The One With Rachel's Crush

Thursday, 29 January 1998

Chandler decides Kathy is sleeping with her co-star because their onstage chemistry faded, and the accusation pushes her into bed with him, while Rachel, demoted to personal shopping, tries to ask out a customer.

What happens

• At the premiere of Kathy's play, Chandler and Ross watch her strip down and simulate sex with her good-looking co-star.
• Rachel tells Monica and Phoebe that Bloomingdale's cut her department and moved her into personal shopping.
• Joey tells Chandler that two actors who are sleeping together lose their heat onstage, so visible chemistry means Kathy is faithful.
• Rachel is handed a newly divorced customer, Joshua, who needs an entire wardrobe, and she is instantly taken with him.
• After a second performance Chandler sees no heat between them, accuses Kathy of cheating, throws their own beginnings back at her, and she walks out on the argument.
• Monica bribes the group with cookies and a magazine, fails to keep them, and admits she invented the big-apartment rule to punish Joey and Chandler for the swap.
• Following Joey's advice, Rachel offers Joshua two Knicks tickets, and he thanks her and takes them both to the game with his nephew.
• Chandler goes to Kathy's apartment and apologises for the fight, then spots Nick's trousers lying on her chair.
• Monica unveils the apartment she has spent two days scrubbing and refinishing, then collapses while insisting the others stay.
• Chandler reports that Kathy had not been sleeping with Nick until now, and blames himself for never calling her after the fight.