The One Where Old Yeller Dies

Thursday, 4 April 1996

Ross gets Ben for a whole weekend and tells Rachel he has their next twenty years planned, Richard becomes Joey and Chandler's new favourite person, and Phoebe learns her mother hid the sad endings of movies from her.

What happens

• Phoebe watches the real ending of Old Yeller for the first time and finds out the dog is shot.
• Monica talks Joey and Chandler into giving their spare Knicks ticket to Richard, and they accept once they hear about his Jaguar.
• Ross learns from Carol and Susan that he missed Ben pulling himself up, and asks to keep Ben for a full weekend, which they grant immediately.
• Phoebe's grandmother explains that her mother used to hide the endings of sad films from her, before her mother killed herself.
• Joey and Chandler come back from the game devoted to Richard, who let them each drive the Jaguar.
• Joey takes up a cigar and Chandler grows a moustache in imitation of Richard, and Monica discovers that the guys Richard keeps going out with are Joey and Chandler.
• Ross tells Rachel about the two children and the house in Scarsdale he has planned for them, and Rachel invents an errand and walks out.
• Rachel tells Ross she refuses to have her life decided for her, Ross refuses to stop planning theirs, and the two of them say they love each other for the first time.
• Joey tells Richard he is cooler than their fathers, and Richard goes home feeling ancient rather than one of the guys.
• Rachel changes Ben's diaper and Ben says his first word to her, then says goodbye to her as well, while Ross misses both.
• Phoebe sits Ben down with a Bert and Ernie tape and warns him in advance that the frightening stretch ends well.