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The One With The Ring

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"The One With The Ring" is the twenty-third episode of the sixth season of Friends, which aired on May 11, 2000. In it, Chandler plans to propose and Phoebe is told to hide it, Rachel considers breaking up with Paul after a date goes wrong and he cries, and Ross and Joey think Chandler is mad at them when they forget to buy him a ticket to a Knicks game.

Plot[]

Only Phoebe knows and is allowed to know about Chandler's plan to propose (since she walked in on him looking at ring brochures) to Monica, and they look for an engagement ring together. To cover for their secrecy Phoebe tells Ross that Chandler is avoiding him because he is angry with him. Things are going well between Rachel and Paul except Rachel wishes he would open up a little and talk more about himself. When Paul finally does share some stories he gets very emotional and can't stop crying.

Chandler and Phoebe find the perfect ring but Chandler remembers that he'd loaned his credit card to Joey. He leaves Phoebe in charge of making sure nobody else buys the ring while he goes to get his card back, but she fails at her job when she gets distracted trying on half the jewelry in the store. Chandler ends up buying a different ring, one that is more expensive, but in his opinion also ugly. Phoebe remembers overhearing the man who bought the ring Chandler originally wanted, telling the store clerk where he was going to propose to his girlfriend, so she and Chandler track the man down at a restaurant and convince him to trade rings. 

Eventually pulling himself together, Paul apologizes to Rachel for overwhelming her so much with all his crying, and they make up and have sex. But afterwards he can't keep himself together and starts bawling again, so Rachel dumps him.

Ross and Joey believe that Chandler is angry at them because they didn't get him a ticket to a Knicks game and decide to make up for it by buying him one for tonight's game, but Chandler says he can't go. Ross and Joey decide to simply stop talking to Chandler. Chandler comes to the apartment and tries to talk to the guys, but they watch a game on TV and refuse to acknowledge his presence until Chandler stands in front of the TV and announces that he's going to ask Monica to marry him, after which Joey immediately turns off the TV. Ross is ecstatic that he and Chandler are going to be brothers-in-law. Joey, on the verge of tears and looking for tissues (none left thanks to Paul) announces he's gonna cry, which is when Rachel walks in, unable to tolerate it , although she immediately becomes happy when Chandler tells her he got a ring and is going to propose to Monica. Ross attempts to tell Phoebe the good news, but she tells them she already knows and that she was with Chandler picking out the ring, upsetting Joey and Ross who go back to giving Chandler the silent treatment.

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[]

Bruce Willis - Paul Stevens
Oliver Muirhead - The Jeweler
Brian Dunkleman - The Customer
Janet S. Blake- Jeweler #2
James Michael Tyler - Gunther (uncredited)

Crew[]

Directed By:
Gary Halvorson

Written By:
Ted Cohen & Andrew Reich

Quotes[]

Chandler: Pheebs, can you help me pick out an engagement ring for Monica? I can’t figure this out. It’s so hard. Should I get her a Tiffany cut or a Princess cut or a — ah, ah! Paper cut!
Phoebe: Now, have you told anyone else?
Chandler: No, I don't want to tell anybody else, because I don't want Monica to find out.
Phoebe: You told me.
Chandler: Well, it's because I trust you, you're one of my best friends, and you walked in on me when I was looking at ring brochures.
Phoebe: Yeah; well, once again, not knocking pays off. I only wish you hadn't been on the toilet.
Chandler: Me, too.

Phoebe: So how are things going with Paul?
Rachel: Good. Although, you know, he — he’s a private guy. You know, I wish I could get him to open up a little bit, share some feelings.
Phoebe: That's easy! You just have to think of him as a — as a jar of pickles that won't open.
Rachel: So, what are you saying; I should run him under hot water and bang his head against a table?
Phoebe: No, that's what you do when you want to get the truth out of someone.

Rachel: They say that still waters run deep, and I wanna swim in yours.
Paul: Are you talking about having sex?

Chandler: Sir, can I ask you to, um, could you hold out that ring and ask me to marry you?
Jeweler: OK... Will you marry me?
Chandler: Oh, my God - that's it! That's the ring. How much is it?
Phoebe: Chandler, I — I will handle this. How much is it?
Jeweler: $8,600.
Phoebe: We will give you ten dollars.

[Rachel's attempt to get Paul to open up backfired on her when he kept crying while sharing his feelings]
Rachel: This is all my fault; I wanted him to open up. But, God, I didn't know that I was gonna unleash this - this weepy, clingy, moist monster!
Monica: You know, I only know of two surefire ways to shut a man up. And one of them is sex.
Rachel: What's the other one?
Monica: I don't know. I've never had to use the other one.

[Paul is still crying as Chandler enters Joey and Rachel's apartment]
Paul: Rachel?
Chandler: No. How are ya, Paul?
Paul: [acting manly to try and cover up his crying] Okay. Chandler, did your dad ever hug you?
Chandler: No, did he hug you?
Paul: No! No! It’s just that... my dad never did. I miss my dad.
Chandler: Well, you can see my dad in Vegas kissing other dads.
Paul: Hey, Chandler?
Chandler: Yeah?
Paul: Would you... Would you hug me?
Chandler: I’m a little busy here, Paul.
Paul: That’s exactly what my dad used to say! [starts to break down again]
Chandler: Okay, a quick one. Come on hug it out. [Paul rushes over and hugs Chandler tightly] Oh, hey! There you go. [the hug continues] Okay. [the hug continues]
Paul: Five more seconds.
Chandler: Okay! [pushes him away]
Joey: [entering] Hey!
Paul: Joey! [goes over and hugs Joey and picks him off of his feet]
Joey: Whoa, whoa, hey, hey! [motions to Chandler, "What’s going on?"] Hi, Paul, is it?
[Paul nods yes and still hugs Joey]

[Joey and Ross think that Chandler is angry at them]
Ross: He didn’t want to talk to us about being angry. Well, maybe we don’t talk to him at all!
Joey: Ooooh! Freeze him out.
Ross: That’s right!
Joey: I like it!
Ross: Eh? We’ll show him!
Joey: From now on, it’s gonna be Joey and Ross, best friends. [they shake hands] Okay! We’re gonna be the new Joey and Chandler.

[Joey and Ross are watching TV at Joey and Rachel's apartment as Chandler enters.]
Chandler: Guys? [they ignore him] I’ve got something important to tell ya. [still nothing, so he walks over and stands in front of the TV] Guys? [they lean over to try and watch the TV, Chandler mimics them] Guys?! [pause] I’m gonna ask Monica to marry me.
Joey: [to Ross] I think we gotta end the freeze out.
Ross: Wait a minute. Is this — is this for real?
Chandler: Yeah, check out the ring. [shows it to them]
Joey: Oh, my God!
Ross: So you two are really serious?
Chandler: Yep, pretty much.
Ross: You — you’re gonna get married?! I mean... We’re gonna be brothers-in-law! [they hug]
Joey: And — and — and — and — and — and, and we’re gonna be friends again!
Chandler: [goes to hug Joey and stops short] Hey — What?
Joey: Oh, it’s water under the bridge. Forget it!
Chandler: OK! [they hug] I was gonna wait ‘til, uh, it was official, you know? But I got so excited I just had to tell you guys because you’re my best friends.
Joey: I think I'm gonna cry!
Rachel: [entering] Ugh! No more crying - please! I just dumped one crybaby - I'll dump you, too!
[Ross and Joey urge Chandler to tell Rachel]
Chandler: I’m gonna ask Monica to marry me.
Rachel: Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, Chandler! [hugs him] You guys are gonna be so happy!
Chandler: I know.
Joey: [holding an empty tissue box] Where’s all the tissues?! [throws the box down in disgust]

Trivia[]

General[]

  • This is the last appearance of Bruce Willis as Paul Stevens.
  • This is the only episode in which Paul appears but Elizabeth doesn't. Indeed Elizabeth isn't even mentioned.
  • Monica only appears in one scene in this episode.
  • At the end of the uncut episode when Ross, Rachel, and Phoebe are talking about the ring, Ross says that the ring Chandler picked out was so beautiful. Phoebe then says to Ross "You should know, you've bought like a billion of them!" Rachel then remarks that out of Ross' wives, she is the only one that never got a ring. When Ross asks if this is an issue, she denies it but claims it would be nice to have a memento of their brief marriage, "other than the divorce papers and the hangover." When Ross jokingly suggests that he never got sex from her when they were married, she jokes back "No ring, no sex, big surprise(!)"
    • In the next episode "The One With The Proposal", while the friends are looking at Chandler's ring and Ross compliments it, Rachel repeats Phoebe's line "You should know, you've bought like a billion of them!", to which Ross shoots her down by saying "Yeah, you didn't get one."
    • Ironically one month before Monica's wedding, they will sleep together when Emma is conceived.
  • When Paul hugs Joey, Joey says "Hi. Paul, is it?" Chandler says the same line in "The Pilot" (S1E01) to Paul the Wine Guy.
  • In "The One With The Candy Hearts" (S1E14), Rachel mentions that she had a boyfriend called Pete Carney who used to cry after sex; which is exactly the same thing that Paul does in this episode.
  • The Magna Doodle reads "Rachel call D. St George". This is a reference Edward St. George, a hairstylist who worked on the set of Friends at the time.

Goofs[]

  • When Joey gives Gunther Chandler's credit card, it is a MasterCard. When Joey gives it back to Chandler, it is an American Express card.
  • Phoebe says she heard the man tell the jeweler where he's going to propose, but she didn't even know the man was buying it while she was trying on the tiara. She couldn't have overheard him or known it was him who bought the ring at the time. Also, she just heard where he's going to propose, not where or what day.
    • It is likely that Phoebe overheard and listened in, not thinking that he was picking out Chandler's ring. Also, when the jeweler who was serving Chandler asked the other jeweler, she said that she "just sold it to that gentleman" gesturing to the guy who just left the store.
  • Paul would have dehydrated himself since he was crying for 14 hours.
  • In the opening shot of Phoebe and Chandler in the nine millionth jewelry store looking for a ring, at the top of the screen we can see the tip of the boom mic moving in the wide shot. Then just as Chandler looks into the display case and says, "Ugly ring. Ugly ring. Ugly ring," the boom microphone can be seen moving around in the mirror's reflection behind him.
  • When Phoebe is trying on the jewelry and the revolutionary war musket, she asks the jeweler to try on the ring that her friend picked out. He asks for the "1920s princess cut ring" from the other jeweler who just sold the ring. The diamond could not be original to the 1920s ring since the princess cut was not developed until the 1960s.
  • When the jeweler is describing the ring to Chandler, it cuts to a shot facing Phoebe and Chandler from behind the jeweler. During this shot the jeweler is saying "..with Sapphires on either side," but his mouth is not moving.
  • Joey offers Ross pizza in this episode, yet in "The One With The Birth Mother", he claims/says he doesn't share food.
  • In one of Rachel and Paul's scenes, it is dark outside. In a later scene in Monica’s and Chandler’s apartment included on the DVD version, daylight can be seen out the window, but Chandler and Phoebe are wearing the same outfits as before, implying that it is still the same day. Later at the restaurant, it is dark out again.
  • When Rachel comes into the apartment while Paul is writing down his feelings, she places her purse and a brown bag on their sides on the counter. They remain on their sides until the very last shot when Paul approaches Rachel at the end, and then you briefly see both the purse and bag standing upright.

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 25
Preceded by
"The One Where Paul's The Man" 		Series Six Episodes Followed by
"The One With The Proposal, Part 1"
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