Ross gets a monkey that he names Marcel.
Since no one has a date for New Year's Eve, the friends decide they will all stay single for the party and none of them will kiss anyone. However, one by one, everyone gets a date except for Ross.
Tropes
- Artistic License – Geography: David says that Minsk is in Russia, when it's actually in Belarus.
- Bait-and-Switch Comment: Ross explains how he got Marcel.Ross: My friend Bethel rescued him from some lab.
Phoebe: Oh, my God, that is so cruel! Why? Why would anyone name their kid Bethel? - Bait-and-Switch Comparison: On David, Phoebe says, "Did you see An Officer and a Gentleman? He's like the guy I saw that with."
- Desk Sweep of Passion: David wants his first kiss with Phoebe to be phenomenal and he feels he needs to do a big gesture, like sweeping stuff off of a desk and throwing her there in a fit of passion, but also doesn't feel like a 'sweeping sorta fella'. Phoebe assures him he is, so he attempts the sweeping. But he first removes a laptop and a microscope, and Phoebe points out he's just tidying. Then he sweeps some papers and grabs Phoebe, but then asks her to hop on the table. She does and then they finally kiss. After he agrees not to go to Minsk he does a proper sweep, and then admits it was his lab partner's stuff so he didn't care about making a mess with it.
- Ironic Nickname: "Fun Bobby" arrives at Monica's party utterly miserable because his grandfather just died and he can't get a flight home until the next day.
- Mall Santa: Joey has a temporary gig as one of Santa's elves. Apparently he was Santa Claus the year before but lost out to "some fat guy" who's sleeping with the store manager.Joey: He's not even jolly! It's all political.
- New Year Has Come: The friends have a New Year's Eve party.
- New Year's Kiss: Despite the friends' pact not to kiss anyone at midnight, Chandler desperately clamors for someone to kiss him. He gets one from Joey.
- Shout-Out: David compares Phoebe to Daryl Hannah, whom she liked in Splash, but not so much in Wall Street.
- Yoko Oh No: Eric views Phoebe this way after David declines the offer to go to Minsk. When they run into him at the New Year's party Eric spitefully calls her "Yoko".
