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"The One in Barbados" is a double length episode of Friends and the final episode of the ninth season. It first aired on the NBC network in the United States on May 15, 2003.

The first part marks the final appearance of David (Hank Azaria).

Plot

Part I

Ross is selected to deliver a keynote speech at a paleontology convention in Barbados, and invites the gang to accompany him. Upon arrival, Monica's hair becomes frizzy due to the humidity, which annoys Chandler, Joey feels out of place with the attending paleontologists and the tourists who are fans of Ross, and a heavy downpour of rain prevents the group from going outside to the beach.

Phoebe cannot stop thinking about her ex Mike, while going out with David. When Chandler inadvertently persuades David to propose to Phoebe, Monica warns Phoebe, who plans to accept the proposal, leading to Monica calling Mike to try to convince him to win Phoebe back since his refusal to marry again destroyed their relationship. During dinner, as David begins to propose to Phoebe, Mike shows up and proposes first, having realized that he does not want to lose her ever again. She rejects both proposals but ends up choosing Mike over David, explaining that she did not need a proposal from him; just the reassurance that they have a future together. A defeated David decides to leave, and Phoebe apologizes for rejecting him, saying it would have been wrong for her to accept his proposal.

Whilst sampling Ross's presentation on his laptop, Chandler accidentally opens an email containing a virus, which erases the files for the presentation which takes place the next day. Charlie volunteers to help a panicked Ross recreate his speech, delaying her dinner plans with Joey, who then takes Rachel to crash a nearby pharmaceutical convention for fun. After quickly recreating the speech, Ross and Charlie celebrate by indulging in the hotel room snacks and find they have a lot in common, from intellectual pursuits to relationship problems. Meanwhile, Joey and Rachel have fun at the convention and get closer, and Rachel tries to confess her feelings to Joey but is interrupted by Ross and Charlie leaving the hotel room. Joey and Charlie then leave for dinner together, much to Ross and Rachel's chagrin.

Part II

The next morning, the rain subsides on the beach leading to a sunny morning; however the rest of the group are forced to attend Ross' keynote speech, much to their consternation. Charlie sees Joey and Rachel smirking at the word "homoerectus", and another fresh downpour outside prevents the group from going to the beach following the presentation.

Bored at the weather and the convention, Monica and Mike decide to take an unwilling Chandler and Phoebe to the game room, where both Monica and Mike show their competitive nature during a game of ping-pong, which displeasures Chandler and turns Phoebe on. They trash talk each other and tie at 41-41 when Monica injures her hand. Chandler agrees to play for her, but she complains saying that he is very bad at playing ping-pong, but Chandler surprises her by showing his secretly adept skills and beats Mike in the sudden death round. He then explains to Monica that he kept his skills secret fearing that she would enter him into doubles' tournaments with her.

Upon seeing that they had fun with other people but not with each other the previous day, Joey and Charlie realize that they have nothing in common and decide to break up. Joey goes to Rachel's room to inform her, and complains how he keeps going after the wrong girl. Rachel tries to hint at her feelings for him but loses her nerve before he decides to look for another room; outside he realizes that Rachel has feelings for him and returns to confront her. She explains that she is not trying to start anything complicated but they have such a good time when they are together. Despite finally getting a chance to be with her, Joey refuses, out of respect for Ross and knowing it would not be right to betray him by being with her.

Charlie meets Ross as he is talking to his fans and informs him that she broke up with Joey. As she begins to explain additional reasons for the break-up, she and Ross are ambushed by the other paleontologists who plan to throw them in the pool, leading to a lengthy chase around the hotel. After finding a quiet place to hide, Charlie admits to Ross that she also broke up with Joey as she discovered she has feelings for "someone else": Ross. They kiss, although Ross briefly hesitates before pulling back in. Joey, after seeing this, goes to Rachel's room and kisses her.

Reception

In the original broadcast, the episode was viewed by 25.46 million viewers. Sam Ashurst from Digital Spy ranked the first part No. 71 and the second part No. 79 on their ranking of the 236 Friends episodes. Telegraph & Argus had the same rankings on their ranking of all 236 Friends episodes.

The episode sparked controversy due to the way it portrayed Monica's curly hair in a prejudiced manner. Many people criticized the episode's approach, deeming it insensitive and perpetuating negative stereotypes about curly hair.

References

1. ^ "Watch Friends Season 9 Episode 23: The One in Barbados Online (2003) | TV Guide".
2. ^ "Friends | TV Guide". TVGuide.com.
3. "Friends Nielsen Ratings Archive - Season Nine". newmusicandmore.tripod.com.
4. Ashurst, Sam (January 1, 2018). "Every single Friends episode – RANKED". Digital Spy.
5. "The Definitive Ranking of All 236 Friends Episodes". www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk. Archived from the original on 17 January 2019. Retrieved 15 January 2022.

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