The One With The Home Study

"The One With The Home Study" is the seventh episode of the tenth season of Friends, which aired on November 13, 2003.

Plot

A social worker called Laura is visiting Chandler and Monica to determine if they are good parents and to put them on the waiting list at the adoption agency. Upon arriving, she realizes she remembers the building because she'd slept with Joey and he never called her back, to which Monica and Chandler quickly pretend to not be friends with him. Joey comes in to attempt to boost their chances (because he's a celebrity and it looks good on the small people but Chandler quickly slams the door and claims it's a crazy person roaming the halls called Bert. Joey climbs up the fire escape with a bat thinking Bert is their codeword for danger. Laura spots him but Joey manages to turn it around on her saying she didn't call him, he compliments her and tells her for those reasons he would have called. She is flattered and apologizes for it, though he rejects her. Chandler and Monica are amazed by Joey's performance while Laura is embarrassed and apologizes for the scene and she says that Monica and Chandler will be excellent parents and puts them on the waiting list.

Phoebe and Mike are planning their wedding and decide to not have a big fancy wedding and donate their wedding funds to a children's charity. However, after Monica gives Phoebe her veil and doesn't hide her negative feelings about Phoebe getting married at the city hall, Phoebe and Mike decide they want the money back, which they get with a lot of sarcasm from the staff member serving them. Phoebe however realizes that those kids had a similar childhood to hers and decides to again donate the money but when they get there, she keeps on changing her mind. The member of staff, frustrated with their inability to make their decisions, rejects the money instead, encouraging them to enjoy their wedding. Phoebe and Mike are satisfied with the outcome, as they can come back after the wedding and make a bigger donation.

Rachel tells Ross he can't take Emma on the swings because of a traumatic incident she had as a four year old girl, getting her hair tangled in the swings and having to have a chunk cut out. Ross convinces her otherwise and Rachel changes her mind when she sees how happy Emma is, but after Ross is knocked over by a kid on a swing, Rachel goes back to banning Emma from the swings. However, they compromise and Ross holds a spider in his hand (he has a fear of spiders) and Rachel goes on the swings, but accidentally knocks Ross over again after telling him the spider was on his neck.

Cast and Crew

Main Cast

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

Supporting Cast

Paul Rudd - Mike Hannigan
Matt Winston - Desk Clerk
Maria Pitillo - Laura
Cali Sheldon - Emma Geller-Green
Noelle Sheldon - Emma Geller-Green

Crew

Directed By:
Kevin S. Bright

Written By:
Mark Kunerth

Trivia

General

The role of Laura was originally called Kevin. He was going to be played by Geraldo Rivera in a cameo appearance until scheduling conflicts made this impossible.
It was previously established in "The One With The Holiday Armadillo" (S7E10) that Rachel likes spiders.
Chandler make up the names Bert (for Joey) and Ernie (his caretaker), two characters of Sesame Street. He also mentions how the two "have a big yellow bird", referring to Big Bird from the show. Ironically, in "The One Where Joey Moves Out" (S2E16), Joey said "we're not Bert and Ernie".
This is one of two episodes where Ross and Rachel have a plot line and scenes together without interacting with the other friends. The other episode was The One With The Truth About London (S07E16), although Ross does have a scene with Chandler, Phoebe and Mike at the start of the episode.
Ross says he'll have his next wedding in Hawaii. His next wedding will be the permanent one to Rachel, the love of his life, shortly after the series finale.
Rachel says she'd want Claire Danes to play her in the story of her life. Claire Danes played Juliet in the film version of Romeo and Juliet, a tragic love story by William Shakespeare.

Goofs

When Phoebe and Mike first donate the money to the children, the way the man is holding the check changes depending on the shot.
When Chandler kisses Monica, her hand is on his arm. In the next shot, when she says "Tongue, really?" her arm is loose.
Ross, when lamenting his break up with Charlie, states to Rachel that she's the only attractive paleontologist. He dated Julie in season 2, who is also a paleontologist he found attractive. He also went out with a paleontology doctoral candidate in The One With The Dirty Girl Chandler called her "the most beautiful girl in the world." Phoebe and Monica make comments stereotypical of male cat-callers with "Come to papa" and "did you see the ass on her?", respectively. Rachel thinks she is an aerobics instructor.
When Rachel is explaining to Ross that she does not want Emma going to the playground, and Ross finishes replying "Because..." in the cut back to Rachel, her voice clearly does not sync up with the movement of her mouth for the words "must know."
Ross says to Rachel that Emma that only has 3 hair's, but she has a lot more hair's on her head. However, this could have been an exaggeration.
It is highly unlikely, though not impossible, that Ross would be afraid of spiders as a Paleontologist. He likely would understand that the majority of them are not aggressive, and he would also know that they are venomous, not poisonous.

External links

The One with the Home Study at the Internet Movie Database

Episode Navigation

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Preceded by "The One With Ross' Grant"	Series Ten Episodes	Followed by "The One With The Late Thanksgiving"


<< Season 9		Season 10
#01	"The One After Joey And Rachel Kiss"		#07	"The One With The Home Study"	#13	"The One Where Joey Speaks French"
#02	"The One Where Ross Is Fine"		#08	"The One With The Late Thanksgiving"	#14	"The One With Princess Consuela"
#03	"The One With Ross' Tan"		#09	"The One With The Birth Mother"	#15	"The One Where Estelle Dies"
#04	"The One With The Cake"		#10	"The One Where Chandler Gets Caught"	#16	"The One With Rachel's Going Away Party"
#05	"The One Where Rachel's Sister Babysits"		#11	"The One Where The Stripper Cries"	#17	"The Last One, Part 1"
#06	"The One With Ross' Grant"		#12	"The One With Phoebe's Wedding"	#18	"The Last One, Part 2"