Joey is currently participating in a fertility study and holds deep affection for his girlfriend, Melanie. However, due to the ongoing study, he is unable to engage in intimate activities for another week. Meanwhile, the group of friends gathers for a barbecue to celebrate Rachel’s birthday, yet Ross is notably absent as he has departed for China on museum-related business. During the celebration, Rachel unwraps a gift from Ross, discovering an antique pin identical to one her grandmother cherished. Chandler inadvertently reveals Ross’s enduring love for Rachel, prompting her to rush to the airport in an attempt to catch him before his departure. Unfortunately, she arrives too late, leading Rachel to make a heartfelt decision to pursue a relationship with Ross. She resolves to meet him upon his return, signaling a new chapter in their relationship.
Did you know?
- As Ross enters the terminal returning from China, behind them you can see Bill Lawrence, a writer for the first season, walk in behind them. He has dark brown hair and is talking to a fellow passenger.
- There is an outtake of this episode, where Jennifer Aniston’s skirt gets stuck in the door.
- When Rachel is daydreaming about Ross her date is complaining about Ed Begley Jr. and his “stupid electric car”. Begley was an early supporter of electric cars (going back to the early 1980’s) and was annoyed by the common complaints that there were not enough charging stations available to make their use practical. He started a publicity campaign to drive his electric car coast-to-coast, from Los Angeles, CA to Washington, DC. Wherever he stopped to charge his car, his publicist would alert the local media so that he could be seen in local newspapers or news programs publicizing his belief that everyone should switch to electric cars. Ed Begley Jr. is one of the names Pheobe mentions to Rachel as one of the fathers of her pretend unborn baby at Monica and Chandler’s wedding in a later season.
- First title to include Rachel’s name.
- The Scrabble board game that Chandler bought as a birthday gift for Rachel is the “Deluxe Travel Edition”.
- The top that Monica is wearing in this episode is the same one she wore in 2 previous episodes…TOW The Ick Factor.
- This is the first episode to feature the running gag of Rachel exchanging her presents from the other friends.
- First appearance of Julie.
- The ending of this episode is mirrored in the series finale, only with the roles reversed as it’s Ross trying to catch Rachel at the airport to tell her he’s still in love with her. In fact, both Ross and Rachel have similar exchanges with airline employee when a boarding pass is requested. However, unlike this episode, Rachel goes to the airport alone to meet Ross whereas Phoebe is able to accompany Ross to meet Rachel at the airport in The Last One (2004).
- This is the first time for Monica to give one of the friends sexual advice. She would do this again in The One with Phoebe’s Uterus (1998), where she gives Chandler sexual advice about Kathy.
