Ross hasn't annulled his marriage to Rachel and keeps her in the dark about it. Phoebe tries to prove to Ross that women don't care if he's divorced three times. Monica and Chandler are to tell Rachel and Joey about moving in together, but Monica struggles with her part.
Tropes:
- Accidental Misnaming: Rachel gets called "Raquel" by her boss during a meeting. No one has the guts to correct the boss, so Rachel gets called that all day to the point of being nicknamed "Rocky" by the guys in the mailroom. Chandler tries to make her feel better by saying his co-workers thought his name was "Sha-la-lap" for four years.
- All Girls Want Bad Boys: One of the girls Ross talks to about his bad luck with marriage says that she only dated jerks and is putting her love life on pause until she works it out. But when Ross angrily yells that Rachel means nothing to him, she says she feels very attracted to him.
- Cannot Spit It Out: There's Monica having trouble telling Rachel that she wants Chandler to move in (and thus Rachel has to move out) and Ross struggling to tell Rachel that they're still married. Monica eventually gets it out, Ross doesn't.
- Deadpan Snarker: Russell (the divorce attorney) in response to Ross both facing divorce for the third time and having not yet told Rachel that they're still legally married.
- Friendship Moment:
- With Joey devastated by him moving out, Chandler assures him he'll move back in the second he and Monica break up.
- Joey tries to claim to Monica that Chandler is terrible to live with, but he can't actually think of a lie. He proclaims Chandler the best roommate ever and hugs him.
- In-Series Nickname: When reflecting on his buddy moving out, Joey rattles off a few nicknames for himself and Chandler. "Chan" is actually one that was infrequently used throughout the series, but the others are ones that neither the audience nor Chandler have ever heard before.Joey: No more J-Man and Channy!
Chandler: Okay, I gotta ask, who calls us that?! - Lampshade Hanging: "Ross, I have been a divorce attorney for 23 years and never had I so much business from one client."
- Mistaken for Pregnant: The rest of the gang all assume that Chandler and Monica's "big news" is them announcing that Monica's pregnant. After the third such mistake Monica grouchily declares that she's going to throw away the baggy shirt she's wearing.
- Never My Fault: When Ross is discussing his marriages with other women, he argues that his failed marriages to Carol and Rachel aren't his fault as he can't be "blamed" for his wife realising she was gay and it's basically Nevada's fault for allowing anyone to get married while that drunk in the first place (although he concedes that his second marriage failing is "a little [his] fault" after he said the wrong name at the altar).
- Real-Place Background: When Rachel point towards "The Angelika" where she and Ross are going to the movies, she points down the street. IRL from the Central Perk location, the Angelika Film Center is located less than a mile down Houston St.
- Revealing Hug: Ross decides to tell Rachel about the marriage situation at the end of the episode, but stops when he sees her distraught over having to move out and gives her a comforting hug instead. The camera points at his face and he looks ambivalent about the situation.
- Sand In My Eyes: Upon learning his best friend is moving out, a teary-eyed Joey insists he has to leave right now.
- Secret-Keeper: Ross asks Phoebe not to tell Rachel that he didn't get the annulment. She objects to lying to one of her closest friends, but then decides she likes how special being the only person to know makes her feel.
- Shout-Out: When Rachel mistakenly believes she's still going to live with Monica and Chandler after they move in together, she starts singing the theme to Three's Company.
- Taking It Well: Monica expects Rachel to be upset when she tells her she'll have to move out, and is taken aback that Rachel is reacting so calmly. When Monica confronts her about it later, Rachel confesses that she never thought Monica was being serious about living with Chandler. Monica assures Rachel that they are, and that's where both of them break down and start crying.
