S01E04 · EP 4
season 1 · 1994-10-13
The One With George Stephanopoulos
written by Alexa Junge · directed by James Burrows · 19.7M viewers · image Friends Wiki (CC BY-SA)

Episode DNA

21 scenes · 4 threads
awkward 19%sad 10%humiliation 10%cheerful 9%escalation 6%social rule violation 6%confession 5%absurd 5%obsession 5%coincidence 4%

Story threads over runtime

click a block to open the scene
0:005:0010:0015:0020:00
A · Ross's Carol anniversary
B · Rachel's paycheck blues
C · Girls' slumber party
D · Hockey game injury
01

Every scene

21 scenes · our breakdown
1 ▸ 00:01
1 · Central Perk · cold_openOmnipotent wishes discussion

The friends discuss what they would do if omnipotent for a day.

00:01–01:48
2 · Central Perk · act1Phoebe's sleepless night explained

Phoebe wakes up and explains she couldn't sleep due to her grandmother's noisy boyfriend.

01:48–02:28social_rule_violation
3 · Central Perk · act1Hockey tickets and Carol memories

Joey and Chandler give Ross hockey tickets, but he becomes depressed remembering Carol.

02:28–04:20obsession · avoidance
4 · Central Perk · act1Rachel's first disappointing paycheck

Rachel excitedly shows her first paycheck but is upset by the low amount after taxes.

04:20–05:53humiliation · escalation
5 · Central Perk · act1Rachel's old friends visit

Rachel's wealthy friends from Long Island visit and show off their success.

05:53–06:24rivalry · social_rule_violation
6 · street · act2Ross reminisces about Carol

Ross keeps noticing things that remind him of Carol on the way to the game.

06:24–07:26obsession · avoidance
7 · Central Perk · act2Rachel's friends pressure her

Rachel's friends ask when she is coming back home to Long Island.

07:26–08:29social_rule_violation · humiliation
8 ▸ 08:29
8 · Monica's apartment · act2Slumber party and credit card call

Monica and Phoebe prepare a slumber party, but a credit card call upsets Rachel.

08:29–09:52escalation · humiliation
9 ▸ 09:52
9 · Madison Square Garden · act2Ross at the hockey game

Ross continues to reminisce about Carol during the hockey game.

09:52–10:11obsession · avoidance
10 ▸ 10:11
10 · Monica's apartment · act2Rachel's life crisis talk

Rachel worries about her future while Monica and Phoebe try to cheer her up.

10:11–12:15escalation · humiliation
11 ▸ 12:15
11 · Madison Square Garden · act2Ross hit by hockey puck

Ross gets hit in the face with a hockey puck and they go to the hospital.

12:15–12:56violence · coincidence
12 ▸ 12:56
12 · Hospital waiting room · act3Waiting at the hospital

Chandler complains to the receptionist about the long wait.

12:56–14:15petty_grievance · social_rule_violation
13 ▸ 14:15
13 · Monica's apartment · act3Rachel apologizes for depression

Rachel apologizes for bringing down the slumber party mood.

14:15–14:28escalation · humiliation
14 ▸ 14:28
14 · Monica's apartment · act3George Stephanopoulos' pizza

The girls accidentally get George Stephanopoulos' pizza and spy on him.

14:28–16:00coincidence · eavesdropping
15 · Hospital waiting room · act3Ross reveals virginity to Carol

Ross reveals he lost his virginity to Carol and has only been with one woman.

16:00–16:41confession · humiliation
16 · Monica's apartment · act3Girls speculate about George

The girls imagine what George Stephanopoulos is like.

16:41–17:54eavesdropping
17 · Hospital waiting room · act3Ross's only sexual partner revealed

Ross admits Carol was his only sexual partner, shocking Joey and Chandler.

17:54–18:18confession · humiliation
18 ▸ 18:18
18 · Monica's apartment · act3Girls share embarrassing secrets

Monica, Rachel, and Phoebe share embarrassing secrets from their past.

18:18–19:55confession · humiliation
20 ▸ 21:25
20 · Hospital waiting room · act3Chandler judges Ross's sex life

Chandler and Joey discuss Ross having only one partner, with Chandler calling him a freak.

21:25–21:47humiliation · social_rule_violation
21 ▸ 21:47
21 · Hospital waiting room · act3Ross retrieves hockey puck

Ross tries to get his hockey puck back from a bratty child.

21:47–22:38comeuppance · violence
22 · Monica's apartment · tagSlumber party and credit card resolution

The girls play Twister and Rachel gets a reassuring credit card call.

22:38–22:42escalation · coincidence
03

Same DNA

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Episode facts

Wikipedia · Wikidata
Aired
1994-10-13
Overall
#4
Writers
Alexa Junge
Director
James Burrows
Viewers
19.7M (US)
Pace
115 words/min · 134 questions

Where to watch

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In this episode

PB
Phoebe Buffay232 episodes · drives 425 scenes
MG
Monica Geller232 episodes · drives 572 scenes
CB
Chandler Bing232 episodes · drives 527 scenes
RG
Ross Geller232 episodes · drives 707 scenes
JT
Joey Tribbiani232 episodes · drives 536 scenes
RG
Rachel Greene232 episodes · drives 552 scenes
BF
Barry Farber17 episodes
CW
Carol Willick36 episodes · drives 2 scenes