But this Thanksgiving episode caps that arc with a necessary reorientation on Joey and the depths of his broken heart-the pieces of which were not cracked by his one-time romance with Kathy, so much as obliterated by his longtime companion Chandler. ![]() Long before Chandler is remanded to contrition in a crate, we willfully boarded the sympathy train for his pursuit of Joey's actress girlfriend Kathy (played by Paget Brewster, who deserves to be better remembered in the guest star gallery for warmly navigating such a pivotal hitch in the rarely-challenged Joey-Chandler bond). Plus, in this episode specifically, when Monica ( Courteney Cox) recommends Joey refocus his sexual drive on "being there for her," we get one of those early-'90s third-wave-feminist risqué-for-network moments that counterbalances the earnestness of Rachel's story line to show early Friends at its most potent blend of sweetness and spice. Look closer, though, and "Rachel Finds Out" bears a lesser-lauded subplot in which Joey ( Matt LeBlanc) must stay celibate, which actually accomplishes something Friends would become fairly well-loved for throughout its 10 seasons: Fundamental joke set-ups that allowed for endless one-up dogpiles of cheeky sexual innuendo, with actors and writers both going gleefully wild in their delivery of good-fun zingers. ![]() Crystallized by a crystal duck, the grand reveal itself is more of a showcase, if anything, for Perry's skill in flabbergast, but then Aniston takes the reins to complete Rachel's season 1 transformation from inexperienced Manhattan princess to fearless rom-com heroine, chasing Ross to the airport and, though ultimately missing her opportunity, providing a juicy finale moment to cling to when the episode's final twist recklessly jolts the Ross-Rachel rollercoaster forward. One line can often make an entire episode of Friends, and Rachel's season finale realization of Ross' feelings creates arguably the series' first signature moment. (Not that any of us have ever gotten stuck in an ATM vestibule with celebrities from the '90s, but still.) For a supporting player like Chandler (who was not originally intended to be a series regular) to embark on a solo adventure in such an early episode-and one that still stands out as a structural departure even after the series finale-was for Friends to rely on its audience to trust that all six principal characters were capable of leading this comedy charge, that their quirks and quests would not just be part of a greater whole, but compelling enough to resonate on their own individual, sometimes relatable merit. But arguably the most enduring contribution of "Blackout" is how its Chandler story line earmarked the show's ability to allow any of its cast to be the lead of their own episode. Its candlelit confessions of sexual histories continued to set the tone for the show's frank maturity and helped lay down a strong foundation for Ross ( David Schwimmer) and Rachel's ( Jennifer Aniston) central romance. ![]() The episode is credited with helping to popularize (though not invent) the term "friend zone," arguably marking the first impact the show had on the pop culture lexicon long before any of its other catchphrases entered the zeitgeist. But "Blackout" is, in many ways, a precursor to what Friends could do, and not just in terms of utilizing the principal cast (minus Chandler) in one bubble setting. Most fans remember this early episode primarily for its scenes of Matthew Perry's Chandler in an ATM vestibule with model Jill Goodacre-a name that places this episode in the '90s almost as instantaneously as Chandler's vest.
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