6.The One with the Butt

Season:1 Episode:6 First Aired:10/27/1994 Prod Code:456655

Guide
Chandler starts dating a beautiful woman, who is not only married, but has another boyfriend. Chandler is thrilled at the prospect of having "all the fun but none of the responsibility," but eventually learns that it's not all it's cracked up to be. And, speaking of cracks, Joey gets cast as Al Pacino's "butt-double" and gets fired for overacting.

Summary
The gang are at a theater to watch a play that Joey has the leading role in. The lights dim, the play is getting ready to begin. The stage lights go up & we see Joey is dressed up as Freud, talking to a female patient. He starts off a short monologue before going into a song & dance number about penis envy.
The play has ended, everyone's applauding. But as soon as the cast leaves the stage, the gang groan and sit down depressed. Rachel & Monica discuss how boring it was.
Chandler notices a beautiful woman across the room, and mentions her to Ross. Chandler is mesmerized by her. Monica & Rachel encourage him to go talk to her. But he feels she is way out of his league, and asks Ross to confirm. Ross confirms "he could never get a woman like that in a million years." But optimist Phoebe tells Chandler that she always see really beautiful women with 'nothing guys', causing Chandler's esteem to rise.
Chandler, with the encouragement of his friends, walks over to the beautiful woman, but just stands there, unable to talk. She sees him and wonders what he wants. Chandler fumbles around with his words until he is able to say his name, many times. She is amused. He asks her if she would like to go out & he walks away before he gets a response. But she calls him back.
Joey enters from behind the curtain, causing the others to begin talking at once about the play. When he asks what they thought, they pause for a moment before saying, "Hey! You're in a play! I didn't know you could dance! You had a beard!" Joey knows it was a bad play, but not as bad as the play where he was a troll and they couldn't see his head. They admit they saw his head.
Chandler runs back to the group excited. He tells his friends, Aurora, the beautiful Italian woman, agreed to go out with him. He turns to Joey and hands him a card the usher wanted Joey to have. Joey reads the card, it is from the Estelle Leonard Talent Agency; they want to sign him up.
At Central Perk, Chandler enters and goes to the gang on the couch. Phoebe is busy reading Monica's palm. Chandler, a little upset that he no one has asked about his date, so Monica takes the bait. He is completely in love.
Flashback to Aurora & Chandler's date in Central Perk. Aurora is talking about her stint in the Israeli Army.
Back to regular time, Chandler tells the group they talked until two am.
Flashback to date: Aurora is talking about a trip 'we' took to Yemen. Chandler is taken aback at the ‘we’ pronoun. Aurora says the ‘we’ is her and her husband Rick.
Go to present moment, the entire group, "Ooh."
Flashback to date: Aurora tells Chandler that he is probably okay with her dating Chandler because he is okay with Ethan, her boyfriend.
Cut to gang in present, they are stunned.
Flashback: Chandler is asking Aurora why she needs him if she already has a husband and a boyfriend. She answers: for sex.
Monica tells Chandler she's sorry it didn't work out, but Chandler is unfazed. He is seeing her on Thursday. Monica tries to reach out to him by saying how twisted Aurora must be, but Chandler got used to the idea that it would be merely a sexual, no strings, relationship; every guy's dream relationship. This upsets the girls, and they ask Ross & Joey if they agree. Joey says he couldn't go out with a woman who is seeing other guys because he needs to be the one seeing other people, while she stays monogamous. Ross goes into his professor speak and begins to talk about the problems of monogamy; the gang pretends to fall asleep. Monica tells Ross they're kidding, they want to know. When Ross goes to speak again, they all fall asleep again.
At Monica & Rachel's apartment, Rachel is there. Everyone enters but Joey. She surprises the gang with her cleaning chores. They all say how great it looks. Monica mentions that Rachel moved the green ottoman. Everyone says "uh-oh". Rachel tells Monica she thinks it looks better in the new spot, plus it will serve as an extra seat at the coffee table.
Monica, pretending to joke around, says "for fun" let’s put the ottoman back in the old spot. She moves it back. And likes it in the original spot. Phoebe chastises Rachel about moving the ottoman. Chandler tells Rachel not to touch the magazines or Monica will go crazy. Monica thinks they are ganging up on her, she can't be that bad.
Ross tells her as a kid she had the only Raggedy Ann doll that wasn't raggedy. Monica, a little defensive, says she is responsible & organized but she can "be a kook." Ross takes her up on this idea and tells her to imagine the phone bill arrives & she doesn't pay it until they send a notice. Monica, a little stressed, pretends it’s no big deal.
Rachel proposes that Monica lets her buy the laundry detergent in a box, rather than an easy pour spout. Monica grows a bit more agitated but tries to cover it up with a question. Chandler tells her that someone has left a glass on her coffee table, no coaster at all, and it’s a cold drink on a hot day. This is too much for Monica to bear, she begs for him to stop. She gets scared at her own neurosis, especially when Ross says she acts just like their mom. Monica gasps, frightened.
Joey enters the apartment, talking on the phone. He is excited; his agent has got him a role in the latest Al Pacino movie. The gang tries to find out what his part will be and Joey's forced to confess: he will be Pacino's butt double in a shower scene.
The following morning, someone is knocking on Monica & Rachel's door, Monica answers it. Joey enters, handing her the paper. He asks if he can borrow her moisturizer, for his butt scene. Monica, a bit frightened, tells him to go in her bathroom, just don't ever tell her what he used it for or did in there. Joey leaves for the bathroom, grateful.
Chandler enters the apartment, with phone in hand. Joey's mother is on the phone. Monica informs Chandler that Joey is in the bathroom, but she recommends he not go in there. Chandler doesn't listen and heads to the bathroom, screams & runs out. Rachel comes out of her bedroom, wondering about the commotion. Chandler blows her off & asks if he can borrow some things because Aurora spent the night at his place and he wants to make breakfast. He begins to raid the fridge in a hurry; he only has twenty minutes until she sees Ethan. Rachel notices he has resentment in his voice, but he denies it. Chandler insists its all worth it, in the end. He takes armloads of food & asks Monica to open the door.
On the film set, Joey enters for his shower scene. The director abruptly tells him to "lose the robe." He then has the crew set the water to run and calls 'action.'
Joey begins to shower with a grim, determined facial expression. The director yells cut and asks "Butt Guy" why he was clenching. Joey says he was getting into character. The director begins the scene again, but shortly has to cut the scene again; Joey was making a different face, this time "quiet desperation."
At Chandler & Joey's apartment, Aurora & Chandler are in bed, reveling in the afterglow. Aurora looks at Chandler's watch and begins to get out of bed, she is late for Ethan. But Chandler tells her to stay as he kisses her & pulls her back to bed. She apologizes to Chandler as she gets dressed and it slips out that she is off to see Andrew, a new guy.
Chandler tells her to lose the other guys. Aurora says no. Chandler admits he can't be in this type of relationship. Aurora gets up to leave and tells her to call him if he ever changes his mind. She kisses him before she leaves. Chandler lets out a sad sigh as he falls back on his bed.
Back at Monica & Rachel's, Ross is doing his best to comfort Chandler. Joey enters the apartment. He tells the gang he got fired from the movie set because he acted too much. Now he feels depressed because he told all his family & friends to watch the movie for his butt. Rachel insists no one will be able to tell, but Joey insists his mom will.
Monica gives her apologies before heading off to bed. Rachel notices Monica left her shoes out in the living room and asks if she knows this. Monica feeling determined, insists she can do it. She goes to her bedroom, closes the door, leaving Ross to explain "She is a kook."
While the credits are rolling, Monica is in bed, wide awake. She hums for a bit, but gives up. We hear her thoughts. She is fighting getting out of bed and putting her shoes away versus leaving them that way. Finally she just buries her head in the pillow.

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