The eighth season of Friends aired from September 27, 2001 to May 16, 2002 in the US.
Season summary[]
Picking up from where the previous season left off, Season Eight begins with the girls sussing out which one of them is pregnant: Rachel. Then, as more of the gang find out, they discover that the child's father is Ross, following a one-night stand. As the two prepare for the arrival of their child, Phoebe tries to cover for Rachel by pretending she's pregnant. When Rachel bemoans that she's not able to date as often, Joey takes her for a night out but starts to feel attracted to her. However he knows that their dating isn't a good idea given her and Ross' history, and when Rachel finds out she lets him down gently. Joey also decides that Rachel should move in with Ross as he is missing important moments in her pregnancy and is desperate to have Rachel and the baby living with him. Joey remains greatly attracted to his roommate. Rachel's realization that she does not know how to care for a child leads to the prospect of her mother moving in with her and Ross. Rachel becomes frustrated when the baby is late.
Phoebe and Joey cause havoc when Monica and Chandler are on their honeymoon, Phoebe finds out her sister has been lying to her fiancé, Monica's hiring of a stripper leads to disastrous consequences, Rachel finds out her baby's father once hated her, Phoebe is desperate to meet Sting via Ross, who is nervous about sending out a Christmas card with girlfriend Mona, Chandler mistakes a birthing video for an X-rated movie, it transpires that Phoebe reads tea leaves, Monica goes very far to make her parents cry, Joey is reluctant when it comes to being interviewed, Monica's restaurant is given a terrible review and Joey is annoyed at Chandler when he falls asleep during the premiere of the movie he is starring in.
In the season finale, Rachel goes into a painfully slow labor while her friends get up to all sorts elsewhere in the hospital. Eventually she gives birth to a baby girl, Emma, however Ross isn't willing to restart their relationship now there's a child in the middle of it who could get hurt. Later, Joey is visiting Rachel when he sports a ring on the floor and bends down to pick it up. Rachel, however, thinks he's proposing... and accepts.
Cast[]
Main Cast[]
- Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Greene
- Courteney Cox Arquette as Monica Geller
- Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay/Ursula Buffay ("The One With The Halloween Party")
- Matt LeBlanc as Joey Tribbiani
- Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing
- David Schwimmer as Ross Geller
Recurring Cast[]
- Bonnie Somerville as Mona
- Sean Penn as Eric
- Alec Baldwin as Parker
- Eddie Cahill as Tag Jones
Trivia[]
- Season 8 was originally scheduled to premiere on Thursday, September 20, but it was cancelled due to the September 11 attacks, which caused entertainment to be postponed. Consequently, this season was pushed back until Thursday, September 27, 2001 and the promotion campaign was toned down almost to the point of abandonment.
- This was almost the last season as negotiations with the cast for season 9 were still ongoing until halfway through the season. Eventually the cast agreed to receive $1,000,000 per episode, an agreement which stretched into one final season.
Images[]
Visual effects comparisons[]
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See also[]
Episode List[]
| # | Total | Image | Title | Writer | Director | Original Airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 171 |  |
"The One After "I Do"" | David Crane & Marta Kauffman | Kevin S. Bright | September 27, 2001 |
| Monica and Chandler's wedding reception is almost upstaged by the news that someone may be pregnant. Phoebe suspects its Rachel and comes up with a plan to cover for her friend. | ||||||
| 2 | 172 |  |
"The One With The Red Sweater" | Dana Klein Borkow | David Schwimmer | October 4, 2001 |
| Monica and Phoebe speculate about who might be the father of Rachel's baby. Mistakenly thinking Phoebe is the one who's pregnant, Joey makes a gallant gesture. | ||||||
| 3 | 173 |  |
"The One Where Rachel Tells..." | Sherry Bilsing-Graham & Ellen Plummer | Sheldon Epps | October 11, 2001 |
| Everybody seems to know who the father of Rachel's baby is, except the guy himself: Ross. Phoebe and Joey fib about a gas leak to gain entry to Monica and Chandler's apartment. | ||||||
| 4 | 174 |  |
"The One With The Videotape" | Scott Silveri | Kevin S. Bright | October 18, 2001 |
| Ross and Rachel's attempt to explain how they wound up getting pregnant turns into an argument over who came on to whom - until Ross makes the shocking announcement that he has the encounter on videotape. | ||||||
| 5 | 175 |  |
"The One With Rachel's Date" | Brian Buckner & Sebastian Jones | Gary Halvorson | October 25, 2001 |
| Ross is horrified to learn that the pregnant Rachel is headed out on a date with a handsome actor, while Phoebe protests when Monica wants to fire a cute but clumsy sous-chef whom she fancies. | ||||||
| 6 | 176 |  |
"The One With The Halloween Party" | Mark Kunerth | Gary Halvorson | November 1, 2001 |
| At Monica's Halloween party, Phoebe meets her twin sister Ursula's fiance and finds herself attracted to him as well. | ||||||
| 7 | 177 |  |
"The One With The Stain" | R. Lee Fleming Jr. | Kevin S. Bright | November 8, 2001 |
| Ross learns Rachel wants to move out and find her own place... and suggests a vacancy in his building. But Joey gives Ross tough competition when he puts a nursery in their apartment to make her stay. | ||||||
| 8 | 178 |  |
"The One With The Stripper" | Andrew Reich & Ted Cohen | David Schwimmer | November 15, 2001 |
| Feeling guilty for denying Chandler a reach bachelor party, Monica arranges for a stripper to perform for him, but Chandler's in for a big surprise. | ||||||
| 9 | 179 |  |
"The One With The Rumor" | Shana Goldberg-Meehan | Gary Halvorson | November 22, 2001 |
| Monica bumps into an old high school friend and invites him to Thanksgiving dinner with the gang - unaware that he isn't exactly fond of Rachel. | ||||||
| 10 | 180 |  |
"The One With Monica's Boots" | Teleplay by Brian Buckner & Sebastian Jones, Story by Robert Carlock | Kevin S. Bright | December 6, 2001 |
| Chandler is peeved when Monica splurges on an expensive pair of boots. When Phoebe learns Ross's and Sting's children attend the same school, she angles to meet the celebrity and get concert tickets. | ||||||
| 11 | 181 |  |
"The One With Ross' Step Forward" | Robert Carlock | Gary Halvorson | December 13, 2001 |
| Ross becomes nervous when Mona wants to mail a joint Christmas card with the couple's picture. As the hormonal effects of her pregnancy kick in, Rachel searches for possible romantic partners - such as Joey. | ||||||
| 12 | 182 |  |
"The One Where Joey Dates Rachel" | Sherry Bilsing-Graham | David Schwimmer | January 10, 2002 |
| To prepare Joey for a big date, Rachel goes out with him for a night on the town. But things take an unexpected turn: the date is a success and Joey becomes intensely attracted to Rachel. | ||||||
| 13 | 183 |  |
"The One Where Chandler Takes A Bath" | Vanessa McCarthy | Ben Weiss | January 17, 2002 |
| Joey is crazy with guilt over his newfound affection for Rachel - and things get screwier when Monica mistakenly thinks he's infatuated with Phoebe. | ||||||
| 14 | 184 |  |
"The One With The Secret Closet" | Brian Buckner & Sebastian Jones | Kevin S. Bright | January 31, 2002 |
| Chandler becomes obsessed with finding out what is behind the locked door of Monica's forbidden closet. Phoebe feels betrayed when she discovers Monica has been using another massage therapist. | ||||||
| 15 | 185 |  |
"The One With The Birthing Video" | Dana Klein Borkow | Kevin S. Bright | February 7, 2002 |
| Monica goes all out for Valentine's Day with sexy lingerie and X-rated entertainment. But Chandler is too shell-shocked to respond after he accidentally watches a birthing video meant for Rachel. | ||||||
| 16 | 186 |  |
"The One Where Joey Tells Rachel" | Andrew Reich & Ted Cohen | Ben Weiss | February 28, 2002 |
| Joey tells Ross about his true feelings for Rachel. They agree that Joey should tell Rachel during dinner, regardless of the consequences. Chandler fears that Phoebe's new boyfriend Don may be more compatible with Monica than he is. | ||||||
| 17 | 187 |  |
"The One With The Tea Leaves" | Teleplay by Steven Rosenhaus, Story by R. Lee Fleming Jr. | Gary Halvorson | March 7, 2002 |
| Phoebe determine through reading tea leaves that she'll soon meet the man of her dreams. Feeling awkward after revealing his true feelings for Rachel, Joey keeps a low profile. | ||||||
| 18 | 188 |  |
"The One In Massapequa" | Teleplay by Mark Kunerth, Story by Peter Tibbals | Gary Halvorson | March 28, 2002 |
| Monica regrets her request to supplant Ross as the designated toast-giver at their parents' 35th wedding anniversary. Phoebe's latest boyfriend drives everyone at the party crazy with his upbeat optimism. | ||||||
| 19 | 189 |  |
"The One With Joey's Interview" | Doty Abrams | Gary Halvorson | April 4, 2002 |
| Joey is thrilled when his name is used in a Soap Opera Digest crossword. But he's reluctant for them to do a profile of him because his last interview got him into so much trouble he was written out of the show. | ||||||
| 20 | 190 |  |
"The One With The Baby Shower" | Sherry Bilsing-Graham & Ellen Plummer | Kevin S. Bright | April 25, 2002 |
| Rachel panics that she is unprepared to care for a newborn and reluctantly goes along with her mother's plans to move in and help out - which hardly makes roommate Ross jump for joy. | ||||||
| 21 | 191 |  |
"The One With The Cooking Class" | Teleplay by Brian Buckner & Sebastian Jones, Story by Dana Klein Borkow | Gary Halvorson | May 2, 2002 |
| Monica's restaurant is hit with a bad review, and she drags Joey along to a class taught by the critic in the hope of changing his mind. While shopping for baby gear, Rachel is put out when a salesgirl flirts with Ross. | ||||||
| 22 | 192 |  |
"The One Where Rachel Is Late" | Shana Goldberg-Meehan | Gary Halvorson | May 9, 2002 |
| An overdue Rachel will try anything to get the baby moving. Joey is ticked off when Chandler nods off during he screening of his new movie. | ||||||
| 23 | 193 |  |
"The One Where Rachel Has A Baby, Part 1" | Scott Silveri | Kevin S. Bright | May 16, 2002 |
| Rachel's baby nears delivery with an anxious Ross nearby. While she's in endless labor hell, her waiting friends cause hospital havoc. Chandler and Monica search for privacy in a quest to have their own baby. | ||||||
| 24 | 194 |  |
"The One Where Rachel Has A Baby, Part 2" | David Crane & Marta Kauffman | Kevin S. Bright | May 16, 2002 |
| Rachel has her baby and names her Emma. Joey finds Ross's ring and Rachel thinks Joey is proposing to her! | ||||||
| << Season 7 | Season 8 | Season 9 >> | |||||||
| #01 | "The One After 'I Do'" | #09 | "The One With The Rumor" | #17 | "The One With The Tea Leaves" | ||||
| #02 | "The One With The Red Sweater" | #10 | "The One With Monica's Boots" | #18 | "The One In Massapequa" | ||||
| #03 | "The One Where Rachel Tells..." | #11 | "The One With Ross's Step Forward" | #19 | "The One With Joey's Interview" | ||||
| #04 | "The One With The Videotape" | #12 | "The One Where Joey Dates Rachel" | #20 | "The One With The Baby Shower" | ||||
| #05 | "The One With Rachel's Date" | #13 | "The One Where Chandler Takes A Bath" | #21 | "The One With The Cooking Class" | ||||
| #06 | "The One With The Halloween Party" | #14 | "The One With The Secret Closet" | #22 | "The One Where Rachel Is Late" | ||||
| #07 | "The One With The Stain" | #15 | "The One With The Birthing Video" | #23 | "The One Where Rachel Has A Baby, Part 1" | ||||
| #08 | "The One With The Stripper" | #16 | "The One Where Joey Tells Rachel" | #24 | "The One Where Rachel Has A Baby, Part 2" | ||||