The opening two episodes of the 'Friends' spin-off had established Joey's relationship with his family, but what he ironically needed for this show to work was a friend.
The writers over the course of the two years would try numerous people out in order to fill this void, but the one constant was Ben Falcone's Howard.
There were some nice sweet moments within this episode, especially between Joey and Gina. The writers on this occasion also managed to find the balance between Joey being dim without being ridiculous. This would not always be the case.
It was good to see also that the writers had a subplot involving the other characters (Michael and Alex) that doesn't really involve Joey. We also see a nice guest appearance from 'Big Bang' star, Simon Helberg, in a role that's not too far away from what he'd play in that show.
Again, these early episodes show a much clearer intent for the show than what it became further down the line.