Second Look: Friends Season 4, Episode 17 – “The One with the Free Porn”

Friends Season 4, Episode 17 “The One with the Free Porn”
Written by Mark Kunerth (story), Richard Goodman (teleplay)
Directed by Michael Lembeck
Aired March 26, 1998 on NBC

How much is too much of a good thing? Though “The One with the Free Porn” posits this question in a rather explicit, front-facing way with Joey and Chandler’s television, it unsuspectingly sets up Friends for a really strong episode about friendship, determination – and, in ways both funny and emotional, trusting one’s instincts. Though there are certainly some creative and technical nitpicks to be found in the third act of the episode, “The One with the Free Porn” shines in how effortlessly it incorporates a simple idea – the concept that perhaps, 24/7 free porn might be too much of a good thing – to explore the insecurities facing both Ross and Phoebe at critical junctures in their current situations.

The genius, of course, is that “The One with the Free Porn” hides some of its meaning behind its silliest story; while Joey and Chandler adventures are always a source of comedy for Friends, it is rarer that the two serve a deeper thematic purpose for the rest of the Central Perk Six – that is, except for season four, which has used the already-forgotten Kathy conflict to broaden the possibility space for what these two characters can do together.

And for the entirety of the episode, Joey and Chandler’s discovery of free porn on their TV is not something deep – or really anything even connected to other characters, except when Monica starts to realize that she’s probably been watching too much porn in her former apartment. But what mostly serves as a hilarious runner also provides a starting point for Ross and Phoebe’s character-focused stories, which are both examining the same question – how can we trust our feelings when we are experiencing infatuation – from two incredibly unique, (almost) equally satisfying angles.

As it has all season, Phoebe’s pregnancy arc remains one of the golden standards for the sitcom genre; divorced from any silly mysteries or romantic necessities, Phoebe’s pregnancy has provided a rare opportunity for a Friends character to learn about themselves through the lens of something other than their job or romantic relationship. That has not only made her story unique to her character, but also for the show – and quite frankly, a genre that’s always been a little too addicted to throwing an unnecessary pregnancy/baby plot line into a show. Surprisingly, her character has blossomed, transforming her from a bohemian with weird dating habits to a woman taking the broken pieces of her lineage to create her own new family.

“The One with the Free Porn” is the episode we learn, alongside Phoebe, that she’s having triplets – a situation that immediately excites Frank Jr. and Alice, until all three contemplate what new challenges that brings the couple who just spent their entire life savings trying to have one baby. As she’s done all season, Lisa Kudrow absolutely carries this episode with Phoebe’s internal conflict, as she tries to contend with the idea she may be giving her long-lost brother too big of a gift for them to handle. It turns the psychological plight of Joey and Chandler’s minds into something more grounded and tangible; can someone have too much of exactly the thing they really want – and what happens when you really can’t flip the channel and escape reality?

To its credit, “The One with the Free Porn” doesn’t make this a melodramatic pursuit; assuming the limited availability of Giovanni Ribisi and Debra Jo Rupp, it’s a smart move for this episode to focus its attention on Phoebe’s reaction to the news of her incredibly hospitable womb. Once she hears Frank’s deflated voice talking about his “new dream of having three kids and no money!”, she takes it upon herself to find a career where she can support them all, exploring the idea of being a knife saleswoman, before landing on opening a massage parlor with Frank, in order to give them both some hope of steady employment (and hopefully at this point, he remembers she doesn’t work at a particular brand of massage parlor).

My only real gripe in “The One with the Free Porn” is how ultimately, the Phoebe story is pushed out of the foreground for Ross’s declaration of love, an honorable attempt at a romcom plot that ends up being a victim of its own ambitions. For the most part, Friends‘s attempt to redeem Ross after his season three debacle has mostly worked; but when Ross reluctantly confides in Monica his feelings for Emily and she pushes him to get his Nora Ephron ending, “The One with the Free Porn” spends less time contemplating the impulsiveness of Ross’s actions (notice how quietly absent Rachel is at key parts of this episode), than it does working towards a heartfelt, if emotionally muted ending, where Ross ends up in London to confess his love, and Emily returns to New York to do the same (right after telling Ross there was some second random dude we never hear about again, a brief plot point I wish was left on the cutting floor).

I appreciate what the scene is going for; and despite Emily’s rather muted presence struggling a bit to justify her presence in what’s immediately become a significant plotline, it mostly works. But without Ross going on the same emotional journey as his counterparts (whether through porn or pregnancy), the impact of that final phone call lands a bit softer than it’s clearly intended to, especially following Phoebe’s emotional moments with her brother and sister-in-law.

(It also kind of looks like crap, even in the HD transfer – the use of lighting is too sparse and ineffective to either be inviting or dramatic, and ends up kneecapping an otherwise effective Ross scene).

The final reveal and conversation between the two lovahs makes for a nice moment, one that isn’t quite passionate or exciting enough to be truly memorable (again, if not for what this development precedes), but effective enough alongside the episode’s other stories. More importantly, it works as an intriguing opening chapter to season four’s final act – which, unlike the two seasons prior, isn’t hampered by a middling middle section to recover from. By all metrics, Friends is enjoying one of its most consistent runs to date in season four – the only thing left then, of course, is to stick the landing.

Grade: B+

Other thoughts/observations:

• There’s a bit in the beginning of Traeger cleaning out the pipes in Joey and Chandler’s bathroom I really enjoy.
  
• “You could get to live out my fantasy.” “You’ve had fantasies about Emily?”
  
• Phoebe thinks about birthing triplets: “It’s going to be like one of those log rides when they all come shooting out!”
  
• Sometimes we forget what a Thing Toblerone in airports was in the 1990’s – little bit of nostalgic twinge there, even if it’s not a candy I purchase.
  
• It would’ve been nice for Joshua to appear to defend his clear lie about watching porn, though at least we get Chandler and Joey’s smug recognition of his cliched responses.
  
• Joey contemplates his future: “Someday, [my] kid is going to ask me if I ever turned off free porn.”
  
• Boy, a storyline about access to porn would be very different on a 2024 sitcom. And no, it would not be funny or enjoyable for anyone involved.
  
• Part 2 of Phoebe’s plan to get rich is to buy a Saturn dealership – nobody tell her how that one turns out.
  
• “The One with the Free Porn” is quietly a great episode about Ross and Monica’s dynamic – and why Monica so often exudes side character energy in the show’s early seasons.
  
• Great Paulo callback! (has it really been 12 years since I wrote about “The One with the Blackout”? Jeez.)
  
• Ross glances at the porn in horror: “It’s like a snake pit.”
  
• Yes, Relaxi-Cab is better than Relaxi-Taxi.
  
• An interesting choice to have Ross once again in the rain dealing with his feelings for a woman – this has been used at pivotal points in the series, including “The One with the List” and more recently, “The One at the Beach”.
  
• Extended thoughts: Man, I really love the bit over the closing credits, where Frank Jr. mentions he favors the “middle one”, to the chagrin of Phoebe and Alice.
  
• Up next: Rachel tests the cutting edge of fashion in “The One with Rachel’s New Dress”.