The One with the Chicken Pox

Season 2, Episode 23, Aired
EDIT

Episode Summary

Phoebe catches chicken pox just as her old flame Ryan arrives in town on leave from the Navy. Even though he hasn't yet had chicken pox, he can't stand to be apart and they both spend the rest of the time trying to not scratch. Joey gets a job at Chandler's office but decides to play it as a role. The character he creates, Joseph, has a wife and kids and ultimately blames Chandler for his own screwup. Monica is upset that Richard doesn't have a "thing": an unexplainable quirk. He eventually comes up with one to ease her mind.moreless
8.6
out of 10
EPISODE RATING: Great
246 votes
  • Your Rating: 10
    "Perfect"
  • Your Rating: 9.5
    "Superb"
  • Your Rating: 9
    "Superb"
  • Your Rating: 8.5
    "Great"
  • Your Rating: 8
    "Great"
  • Your Rating: 7.5
    "Good"
  • Your Rating: 7
    "Good"
  • Your Rating: 6.5
    "Fair"
  • Your Rating: 6
    "Fair"
  • Your Rating: 5.5
    "Mediocre"
  • Your Rating: 5
    "Mediocre"
  • Your Rating: 4.5
    "Poor"
  • Your Rating: 4
    "Poor"
  • Your Rating: 3.5
    "Bad"
  • Your Rating: 3
    "Bad"
  • Your Rating: 2.5
    "Terrible"
  • Your Rating: 2
    "Terrible"
  • Your Rating: 1.5
    "Abysmal"
  • Your Rating: 1
    "Abysmal"
Rate It

Watch Online

TBS
Subscription
Amazon
Buy
iTunes
Buy
VUDU
Buy/Rent

Cast & Crew

See All EDIT

Fan Episode Reviews (4)

See All

  • Friends

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By efc91, Aug 10, 2009 Report Abuse
    Phoebe catches chicken pox just as her old flame Ryan arrives in town on leave from the Navy. Even though he hasn't yet had chicken pox, he can't stand to be apart and they both spend the rest of the time trying to not scratch. Joey gets a job at Chandler's office but decides to play it as a role. The character he creates, Joseph, has a wife and kids and ultimately blames Chandler for his own screwup. Monica is upset that Richard doesn't have a "thing": an unexplainable quirk. He eventually comes up with one to ease her mind. This was veryy funny and Charlie sheen was great 9 out of 10moreless

    DO YOU AGREE?

    0 0

  • Charlie Sheen guest stars.

    8.0
    "Great"
    By Canogaparkcindy, May 29, 2009 Report Abuse
    Charlie Sheen guest stars as Ryan. Finally, it has been a while since Phoebe has had a boyfriend. I wish Ryan's character was more in the show though. Ross getting Ryan's costume for Rachel. I like how he wanted to carry her but Rachel kept on forgetting things toward thee end. Monica getting mad because Richard wasn't insane. Monica has to find something bad about her boyfriend. Richard was so nice, and Monica has to do this. But still Monica's very random attitude was very funny. The chicken pox plot was pretty funny. Too bad Ryan had to go. An okay episode.moreless

    DO YOU AGREE?

    0 0

  • funny

    8.1
    "Great"
    By xkelly123x, Jan 21, 2007 Report Abuse
    Phoebe catches chicken pox just as her old flame Ryan arrives in town on leave from the Navy. Even though he hasn't yet had chicken pox, he can't stand to be apart and they both spend the rest of the time trying to not scratch. Joey gets a job at Chandler's office but decides to play it as a role. The character he creates, Joseph, has a wife and kids and ultimately blames Chandler for his own screwup. Monica is upset that Richard doesn't have a "thing": an unexplainable quirk. He eventually comes up with one to ease her mindmoreless

    DO YOU AGREE?

    0 0

  • It's a shame Ryan only appears in one episode for Phoebe.

    9.4
    "Superb"
    By LiamBolton, Apr 03, 2006 Report Abuse
    Phoebe catches chicken pox just as her old flame Ryan arrives in town on leave from the Navy. Even though he hasn't yet had chicken pox, he can't stand to be apart and they both spend the rest of the time trying to not scratch. Joey gets a job at Chandler's office but decides to play it as a role. The character he creates, Joseph, has a wife and kids and ultimately blames Chandler for his own screwup. Monica is upset that Richard doesn't have a "thing": an unexplainable quirk. He eventually comes up with one to ease her mind.

    TRIVIA: In this episode Phoebe states that Ryan appears once every three years as her submarine guy. But in the ten years when he should have appeared at least twice, he didn't.moreless

    DO YOU AGREE?

    0 0
 

Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

See All

  • Trivia

    ADD TRIVIA
    • Goof: In the teaser scene when Monica grabs the mug from the coffee table and licks it before telling Chandler "There you go, enjoy your coffee," the mug is clearly empty. Edit
    • Trivia: This is the first of three episodes in which Joey gets a job at one of his friend's work. In "The One with Phoebe's Uterus", Ross gets Joey a job as a tour guide at the museum. In "The One with the Girl from Poughkeepsie", Monica hires, and fires, Joey as a waiter at Allesandro's. Edit
    • Trivia: This is the second of two episodes in which Chandler gets one of the other friends a job at his work. The other one is "The One with the Ick Factor", where Phoebe becomes Chandler's assistant and finds out nobody at work actually likes Chandler. In both episodes, Chandler afterwards regrets getting his friend the job. Edit

  • Notes

    ADD NOTES
    • International Episode Title: Czech Republic: Plané neštovice (Chicken Pox) Edit
    • Charlie Sheen is credited as a "Special Appearance." Edit
    • Music: "Up Where We Belong" from An Officer and a Gentleman Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • Phoebe: You don't want to see a face that's covered with pox. Ryan: Your face could be covered with lox, I wouldn't care! Edit
    • Monica: (to Phoebe) Ryan's been underwater. He's just going to be glad you don't have barnacles on your butt. Edit
    • Phoebe: You have to stay back, 'cause, I have the pox. Ryan: Chicken or small? Phoebe: Chicken. Which is so ironic, considering that I'm a vegetarian. Edit

  • Allusions

    ADD ALLUSIONS
    • At the end of the episode, Ross enters Central Perk dressed in a Navy uniform and literally sweeps Rachel off her feet. This is a direct reference to the end of the 1982 movie An Officer and a Gentleman, starring Richard Gere and Debra Winger. Edit
    • Richard: Is Leroy Brown the baddest man in the whole damn town or the fattest man in the whole damn town? That is a line Richard confuses from Jim Croce's hit song "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown." In the song, Leroy is a gambler who is known for being tough and mean, but he learns a hard lesson after flirting with someone else's wife. Edit

Show Forums

See All
Last Activity
Replies

Watch Friends Full Episodes

See All

Related Shows

Season 2 Episodes

See All
Ep 24
The One with Barry and Min...
Ep 23
The One with the Chicken Pox
Ep 22
The One with the Two Parties
Ep 21
The One with the Bullies
Ep 20
The One Where Old Yeller Dies
Ep 19
The One Where Eddie Won't Go
Ep 18
The One Where Dr. Ramoray ...
Ep 17
The One Where Eddie Moves In
Ep 16
The One Where Joey Moves Out
Ep 15
The One Where Ross and Rac...
Ep 14
The One with the Prom Video
Ep 13
The One After the Super Bo...
Ep 12
The One After the Super Bo...
Ep 11
The One with the Lesbian W...
Ep 10
The One with Russ
Ep 9
The One with Phoebe's Dad
Ep 8
The One with the List
Ep 7
The One Where Ross Finds Out
Ep 6
The One with the Baby on t...
Ep 5
The One with Five Steaks a...
Ep 4
The One with Phoebe's Husband
Ep 3
The One Where Heckles Dies
Ep 2
The One with the Breast Milk
Ep 1
The One with Ross's New Gi...

Contributors

Become a contributor
More
Less

TV Listings

Full Listings
BROWSE | Shows | Videos | News | Listings | Forums | People | Photos | TV.com Blog

CBS Entertainment | About TV.com | About CBS Interactive | Jobs | Advertise

© 2012 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy | Ad Choice | Terms of Use