Second Look: Friends Season 4, Episode 18 – “The One with Rachel’s New Dress”

Friends Season 4, Episode 18 “The One with Rachel’s New Dress”
Written by Andrew Reich & Ted Cohen (story), Jill Condon & Amy Toomin (teleplay)
Directed by Gail Mancuso
Aired April 2, 1998 on NBC

“The One with Rachel’s New Dress” is a Friends episode that asks a rather simple question: yes, history repeats itself – but does it always have to? It’s an idea the series returns to frequently throughout the series, usually alongside observational comedy about the intergenerational trauma shared between the Central Perk Six and their parents. It’s also, of course, a question the series would revisit ad nauseum with Rachel and Ross – and to its credit, “TOW Rachel’s New Dress” avoids falling into that trap with an incredibly paced, balanced, script, one focused instead on Phoebe’s unnamed third triplet and Ross’s insecurities (with an amusing side of Rachel’s lingerie mishap) to drive home the subtle pathos lying underneath its jokes.

It certainly is an episode that gets off to a strong start; it’s not often Chandler and Joey are both paired with Phoebe, and the immediate debate that springs up when Phoebe finds out she can name the third triplet makes for hilarious fodder, as both men make their case for being the namesake of Frank and Alice’s final child (alongside Leslie and Frank Jr Jr). Chandler tries to convince Phoebe his name is “sophisticated, funny, and lovable once you get to know him”, while Joey argues that is a “stupid non-name” and that his name represents a certain strength and masculinity – it’s all classic Chandler/Joey fodder, with the bracing undercurrent of Phoebe’s pregnancy to give it a pinch of pathos.

Where the story ultimately lands is a place I really love; after being ridiculed by Joey, Chandler embarks on a journey to try and change his name (either to Clint, Mark Johnson, or John Markson), in an attempt to escape the life long shame he’s experienced as Chandler. Phoebe rejects this idea on its face, recognizing that it’s more likely Chandler’s last name that has caused him so much strife and bad luck in life; and ultimately, it’s what becomes the deciding factor between his name and Joey’s – it’s been well-established how well Phoebe and Chandler understand each other, and her choosing his name to break the proverbial cycle and prove to him he isn’t cursed because of his name makes for an unsuspectingly touching moment, and the perfect foundation for the rest of the story to draw its poignancy and humor from.

It’s crafted with such a smart, subtle touch, it very nearly overshadows the A story it is trying to support; Ross having some unfortunate flashbacks when Susan and Emily spend time together in London (a byproduct of Susan traveling overseas for a commercial shoot). Classically speaking, Ross being insecure is an avenue to the weakest form of storytelling around his character; “The One with Rachel’s New Dress” graciously bucks this trend by refusing to let Ross revert to his most annoying, cloyish behavior; instead, the episode smartly integrates Carol into the story, as she remembers her own courtship with Susan and the convenient parallels between their courtship and Susan’s newfound friendship with Emily.

What could’ve easily become a bitter, obnoxious subplot in previous seasons turns out to be an unexpected moment of healing for Ross and Carol; though they bond over Susan’s perceived (and invisible) gay powers, this episode is an important step in his quickly-developing relationship with Emily, and the audience’s ability to invest in it. As Rachel points out, Ross’s insecurities have affected all of his post-Carol relationships – and if he isn’t able to let go of that, he’s never going to have a chance at holding onto the cute, funny English woman he’s fallen head over heels for (and who, at least for now, lives an entire ocean away). Without learning to trust, Ross is going to be stuck in the same old broken cycle – and it’s there where “The One with Rachel’s New Dress” really sticks the landing in its stories of old habits dying hard.

The weakest part of the episode, strangely enough, comes from its namesake; and as it has been for multiple episodes, it is not at the fault of Aniston’s performance of Rachel, which has hit some serious comedic highs in Friends‘s fourth season. It’s a bummer the narrative hasn’t been able to meet her energy at any point; her burgeoning relationship with Joshua is so disconnected from the rest of the Friends-iverse, everything about it feels like an afterthought. Some of this also comes from the clear emphasis on Ross and Emily – but Friends has spent a half-dozen episodes trying to bring this plot into focus, a series of increasingly silly, underwhelming stories whose entire arc is mostly “Wow, Rachel is still awkward around boys!”.

There’s just not a lot of meat on that bone; and even when “The One with Rachel’s New Dress” has attempts to be comedic, it quickly backs away and cuts to a different set of characters. Her meeting Joshua’s parents in negligee is good for a laugh or two; but it’s never something that develops, just a cheap, titillating laugh without even a sliver of investment in how Rachel would handle the increasingly awkward situation she volunteers to keep herself engaged in. And when this season is delivering such strong stories with its other characters (save for Joey and perhaps Monica, whose mid-season benching remains a curiosity), it sticks out like a sore thumb, to the point where it feels like Aniston’s riffing and the laugh track are covering up for an utter dearth of understanding how to evolve her character independent of Ross – after all, even her season three arc became defined by Ross’s presence, rather than the astounding growth her character was put through.

Thanks to the other two stories of this episode, Rachel’s plot can exist mostly for laughs; but as the season pivots even more towards a story about Ross and Emily, the less and less gravitas Rachel’s pursuit of Joshua has. Though it’s certainly a smart move to have this story, if only to act as a distraction for Rachel’s character during Ross and Emily’s budding romance, it just never has been able to get off the ground – some of this comes from Tate Donovan’s incredibly underwhelming performance (his “oh my god” when he sees Rachel “dressed up” is a choice, and not a good one), but most of it is textual, as Friends has consistently only played the Rachel/Joshua story for laughs, rather than something meaningful to move her character forward (even The Ultimate Fighter gave us that, if nothing else).

Friends just won’t commit to the Rachel/Joshua dynamic; look no further than the fact her and Joshua’s scenes with her parents (shout out to Matthew Perry’s father, John Bennett Perry, as Joshua’s dad!) end just as they begin to get really uncomfortable and interesting; rather than lean into that, Friends cuts it off at the knees – we never see these characters in the same room again, muting the impact of Rachel’s titular dress as a comedic device, and ultimately betraying just how little these writers are invested in the current state of her affairs.

Though Rachel’s story continues to be a blemish on most of season four’s middle chapters, “The One with Rachel’s New Dress” continues this season’s trend of resisting the listless, counterproductive empty comedy of seasons past with more rewarding, engaging stories to fill the time between the season premiere, sweeps week, and its season finale. With a more focused approach to its serialization, and a much more balanced, palatable approach to observing its characters (in both positive and negative light), episodes like “The One with Rachel’s New Dress” aspire to something more than a few cheap laughs and a dramatic turn or two.

Those elements are still clearly front and center, but season four’s taken a much more endearing, cathartic approach to telling the stories of its late twentysomethings, which allows it to build to moving moments like Phoebe and Chandler’s embrace, or even Ross and Carol crushing on a hot woman together (“that’s nice luggage”). It’s those moments of incidental connection that drive the heart of Friends, and seeing those elements alive and well in “The One with Rachel’s New Dress” is an encouraging sign as the season begins building towards the monumental season finale to come.

Grade: B+

Other thoughts/observations:

• Ross, being progressive: “If Mommy can have a wife, then Daddy can have a bra.”
• Drums are easier to carry around a guitar when pregnant? Um… absolutely not?
• Chandler posits Exxon as a potential name: “Certainly worked for that Valdez kid.”
• I also wish this episode would’ve made the dinner scene a bit longer before it shifted to the weird, out of left field “Joshua is uncomfortable with animals” bit. It’s nowhere near as funny as Rachel trying to explain her way through a dinner she didn’t cook.
• It is not often you hear references to the 1982 gay sports film Personal Best – but here we are!
• after Rachel puts the chick and duck out in the hallway and knocks on Joey’s door, he comes out, astounded: “hey, how’d you do that?”
• I love Carol’s pansuit. That is all.
• “Joshua, that $500 was for groceries!” is the only real line Joshua’s mother has, but it’s a good one!
• Rachel: “I jumped up and my boob popped out! It’s alright, I got nice boobs.”
• Extended thoughts: there’s a great running bit cut from the broadcast version about Chandler and Joey losing at foosball, even though they are playing together against no real opponent.
• Up next: The Gellar children make a pair of important decisions in “The One with All the Haste”.