Because he hasn't done enough acting work over the past year, Joey loses his health insurance and must take on some roles to get it back; meanwhile he refuses to go to the hospital to treat a hernia, making things difficult for him. Ross gets to give a lecture at NYU, but fears he's boring and so affects a ridiculous British accent. Rachel packs her things to move out and fights with Monica over a pair of candlesticks. Phoebe thinks she will die within the week because her psychic told her so.
Tropes
- Brief Accent Imitation: Ross adopts an "English" accent to cover his nerves about delivering his lecture. When Monica and Rachel find out they decide to have some fun by using, respectively, "Irish" and "Indian" accents while speaking to another professor.
- Delayed "Oh, Crap!": Russell (the divorce attorney) calls Ross's apartment to say no follow-up on their last meeting has made him think Ross is going to give the marriage a shot, after all. Rachel, however, is the one to answer the phone and wonders who Ross could be married to before realizing the truth.
- Enforced Method Acting: An in-universe twofer example. Joey finally gets a role in a TV movie as the dying father of a young boy. Joey's pretty convincing in his death throes thanks to legitimately being in pain from his hernia, but the kid playing his son can't cry on cue. After roughly thirty failed takes Chandler gets the idea to have Joey lift up his shirt and show the kid said hernia. The boy promptly starts bawling and Chandler runs off set yelling at the director to "roll the damn camera!"
- Friendship Moment: Chandler offers to loan Joey the money needed for a hernia operation. He also helped Joey in the shower, but they're never supposed to talk about that again.
- Hope Spot: Joey turns to Estelle to help him get a quick TV role so he can regain his health insurance, and sure enough she managed to line of a slew of parts. The only problem is that shortly after this, he did some weight training, and accidentally pulled a hernia, meaning auditioning for said parts instantly became more difficult.
- Internal Reveal: Rachel finds out Ross never annulled their marriage.
- I Thought It Meant: The last audition Joey goes for is the role of "man" in a soap opera. The casting directly informs him that the role is actually for "dying man", which perks Joey up significantly.
- Let Us Never Speak of This Again: Joey thanks Chandler for helping him take a shower due to his difficulties from the hernia. Chandler reminds him they're supposed to never talk about it again.
- Never Work with Children or Animals: Another in-universe example. The little boy cast as Joey's character's son fails to cry when he's supposed to and just stares blankly as Joey tries to elicit a reaction from him.
- No Sympathy: Chandler is sympathetic to Joey struggling with a hernia and his inability to pay for the operation, but he has no patience for Joey's efforts to pretend there is no problem. At Central Perk, Joey struggles to move about and get an order back to the couch, only for Chandler to ask for a cruller.
- Not What It Looks Like: After finding out he lost his insurance, Joey goes to see Estelle, who reveals she was under the impression that Joey dropped her as his agent, and (indirectly) admits to having smeared his name across town in response. What makes things worse is that Joey last saw Estelle in the previous season.Joey: (enters Estelle's office as she lights up a cigarette) Hey Estelle, listen-Estelle: (smugly) Well, well, well... Joey Tribbiani! (snaps her Zippo close) So, you came back huh? They think they can do better, but they all come crawling back to Estelle!Joey: (Beat; looks around in confusion) What are you talkin’ about? I never left you! You-you’ve always been my agent!Estelle: Really?Joey: Yeah!Estelle: ... (cheerfully) Oh well, no harm, no foul.Joey: (sits down; worried) Look, Estelle, you gotta get me some work. I-I lost my health insurance.Estelle: All right. First thing we gotta do: damage control.Joey: Why?Estelle: (awkwardly) Well, I think, uhh... someone... out there... may have been bad mouthing you all over town. (glances away as she takes a drag)Joey: (pissed) ...bastard!(Estelle gives Joey a side-eye while he's not looking)
- Joey discovers that he can ease the pain of his hernia by putting pressure on it. Unfortunately this requires him to put his hand down the front of his pants... while starring in an advert opposite a child where he has to tell said child that he "has a surprise for him."
- Prank Call: Rachel and Monica eventually start prank calling Ross to mock him for his "English" accent.
- Tempting Fate: After getting found out for his accent antics, Ross is upfront with the students, saying he's trying to get a teaching job and that he'd like a fresh start to prove his true character. Rachel then storms him to yell at him for not telling her the truth about them still being married.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Rachel bursts into the classroom to chew Ross out for not telling her they're still married, all in front of students.
- Your Days Are Numbered: Phoebe's psychic tells her she only has a few days left to live. Phoebe takes this surprisingly well, or not so surprisingly, considering it's Phoebe. Either way, she obviously doesn't die at the end and it turns out the psychic died, having actually foreseen her own death which she mistook for Phoebe's.
