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"The One Where Chandler Takes A Bath" is the thirteenth episode of the eighth season of Friends, which aired on January 17, 2002.

Plot[]

After his date with Rachel, Joey finds it impossible to go back to thinking about her as just a friend, yet he can't talk about it, not even with Chandler. As Joey rambles, he shuts up when Phoebe enters, which makes Monica conclude he must be in love with Phoebe. Monica decides to tell Phoebe, who goes to tell Joey that she knows about his feelings and that it's unlikely to work out like Chandler and Monica. However, as Phoebe doesn't specify who the feelings are for, Joey believes she knows they're for Rachel and lets it slip that they are. Phoebe is surprised, but plays along that she already knew it was Rachel and assures him that his crush will eventually go away.

Considering baby names, parents to be Ross and Rachel find no word in common except 'veto'! They agree not to ask the child's sex, but Rachel has a moment of weakness and peeks at the file. Even though she didn't actually see the sex of the baby, Ross is convinced she did and calls the gynecologist to find out so that they both know. He then lets it slip that the baby is a girl even though Rachel didn't have the intention to know.

8x13-Celebrate

The friends hug as Ross and Rachel announce they are having a baby girl.....with Chandler in the bath.

When Chandler says he doesn't like baths, Monica is surprised because he always likes taking them with her. Chandler tells her he doesn't like the bath, he likes "the wet, naked lady" in the bath with him. Monica tries to convince him that he would like a bath if she showed him the right way to prepare one. When he finally agrees to try it he loves it, but when he tries to prepare his own bath he gets everything wrong, so next time Monica draws a bath for herself he steals it. Everyone gathers in the bathroom while Chandler is in the tub to share the news that Rachel and Ross are having a girl.

Cast and Crew[]

Main Cast[]

Jennifer Aniston - Rachel Greene
Courteney Cox - Monica Geller
Lisa Kudrow - Phoebe Buffay
Matt LeBlanc - Joey Tribbiani
Matthew Perry - Chandler Bing
David Schwimmer - Ross Geller

Supporting Cast[]

Amanda Carlin - Dr. Long
James Michael Tyler - Gunther (uncredited)

Crew[]

Directed By:
Ben Weiss

Written By:
Vanessa McCarthy

Trivia[]

183 - Joey's shirt

Joey with the Capt. Billy Burke shirt

  • Matthew Perry received his only Emmy nomination of the series for this episode.
  • Joey tells Phoebe he stayed up all night making a list of all the things he doesn't like about Rachel (although all he came up with was that she made him switch to light mayonnaise). This is the second time that one of the friends makes a list containing the things he doesn't like about Rachel. The first was Ross' infamous pro/con list, in "The One With The List". Unlike the latter episode, however, Rachel does not find Joey's list and therefore does not act upon it.
  • Even though Friends never directly mentions the 9/11 terrorist attack in the United States, in the opening scene Joey is wearing a shirt with the emblem for the FDNY with the name Capt Billy Burke, a NYC firefighter who lost his life on September 11, 2001 at the World Trade Center.
  • There's another 9/11 tribute in the form of a large flag in the back of the coffeehouse.
  • When Ross and Rachel are discussing baby names, Ross suggests Thatcher and Rachel suggest Sawyer. These are the last names of Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher from the Mark Twain novels.
  • Ross inadvertently reveals the sex of his and Rachel's child just like Rachel revealed the sex of Ross' child with Carol.
  • When Chandler is taking a bath, Monica suggests a beauty treatment, to which he responds: "I'm gonna need a bigger boat." This is a reference to Roy Scheider Jaws line: "You're gonna need a bigger boat".
  • Despite Chandler originally hating baths, he took one with Monica when they were hiding their relationship but he said it was the naked lady he actually liked.
  • While Chandler is taking a bubble bath, Rachel finally gets to see his "thing," which was supposed to be payback for when he saw her topless in "The One With The Boobies". She also sees it in "The One Where Chandler Crosses The Line" along with the rest of the gang when Chandler sits on the counter with his robe on.
  • When discussing names, Ross suggests "Helen", however, he displayed distaste for the name when it was suggested by Carol when she was pregnant with Ben. 
  • The box of "Frosted Flakes" seen by Joey is a box of Kellogg's Frosties complete with Tony the Tiger. 
  • This a list of original names for Emma:

Boy: Phoebo (in honor of Phoebe), Darwin, Thatcher, Dayton, Sawyer, Sequoia, and Stuart.

Girl: Phoebe, Sandrine, Rain, James, Ruth, Helen, Isabella and Delilah.

Unknown to Phoebe, the correct masculine equivalent of "Phoebe" is not "Phoebo", but "Phoebus".

  • Rachel suggests the name Sandrine for a girl. This name is similar to her mother's name, Sandra.
  • After the birth of his and Rachel's daughter, Ross initially chooses Isabella as her name before Monica gives them the name Emma which she'd saved for her own future daughter.
  • The name "Helen" is not too dissimilar to the name "Ella" which Ross suggests for their next child in "The One Where Rachel's Sister Baby-Sits".

Goofs[]

  • In this episode Chandler asks Monica to have sex on the balcony, but Monica doesn't like that idea. However in "The One With Phoebe's Husband", we learn that she had sex on the balcony with Fun Bobby. Maybe that's why she wouldn't do it again? Maybe it would remind her too much of her ex. Also her brother Ross now lives opposite and Rachel is a frequent visitor there and moves in later.
  • Chandler says it's two o'clock on a Wednesday afternoon so why isn't he at work?
  • When Monica first shows Chandler the toy boat, the smoke stack and cabin area are on the left as the camera shot faces Chandler but when Chandler's holding the cabin area is on the right viewed from the same camera position. However in the brief shot facing Monica, the cabin area is on the left despite both Monica and Chandler having held the boat in front of them the entire time.
  • When Monica is saying "I'm telling you.." while trying to convince Chandler about taking a bath, her mouth is not moving in sync with the words that are heard.
  • When Ross and Rachel are looking at the baby pictures, Ross comments about the third baby "why is it looking at me" and Rachel has her arms behind her but in the next shot they've instantly moved to below her belly. They couldn't have moved that quick.
  • When Chandler is having his third bath, the position of the bubbles over his chest go from just below his chin to below his throat between shots even though he hasn't moved.
  • The faucets of the bathtub are not connected to any pipes.
  • There are no reflections in the bathroom mirror.

External links[]

Episode Navigation[]

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
Preceded by
"The One Where Joey Dates Rachel"
Series Eight Episodes Followed by
"The One With The Secret Closet"
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