should give yourself credit. I mean my Mom never thought this would work out. It was all, "Once a cheater, always a cheater."
ross
Ross
(getting angry) Umm-hmm.
rachel
Rachel
Ooh, I just wish we hadn't lost those four months, but if time was what you needed just to gain a little perspective...
[cut to Monica cleaning the floor in the kitchen]
ross
Ross
(yelling from the bedroom) WE WERE ON A BREAK!!!!!!!
chandler
Chandler
(entering with Joey) (to Monica) Coffee house?
monica
Monica
You bet.
[cut back to Rachel's bedroom with both of them hurriedly getting dressed]
ross
Ross
And for the record, it took two people to break up this relationship!!
rachel
Rachel
Yeah! You and that girl from that copy place, which yesterday you took full responsibility for!!
ross
Ross
I didn't know what I was taking full responsibility for! Okay?! I didn't finish the whole letter!
rachel
Rachel
What?!!
ross
Ross
I fell asleep!
rachel
Rachel
You fell asleep?!
ross
Ross
It was 5:30 in the morning, and you had rambled on for 18 pages. Front and back!! (they go into the living room, trapping Monica, Chandler, and Joey in the kitchen) (to Rachel) Oh-oh-oh, and by the way, Y-O-U-apostrophe-R-E means 'you are,' Y-O-U-R means 'your!'
rachel
Rachel
Y'know I can't believe I even thought about getting back together again! We are so over!!
ross
Ross
(starts to cry) FINE BY ME!! (he opens the door and traps Chandler behind it)
rachel
Rachel
Oh, oh, and hey-hey-hey, those little spelling tips will come in handy when you're at home on Saturday nights playing Scrabble with Monica!!
monica
Monica
Hey!!
rachel
Rachel
(to Monica) Sorry!! (to Ross) I just feel bad about all that sleep you're gonna miss wishing you were with me!
ross
Ross
Oh, no-no-no don't you worry about me falling asleep. I still have your letter!!!
rachel
Rachel
And hey! Just so you know, it's not that common! It doesn't happen to every guy! And it is a big deal!!
chandler
Chandler
I KNEW IT!!!!
CLOSING CREDITS
Scene 14

Monica and Rachel's, Chandler and Monica are playing cards at the dinner table.

6 lines
monica
Monica
(sets down some cards) Gin.
chandler
Chandler
We were playing Gin? Y'know if we were a couple, we could play this game naked.
monica
Monica
Will you stop!
chandler
Chandler
Okay. All right.
monica
Monica
Okay, all right, I think you're great, I think you're sweet, and you're smart, and I love you. But you will always be the guy who peed on me.
END