Second Look: Friends Season 2, Episode 15 – “The One Where Ross and Rachel… You Know”

(Editor’s note: Seasons 1 and 2 were reviewed under an earlier editorial standard and format. They’ll be revisited in the Second Look Remastered series, running January – June 2027. Subscribe to Processed Media (it’s free!) so you don’t miss the updates.)

Love and mustaches are in the air in “The One Where Ross and Rachel… You Know”, which brings Tom Selleck into the fold for a memorable episode. It nudges up against the border of sappy and sentimental in certain moments (especially with Ross and Rachel), but like any show kicking off a big emotional arc, Friends wants to have the cake and eat it, too – and at least for this episode, it works, mostly because it’s one of the funnier episodes of the season.

In last season’s “The One with All the Poker”, Monica warned Rachel that a first date with Ross would be like an eighteenth date with someone else. This sentiment holds true in “You Know”, just with a shitload of sexual tension thrown on top, as Ross and Rachel try to stop looking and thinking of each other with the tints of platonic friendship. It fails miserably at first; while making out in Rachel’s apartment, she starts laughing at Ross’s sexual advances (“all I could think was: Ross is touching my butt!”). As most people would know, trying to date someone you’ve been friends with – even if there’s a natural attraction to each other, however subtle it may be – trying to ‘cross the line’ can be a really, really uncomfortable thing.

That being said, if there’s one flaw to pick out in the episode, it’s some of the chemistry between Aniston and Schwimmer. The scene where they go to talk in the hallway is particularly awkward – in part because of the current dynamic between the characters, but I can’t help but feeling that Schwimmer reaches his limits in the more romantic moments, with his droopy, I’m-in-puppy-love face that brings back memories of some of his showier tendencies early in the first season. But this is a minor complaint, and with the ‘awkward couple’ material largely out of the way in this episode, it’s not something that becomes a problem again (at least in my memory – don’t quote me on that).

Their last scene together holds up better than I remember: even though the “juice box” joke doesn’t quite have the punch the audience reaction suggests it does, there are some really great moments between them that actually establish a foundation the previous 38 episodes struggled to find. It’s one of the first times the audience can really feel the attraction between them – and not just because they’re expressing it physically, but because they’re simultaneously embracing this bold new direction in their lives; ‘crossing the line’ might be a great situation for some comedy, but that comes with ramifications. As Rachel points out, “it’s not that funny anymore” now that it’s real – even best friends that fall in love have to take it seriously.

Of course, “The One Where Ross and Rachel… You Know” also marks the arrival of Richard Burke and his mustache, which wobbles the knees of every woman he comes in contact with. Straight, gay or both, there isn’t a man or woman on earth who can’t be charmed by Tom Selleck, so it’s completely believable he could step right in, and swoop Monica off her feet with his sophisticated masculinity. Them coming together does lean a little heavy on ‘love at first sight’ cliches (tinged with the irony of him being her father’s best friend), but it comes together well, mainly because it’s good to finally see Monica catch a break with guys: she’s been dealt a shit hand all season, and finally finding someone she can connect with is both a nice moment for her, and a way to instantly make Richard appealing to the audience.

And then there’s Joey and Chandler, who manage to sit in the same Lazy Boys for the whole episode, and still be the funniest part of it. Now that Joey’s got some Days of our Lives money (for now, at least), he decks out the living room, and the two pledge to sit in the chairs for as long as humanly possible. They order food to Monica’s apartment, they throw shoes at doors to get people’s attention, and they try and gravitate all conversation and activity around them (but not in front of them, mind you) – and it’s utterly hilarious, thanks to Chandler (Joey doesn’t even have to say anything, and their subplot still shines).

Like I said last week, Rachel and Ross (plus the arrival of Richard) really give a spark to a largely uneven second season – a focus and energy that’s immediately apparent in “You Know”, and would mostly carry through the rest of the back half.

Other thoughts/observations:

• Chandler: “sweet mother of all that is good and pure.”
• Richard’s monologue about post-divorce head tilts and bobs is such a great way to introduce a character. It establishes that he’s getting over his ex-wife, that he’s a little unsure of how to start a conversation (basically deflecting pain into easy humor), and that he’s charming as a motherfucker.
• Chandler and Joey embodying Beavis and Butthead is one of my favorite closing tags of any show. So ’90s.
• do Ross and Rachel have sex from the planetarium to the exhibit? That always bugs me about that final shot.
• Rachel has glasses?
• Phoebe is…. still breathing.
• in case you forgot, Rachel’s dumb: “I couldn’t follow that movie.” Ross: “I told you there were subtitles,” as if he was talking to a four-year-old.
• Up next: A seismic shift occurs in “The One Where Joey Moves Out”.

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