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Friends

The One with the Tea Leaves

Season 8, Episode 17, Aired Mar 07, 2002

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8.8

EPISODE RATING: Great

183 votes

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"Terrible"
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Joey has been hiding from Rachel, so she invents a problem at work ("My boss wants to buy my baby!") to draw him into conversation. Phoebe's tea leaves tell her that she's going to meet the man of her dreams, except that the man she meets is a nightmare. Later on though, she does meet a nice guy. Ross tries to retrieve his favorite shirt from Mona's, interrupted when she returns home with a date.moreless

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Cast & Crew

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GUEST STAR
Mark Lutz

Mona's Date
GUEST STAR
James LeGros

Jim
SPECIAL GUEST STAR
Alec Baldwin

Parker

Jennifer Aniston

Rachel Green
Courteney Cox

Monica Geller-Bing
Lisa Kudrow

Phoebe Buffay
Matt LeBlanc

Joey Tribbiani
Matthew Perry

Chandler Bing
David Schwimmer

Ross Geller

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Fan Episode Reviews (6)

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817

2.5

"Terrible"

By Canogaparkcindy, Sep 12, 2010

What has this show become? Everything about this episode was completely awful. We have yet another dreadful Joey & Rachel plot, that just deals with the over exaggerated aftermath of Joey telling Rachel he had feelings for her. Rachel wants to make it less awkward so she makes up some ridiculous story to get Joey's attention. Does this sound like a Friends episode to you?

Phoebe seeing her future in tea leaves was in character, but I wonder why they haven't mentioned this about her before? When she met the mystery guy, I did not laugh once. Alec Baldwin, now on 30 Rock, was probably the only highlight of this episode for the brief seconds he was on this episode.

Why oh why did they have to bring Mona back on to this show? Hasn't she caused enough damage? I'm glad finally this was the closure episode for her. This episode was completely forgettable, as was she. Ross was also in character, Mona was the only problem. Pretty much, an awful episode of Friends all around, if you disagree, then you just don't get it, you don't understand how much the quality has changed since the first 5 seasons. Compare an episode, you'll see.moreless
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Ha Ha Rachel 'my boss wants to buy my baby ' Monica 'you mean your pink shirt'

8.5

"Great"

By Kadodian, Nov 11, 2007

This episode ha ha ha.

I am still laughing.

But what I like the best is the storyline.

Phoebe going out with a man who keeps running into her and then he trns out to be a wierdo.

Rachel and Joey's story was the funniest.
Rachel wants to make things less awkward between her and Joey so she thinks about a job excuse and comes up with 'my boss wants to buy my baby'

Chandler's Annie Cds.

And Ross looking for his shirt which he claims is a faded salmon colour but is actually a pink shirt and goes looking for it in Mona's appartment.

This episode is hilarious.

The actors were very funny.

The lines were even more funny for example : Joey : You do't go around buying people's baby.

And Monica : this is where they get stains out, this is like Disney Land for me.

Great writing.

Humour in all its shape.

Good show.

8 out of 10.

Bravo Eveyone watch this.

Amoreless
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Rachel's boss wants to buy her baby!!

9.0

"Superb"

By Black_Grace, May 10, 2007

Interesting episode. Rachel makes up this problem at work with her boss wants to buy her baby so she can talk to Joey. Ah I can't believe Joey went down to Rachel's work and told her boss. Ross hides behind Mono's couch and then gets caught and there was a guy there! That was so funny. Both of those guys were ugly. The ones Phoebe thought were for her.
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funny, my boss wants to buy my baby, my geanocologist is trying to kill me.

10

"Perfect"

By simpfan90210, May 06, 2007

Joey has been hiding from Rachel, so she invents a problem at work ("My boss wants to buy my baby!") to draw him into conversation but he then confrons her boss causing rachael to actually get more maternity leave. Phoebe's tea leaves tell her that she's going to meet the man of her dreams, except that the man she meets is a nightmare who has a phd. Later on though, she does meet a nice guy. Ross tries to retrieve his favorite shirt from Mona's, interrupted when she returns home with a date it is a pink shirt but he calls it salmon.moreless
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the Joey revalation

9.5

"Superb"

By tekinhaz, Jun 17, 2006

I think this episode is very amazing as we know Joey ultimate is having some feelings to Rachel but he fell very guilty because that so he didn't tell Rachel or Ross: what we doesn't have sure is Ross have to some feelings to Rachel or he is only preoccupied with his baby what we know is that Ross stay pretty disappointing when is Joey who is there for Rachel and he day after day stay less time with Mona his girlfriend to be with Rachel.But in the next episode we are going to know what do Ross fells because in the end of this episode Joey tell to Ross that he loves Rachel.moreless
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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (1)
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- Trivia: The picture on Ross's t-shirt is the American Sign Language gesture for "Friends."
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QUOTES (12)
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- Joey: Man! When you said it was a problem about your boss and the baby I figured it was something about maternity leave. Rachel: Oh, yeah... Yeah, that-that would've been a much simpler problem.
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- Monica: Honey? Why is the Bruce Springsteen CD in the Cat Stevens case? Chandler: Let's just say if I can't find the right CD case I just put them in the nearest one. Monica: Ok, well, where's the Cat Stevens CD? Chandler: In the James Taylor case. Monica: Where's the James Taylor CD? Chandler: Honey, I'll save you some time: two hundred CDs? Not one of them in the right case.
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- Jim: You might be interested to know that I have a Ph.D. Phoebe: Wow, you do? Jim: Yep, a Pretty Huge... Phoebe: All right. (Gets up and walks out)
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- Chandler: Oh my God, honey, we are so meant to be together. Look at this, we both have copies of the Annie soundtrack. Monica: Honey? Both yours.
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- Phoebe: (To Monica) The universe said I was going to meet a nice guy, and that's who they gave me? (Looks up at the sky) When I get up there, I'm gonna kick some ass!
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- Chandler: I didn't know you read tea leaves. Phoebe: Oh yeah, I've done it for years. I actually stopped because I was so accurate. One of the great joys of life is its wondrous unpredictability, you know? Also tea tends to give me the trots.
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- Joey: You guys don't know what it's like to put yourself out there like that and then just to get shot down. Chandler: I don't know what that's like? Up until I was 25, I thought the only response to "I love you" was "Oh, crap."
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- Rachel: No, no, Joey. He doesn't want to buy my baby! I made that up! Joey: What? Why? Rachel: So that we would have something to talk about! So it wouldn't be awkward. Joey: And you couldn't think of anything else? Monica: You said your boss wants to buy your baby? Rachel: I can't believe you yelled at my boss! I'm gonna lose my job! What am I gonna do? Chandler: You could always sell your baby.
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- Chandler: (To Rachel) I'm not great at the advice. Can I interest you in a sarcastic comment?
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- Phoebe: (Reading Monica's tea leaves) I see a ladder. Which can mean either a promotion or a violent death. Monica: I'm the head chef. I can't get promoted. Phoebe: Mmmhmm, mmhmm. Who's next?
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- Monica: Honey, the Miami Vice Soundtrack? Really? Chandler: They were just giving those away at the store. In exchange for money.
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- Ross: Has anyone seen my shirt? It's a button down, like a faded salmon color. Monica: You mean your pink shirt? Ross: Faded salmon color. Monica: No, I haven't seen your pink shirt.
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NOTES (5)
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- International Episode Title: France: Celui qui voyait dans les feuilles de thé (The One Who Can See The Future In Tea Leaves)
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- Alec Baldwin and Jennifer Aniston both acted in Along Came Polly, a 2004 romantic comedy film, and the episode "The One with the Cast of 'Night Court'" of the TV show 30 Rock.
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- David Schwimmer and Alec Baldwin were both in Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, a 2008 animated film, and the episode "Greenzo" of the TV show 30 Rock.
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- This is the final appearance of Bonnie Somerville as Mona. Mona was in 7 episodes of Friends.
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- This episode runs 22:47 on DVD (a typical sitcom runs about 22:00).
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ALLUSIONS (2)
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- Monica: Honey, the Miami Vice Soundtrack? Really? Chandler: They were just giving those away at the store... In exchange for money. Miami Vice was a popular 1980s television series most noted for its use of pop music. Throughout its five season run the series released multiple albums, and the CD that Chandler owns is the first of four soundtracks albums.
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- Chandler: (Singing) The sun'll come out tomorrow. Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow... (The girls laugh and Chandler continues singing in a deep, masculine voice) There'll be sun! Chandler was singing the famous song "Tomorrow" from the musical Annie, which was based on the Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie. Since its premiere in 1977, Annie has become one of the most popular musicals, and has been performed on stages all over the world, as well as a few motion pictures.
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