"The One With the Routine" (also known as "The One with the Rockin' New Year") is the sixth Christmas episode of the NBC sitcom Friends, aired as the tenth episode of the show's sixth season (though it is actually the season's eleventh episode in production order).
Synopsis[]
Janine is going to be a party person on the annual ABC special Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve and asks Joey, Monica, and Ross to come along for the taping. Joey decides to kiss Janine at the end of the midnight countdown on set in order to find out whether she likes him or not. Rachel and Phoebe look for the gifts Monica got for them while the others are at the taping, and convince Chandler to help them look for them by using the presents to know what to get Monica. After searching the apartment for gifts and unable to find them, Rachel ends up knocking on the bench in the apartment, realizing it is hollow and thus discovering where Monica hid the presents. Chandler, however, stops Rachel and Phoebe from opening the gifts by telling them that it isn't what Christmas is about, and that he wants to see Monica's look on her face when she opens his present and believes she will appreciate the look on his face when he opens her present. He persuades the girls to put them back by promising to get them better gifts in return. However, Monica happens to walk in and sees them before they can put them back, revealing to a bemused Chandler that she bought him a water purifier for Christmas.
Monica and Ross really want to be on TV but they would have to dance on the platform, which only the selected people are allowed to do. They put on the "routine" - a ridiculous looking dance they haven't done since 8th Grade - for the selection guy, who claims to be impressed and tells them to do the same dance on the platform where they will be filmed and lets them believe they will be on TV, but when they are out of earshot tells his cameraman that he really just wants them filmed "for the bloopers roll".
Joey and Janine are split up by the selection guy and paired with different dancing partners, as the guy claims not to see them come to the set together. In the bathroom, he tries to persuade Janine's partner to switch with him, but he doesn't budge. Joey retaliates by spilling water on the man's pants and embarrassing him on set. He prepares to kiss Janine on fake midnight but the crew ruins their moment by yelling "Cut!"
When they get back home, Janine kisses Joey, admitting she likes him and wanted to kiss him as well. Neither can wait until New Year's to kiss again and do so marking the start of a new relationship. In the final scene in Monica's apartment, Monica and Chandler try to show Rachel and Chandler the end of the routine but Monica backs out of catching Ross.
Songs[]
Uncredited, aside from its signature theme song, performed by The Rembrandts.
- "Trouble with Boys" - Loreta
- "Every Word Means No" - Smash Mouth
- "I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind of Thing" - Robbie Williams
- "Next Year" - Kevin Henry
Notes[]
- In the original, uncut version on the home media releases, Rachel, Phoebe and Chandler go to Central Perk in search of the presents Monica had hidden from them. Rachel flirts with Gunther to try and find out where they are and he faints. Also, after the countdown to New Year's on set, Ross and Monica continue to dance on the platform after everyone leaves.
- Because of the coming of the year 2000, ABC pre-empted the annual NYRE airing in favor of a special broadcast entitled ABC 2000 Today, although Dick Clark did conduct the New Year's Eve countdown as usual.
Cast[]
Actor/actress | Character |
---|---|
Jennifer Aniston | Rachel Green |
Courteney Cox Arquette | Monica Geller |
Lisa Kudrow | Phoebe Buffay |
Matt Le Blanc | Joey Tribbiani |
Matthew Perry | Chandler Bing |
David Schwimmer | Dr. Ross Geller |
Elle Macpherson | Janine Lecroix |
Patrick Bristow | The Stage Manager |
Lex Medlin | The Tall Guy |
James Michael Tyler | Gunther |
Sandra Plazinic | Dancer on Platform |
Sybil Azur | The Dancing Girl |
Uncredited | |
Alex Kalognomos | Dancer on Screen |
Paul Sinacore | Party Goer |
See also[]
- "The One With the Monkey"
- "The One With Phoebe's Dad"
- "The One Where Rachel Quits"
- "The One With the Girl from Poughkeepsie"
- "The One With the Inappropriate Sister"
- "The One With All the Candy"
- "The One With the Holiday Armadillo"
- "The One With Monica's Boots"
- "The One With the Creepy Holiday Card"
- "The One With Christmas in Tulsa"
External links[]
- Friends and Joey Wiki: The One With The Routine
- "The One With the Routine" at the Internet Movie Database