The One with the Blackout - S1-E7
Question: When they're all playing the game where everyone has to reveal the weirdest place he/she had sex, Rachel says, "Oh, alright. The weirdest place would have to be. Oh, the foot of the bed." This has Joey and Ross much impressed and the girls are smiling too. Could anyone explain the joke? Or are the friends just being sarcastic at Rachel being relatively 'less' adventurous?
The One Where Nana Dies Twice - S1-E8
Question: The Geller family don't get upset or even cry at the death of Nana, and don't mourn that long. Why is this?
Chosen answer: It could be from many reasons. Speaking from my own experience, when an elderly family member has been in a long decline, has suffered from illness and/or age-related maladies, not only is their death expected, but it also comes as a relief that the person is no longer suffering. That may well be the case with the Gellers. We also don't know how long the Gellers mourned, it's not shown. Also, being a comedy show, it's unlikely this is something that will be ongoing in the storyline.
The One with All the Poker - S1-E18
Question: After playing poker for the second time and winning over the girls, the guys say something like "Thanks for teaching us cross-eyed Mary." I assume it is a poker technique, however as a poker player, I've never heard about it. Is anyone familiar with it?
Chosen answer: I've been unable to locate any information about an actual poker game or technique called "cross-eyed Mary." The only reference I can find to "Cross-Eyed Mary" is a track on the 1971 Jethro Tull album "Aqualung." It's unlikely Joey is referring to the song, so I am guessing it's just something the show creators made up, possibly implying that Monica's aunt taught them a new variation/technique/trick so they could win and they still ended up losing, teaching it to the guys in the process.
Answer: It is largely believed that a player's eyes can give away a good or bad hand and that good poker players need to have a "poker face" - not moving eyes or making facial gestures. If a poker player has cross-eyes, the implication is that other players will not be able to "read" that person's face or be able to discern if the player has a good hand or is bluffing.
The One with Mrs. Bing - S1-E11
Question: When we first see Mrs Bing on TV, Jay Leno mentions that she recently got arrested and asks how it came about. Her response is "occasionally, after being intimate with a man, I just get a craving for Kung Pao chicken" This gets a lot of cheers and laughter from the audience and Chandler shouts "that's too much information!" at the TV. What was happening here? Why does what Mrs Bing said get so much of a reaction from everyone and not answer the question she was asked? Am I missing something?
Answer: This is a story about how Chandler's mom got arrested. So she is saying "after being intimate with a man I get a craving for Kung Pao Chicken." So what she is implying is that she is intimate with whomever, and immediately afterwards when orders Kung Pao Chicken. By this she is saying she got arrested at the place where they sell Kung Poa Chicken, because she was being intimate with the individual there. Conclusion she was openly having sex at a Chinese Restaurant.
Answer: I've seen a few answers that are similar to this. It's really unclear to me what the relation to being arrested is and/or why it's too much information. I feel like I'm missing a connection here.
Chosen answer: Nora Bing's remarks got a huge response by her being funny and making the incident about sex. Audiences tend react to titillating anecdotes. Chandler, of course, is always mortified by his mother for not acting her age and being sexually uninhibited.
This answers nothing really.
Answer: I honestly think part of it has been deleted since the original broadcast. I remember her saying something extra that carried on the joke, but watching it on streaming services, it isn't there.
The One Where Monica Gets a Roommate - S1-E1
Question: In the very first episode, there is a scene in which Ross is in his apartment, talking to Joey and Chandler about his failed marriage to Carol, and is worried that there is only 'one woman' for everyone. Joey encourages him to 'grab a spoon' - to which Ross replies: 'Do you know how long it's been since I grabbed a spoon? Do the words 'Billy don't be a hero mean anything to you'? Well the words 'Billy don't be hero' mean very little to me, so I'd be grateful if somebody could fill me in on this. Thanks.
Chosen answer: It's a song released in 1974, earlier than he met Carol (1988) but he's probably exaggerating for comic effect - it's been that long since he grabbed a spoon. It also means that he is unadventurous and too scared to 'grab a spoon' and take the opprtunity. The song was about a kid in the war who wanted to be the hero and get up and fight.
Question: I know when the series first aired on TV I saw a opening sequence where the cast hums the theme song from The Odd Couple, but when I watched my DVDs I never saw it. Am I wrong, or was it edited out for some reason?
Answer: It's Season 1 Episode 12 - The One with the Dozen Lasagnas. If it's not on your DVD, there may have been copyright issues with the song. Broadcast rights and DVD rights are separate deals so music is sometimes switched from TV/theatrical releases and DVD releases.
The One with Two Parts: Part 1 - S1-E16
Question: What is the name of the toy that Chandler is playing with when his boss bursts in? It's doing my head in.
Answer: I had one of those when I was a kid and it was called a Bumble Ball-not sure if that's the "official" name or just what we called it, though.
The One with the Monkey - S1-E10
Question: Does anybody know why the actress Anita Barone was replaced by Jane Sibbett as Carol Willick after episode 1.1? I know this kind of thing happens all the time, but I wondered if there was a particular reason.
Answer: From tvtome.com: Anita Barone had auditioned for one of the three female leads in the show, but didn't get the part. The producers then offered her the recurring role of Carol. However, after only one episode as Carol, Barone decided that she was looking for a more full-time role and left to look for other opportunities, being replaced by Jane Sibbett beginning in episode 9.
The One with the Boobies - S1-E13
Question: After Joey says to his father "Now go to my room," it transitions to a new scene, and the music that plays sounds very similar to the song "Found Out About You" by Gin Blossoms, which was a popular song around the same time this show began airing. Is this meant to be an homage to that song, or is it just coincidental?
Chosen answer: The music definitely sounds like it's from that song, though very little is played. Its use would not be coincidental. 'Friends' frequently incorporated popular songs into episodes to reflect the storyline. In one episode, when Joey got brushed off by an attractive woman after she saw his "VD" poster in the subway, the song, "Don't Stand So Close to Me," by the Police, started playing. In another, after Joey moved into his own apartment and was feeling lonely, the episode ended with Eric Carmen's "All By Myself." The Gin Blossoms' song certainly fits with Joey discovering his father's affair.
Answer: They are being, as you say, sarcastic.
Anastasios Anastasatos