“The One After Joey and Rachel Kiss”

Friends season 10, episode 1
Original air date: September 25, 2003

Friends picks right back up in Jamaica, where Ross and Joey are making out with Charlie and Rachel, respectively. Phoebe, Monica, and Chandler discover that they can hear everything going on in the two adjoining rooms — home to the two newly-joined couples — so they're tag-team eavesdropping on them. Ross is the first to come up for air, and he explains to Charlie that he doesn't feel right about moving forward with her without discussing it with Joey.

Ross sets out to find Joey, checking first in Rachel's room. Luckily, the eavesdroppers, knowing what's going on, grab Joey through the adjoining door and yank him into their room, by which means he narrowly escapes Ross finding him making out with Rachel. Ross asks Rachel if she knows where Joey is, and she can honestly answer that she has no idea where he's gone. When Ross leaves and Joey returns, although he and Rachel can't keep their hands off each other, they agree to hold off until Joey can talk to Ross. Of course, that might have something to do that each of them envisions kissing Ross each time they lock lips.

Ross and Joey don't get a chance to chat until they're on the plane. Ross asks Joey to forgive him for hooking up with Charlie so quickly after Joey had dumped her, and Joey absolves him of any guilt just as quickly. However, before Joey can reciprocate and tell Ross about his hookup with Rachel, Ross begins praising Joey for being the best friend ever. He even tells Joey that he's edging Chandler out for "Ross's best friend" status. Rachel and Ross have a little chat as they exchange seats again, but she quickly deduces that Joey didn't inform Ross of their encounter when Ross says he's "been fantasizing about it." Joey defends himself with his newfound Ross's best friend status.

Phoebe and Mike's flight home turns out just as bumpy, when Mike reveals that he's got a date when they get back. His date is with his new girlfriend of three months, Precious. Phoebe gets a kick out of the fact that his new girlfriend's name could just as easily be shared with a dog, but remains cool about the fact that Mike has a new girlfriend. He promises to break up with her when they get home, but when Precious gets confused about whether she's supposed to meet Mike at his apartment or the restaurant, Phoebe, who's waiting at Mike's apartment, has to confront Precious about the breakup. Phoebe convinces Precious that Mike's not worth crying over, and they take turns slapping Mike when he returns.

Chandler and Monica's boat is a little rocky, as well, since Monica decided to get her hair done in Jamaica. The frizzed-out humidihair was too much for her, so just before they checked out of the hotel, she got her hair put into braids with shells woven into them. Chandler is repulsed by the braids, but Monica refuses to take then out, even after coming home to New York. He's only able to convince her to get rid of them after she gets one caught around the shower rod in the bathroom and he has to free her.