Second Look: Friends Season 4, Episode 9 – “The One Where They’re Going to Party!”

Friends Season 4, Episode 9 “The One Where They’re Going to Party!”
Written by Ted Cohen & Andrew Reich
Directed by Peter Bonerz
Aired December 11, 1997 on NBC

As a classic ‘between plots’ episode of Friends, it would be natural for “The One Where They’re Going to Party!” to feel a little bit low stakes, especially after hitting such an emotional high in the closing moments of “The One With Chandler in a Box”. And while it would be hard to argue this episode is an entirely effective introduction for the rest of the season four, there’s a really strong connective tissue formed between the three plots of this episode – an impressive effect, considering the incredible variance in emotional weight displayed in each individual story.

The key to unlocking “The One Where They’re Going to Party!” is right in the title itself – which at first, seems like a strange choice for an episode title. After all, this is an episode where Ross and Chandler spend most of their time getting hyped up for a crazy night of adventures that never comes to be; from the outset, “The One Where They’re Going to Party!” is warning us things are not exactly as they might seem.

Chandler and Ross’s giddiness at the impending arrival of their friend Gandalf (the “party wizard”) is ostensibly the C-plot of the episode – but it provides the thematic underpinning of the entire episode… and in some ways, is more reflective of the show’s ethos itself than many other episodes of the series. Friends, from the moment Rachel walks into a coffee shop in a wedding dress, is a series about the unexpected, inevitable twists life hands us, from the small inconveniences of a friend canceling a last minute road trip, to the more prescient, major moments seen in this episode: specifically, the abrupt realization of how fleeting time is, or an unexpected opportunity completely resetting the path we’ve set ourselves on.

Though its execution of this idea through the three stories is a bit varied, I really like how unassuming the episode is about its thematic connections. As the comedic valve of the episode, Ross and Chandler’s cognizant reflections on how they’ve gladly left their party days behind them isn’t necessarily given a lot of emotional space – nor should it, since it reserves that energy for two more interesting, dynamic plot lines (at least, conceptually).

For Monica, “The One Where They’re Going To Party!” is actually a really important episode, marking the beginning of the end of her professional arc on the series (given she would remain at Alessandro’s until leaving for another restaurant in season nine). But her new professional opportunity as a head chef – at a restaurant whose cooking she just ripped to shreds, earning her no favors in her new kitchen – comes with a bit of personal strife; the episode opens with Phoebe buying a van for their burgeoning catering business, which she’s quickly stuck holding the bill for when Monica bails for her new fancy chef position.

Phoebe’s frustrations at Monica for abandoning their business forms the emotional core of “The One Where They’re Going to Party!” – and it is an obvious weak link, an arc that hinges on Phoebe’s anger, which is never the strongest version of that character (or Kudrow’s performance). It speaks to the consistency of her character outside of this episode, that her sudden anger feels a bit facsimile; we all know she’s going to ultimately be supportive of her friend and former roommate, even if she’s not intrigued by a single idea Monica has for alternative van uses (which mostly boil down to variations on pickups and deliveries).

It shrinks even further in the episode’s final scene, when Monica is introduced to a group of people she got paid $0.01/word to dump on in her short-lived guest column. Phoebe’s temporary anger is nothing compared to the psychological horror of leading a team of people who despise you; and once that is presented as the real potential roadblock to Monica’s professional happiness, “The One Where They’re Going to Party!” it’s only natural for Phoebe’s dramatics to take a backseat, and her to become a more passive presence in the episode.

I think most would consider Monica’s brief foray into food criticism as the central plot of “The One Where They’re Going to Party!”, but for my money, the Rachel plot is far and away the highlight of the half hour, and where its ruminations on life’s surprises find resonance. After applying for an opening as a junior buyer in another department, Rachel is sabotaged by Joanne (making her third and final appearance), who accuses her of sleeping around and being terrible in front of the entire hiring committee during her interview. After confronting Joanna after the meeting, Rachel finds herself poised to get a raise, her own office, and an expense account – that is, until Joanna is hit by a cab and killed, and Rachel watches her dream job immediately slip through her fingers.

The scene where Rachel learns the bad news is a great one, another instance where Friends leans softly into cringe comedy for some strong results. Watching Rachel try to fenagle whether her promotion was confirmed out of her grief-stricken colleague is a surprisingly relatable moment – so is Sophie’s hilarious reaction when she joyfully arrives in the office, already keen to the fact her abusive boss is no longer among the living. It’s a great scene, one that captures the shock and horror that comes with such abrupt, disturbing news – and also makes room for a little humanity, as Rachel’s slightly selfish intentions drive her feelings, rather than actual sadness at the loss of her boss (and supposed “mentor”).

“The One Where They’re Going to Party!” isn’t a particularly elegant Friends episode; as noted, the tambor of its three stories are somewhat incongruent, and there’s probably a little bit too much of Ross, Chandler and Joey’s slow realization that they’re no longer the exuberant youth they once were, given the episode doesn’t offer anything but resignation as its resolution. However, it sticks the landing in successfully uniting its disparate strands of plot and character with a compelling final scene, solidifying itself as one of the better ‘between’ episodes of Friends of recent vintage.

Grade: B

Other thoughts/observations:

• I’m not sure the writer’s room even knew it yet at the time, but Joanna’s death is really the catalyst for the entire Emily/Ross arc to follow later this season, and is a really important moment in defining Rachel’s arc for the season (unfortunately, it’s not exactly for the better).
  
• Although the staging is never great, I’m a sucker for an outdoor cold open, which we get with everyone looking at Phoebe’s new van (and the light-up boobs of the woman painted on it).
  
• I do appreciate Monica is willing to give up her new job to honor her commitment to Phoebe. But as Phoebe notes, “I really don’t want to be the reason I’m unhappy.” I do wish they had played with the Odd Couple potential of their pairing a bit longer, though.
  
• Joey: “Remember when we saw those strippers and you paid me 50 bucks to eat that book?”
  
• Monica’s writing gig comes from filling in for a cooking school buddy nicknamed Cilantro Larry – my question is, when did she go to cooking school?
  
• Ross and Chandler tickling fingers is never not hilarious.
  
• Taylor Negron, a terrific character actor, plays Alessandro, in what is unfortunately his only appearance.
  
• I also love how Rachel tries to share her exciting news and doesn’t want to tell Monica
  
• Ross: “And so what if I like to go home, throw on some Kenny G, and take a bath!”
  
• Monica: “With a pinch of excitement, a dash of hard work, and a dollop of cooperation, we can have the recipe for… are you guys going to kill me?”
  
• Extended thoughts: Not much here, except for Rachel noting that she probably lost her virginity in the back of Phoebe’s van (which has a waterbed her and Monica consider keeping, I might add).
  
• Up next: Ross struggles with the commute of New York City in “The One With the Girl From Poughkeepsie.”