At the movie set featuring the capuchin monkey Marcel, Ross is disheartened by Marcel’s lack of attention, but is promised a reunion later, which unfortunately gets canceled. Joey makes an effort to land a role in the film. The women are enamored with the human star Jean-Claude Van Damme. Monica, too shy to approach him, asks Rachel to do it for her, leading to a comically chaotic outcome with numerous seating and dating mix-ups. Meanwhile, Chandler reconnects with a former classmate, Susie Moss, whom he once embarrassed, earning her the nickname ‘Susie Underpants’. Now, she insists on a date and on Chandler wearing her undergarments, leading to unexpected developments. Ultimately, Ross receives a surprising turn of events.
Did you know?!
• Matthew Perry and Julia Roberts dated for a couple of years, a year after they met filming this episode.
• The other production assistant that Julia Roberts’s character is conversing with is her actual sister, Lisa Roberts Gillan.
• The most watched episode of Friends (1994) in its entire run.
• The man playing the director whom Joey attempts to impress is real life writer/creator David Crane.
• “Marcel” was played by two female monkeys, named Monkey and Katie. Katie also starred in Outbreak (1995).
• The highest ratings for Friends (1994) in the series, Access (2018) reports this episode had 53 million viewers in its initial airing.
• In the window of the record shop, on the movie set, a record by Chris Isaak is seen. Chris Isaak played Rob Donnen in the previous episode.
• When Chandler, Susie, Ross, and Joey were out to dinner, the restaurant’s name was Marcel’s which is the same name as Ross’s monkey in this episode and in season 1.
• The episode’s title is based on the fact it was aired after Super Bowl XXX, where the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers.
• Jean-Claude Van Damme mentions that Rachel told him that Monica (Courteney Cox) wanted to have a threesome with him and Drew Barrymore. Later that year, Cox and Barrymore would co-star together in Scream (1996), Jennifer Aniston and Barrymore would co-star together in He’s Just Not That Into You (2009), and Matt LeBlanc and Barrymore would co-star together in Charlie’s Angels (2000) and Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle (2003).
• In the restroom scene Chandler’s shoe appears, disappears, and reappears on the floor of the stall he is in (not a cubicle), as Susie (Julia Roberts) gathers his clothes and her shoes.
• In the window of the record shop on the movie set, the front cover of Frank Zappa’s “Strictly Commercial” album is on display.
• This episode is incorrectly listed on the 2006 DVD release as “The One with the Superbowl: Part 2”.
• An audience member said about their on-screen kiss, “Julia looked at Matthew and said ‘I’m glad we rehearsed this over the weekend’.” A sound recordist commented: “I’ve seen screen kisses before but this was the best. They really went at it.”
