In an attempt to get Rachel and Ross back together, Phoebe and Joey set the two up on terrible blind dates. Monica and Chandler babysit Emma.
Tropes:
- Artistic License – Medicine: Monica tells Chandler not to masturbate because she's ovulating. Masturbation actually helps with getting pregnant as it gets rid of old sperm so healthier sperm can take the place.
- Babysitting Episode: Monica and Chandler look after Emma while Rachel has a date.
- Bittersweet Ending: Ross and Rachel's blind dates end horribly and they're furious at Joey and Phoebe for sabotaging them, but Rachel is finally able to forgive Ross for what he did a few episodes prior.
- Blind Date: Rachel and Ross go on blind dates set up by Phoebe and Joey to go as terribly as possible so the two will go back to each other.
- Brick Joke: Phoebe early on reveals she has a different Evil Plan that concludes with her running away to Mexico. At the end of the episode when she and Joey are trying to get away from an angry Ross and Rachel, she says they should escape to Mexico.
- The Bus Came Back: Steve, from Season 1's "The One with the Stoned Guy" reappears as Rachel's blind date and is still as high as ever. The nameless gay waiter that was attracted to Joey from "The One Where Joey Tells Rachel" also makes a reappearance as Ross' waiter.
- Censorship by Spelling: Joey when he realizes Chandler and Monica are having sex while taking care of Emma.Joey: You can't have S-E-X while taking care of a B-A-B-I-E!
- Continuity Nod: When Steve is complaining about his life Rachel remembers that he used to own a restaurant. Apparently he lost it because of his drug problem.
- Description Cut: When Rachel and Ross figure out what Phoebe and Joey were doing, Ross says "That is so stupid!" Cut to Phoebe and Joey looking in through the window and Joey says, "We're geniuses!"
- Didn't Think This Through: Phoebe scolds Joey for setting up Ross with a woman who has the same intellectual interests, saying the point is a date with someone Ross would dislike.
- Everyone Has Standards: Even Joey is pretty repulsed when he learns that Chandler and Monica were having sex while Emma was just one room over and lays into the two for doing so.
- Evil Laugh: Parodied, as Phoebe and Joey start doing this when they make their plan to try and get Rachel and Ross back together, but they eventually stop when the realize they killed the fun of doing it.
- Fallen-on-Hard-Times Job: Steve lost his restaurant since the last time we saw him because of his pot-smoking habits and has since been reduced to selling t-shirts.It's really fulfilling doing something you hate for no money.
- Home Nudist: The episode opens with Rachel cheering because Joey finally remembered to put on pants before leaving his room after five days of her living there.
- Open Mouth, Insert Foot: Upon seeing that Joey had Emma the entire time, a relieved Monica blurts out on the phone to Rachel, "Oh, Emma, there you are." She then realizes how Rachel is going to take that.
- Properly Paranoid: As Ross and Rachel reflect on the odds of them both having lousy dates on the same night, they start to put the pieces together.
- Run for the Border: Phoebe implies that she has another plan going that ends with her escaping to Mexico. When Ross and Rachel see Phoebe and Joey after working out what they did Phoebe tells Joey to run.Joey: Where?!
Phoebe: MEXICO! - Screw This, I'm Outta Here: When Rachel and Ross realize that Joey and Phoebe set them up on bad dates on purpose, the two decide to flee, with Phoebe suggesting to Joey they head to Mexico.
- Self-Deprecation: Steve constantly insults himself during his date with Rachel.
- Shipper on Deck: Joey and Phoebe for Ross and Rachel in a quite comical way.
- Side Bet:
- The staff at the restaurant that Ross is at have a betting pool over when he'll finally give up and leave. The waiter offering Ross free crabcakes to try to get him to stay just a bit longer is considered cheating.
- In the end credit scene, Ross and Joey try to take advantage of this to score some free food, but the waiter tells them no one's betting on either of them tonight. He says they're betting on how long it will take for Steve to cry.
- Springtime for Hitler: Joey tries to set Ross up on a bad date by hooking him up with a geeky girl. As Phoebe points out, that's a horrible plan, since she and Ross would have the same interests and would perfectly hit it off.
- Stood Up: Ross thinks his date did this to him. In reality, Joey and Phoebe cancelled the date, but intentionally didn't tell him.
