Wine and Friends Season 1, Episode 7

This is Episode 7 of the Wine and Friends podcast. Each week, they pair a new wine with an episode of the show Friends. The wine pairing for today is a 2021 Tall Dark Stranger Malbec from Argentina. Malbec is the host's favorite red wine. The tasting notes for this Malbec are bright berry flavors with a soft, lush texture. Malbec pairs well with earthy and salty flavors. The ideal serving temperature is around 59-64 degrees Fahrenheit. The episode they are discussing is called "The One with the Blackout" and it aired on November 3, 1994. The episode was part of a crossover stunt called Blackout Thursday, which involved multiple sitcoms on NBC. Oh, hello, and welcome to Episode 7 of Wine and Friends. I'm your host, Katie, and if you have been here with me since Episode 1, welcome back. If this is your first time here, welcome to the craziness that is Wine and Friends. We are back for more diving deep into the world of wine and deep diving into our favorite friends. This podcast is called Wine and Friends because each week we pair a new wine with an episode of the show Friends, and if you have any recommendations of a wine you would like to see paired with an episode of the show, please, please, please head on over to the Instagram page at Wine and Friends Pod or the Facebook page at Wine and Friends and leave a comment on this week's wine pairing post with your recommendation of a wine for an upcoming episode. Also, please feel free to let me know if you would like that wine paired with a specific episode, and I'll make sure to go ahead and grab your recommendation and give you a shout out on the show. Okay, guys, let's get to the wine pairing for today's show. It might not make sense right now, especially based just on the episode title, but don't worry, we will get to it once we dive into the episode itself, and this will all make sense. Today's pairing is the 2021 Tall Dark Stranger Malbec from Argentina. Malbec is 1000% my favorite red wine, so I was fucking stoked when I found this pairing. I've also never had the Tall Dark Stranger brand before, so if you've been keeping track, we are seven for seven so far with Katie trying new shit she has never had. What a time for me to be alive. So this label info is pulled straight from the bottle, and it says, are you ready to meet your total dream wine? Rich and deeply satisfying, Tall Dark Stranger never disappoints. Dark, juicy, smooth, and silky. Fulfill your wildest wine dreams, sip it with something or someone delicious. And I'm like, okay, this wine is all kinds of sexy. So the tasting notes for this Malbec bottle are bright berry flavors with a soft, lush texture. And that is a bit vague, but I pulled a bit more information about this Malbec, which is actually a Mendoza Argentina Malbec, from winesearcher.com. And that says, the black grape Malbec is originally native to France, where it is still important to a few select regions. However, it is in Mendoza, Argentina, where it becomes synonymous with superb, elegant Argentinian wine. The advent of Mendoza Malbec could also be credited with Argentina's rise as a world-class wine-producing country, whose wines are now rivaling those of Napa Valley. The flavor profile of Malbec changes slightly due to climate, with French Malbec tending towards a cooler profile and Mendoza Malbec tending towards a warmer profile, although Argentina has both cool and warm climate regions suitable for growing Malbec. In the cooler regions, like Cahors and Bordeaux in France and Patagonia in Argentina, Malbec can exhibit sharp notes of both red and black fruit, like cherry, raspberry, and plum. Depending on the climate, these can sometimes be quite green flavors of tart, fruit-like underripe plums with white and black pepper spice, bitter tannins, and notes of leather. In the warmer regions, the flavor profile changes to include riper notes of blackberry and dark plum, alongside rich notes of chocolate, leather, and tobacco, and florals like violet. And both of those, the cooler climate and the warmer climate, sound really good. I mean, if you're into red wine, Malbec is one of the smoothest, like most incredibly amazing flavor profiles of red wine like I've ever had. So this also says that Malbec pairs extremely well with earthy and salty flavors, which are like my favorites. I'm not really a big sweet person, I don't have a sweet tooth, it's more earthy and salty, like snacks and meals that I really fucking love. So it also says that it serves as a natural accompaniment to dishes like grilled portobello mushrooms with balsamic vinegar dressing, and blue cheese and crackers. Dark meats like lamb and beef with herby notes of rosemary, thyme, and cracked black pepper work very well with the grape, alongside of grilled vegetables. The majority of Malbecs from Mendoza are suited for early drinking, but some wines will occasionally develop for 10-15 years or more. And as I've previously stated, I don't have time to wait 10-15 years for some good wine. So it's good, it's a good thing that Malbecs are suited for early drinking. The ideal serving temperature for a full-bodied Malbec is around 59-64 degrees Fahrenheit or 15-18 degrees Celsius. This bottle of Tall Dark Stranger Malbec retails for around $16. She is 14.5% ABV, and we have a pop today. So today, today, today. After two weeks of our snap crackle, I am excited for the pop. So let's go ahead and open this beautiful bottle. Alright, here we go. Oh! Cheers! That was, that was a good pop. Also, as I pour this wine, I really should let you guys know that as I was prepping for this episode, I broke my last glass, like my glass, my last glass, wine glass. So if you've ever seen, if you've ever seen the show Love is Blind on Netflix, and they all walk around with those, like, copper tin wine glasses, a friend of mine bought me a set of those for Christmas a couple years back because she knew that I have a habit of breaking actual wine, like glass wine glasses. So she bought me a pair of these copper, like, tin, metal-y wine glasses that are impossible to break. So that is what I am sipping from today. So cheers! And this is delicious! Oh yeah, that's really good. I know I say that every time I drink wine on this show with you guys, and you're probably like, of course it's good, it's wine, she's going to drink it. But I really just want to let you guys know, you know, like, how it tastes, and I think it was the Chardonnay, yeah, it was the Chardonnay that I tried, and it was definitely, I'm not sure if I would buy that particular, the Three Jack Chardonnay again, because that was a little, not necessarily, like, my favorite flavor profile, but I just really want you guys to feel like as I'm trying these different wines, you're sort of able to get a little bit of, like, a real-time response of how I feel about how they taste, because I've never, as I said, I've never had them before. And I'm sure we'll get to episodes where, you know, like, I'll pull some favorites of mine, which are, like, Bottom of the Barrel, like, Barefoot, and Yellowtail, which I fucking love because they're affordable and they're fucking delicious, but as we're going through each episode and I'm getting to try these new wines I've never had before, I really just want to give you guys, like, an in-the-moment, like, real-time response of how I feel based on trying something I've never had before. So, cheers! All right, let's get to the show. This week's episode summary comes from Wikipedia. And I know I kind of waffle between Wikipedia and IMDb for the show summaries, but I found that sometimes the descriptions are a little too much information on Wikipedia, like, they give away all the juicy plot points. And sometimes on IMDb, it's really just, like, too vague to be all that interesting. But today I did go with good old Wikipedia, and we learned that this episode is called The One with the Blackout. It is the seventh episode of the first season of the NBC television series, Friends. The seventh episode of the show overall, obviously, that's kind of a no-brainer, it was first broadcast on November 3rd, 1994. So I pulled a couple random facts, things that happened around this time. Stargate was the number one movie on November 3rd, 1994. I did not look into what that is, because I just didn't really care. The first PlayStation console was released by Sony Interactive Entertainment in Japan, and I am a huge PlayStation person. I'm not really a big fan of Xbox, because I don't like the controller, but I am definitely a PlayStation gal, especially old-school PlayStation. Actually, up until, like, a couple months ago, I had the PlayStation 2, which I still believe is the all-time best version of PlayStation ever put out, and all the games that I fucking loved playing. And then I was like, I haven't played this in a couple years, maybe I should sell it. So I did. I sold it on eBay. For actually a decent amount of money, but that's neither here nor there. So on November 3rd, 1994, the small forward Glenn Robinson signed the then-most lucrative rookie contract in NBA history, and that was a 10-year contract for $68.15 million. So $68.15, I guess, million dollars. And he signed that deal with the Milwaukee Bucks. And I did a little time money converter, and that is over $144 million in today money. And I will never see that kind of money. Maybe I should have tried to become an NBA player, but I'm only 5'5", so that wouldn't have really turned out that great. So the Space Shuttle STS-66, or Atlantis 13, launches, and I mean, damn. If you remember, I think it was episode one, or maybe two, where they launched a space shuttle on the day that that particular episode also aired. So back in the 90s, were they just shooting these shuttles up there as fast and often as they could? Like, okay, I mean, get it, NASA, I guess? There was also a total solar eclipse in South America that lasted 4 minutes and 23 seconds. And finally, the NBC executives were brainstorming ways to bring even more attention to the network's four highly-rated Thursday night sitcoms when they came up with the idea of a crossover stunt. The crossover stunt named Blackout Thursday stretched across the night's popular comedies and became one of the splashiest programming experiments ever attempted by a major network. And if you remember, this episode is called The One with the Blackout. So Blackout Thursday kicked off that night on Mad About You, when Helen Hunt's character precipitated a citywide power outage by meddling with the cable hookups on her building's rooftop. And we are about to get into everything that happened to our friends, but in the episode that immediately followed the Mad About You show, this was our friend's blackout episode. Also, it stands to mention that Seinfeld ran just after Friends, and they refused to participate in this blackout crossover. Like, womp, womp. I don't know why Seinfeld thought they were too good for a crossover stunt, but I mean, the NBC execs were definitely on to something, though, because Friends gained about 5 million viewers from the week before, and even though Seinfeld boycotted the blackout episode, they also saw a 2.5 million viewer bump in their show. So, I mean, how fucking cool? Like, because, at least for me, when I'm watching a show, especially a short little 25-minute sitcom, it's like, okay, this is what's happening to this group of characters in this particular show. But it was actually, like, I mean, there were four half-hour sitcoms in that two-hour slot that were all in and around New York City, and so the blackout thing was so cool because it started with Mad About You, and then it, like, washed over or crossed over into Friends, and then if Seinfeld would have been, like, you know, down for it, it would have crossed over into Seinfeld, and then there was a fourth show that followed Seinfeld, and they also, I think they touched on the blackout as well. But that's just, like, really cool because that breaks that, like, what's it called? The, like, fourth wall of, like, whatever's happening in this show only happens in this show. It's like, no, it happened in Mad About You, she caused the blackout, and then Friends, that show was impacted by the blackout, and so on and so forth. I just think that that was a really cool thing to do. But okay, so let's get back to the episode summary and then dive into the show. So in the episode, there is a blackout in the city, obviously, and Chandler gets stuck in an ATM vestibule with Jill Goodacre, and Ross attempts to tell Rachel his feelings for her. So this summary is, I mean, it's pretty, like, vague. There's not a lot of detail, but trust me, this is the, I, this is the longest amount of notes I have ever taken for a show for an episode. So, like, nothing for nothing, but we will get to all the details. So this show, this episode also coined the term Zone, and I will definitely get into this little tidbit later in the show, but let's go ahead and dive into the actual episode. So for our cold open, we are back in Central Perk, and Rachel is announcing to everyone that Central Perk is proud to present the music of Miss Phoebe Buffay. Yay! And this is obviously the first time we're getting to see Phoebe in all her musical gloriousness, and the crowd seems excited, and Phoebe tells them she wants to start with a song that's about that moment when you suddenly realize what life is all about. She strums the very first chord, and suddenly, all the lights go out. She's sitting there on stage in the dark, and you can hear her say, Okay, thank you very much. Which is such a Phoebe thing to do. Girl, you just gotta roll with the punches. So we flash cut to Chandler in the vestibule of his bank. He is walking away from an ATM, headed for the door, and all the lights go out. The generator powers up, and an emergency light illuminates the room. It seems that the doors have locked as a result of the power outage, and he is stuck in the vestibule of his bank. He's bitching to himself, saying, Oh great, this is just... And before he's able to finish that thought, he looks at the woman he's locked in the vestibule with and realizes she is beautiful. And as soon as he realizes this, we cut to the theme song. So we don't actually learn right here that Chandler realizes who he's stuck in this ATM vestibule with. He doesn't realize it yet, but obviously, as the description or the summary of the show discloses, that is Jill Goodacre. And do you guys know that until last year, I had absolutely no idea who Jill Goodacre was? Like, I was watching Friends for like the gazillionth time, and when this episode came on, I was thinking to myself, Who the hell is this woman that Chandler is so clearly freaking out about? And it wasn't until I googled her that I found out Jill Goodacre was, at the time of this episode, a Victoria's Secret model. I mean, like, I had literally no clue. And I also found out in my research for this episode that she has been married to Harry Connick Jr. since 1994. And remember, this episode came out when? In 1994. So they were actually married on April 16th. So technically, she was Jill Goodacre Connick at the time this episode aired. And I thought that was just a fun little random fact. And you know, those two little lovebugs, they are still married to this day. So I thought that was really sweet. But back to the show. After our opening sequence, we see multiple shots of New York City completely and eerily pitch black. And when the scene starts, we are in the girls' apartment, and Rachel is looking out that huge picture window, telling everyone, wow, this is so cool, you guys, the entire city is blacked out. Which I would have to imagine would look pretty awesome. Like a city, like New York City, that is just like lights, lights, lights, action, action, action all the time. And then for everything to just be brought to a complete and utterly pitch black standstill, I mean, that would have to be pretty dope. So Monica is on the phone with her mom. She tells everyone that mom says it's all of Manhattan, parts of Brooklyn and Queens, and they have no idea when it's coming back on. And I was wondering how Monica was able to be on the phone during a blackout. Because, you know, power. But I did indeed research this as well. And it turns out a traditional corded landline doesn't require electricity to run. It has something to do with the copper that is in the phone that's not necessarily connected directly to power lines. And, I mean, I don't know, you guys. I apparently have some weird obsession with landline phones, because I seem to keep mentioning them and their novelty in every fucking episode of this show. But, you know, I like what I like, I guess. So in this scene, we're also getting a little callback to Monica's difficult relationship with her mother, because the conversation seems to have shifted from the blackout to what Monica is wearing and whether or not her mom approves. Monica asks her if they can just talk about it later, and she ends the convo with her mom, hangs up the phone, and Phoebe asks Monica if she can borrow the phone to call her apartment and check on her grandmother. She picks up the phone and then looks at Monica and says, wait, what's my number? And Monica gives her this look. But Phoebe tells her, very matter-of-factly, well, I never call me, which is so true. Like, I really get that. Aside from having to know your cell phone number because it is your number, like, I wouldn't know anybody else's number, like, you know, outside of the fact that it's already automatically stored in my phone. So we jump from the girls' apartment back to the ATM vestibule. And I don't know, for some reason, I really just, I hate the word vestibule. So I'm going to call it lobby, okay? So we are back with Chandler and Miss Victoria's Secret in the bank lobby. And he is having a very animated conversation in his own head, saying, oh, my God, it's her. It's that Victoria's Secret model, something, something Goodacre. And Chandler overhears her on the phone saying, hi, Mom, it's Jill. And now he knows and we know it's Jill Goodacre. And at this very moment, Chandler says to himself, oh, my God, I'm trapped in an ATM vestibule with Jill Goodacre. Now, given my recent admission of my disdain for the V word, that V word, I'm not going to play by play this couple seconds, this next couple seconds for you. Suffice to say, the word I do not like is used five times in a matter of seconds. But moving right along, Jill tells her mom she's fine and that she's not alone, she's with some guy. And Chandler obviously overhears her and reads way too much into the fact that Jill Goodacre called him some guy, like it's a big deal. And he's doing a little happy dance in the corner and we crosscut. Back to the girls' apartment, Joey comes in the door with a huge menorah, fully lit. And I mean, it's huge. It's like half the size of his whole body. As he comes in, everyone is chuckling. And Ross says, and officiating at tonight's blackout, this Rabbi Tribbiani. And Joey tries to defend himself by telling the group that Chandler's old roommate was Jewish and those are the only candles they have. So, happy Hanukkah, everyone. Now, he is a tad bit early, but hey, I am all for the inclusivity. So, happy Hanukkah, happy blackout. Phoebe calls everyone's attention to the picture window by telling them, ew, ugly naked guy lit a bunch of candles. Everyone starts staring out the window saying, ew, ew. And Rachel chimes in with, that had to hurt. Which I can only imagine meant that ugly naked guy dripped some wax. Somewhere you wouldn't want hot wax. So, we're back with Chandler and Jill. And I have a feeling that because these two storylines that are happening are both pretty big, we are going to have a lot of this rapid back and forth like we did a couple episodes back. So, buckle up, guys. And I'm going to try my best to make this as seamless as possible. But it is going to be a lot of back and forth and a lot of ATM, apartment, ATM, apartment. But Chandler is looking at his watch, still very much having an extensive dialogue in his head. He tells himself that it's been 14 and a half minutes and he still hasn't said one word to which I say, what the fuck? Almost 15 minutes of being literally trapped with a famous model in a bank lobby and he didn't even try to say hi? If I was Jill, I would be creeped the fuck out. But also, like, why didn't she say hey? I mean, 15 minutes is way, way, way, way too long to be in a confined space with someone and not say anything, even if you are complete strangers. Like, that would be so uncomfortable. But Chandler continues his self-pep talk by telling himself to do something, just make eye contact, smile, to which he does. He smiles in a super creepy way and still not saying anything at all. Jill notices that he's kind of just staring at her with this, like, smile plastered on his face. Then she begins to smile back at him, but he just continues to stare with this weird clown-like grin plastered on his face. And she does exactly what I would do and turns away from him with a very concerned look on her face. Like, who the fuck is this man, this weird man I'm now trapped in this tiny space with who's staring at me with this awkward smile on his face? But I gotta give her props here, because even though Chandler is, like, creepy stalker status right now, she still asks him if he would like to call somebody, to which he replies in his head, yeah, about 300 guys I went to high school with. Oh, and also, I'm sorry, I get so excited. Let me not fail to mention that Jill Goodacre does have the very first cell phone we ever see on the show. Now, guys, feel free to skip right past this part if I have bored you to absolute tears with my fascination of landlines versus cell phones and all the fuckery that entails. But based on my research, which I did do specifically for this moment, cell phones in 1994 could cost anywhere from $899 to $4,000, depending on the model. The IBM Simon, which I'm pretty sure is the phone that Jill had, was the closest thing to a smartphone in 1994, and that one cost between $899 and almost $1,100. And this phone introduced the very first apps on a phone, like an address book, calendar, calculator, appointment scheduler, and notepad. Like, how fucking cool, because I know I use my notepad all the time, and my calculator too. But anyway, I promise you that is my last reference to cell phones or landlines in this entire episode. So Chandler accepts the offer and calls, of course, the girl's apartment. Monica answers and tells everyone, it's Chandler, and asks if he's okay. He tells her, yeah, I'm fine. And then he mumbles, I'm stuck in 18th Avenue with Jill Gettaker. Monica fairly asks, what? And Chandler repeats himself. I'm stuck in 18th Avenue with Jill Gettaker. And Monica is just like, bro, I don't know what the fuck you're saying. Obviously, she doesn't quite use those words, because it's primetime TV. But Chandler just says, put Joey on the phone. So Monica hands Joey the phone, and he asks, what's up, man? And Chandler repeats himself for the third fucking time. I'm stuck in 18th Avenue with Jill Gettaker. And as soon as he finishes the sentence, Joey tells everyone, oh my God, he's trapped in an ATM vestibule with Jill Gettaker. Joey then mumbles something completely unintelligible back to Chandler. And without flinching, Chandler replies, yeah, like that thought never entered my mind. And I, to this day, wonder what the hell Joey said, because as many times as I've seen this episode, I've got no fucking clue. So this ends our ATM lobby scene. And I guess to do the show justice, I've been resigned to saying the word vestibule. And if you're keeping count, we are at 11 times. 11 times, guys. But I'm pretty sure this is the last time I have to say it. So, you know. Scene fades out, and we fade back into the girls' apartment. And it would appear that the five friends, obviously minus Chandler, are spilling the tea about the weirdest or wildest place they've ever had sex. Monica tells the group hers was senior year of college on a pool table, to which Ross replies, that's my sister. Joey tells everyone that his weirdest place would have to be the women's room on the second floor of the New York City Public Library. Dude, what? Like a library? Which is Monica's exact reaction. She goes, oh my god, what were you doing in a library? And like, fair question, girl. Fair question. And this is actually pretty funny, because there is a callback to this whole situation in an upcoming episode where Ross has his dissertation published, and he finds it in the library of the college that he's a professor at. But we will absolutely revisit that in the way, way, way, way, way distant future. And I can't wait. So, Ross asks Phoebe, what about you? And she very simply states, oh, um, Milwaukee. And we move quickly on, and Rachel asks Ross, now if you guys remember, Ross disclosed to us that he has only ever been with one woman, and that's obviously Carol. So his response is, Disneyland, 1989. It's a small world after all. And I hope this isn't a euphemism for what Ross was bringing to the table. But Ross elaborates that the ride broke down while he and Carol were on it, and so Carol and Ross, Ross and Carol, went behind a couple of those mechanical Dutch children. Then they fixed the ride, and we were asked never to return to Magic Kingdom. And, I mean, I feel like there would have been such harsher consequences for doing something like that and getting caught, like, on a children's ride especially. But maybe they weren't caught with their, like, actual pants down, you know? Like, maybe they were just, like, loitering around the mechanical Dutch children. But also, I'm like, okay, Ross, I guess you're not so tightly buttoned up after all. Like, get it. And I'm here for it. Phoebe then says, oh, Rachel. But Rachel says, oh, come on. I already went. And everyone disagrees. And we can clearly see here that she doesn't really want to answer this question, especially after everyone else's, like, weird and wacky answers. But everyone keeps pushing her to answer. So she says, all right. The weirdest place would have to be... Oh, the foot of the bed. And Ross and Joey both rouse her by saying, step back. We have a winner. And we fade out of the scene. So this, again, looks like it was another planned commercial break. Because we, when we fade back in, we get a shot panning up the friend's apartment building, like, the side of the apartment building. And we're back in Rachel and Monica's apartment. The group has essentially dispersed from their spilling of the tea. And we can see Joey sitting crossways on the armchair. I think he's reading or something. Maybe that's a throwback to his little weird sex in the library thing. But Ross and Rachel are sitting on the floor across from each other on the opposite side of the living room. And she is explaining to Ross that she's just never had a relationship with that kind of passion. You know, where you have to have somebody right there in the middle of a theme park. And Ross uses his little sweet humor and tells Rachel, well, that was the only thing to do there that didn't have a line. So they continue a little back and forth. And Rachel tells Ross that Barry wouldn't even kiss her on a miniature golf course. Because they were holding up the people behind them. And Ross follows up with, and you didn't marry him because. And that is a totally valid question. So for my own thoughts on this, I really think that if you don't or can't or won't match someone in their level or style of affection, it's really just never going to be a good fit. Like, I've been with people who didn't like PDA. But I am a huge fan of PDA. Like hand-holding or, you know, wrapping your arms around each other. Like little kisses. Or even like a low-key make-out sesh. You know, nothing too extreme. Though, on the flip side of that, I have also been with people who didn't seem to have any understanding of common decency in public. But that, my friends, is a story for another time. And definitely another kind of podcast. So I just tend to believe that if one person wants to show affection in a public space and the other person doesn't want it or is uncomfortable with it, that that is really just going to hurt their partner's feelings. Unless you're just two people who don't like physical affection at all. But I mean, that really is a whole other conversation. And unfortunately, it seems like a lot of couples don't ever have that conversation. And I've definitely, like I said, been in relationships where our, like, level of affection in public spaces didn't match. And so that's definitely a challenge. But Rachel asks Ross if he thinks there are people that go through life never having that kind of... And she trails off and Ross says, probably. She asks, really? And he tries to salvage his answer by telling Rachel, you know, I'll tell you something. Passion is way overrated. And she doubts him. But he doubles down and tells her, it is. Eventually, it kind of burns out. But hopefully, what you're left with is trust and security. And well, in the case of my ex-wife, lesbianism. And I gotta be honest, I really do love this little camaraderie that they're sharing here. Like both of them having been in relationships that ended due to one partner feeling unfulfilled in some way or another. It's like sometimes when someone is telling you a story or asking your opinion, the best way to empathize with them is to share a little of your own heartbreak. And we can see in this moment that Ross's little, like, self-jab at the end of that statement was exactly what Rachel needed to hear. Like, it's not just you. Like, it does happen. And sometimes it happens in ways you never would expect. So, Ross continues that for all those people who miss out on that, that passion thing, there's all the other good stuff. And Rachel says, somewhat sadly, okay. And starts to get up. But Ross tells her, I don't think that's going to be you. See, I see big passion in your future. And she asks him, really, you do? He reiterates, I do. And Rachel says, oh, Ross, you're so great. Stands up. And as she walks away, she ruffles the hair on top of his head. Now, he seems entranced by this little display from Rachel. But she obviously walks past him. He gets up and starts to walk towards Joey. And as he's walking past, Joe says, it's never going to happen. And Ross is clearly trying to play this shit off. He's like, what? Joe says, you and Rachel. Ross begins to chuckle, still trying to play it off. He goes, man, what? Why not? And Joey tells Ross that he waited too long to make his move. And now he's in the friend zone. Do you guys even know? Like I mentioned earlier, but like for real, for real, this episode of the show Friends coined the term friend zone. Like, what the fuck? Never, ever had it ever been used in that way before. Joey used the term friend zone. And that has literally been in the zeitgeist ever since. I mean, talk about fucking legend. Legend, Joey. You know, we all know the friend zone. But anyway, so Ross is trying to argue with Joey about whether or not he's in the friend zone. And Joey keeps telling him he is the mayor of friend zone. But Ross tells Joey he's just taking his time. He's laying the groundwork. And every day he gets a little bit closer to, uh, and Joe interrupts. Priesthood. I mean, I mean, for real, Joey is like, Joey's a ball buster. He really is. He's a ball buster. So Joey explains that Rachel has no idea what Ross is thinking. And if you don't ask her out soon, you're going to end up stuck in the friend zone forever. Ross reiterates to Joey that he's really just waiting for the right moment. Joey is staring at Ross. And Ross finally gets the hint that maybe, maybe Joey thinks this might, this time might just be the right time. Like, ask her out. Or at least let her know how you feel. But I've really got to tell you guys, as someone who is living this drama drama by like telling someone you encounter on a frequent basis how you feel, it is way easier said than done. But I'm sure I'll have many more chances to wax poetic on my own romantic trials and tribulations as we continue down this road. Joey continues to tell Ross that this is the perfect time. Like if there ever was one. He asks Ross, what's messing you up? The wine? The candles? The moonlight? Huh? You just got to go up to her and you got to say, look, Rachel, I think. And at this moment, Rachel is walking out of the bathroom. And Ross shushes Joey. Rachel asked them what they're shushing. And Ross, in all of his Rossness, says, we're shushing because we're trying to hear something. He asked Rachel, don't don't you hear that? And she is trying to hear whatever fake shit they are quote unquote hearing. A few seconds pass and she's like, ah, like she actually heard the nothing they were both pretending to hear. Within a split second, they all seemed super uncomfortable in the silence. And we crosscut back to Chandler and Jill Goodacre. It seems like they haven't had much interaction since she lent him the phone. But she asked Chandler if he would like some gum. His response is, oh, is it sugarless? She tells him, sorry, it's not. And then he says, oh, then no, thanks. Like, what? What? What the fuck? What the fuck? She is a Victoria's Secret model. If the gum she offers you is made of actual rubber, you at least take it. And Chandler seems to agree because he yells at himself in his own inner dialogue. What the hell was that? Mental note, if Jill Goodacre offers you gum, you take it. If she offers you mangled animal carcass, you take it. To which I say, exactly. So this is the end of our gum offering scene. We crossfade to a view of the pitch black New York City skyline. And we hear our beautiful Phoebe singing, New York City has no power. And the milk is getting sour. But to me, it is not scary. Cause I stay away from dairy. Like, my girl. So guys, I really hate to keep doing this. Like, calling out these little inconsistencies. But Phoebe is a vegetarian. And as someone who grew up in a sometimes vegetarian, sometimes not household. And as someone who was a vegan, I know that vegetarians generally still tend to eat dairy. Unless our girl Phoebes is not only a vegetarian, but also maybe lactose intolerant. So I'll let this one go as far as my fact checker radar is concerned. Because I do love her song, though. It's so good. And it actually looks like she is in the middle of her songwriting process. Because as soon as she sings these lines, she writes something down in her notebook. We pan across the room to the kitchen, where Ross is telling Joey he's just gonna do it. And it seems like he realizes this is his shot to tell Rachel how he really feels. Joey gives him a little bro hug, like, yeah, you got this. And Ross goes out on a patio where Rachel's at. As Joey's going back to sit on the armchair, Monica passes. And he asks her where she's going. She says, outside. And Joe tells her, no, you can't go out there. They have some ridiculous little back and forth. Where Joey epically fails at trying to come up with a lie for why Monica can't go outside. And the end result is him telling her that Ross is outside with Rachel, planning Monica's surprise birthday party. Phoebe overhears this. And she says she never heard anything about a birthday party. And Joey tells her, hey, don't look at me. This is Ross's thing. And Phoebe is pissed. She says, this is so typical. I'm always the last one to know everything. She tells them she was the last one to know when Chandler got bit by a peacock at the zoo. She was the last one to know that Monica had a crush on Joey when he was moving in. Now, Joey hears this. And he's like, wait, what? To which Phoebe replies, ooh, looks like I was second to last. And Monica is trying to appear disinterested as Joey gives her this cheesy smile, like, hey, girl, how you doing? How you doing? So we cut to Ross and Rachel outside on the patio. And Rachel says, hmm, it's so nice. Like, looking at the, like, blackout skyline. And Ross agrees. And then he tells Rachel, okay, I have a question. Well, actually, it's not so much a question as more of a general wondering-ment. Okay, here goes. For a while now, I've been wanting to, um, and Rachel, seemingly agreeing with what Ross is saying, goes, ooh, and Rachel, and Ross says, yes, yes, that's right. But as we immediately find out, Rachel's excitement was over a little cat that she saw right behind Ross's head as he was trying to proclaim his love for Rachel. Ross goes, what? And as he asks this, the cat jumps down off the ledge behind Ross and right onto his shoulder. He starts freaking out. And the cat is also freaking out as it's still on Ross's shoulders. And we flash to a scene of Joey and Monica singing along with Phoebe as she plays guitar. And behind them, out the window on the patio, we see Ross flailing himself all across the patio with Rachel chasing after him and the cat's tail just waving in the wind. You guys, you guys, if you've ever seen, I mean, watch this episode just for this scene. It is hilarious. So we fade out from this shit show. And when we're back, Ross is sitting at the table surrounded by the friends. Monica is putting back pain on his cuts and scratches as Rachel is holding our perpetrator cat. It seems like Rachel and Phoebe are actually more concerned about the little tootie, which is what they call the cat, than they are about Ross. Phoebe says he's probably so scared and they should try to find his owner. Ross is clearly annoyed by the cat and the fact that the girls care more about it or him than they care about Ross and tells them, why don't you just put tootie out in the hall? Ross scolds, Rachel scolds him by saying during a blackout, he'll get trampled. Ross says, yeah, like maybe that's what he was hoping for. And also I call my dog Tootie sometimes, even though her name is actually Ayla. She's got like a hundred nicknames, but that little moment made me smile like tootie. Yeah, I love a little tootie. Now we cut to a short little scene with Chandler and Jill, and he tells her, you know, on second thought, gum would be perfection. Perfection. And then proceeds to berate himself in his head for saying gum would be perfection. He walks across the lobby away from the direction of Jill. And we flash cut again back to the girl's apartment. We see Rachel and Phoebe walking down the hallway like a blackout hallway. Rachel is holding a candle and Phoebe has the little tootie. They knock on apartment number eight and Mr. Heckles opens the door. We get so much more of him not too far down the road. But in this scene, Rachel tells him that they found a cat and they're trying to return it to its owner. Mr. Heckles says, yeah, it's mine, which clearly it isn't. And the cat starts squirming in Phoebe's arms. She says, he seems to hate you. Are you sure? They have a little back and forth. And pretty quickly, the cat squirms all the way out of Phoebe's arms and runs away back down the hall. I think it's Phoebe who says, you're a bad man as they go looking for the kitty. And the next scene is just Rachel walking down the hall calling here kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty. She's repeating this over and over and over as she continues down the hall. She comes up to the legs and torso of a person holding the cat. And as we pan up, we see it is a tall, dark stranger. Our call back to the wine pairing for this episode. Yay, tall, dark stranger. As she stands up to meet this tall, dark stranger, she says, hello. And he replies, Buona sera. And Rachel blows out the candle when she breathes out, oh, wow. And the scene is completely black. When the light fades back in, we are back in the apartment with Monica, Joey, and Ross playing Monopoly. Rachel walks in with a relit candle and her arm locked with the man from the hallway. She tells everyone, this is Paolo. And then to Paolo, she says, I want you to meet my friends as she goes around introducing him to Monica, Joey, and Ross. And with every new introduction from Rachel, Monica says, hi. So Rachel says, this is Monica, to which Monica says, hi. Then Rachel says, Joey. Monica says, hi. And this is Ross. And Monica again says, hi. Because clearly, she is just in shock over his apparent good looks. I mean, he is a tall, dark stranger. So Paolo begins to speak to the group in fluent Italian. And Rachel laughs, telling them, he doesn't speak much English, but he does manage to say Monopoly when he sees the game on the coffee table. And Ross asks Rachel, so where did Paolo come from? She says, oh, Italy, I think. But he corrects her by saying, no, no, I mean tonight, in the building, suddenly, into our lives. Rachel tells him that the cat turned out to be Paolo's cat. Isn't that funny? And Ross responds, that is funny. And then to Joey says, and Rachel keeps touching him, which she totally does. I mean, she's got her arm linked with his. She's rubbing his arm and his shoulder. And we can clearly see that the man is ripped, like, in his little white sweater. So I can't blame the girl. Like, I would be getting that. Get those little touches, girl. You know, anyway, okay. So Phoebe comes and tells the group that she looked all over the building and she can't find the cat anywhere. Rachel tells her that she found him and that it's Paolo's cat, to which Phoebe complains, oh, well, there you go. Last to know again. And I'm guessing, since nobody told me, this is Paolo. Rachel introduces them and Paolo says something very Italian and very charming. And Phoebe replies with, you betcha. And Ross and Joey are none too impressed with this new dude, which we can clearly see by their skeptical, like, fuck this dude faces to each other. And we end the scene. Our next shot is back in the bank lobby. And instead of going over the conversation verbatim, the gist of the scene is Chandler chewing the gum that Jill gave him, still having this incessant dialogue in his head, trying to be cute or playful, he decides to blow a bubble. But instead, he spits the gum out of his mouth across the room, where it lands on a table in the lobby. Now, I don't know if my dude has never blown a bubble with gum, but this is reminiscent of the scene in episode one, where Monica, quote unquote, spits her water on Paul, the wine guy, her date. And it's just so obviously not accidental. But it's what it's. So moving on. As Chandler catapults his gum out of his mouth, he looks slyly back at Jill or maybe shyly back at Jill, who's sitting on the lobby floor kind of behind him and to his left. And it looks like she definitely saw what happened with his gum. She turns away and Chandler decides that all he needs to do to salvage this disaster is put the gum back in his mouth. I mean, fucking, ew, ew, that gum was just on a public table in a bank lobby, but he still reaches over and puts it back in his mouth. But what he realizes is that it's not his gum at all. It's fucking ABC gum. I mean, guys, if you grew up any time around when I did, which was obviously the 90s, everyone knows ABC gum stands for already been chewed. So Chandler realizes this atrocity and starts to choke on the gum. Jill sees him choking, gives him the Heimlich and literally saves his fucking life. She asks him, that's better. And Ross mumbles out the words. Yes, thank you. That was that was. And Jill says, perfection. And they share a cute little smile. And I just realized that I said Ross instead of Chandler. So obviously Chandler realizes that he's choking. Chandler says what Chandler says. And Ross is nowhere in this scene. And this is an edit. So I'm so sorry, you guys. OK, back to the show. And we cut back to the girl's apartment. Rachel and Paolo are staring out the picture window and he's speaking to her in Italian. Ross and Jill, you're standing off to the side in the kitchen. And Ross is mocking Paolo and the beautiful Italian language going. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah towards Paolo. Ross and Paolo say hi to each other ish. And Ross tells Paolo that Rachel and I are kind of a thing, which as we know, isn't even true. I mean, he wishes they were a thing, and he wants them to be a thing. But he hasn't even told her how he feels yet. But he still tries to discourage Paolo from trying anything further with Rachel. Because Ross says, they're supposed to be together. And if Paolo got in the way, he would be very sad. And at the end of the conversation, Ross says to Paolo, Oh, okay, so you do know a little English, to which Paolo says, Paul little. And Ross asks him if he knows the word crap weasel. No. That's funny, because, you know, you are a huge crap weasel. Paolo says, grazie. They hug. We end the scene. Like, wow, that was he like, he was so shady right there. And Paolo was like, grazie. Like, you didn't even know he was like, so happy to be called a crap weasel. When we come back, we're with Chandler in the ATM lobby. And Jill is trying to teach him to do this trick with a bank pen on the chain. She swings the pen out and around her head like, ooh, and Chandler just can't seem to get it. He swings the pen and it hits him in the head. And she tells him, you gotta whip it, which he does. And it ricochets back, almost smacking him in the face again. But it does at least look like they're having fun. So we flash cut back to the apartment. And Phoebe is saying, oh, look, look, the last candle is about to burn out. 10, 9, 8, 7. There's a time lapse. And Phoebe is still counting down. Negative 46, negative 47, negative 48. And Joy blows out the candle, turning the room pitch black. Ross and Monica, we both, we hear them both saying, thank you. Ross follows that up with, it's kind of spooky without any lights. And then we hear Joey doing an evil laugh. Mwa ha ha ha ha. And everyone starts to follow suit. Mwa ha ha. Mwa ha ha ha ha ha. And Ross tells everyone he's got the definitive one. Mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha. And as the lights come back on, we see Rachel and Paolo making out, like, hard core. When Ross realizes what he's seeing, he puts his hand to his heart and groans like he's just been shot. And in this moment, Joe walks over and tells Ross, this probably isn't the best time to bring it up, but you have to throw a spade at me. Mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha. And as the lights come back on, we see Rachel and Paolo making out, like, hard core. When Ross realizes what he's seeing, he puts his hand to his heart and groans like he's just been shot. Mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha. And in this moment, Joe walks over and tells Ross, this probably isn't the best time to bring it up, but you have to throw a spade at me. Mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha. And in this moment, Joe walks over and tells Ross, this probably isn't the best time to bring it up, but you have to throw a spade at me. Mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha. And in this moment, Joe walks over and tells Ross, this probably isn't the best time to bring it up, but you have to throw a spade at me. Mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha. And in this moment, Joe walks over and tells Ross, this probably isn't the best time to bring it up, but you have to throw a spade at me. Mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha. And in this moment, Joe walks over and tells Ross, this probably isn't the best time to bring it up, but you have to throw a spade at me. Mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha. And in this moment, Joe walks over and tells Ross, this probably isn't the best time to bring it up, but you have to throw a spade at me. Mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha. And in this moment, Joe walks over and tells Ross, this probably isn't the best time to bring it up, but you have to throw a spade at me. Mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha. And in this moment, Joe walks over and tells Ross, this probably isn't the best time to bring it up, but you have to throw a spade at me. Mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha. And in this moment, Joe walks over and tells Ross, this probably isn't the best time to bring it up, but you have to throw a spade at me. And in this moment, Joe walks over and tells Ross, this probably isn't the best time to bring it up, but you have to throw a spade at me. Mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha. And in this moment, Joe walks over and tells Ross, this probably isn't the best time to bring it up, but you have to throw a spade at me. Mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha. And in this moment, Joe walks over and tells Ross, this probably isn't the best time to bring it up, but you have to throw a spade at me. Mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha. And in this moment, Joe walks over and tells Ross, this probably isn't the best time to bring it up, but you have to throw a spade at me. Mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha. And in this moment, Joe walks over and tells Ross, this probably isn't the best time to bring it up, but you have to throw a spade at me. Mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha. And in this moment, Joe walks over and tells Ross, this probably isn't the best time to bring it up, but you have to throw a spade at me. Mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha. And in this moment, Joe walks over and tells Ross, this probably isn't the best time to bring it up, but you have to throw a spade at me. Mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha. And in this moment, Joe walks over and tells Ross, this probably isn't the best time to bring it up, but you have to throw a spade at me. Mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha. And in this moment, Joe walks over and tells Ross, this probably isn't the best time to bring it up, but you have to throw a spade at me. Mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. And in this moment, Joe walks over and tells Ross, this probably isn't the best time to bring it up, but you have to throw a spade at me. Mwa ha ha ha ha ha. And in this moment, Joe walks over and tells Ross, this probably isn't the best time to bring it up, but you have to throw a spade at me. Mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha. And in this moment, Joe walks over and tells Ross, this probably isn't the best time to bring it up, but you have to throw a spade at me. Mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. And in this moment, Joe walks over and tells Ross, this probably isn't the best time to bring it up, but you have to throw a spade at me. Mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. And in this moment, Joe walks over and tells Ross, this probably isn't the best time to bring it up, but you have to throw a spade at me. Mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. And in this moment, Joe walks over and tells Ross, this probably isn't the best time to bring it up, but you have to throw a spade at me. Mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. And in this moment, Joe walks over and tells Ross, this probably isn't the best time to bring it up, but you have to throw a spade at me. And in this moment, Joe walks over and tells Ross, this probably isn't the best time to bring it up, but you have to throw a spade at me. And in this moment, Joe walks over and tells Ross, this probably isn't the best time to bring it up, but you have to throw a spade at me. And in this moment, Joe walks over and tells Ross, this probably isn't the best time to bring it up, but you have to throw a spade at me. And in this moment, Joe walks over and tells Ross, this probably isn't the best time to bring it up, but you have to throw a spade at me. And in this moment, Joe walks over and tells Ross, this probably isn't the best time to bring it up, but you have to throw a spade at me. And in this moment, Joe walks over and tells Ross, this probably isn't the best time to bring it up, but you have to throw a spade at me. And in this moment, Joe walks over and tells Ross, this probably isn't the best time to bring it up, but you have to throw a spade at me. And in this moment, Joe walks over and tells Ross, this probably isn't the best time to bring it up, but you have to throw a spade at me. And in this moment, Joe walks over and tells Ross, this probably isn't the best time to bring it up, but you have to throw a spade at me. And in this moment, Joe walks over and tells Ross, this probably isn't the best time to bring it up, but you have to throw a spade at me. And in this moment, Joe walks over and tells Ross, this probably isn't the best time to bring it up, but you have to throw a spade at me. And in this moment, Joe walks over and tells Ross, this probably isn't the best time to bring it up, but you have to throw a spade at me. And in this moment, Joe walks over and tells Ross, this probably isn't the best time to bring it up, but you have to throw a spade at me. And in this moment, Joe walks over and tells Ross, this probably isn't the best time to bring it up, but you have to throw a spade at me. And in this moment, Joe walks over and tells Ross, this probably isn't the best time to bring it up, but you have to throw a spade at me. And in this moment, Joe walks over and tells Ross, this probably isn't the best time to bring it up, but you have to throw a spade at me. And in this moment, Joe walks over and tells Ross, this probably isn't the best time to bring it up, but you have to throw a spade at me. And in this moment, Joe walks over and tells Ross, this probably isn't the best time to bring it up and for the good of the bigger picture, but to everyone else out there that likes someone, be brave, go tell them, take that chance. It may turn out better than you ever imagined. And me, I am just going to sit here, drink wine, watch friends, and pet my dog, my little Tootie. So thank you guys so much for allowing me to be a little hypocritical in my, you know, like recommendations or my takeaways, but you know, this is like a job situation, right? Like, I work with this person, so it would not really turn out well. But anyway, I thank you guys so much for joining me for Season 1, Episode 7, and I can't wait to meet you all back here next week for Episode 8. So, let's continue to drink wine and watch friends together. And remember, I'll be there for you, cause you're there for me too. Bye guys. Love you so much. Have a great week. Bye! Wine and Friends is an independent podcast written and produced by me, Katie Rowe. If you enjoyed this show, please share it with your friends. It also really helps when you like, rate, subscribe, and review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts or wherever you find podcasts. And follow the show on Instagram at WineAndFriendsPod and on Facebook at WineAndFriends. If you would like to reach out to me, please feel free to email me at WineAndFriendsPod at gmail.com. Cheers friends!