- Chaos ensues when Rachel's recently divorced parents show up at her surprise birthday party, so the gang has to find ways to keep her parents separated otherwise they'll start fighting.
- Planning Rachel's surprise birthday party. To prevent Rachel's parents to be at the same party they have half of the guests in the boys' apartment with Rachel's dad and the other half in the girls' apartment with Rachel's mum. Phoebe smuggles people from Monica's boring party to the boys' great party. Rachel can't cope with their parents separation.—Anonymous
- The gang is planning Rachel's Bday party and Monica decides to poach a Salmon. The gang is not enthusiastic about the fancy party that Monica throws.. They want just some beer and pizza and want to have fun. Monica is not serving a cake, but a birthday flan (Mexican custard desert)
Rachel comes back from her sister's college graduation ceremony angry at her parents for ruining it with their incessant rampage about the divorce (The Bishop had to actually shush them so that the ceremony could proceed). Concerned that her parents would not get along during her birthday party as well, she contemplates not inviting them to the party at all, though Monica has invited Rachel's mother, Sandra (Marlo Thomas). Things quickly go awry when Rachel's father, Dr. Green (Ron Leibman), unexpectedly arrives at the party right before Sandra does, prompting the gang to set up an impromptu second party at Chandler's and Joey's apartment to keep the hostile couple apart. Sandra stays in Monica's apartment, while Dr Green is hosted in Chandler and Monica's apartment. Chandler sends all the guys to Monica's party and ushers all the girls to his own party.
Rachel knew about Monica's party, but the 2nd one with her father throws her off. Ross suggests bringing them together, but Rachel wants to keep them apart, as she doesn't want a repeat of what happened at the graduation ceremony. The second party turns out to be more fun and livelier than what Monica has planned (she wants guests to put the cap on the markers when they are not using them.. when guests don't comply, she instructs them to push the cap till they hear a "click"), which results in some guests (including Gunther) leaving for the second party with the help of Phoebe (she distracts Monica, so that people can sneak out one by one) (Eventually Monica catches Phoebe trying to sneak people out to Chandler and Joey's party). The gang tries to segregate both Greens throughout the night (Ross has to engage Dr Green in small talk. He has to go to Monica's to fetch him a drink, his cigarettes from his jacket and his glasses.. Sandra is suspicious of Ross with all these things, and Ross has to pretend that they are all his), and Rachel alternates between the two parties. Sandra tells Rachel to see a shrink as she has found a boyfriend exactly like her father.
She ends up feeling depressed, lamenting about her unavoidable future without her parents being together in it. Chandler, having had the painful experience of his parents divorcing (Denial and wetting the bed), then comforts her. Both Sandra and Dr. Green are successfully kept apart despite many close calls, with Joey kissing the former as the latter leaves at the end of the party (Sandra and Dr Green were leaving at the same time and to prevent Sandra from seeing Dr Greem, Joey kisses her (flush on the mouth) to distract her). Sandra is weak at her knees, and leaves.
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