Phoebe and Monica accidentally cause a man to be hit by a car, and he ends up in the hospital in a coma. Because they feel responsible, they visit him in the hospital and soon become competitive in taking care of him. When he wakes up, he is mostly indifferent to their efforts.
Chandler's mother, a famous author, takes the group to dinner. She commiserates with Ross, who is jealous of Rachel's relationship with Paolo. Ross and Mrs. Bing begin kissing, only to be seen by Joey. He convinces Ross to tell Chandler what happened. At first Chandler is upset, but he forgives his friend and his mother.
Tropes
- Amazingly Embarrassing Parents: Nora Bing happily discusses her sex life and reveals she bought Chandler his first condoms, while being interviewed by Jay Leno.Chandler: And then he burst into flames.
- The Bro Code: Chandler is initially angrier at Ross for the kiss than he is at Nora, saying he expects these kind of antics from "a Freudian nightmare" but not from his best friend. He also takes issue with Joey not saying anything right away, though he gets over that fairly quickly.
- Calling the Old Man Out: Chandler eventually confronts his mother for her constantly embarrassing him and failing to act like a typical mother.
- Continuity Nod: During the opening shot of Phoebe and Monica crossing the street one of Joey's VD posters can be seen in the background for a moment.
- My Sister Is Off-Limits: "My Mother" actually but Chandler's reaction is very much in line with the trope.
- Rouge Angles of Satin: Rachel decides to try her hand at writing her own romance novel. The gang spend the end credits scene making fun of her typos.Monica: What's a "niffle"?
Joey: Joey: You usually find them on the "heaving beasts".
Rachel: Alright, alright, so I'm not a great typist...
Ross: Wait, did you get to the part about his "huge throbbing pens"? Tell ya, you don't wanna be around when he starts writing with those! - Romantic False Lead: Nora points out that Paolo (the former trope namer) is one of these compared to Ross. She describes him as "a complication you eventually kill off".
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Joey stumbles on to the kiss because he was heading for the men's room.Joey: I'll just go pee in the street.
- Sexy Packaging: Apparently Nora's books make frequent use of this.Nora: I have sold a hundred million copies of my books, and y'know why?
Ross: The girl on the cover with her nipples showing?
Nora: No. Because I know how to write men that women fall in love with. Believe me, I cannot sell a Paolo. He's not a hero. You know who our hero is.
Ross: The guy on the cover with his nipples showing? - Talk Show Appearance: Nora Bing is introduced being interviewed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
- Too Much Information: Chandler's reaction to his mother's kung-pow chicken story is to yell this at the television.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Chandler berates Ross for kissing Nora and Joey for not immediately telling him what happened.
