After discovering an old photo in a yearbook, Phoebe asked the gang to come along on a weekend trip to the beach, because she wanted to meet her mother's high school friend Phoebe Abbott, who lived in Montauk.
Ross's new girlfriend Bonnie couldn't come because of work, and Pete had another business trip, so it would be just the six of them, in a beach house given to Phoebe by one of her massage clients.
Joey tried to take Chandler's mind off his writer's block by playing in the sand, and Monica constantly called Pete on the cell phone that he had bought for her, until he gently asked her to make her calls less frequent. "Sorry, honey. I love you!"
Rachel and Ross flirted, until Bonnie unexpectedly arrived, then Rachel became sulky and jealous. How typical, that Rachel suddenly wanted Ross again, just because he was happy with somebody else. When Bonnie mentioned how she used to shave her head, Rachel convinced her to go bald again.
Ross found out and tried to yell at her, but Rachel said she still loved him and even kissed him. He was torn, so he told Joey and Chandler about it.
Joey was happy for Ross. "I'm telling ya, you guys are totally getting back together!"
"That's not true! I mean, she doesn't even know what she wants! She said she still couldn't forgive me for Chloe."
Chandler replied, "Oh, well then, you don't want the indecision. You gotta talk to her, work something out. If she's not over that, how are you two ever gonna move on? The foundation of a good, committed relationship is being able to trust each other, and..." He broke into laughter. "I can't believe it, I'm becoming a gay Ann Landers. Hey, that's what I should do: write an advice column called Dear Auntie Chandler!"
"Hey!" Joey smiled and pat his back encouragingly.
Ross coughed. "Hello? My problem with Rachel?"
"Oh yeah!" Chandler cleared his throat and became serious. "It seems to me, that you gotta back away from Rachel for now. I mean, you're with Bonnie, and you don't want to make a rash decision, only to find out that Rachel's not really ready to take you back. You don't need that kind of hurt."
Just then, Bonnie returned from her midnight swim in the ocean. "Hey!"
Chandler jumped when he saw her bald head. "Ah!"
She said goodnight to everybody and kissed Ross before she went upstairs to their bedroom.
"There is not one hair on that head," Chandler remarked, horrified.
Ross tried to be optimistic. "It'll grow back, right? Bonnie's really fun, and she's cool, and I'm finally moving on, you know? I mean getting over Rachel was so ugh! and I'm finally feeling sane again."
"Still," Joey counter-argued, "If you love Rachel, don't you wanna find out if there's a chance for you two? I mean, if I ever somehow lost Chandler, I'd do anything to get him back."
"Yeah?" Chandler gazed fondly into his eyes.
"Yeah." He kissed him.
Ross groaned with indecision again. "Oh, I used to have that with Rachel! But--but if I go up there, and I kiss her, and it doesn't work out... Do I really wanna put myself through that again?"
Joey frowned. "I'm sorry, man. I shouldn't have brought that up."
"No, no. It's okay." He sat down. "I gotta think this over. Thanks anyway for the advice."
"We're here for you." Chandler pat his shoulder.
"Thanks."
Joey asked, "You want us to stay?"
"Nah, I've already talked your ears off about this. Just, just go back to whatever you were doing before I interrupted you."
"Okay!" Joey pulled Chandler with him down to the beach, where they ran and splashed in the waves in the moonlight.
Ross turned away when he saw them start to make out and sink down on the beach towel they had brought.
***
Meanwhile, Phoebe shockingly found out that Phoebe Abbott, not Lily, was her biological mother. Phoebe yelled at her birthmother for abandoning her and having everybody lie to her, then stormed out.
When she returned to the beach house and told Monica, Joey, and Chandler what had happened, they were stunned and confused. Then Phoebe and Monica went upstairs to talk things over.
Joey and Chandler looked at each other.
"What is *up* with this beach trip?" Chandler asked. "First all this stuff with Ross and Rachel, and now Phoebe discovers weird stuff about her parents!"
"Sounds like a soap opera," Joey shrugged.
"Or an episode of Jerry Springer!" He laughed, then realized something. "Hey, it's like a trashy novel! I should totally write about this!"
"What? You sure?"
"Yeah! I'll change the names and some of the details, you know? Come on, I'll just try it, and if it's no good, I'll throw it away."
Joey shrugged and followed him upstairs. "And you know, there should be a sexy actor who plays a doctor on TV--and they *don't* drop him down an elevator shaft!"
Ross's new girlfriend Bonnie couldn't come because of work, and Pete had another business trip, so it would be just the six of them, in a beach house given to Phoebe by one of her massage clients.
Joey tried to take Chandler's mind off his writer's block by playing in the sand, and Monica constantly called Pete on the cell phone that he had bought for her, until he gently asked her to make her calls less frequent. "Sorry, honey. I love you!"
Rachel and Ross flirted, until Bonnie unexpectedly arrived, then Rachel became sulky and jealous. How typical, that Rachel suddenly wanted Ross again, just because he was happy with somebody else. When Bonnie mentioned how she used to shave her head, Rachel convinced her to go bald again.
Ross found out and tried to yell at her, but Rachel said she still loved him and even kissed him. He was torn, so he told Joey and Chandler about it.
Joey was happy for Ross. "I'm telling ya, you guys are totally getting back together!"
"That's not true! I mean, she doesn't even know what she wants! She said she still couldn't forgive me for Chloe."
Chandler replied, "Oh, well then, you don't want the indecision. You gotta talk to her, work something out. If she's not over that, how are you two ever gonna move on? The foundation of a good, committed relationship is being able to trust each other, and..." He broke into laughter. "I can't believe it, I'm becoming a gay Ann Landers. Hey, that's what I should do: write an advice column called Dear Auntie Chandler!"
"Hey!" Joey smiled and pat his back encouragingly.
Ross coughed. "Hello? My problem with Rachel?"
"Oh yeah!" Chandler cleared his throat and became serious. "It seems to me, that you gotta back away from Rachel for now. I mean, you're with Bonnie, and you don't want to make a rash decision, only to find out that Rachel's not really ready to take you back. You don't need that kind of hurt."
Just then, Bonnie returned from her midnight swim in the ocean. "Hey!"
Chandler jumped when he saw her bald head. "Ah!"
She said goodnight to everybody and kissed Ross before she went upstairs to their bedroom.
"There is not one hair on that head," Chandler remarked, horrified.
Ross tried to be optimistic. "It'll grow back, right? Bonnie's really fun, and she's cool, and I'm finally moving on, you know? I mean getting over Rachel was so ugh! and I'm finally feeling sane again."
"Still," Joey counter-argued, "If you love Rachel, don't you wanna find out if there's a chance for you two? I mean, if I ever somehow lost Chandler, I'd do anything to get him back."
"Yeah?" Chandler gazed fondly into his eyes.
"Yeah." He kissed him.
Ross groaned with indecision again. "Oh, I used to have that with Rachel! But--but if I go up there, and I kiss her, and it doesn't work out... Do I really wanna put myself through that again?"
Joey frowned. "I'm sorry, man. I shouldn't have brought that up."
"No, no. It's okay." He sat down. "I gotta think this over. Thanks anyway for the advice."
"We're here for you." Chandler pat his shoulder.
"Thanks."
Joey asked, "You want us to stay?"
"Nah, I've already talked your ears off about this. Just, just go back to whatever you were doing before I interrupted you."
"Okay!" Joey pulled Chandler with him down to the beach, where they ran and splashed in the waves in the moonlight.
Ross turned away when he saw them start to make out and sink down on the beach towel they had brought.
***
Meanwhile, Phoebe shockingly found out that Phoebe Abbott, not Lily, was her biological mother. Phoebe yelled at her birthmother for abandoning her and having everybody lie to her, then stormed out.
When she returned to the beach house and told Monica, Joey, and Chandler what had happened, they were stunned and confused. Then Phoebe and Monica went upstairs to talk things over.
Joey and Chandler looked at each other.
"What is *up* with this beach trip?" Chandler asked. "First all this stuff with Ross and Rachel, and now Phoebe discovers weird stuff about her parents!"
"Sounds like a soap opera," Joey shrugged.
"Or an episode of Jerry Springer!" He laughed, then realized something. "Hey, it's like a trashy novel! I should totally write about this!"
"What? You sure?"
"Yeah! I'll change the names and some of the details, you know? Come on, I'll just try it, and if it's no good, I'll throw it away."
Joey shrugged and followed him upstairs. "And you know, there should be a sexy actor who plays a doctor on TV--and they *don't* drop him down an elevator shaft!"