The One With the Routine

Thursday, 16 December 1999

Ross and Monica dance as extras at a taping of Dick Clark's New Year's show and revive their middle school routine, while Joey plans a midnight kiss for Janine and Phoebe and Rachel hunt for Monica's hidden Christmas presents.

What happens

• Janine is booked as a dancer on Dick Clark's New Year's special, asks Joey to be her partner, and invites Ross and Monica along.
• Rachel tells Joey the invitation was not a date, so Joey decides to kiss Janine at the midnight countdown and blame the occasion if it goes badly.
• Phoebe and Rachel search the apartment for the presents Monica has hidden, and Chandler joins the hunt once Rachel convinces him that one good gift will not be enough.
• Under the couch the searchers find a note from Monica instead of presents, saying she expected Chandler to give in.
• At the taping Ross and Monica keep missing the cameras and learn that only the dancers on the platforms are being filmed.
• The director splits Joey and Janine up and assigns each of them a different partner, and Joey cannot talk him out of it.
• Ross persuades Monica to perform the dance routine they did in middle school, and the director is impressed enough to put the two of them on a platform.
• The countdown is taped and the director calls cut at midnight, so Joey never gets his kiss.
• Rachel discovers the presents inside the hollow bench, and Chandler talks Phoebe and Rachel into putting them back by promising to buy them better gifts.
• Monica walks in and lets slip that she bought Chandler a water purifier, ruining his own surprise.
• Back at their apartment Janine kisses Joey and admits she was disappointed they missed the countdown, and Joey tells her he wanted to kiss her too.