S05E21 · EP 118
season 5 · 1999-05-06
The One With the Ball
written by Greg Malins (teleplay) · Scott Silveri (story) · directed by Gary Halvorson · 20.92M viewers · image Friends Wiki (CC BY-SA)

Episode DNA

19 scenes · 3 threads
absurd 18%escalation 10%cheerful 8%tender 6%humiliation 5%angry 5%deal 5%scheme 5%awkward 5%comeuppance 5%

Story threads over runtime

click a block to open the scene
0:005:0010:0015:0020:00
A · Phoebe and Gary move in
B · The ball throwing game
C · Rachel buys a cat
01

Every scene

19 scenes · our breakdown
1 · Central Perk · act1Gary plans to ask Phoebe to move in

Gary tells Monica he will ask Phoebe to move in, but Monica spills the secret to Phoebe, who panics and asks Chandler to scare Gary off.

00:01–02:37scheme · misunderstanding
2 ▸ 02:37
2 · Monica and Rachel's apartment · act1Joey and Ross throw ball

Joey and Ross realize they have been throwing a ball back and forth for an hour without dropping it, and Joey misses lunch for the first time.

02:37–03:26escalation · obsession
3 ▸ 03:26
3 · Monica and Rachel's apartment · act1Rachel shows her new cat

Rachel reveals she bought a hairless Sphinx cat for $1000, which the guys mock, but she defends her purchase.

03:26–05:04social_rule_violation · humiliation
4 ▸ 05:04
4 · Monica and Rachel's apartment · act1Ball game continues for hours

Joey and Ross decide to keep throwing the ball to reach two straight hours without dropping it, but Joey needs to pee.

05:04–05:53escalation · obsession
5 ▸ 05:53
5 · Police station · act1Chandler talks to Gary about moving in

Chandler tries to scare Gary out of moving in with Phoebe, but Gary's genuine love convinces Chandler to support the move.

05:53–07:22scheme · confession
6 ▸ 07:22
6 · Monica and Rachel's apartment · act1Ball game reaches three hours

Ross and Joey continue throwing the ball for over two and a half hours, with Ross calling in sick to work to keep the streak alive.

07:22–08:29escalation · obsession
7 ▸ 08:29
7 · Monica and Rachel's apartment · act1Rachel's cat scratches her

Rachel reveals her cat scratched her badly, and Monica is upset that Rachel spent $1000 on a cat when she owes her $300.

08:29–09:34comeuppance · humiliation
8 · Monica and Rachel's apartment · act1Chandler tells Phoebe to move in

Chandler tells Phoebe she should move in with Gary because he is a great guy, but Phoebe calls him useless for not scaring Gary off.

09:34–11:28scheme · misunderstanding
9 ▸ 11:28
9 · Monica and Rachel's apartment · act2Gary asks Phoebe to move in

Gary asks Phoebe to move in with him, and after initial hesitation, she agrees because he looks so happy.

11:28–11:33deal · confession
10 ▸ 11:33
10 · Monica and Rachel's apartment · act2Monica joins the ball game

Monica joins Ross and Joey's ball game, making it more competitive, and they reluctantly let Chandler play despite his reputation as a dropper.

11:33–12:14escalation · social_rule_violation
11 ▸ 12:14
11 · Monica and Rachel's apartment · act2Rachel tries to sell her cat

Rachel tries to return the cat but only gets store credit, and the cat continues to cause trouble, sneezing and making her eyes water.

12:14–14:09comeuppance · humiliation
12 · Monica and Rachel's apartment · act2Phoebe and Gary announce moving in

Phoebe and Gary announce they are moving in together, and Phoebe admits she said yes because Gary got sad, but she thinks it will be okay.

14:09–14:24deal · confession
13 · Monica and Rachel's apartment · act2Gary confronts Phoebe about doubts

Gary discovers Phoebe lied about checking apartment listings and confronts her, but they reconcile and decide to move in together.

14:24–16:59lie · confession
14 ▸ 16:59
14 · Street · act2Rachel tries to sell cat on street

Rachel tries to sell her cat on the street, haggling with a potential buyer who eventually walks away, leaving her frustrated.

16:59–18:32negotiation · humiliation
15 · Monica and Rachel's apartment · act2Ball game continues with Monica

Monica leads the ball game past 10 hours, but the guys complain it is not fun anymore, though they continue.

18:32–19:16escalation · petty_grievance
16 ▸ 19:16
16 · Monica and Rachel's apartment · act3Rachel sells cat to Gunther

Rachel sells her cat to Gunther for $1500, making a $500 profit, and Gunther hopes Rachel will visit the cat.

19:16–19:58deal · comeuppance
17 · Gary's apartment · act3Gary shoots a bird on first morning

On their first morning living together, Gary casually shoots a bird outside the window, ending the relationship abruptly.

19:58–20:29violence · breakup
18 · Monica and Rachel's apartment · act3Phoebe ends the ball game

Phoebe, distraught over her breakup, drops the ball when it is thrown to her, ending the game, and everyone decides to quit.

20:29–22:05breakup · escalation
19 · Monica and Rachel's apartment · tagTag scene: Chandler drops the ball

In the tag scene, Chandler drops the ball when Ross throws it to him, proving his reputation as a dropper.

22:05–22:09humiliation · comeuppance
03

Same DNA

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Episode facts

Wikipedia · Wikidata
Aired
1999-05-06
Overall
#118
Writers
Greg Malins (teleplay) · Scott Silveri (story)
Director
Gary Halvorson
Viewers
20.92M (US)
Pace
132 words/min · 120 questions

Where to watch

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In this episode

MG
Monica Geller232 episodes · drives 572 scenes
G
GaryMichael Rapaport6 episodes · drives 6 scenes
PB
Phoebe Buffay232 episodes · drives 425 scenes
CB
Chandler Bing232 episodes · drives 527 scenes
JT
Joey Tribbiani232 episodes · drives 536 scenes
RG
Ross Geller232 episodes · drives 707 scenes
RG
Rachel Greene232 episodes · drives 552 scenes
G
GuntherJames Michael Tyler139 episodes · drives 2 scenes