Ross is proud that his thesis is available in the university's library, then outraged when he finds out that it's in an aisle where people go to have sex. Monica and Chandler try to dissuade Janice from coming to their wedding when she finds out about their engagement. Joey dates Erin, who Rachel and Phoebe take a liking to, so they try to get Joey to be serious about her.
Tropes:
- All Women Are Lustful: Ross meets the woman who checked out his book in his college library, and she ends up totally into him when it turns out that they have shared educational interests, and the girl liking how young Ross looks. It can be assumed that they were fooling around, and were on the verge of having sex in the library aisle, before school security caught them.
- Borrowed Catchphrase: Chandler uses Janice's characteristic "Oh my God!" when he hears about Monica meeting her at the restaurant. In the extended cut Monica mimics Janice's trademark Annoying Laugh to tell Chandler about the meeting.
- Brick Joke:
- Joey asks Rachel to explain to Erin that he's not looking for a relationship, saying Chandler would not only do that sort of thing but also make pancakes. Later, after Joey learns that Erin isn't looking for a relationship, either, Rachel offers to make him some pancakes.
- Ross learned about people fooling around in the aisle because he brought Chandler to the library to check out his thesis. In the end credit, Ross is on patrol when he sees Chandler arrive with Monica.
- To give Monica an example of lying, Chandler cites how he promised to read Ross's book.
- Comically Missing the Point: Monica and Chandler try to let Janice down easy by telling her their wedding will be a small ceremony attended only by family. She interprets this as a declaration that she's family, forcing them to find a way to let her down less easy.
- Didn't See That Coming: According to Monica, Janice had this reaction to learning she got engaged to Chandler. She also remarks that's actually a common occurrence, and Chandler acknowledges that.
- Friendship Moment:
- While Chandler isn't interested in reading Ross's book, he seems genuinely impressed that Ross's research is in the college library.
- Rachel offering to make Joey some pancakes to help him through the break-up.
- Instant Seduction: Ross managed to pull this off towards the hot blonde woman who checked out his book. Especially after using "skipped fourth grade" as a pick-up line.
- Laser-Guided Karma: After Ross warned the people running the college library about students having sex in the aisle where his book's located, Ross ends up getting caught by school security when he was fooling around with a hot blonde woman in said library aisle.
- Making Love in All the Wrong Places: The aisle of the library where Ross' thesis is located is unfortunately more popular as a place for horny couples to have sex in, because nobody goes there. Ross appoints himself as a guard of the aisle and chases away couples, only to meet a woman who's both hot and interested in his thesis' subject, leading to them doing things they shouldn't in the aisle and getting embarrassingly caught.
- Mistaken for Gay: Ross asks a male library clerk about the aisle, which the clerk mistakes for an invitation to go have sex in it.
- Moment Killer: Just when it looked like Ross is about to have sex with a hot blonde woman in the library aisle, the moment is ruined due to the school security catching them.
- No Name Given: The hot blonde woman that Ross almost fooled around with in the library aisle went unnamed.
- Noodle Incident: It is never specified how Janice reacted when she learnt that Chandler was "back" in New York, since the last Janice knew Chandler had been transferred to Yemen.
- Oh, Crap!: Joey casually looks in Monica and Chandler's apartment since the door is open, only to look horrified and run away as fast as he can once he sees Janice.
- Shipper on Deck: Rachel and Phoebe tell Joey they want him to marry Erin after they get to know her. He eventually agrees to go out with her again but she decides she doesn't want a relationship with him.
- Shown Their Work: Ross and the woman he meets in the library both find Merriam's views on evolution too progressionist. John C. Merriam was a real paleontologist
and his views on evolution "were progressionist, much more so than the views of most evolutionary biologists today." - Stating the Simple Solution: Chandler and Monica spend the episode putting up with Janice because Monica answered honestly about who she was marrying and was too polite to refuse to invite her to the wedding.Monica: She cornered me! She asked me if the wedding was in town. I mean, what was I supposed to do?
Chandler: LIE! How hard is that? "Your check's in the mail." "Oh, your baby is so cute." "I can't wait to read your book, Ross." - This Is Gonna Suck: At work, Monica is in the process of preparing a lobster when told someone wants to complain about a chicken dinner she just made. Then she sees it's Janice.Monica: [to the lobster] Lucky bastard. [tosses it in the pot]