8.6/105,132 votes#1 - The One After "I Do"
Season 8 Episode 1 - Aired 9/27/2001
The excitement of Monica and Chandler's wedding is diminished by the news that someone may be pregnant. Chandler's hopes of not embarrassing Monica on the dance floor are ruined by his slippery new shoes, and Ross' attempts to flirt with an attractive wedding guest.
Director: Kevin S. Bright
Writer: David Crane, Marta Kauffman
9.0/105,914 votes#2 - The One with the Red Sweater
Season 8 Episode 2 - Aired 10/4/2001
Speculation regarding the father of Rachel's baby leads to a misunderstanding when Joey discovers a red sweater left behind in a one-night stand Rachel had. Meanwhile, Chandler and Ross search for the disposable cameras left behind at the wedding and Monica goes on a present-opening binge.
Director: David Schwimmer
Writer: Dana Klein
8.6/104,822 votes#3 - The One Where Rachel Tells...
Season 8 Episode 3 - Aired 10/11/2001
Chandler and Monica prepare to leave for their honeymoon as Rachel prepares to tell Ross that he's the father of her baby. While traveling, Monica and Chandler become jealous of another honeymooning couple who get bumped to first class on the airplane. Meanwhile, Joey and Phoebe scheme to get inside the newlyweds' apartment after discovering that they don't have a key.
Director: Sheldon Epps
Writer: Sherry Bilsing, Ellen Kreamer
9.2/106,866 votes#4 - The One with the Videotape
Season 8 Episode 4 - Aired 10/18/2001
Monica and Chandler return from their honeymoon with stories of a couple that they met on the flight back, but soon discover that the couple gave them a wrong number. Meanwhile, Ross and Rachel tell everyone about the night they were together, however, their stories differ as to who made the first move. While Ross emphatically defends his side of the story, he accidentally reveals that he has the encounter on videotape. Unsurprisingly, everyone wants to see it.
Director: Kevin S. Bright
Writer: Scott Silveri
7.9/104,630 votes#5 - The One with Rachel's Date
Season 8 Episode 5 - Aired 10/25/2001
Phoebe begins dating a guy who works for Monica as a sous-chef, however, they soon find themselves in an awkward position when things don't work out for neither of them. Meanwhile, Ross discovers that a co-worker of Chandler's has been calling him Toby for five years. And Joey sets Rachel up on a date with one of his co-stars, which freaks Ross out when he realizes that this guy might become a step-father of his and Rachel's baby.
Director: Gary Halvorson
Writer: Brian Buckner, Sebastian Jones
8.4/105,063 votes#6 - The One with the Halloween Party
Season 8 Episode 6 - Aired 11/1/2001
Monica and Chandler decide to throw a costumed Halloween party. Meanwhile, Phoebe runs into Ursula, who's preparing to get married soon, and as a courtesy invites her and her fiancé to the party. When they finally meet, Phoebe takes an instant liking to him, but soon she discovers that he knows nothing about the "real" Ursula.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.7/104,699 votes#7 - The One with the Stain
Season 8 Episode 7 - Aired 11/8/2001
Chandler hires a maid, whom Monica suspects is stealing her clothing. Eric has broken up with Ursula and is ready to date Phoebe, except for one problem: he can't look at her without seeing Ursula. Meanwhile, Ross tries to get Rachel an apartment in his building, but the woman living there isn't in a hurry to die, and Joey wants Rachel to stay with him.
Director: Kevin S. Bright
Writer: R. Lee Fleming Jr.
8.6/105,224 votes#8 - The One with the Stripper
Season 8 Episode 8 - Aired 11/15/2001
Chandler finds out that Monica had a bachelorette party with a stripper, even though they promised not to have bachelor/bachelorette parties. Monica feels bad about it, so she organizes a bachelor party including a stripper for Chandler, however, the only one excited about it seems to be Joey. Meanwhile, Rachel prepares to have dinner with her dad and tell him that she's pregnant and it doesn't go particularly well for either of the involved parties.
Director: David Schwimmer
Writer: Andrew Reich, Ted Cohen
9.2/108,403 votes#9 - The One with the Rumor
Season 8 Episode 9 - Aired 11/22/2001
Monica invites Will, an old high school friend of her and Ross over for a Thanksgiving dinner, unaware that he isn't too fond of Rachel. Meanwhile, Joey vows to eat an entire turkey by himself, and Chandler and Phoebe pretend to watch a football game in order to avoid helping in the kitchen.
Director: Gary Halvorson
Writer: Shana Goldberg-Meehan
7.9/104,681 votes#10 - The One with Monica's Boots
Season 8 Episode 10 - Aired 12/6/2001
Chandler is peeved when Monica splurges on an expensive pair of boots. Meanwhile, Phoebe learns that Ben and Sting's son attend the same school and she angles to meet the celebrity and get concert tickets. Also, after Joey's sister Dina tells him that she's pregnant, he freaks out and goes to find the father to marry them. Rachel tries to calm him down.
Director: Kevin S. Bright
Writer: Brian Buckner
7.8/104,507 votes#11 - The One with Ross's Step Forward
Season 8 Episode 11 - Aired 12/13/2001
Ross starts to panic when Mona suggests that the two of them could send out a holiday card together, thinking that their relationship is starting to move too fast. Chandler's newly divorced boss tries to get Monica and Chandler to go out to a dinner with him, but Monica can't stand him, so Chandler steps up to cover for her. Meanwhile, Rachel's hormones start acting up due to her pregnancy, causing her to hit on almost every guy she meets.
Director: Gary Halvorson
Writer: Robert Carlock
8.4/104,902 votes#12 - The One Where Joey Dates Rachel
Season 8 Episode 12 - Aired 1/10/2002
Phoebe gets Monica and Chandler a Ms. Pacman arcade game for a wedding present, which leads to some heavy competition between Monica, Phoebe, and, surprisingly, Chandler. Ross gets to teach an advanced class because of a retiring professor, but soon learns that its on the other side of town, and he doesn't have enough time to get there. Meanwhile, Joey takes Rachel to dinner on a pretend date and they have a great time together, however, at the end of the night things take an unexpected turn.
Director: David Schwimmer
Writer: N/A
8.4/104,774 votes#13 - The One Where Chandler Takes a Bath
Season 8 Episode 13 - Aired 1/17/2002
Monica turns Chandler on to the concept of taking a bath to relax, complete with scented oils and candles. Ross and Rachel toss baby names back and forth while deciding whether to learn the baby's sex. Meanwhile, Joey struggles with his feelings for Rachel.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.0/104,518 votes#14 - The One with the Secret Closet
Season 8 Episode 14 - Aired 1/31/2002
Chandler's very curious about a locked closet by the bathroom in their apartment, but Monica won't tell him what is inside. After Phoebe convinces Monica to get a massage from her, she soon finds out that Monica makes sexual noises during the process, which makes Phoebe very uncomfortable. Meanwhile, Rachel feels her baby kick for the first time and Ross is upset when he can't be more involved in Rachel's pregnancy issues.
Director: Kevin S. Bright
Writer: Brian Buckner
8.2/104,508 votes#15 - The One with the Birthing Video
Season 8 Episode 15 - Aired 2/7/2002
During Valentine's Day, Chandler and Monica discover the miracle of birth by watching an extremely graphic video. Ross hides the fact that Rachel is now living with him from Mona, which only gets him into more trouble. Meanwhile, Phoebe tries to help with Joey's depression caused by his feelings for Rachel by lending him the world's happiest dog.
Director: Kevin S. Bright
Writer: N/A
8.1/104,591 votes#16 - The One Where Joey Tells Rachel
Season 8 Episode 16 - Aired 2/28/2002
After Joey reveals to Ross that he's in love with Rachel, Ross has a hard time accepting this revelation. However, after giving it some thought, he convinces Joey to tell Rachel how he feels. So he does exactly that by taking Rachel out to dinner, however, her reaction to the news isn't quite what he expected. Meanwhile, Phoebe claims that she has met Monica's soulmate which makes Chandler really anxious.
Director: N/A
Writer: Andrew Reich, Ted Cohen
7.9/104,514 votes#17 - The One with the Tea Leaves
Season 8 Episode 17 - Aired 3/7/2002
At Central Perk Phoebe does a reading of tea leaves which tell her that she's soon going to meet a man of her dreams. In fact, she does meet a man she keeps constantly bumping into, however, he turns out to be a bit creepy to say the least. Meanwhile, after their conversation, things between Joey and Rachel are still weird and Joey keeps finding excuses to avoid her. As a result Rachel comes up with a rather crazy problem at work to draw him into a conversation. She doesn't realize though, how far he's willing to go to help with her fake problem after their conversation is over. Also, Ross tries to retrieve his favorite shirt from Mona's, interrupted when she returns home with a date.
Director: Gary Halvorson
Writer: N/A
8.0/104,578 votes#18 - The One in Massapequa
Season 8 Episode 18 - Aired 3/28/2002
Everybody prepares to go out to Long Island for the elder Gellers' 35th wedding anniversary party. Monica struggles to prepare the perfect toast that would make everybody cry. Meanwhile, Ross and Rachel discover that his parents have told people they're married and they decide to just go along with it for the night. However, Rachel gets carried away a little telling stories about their "wedding" that didn't happen. Also, Phoebe invites her new boyfriend, Parker, who is extremely enthusiastic.
Director: Gary Halvorson
Writer: N/A
7.2/104,692 votes#19 - The One with Joey's Interview
Season 8 Episode 19 - Aired 4/4/2002
Joey prepares for an interview with Soap Opera Digest, although he's afraid of saying something stupid and getting himself into trouble, so he enlists his friends to make sure things go well. During the interview, he reminisces about his past acting experiences, his friends and his romantic life.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.1/104,579 votes#20 - The One with the Baby Shower
Season 8 Episode 20 - Aired 4/25/2002
Monica and Phoebe throw Rachel a baby shower but forget to invite Rachel's mom. During the baby shower Rachel panics when she realizes she has no idea how to look after the baby after the birth. Meanwhile, Joey auditions for a job as a host for a new game show called "Bamboozled", and Chandler and Ross help him practice.
Director: Kevin S. Bright
Writer: N/A
8.0/104,541 votes#21 - The One with the Cooking Class
Season 8 Episode 21 - Aired 5/2/2002
Monica's restaurant gets a bad review in the Post. After confronting the critic who wrote it, she decides to join a cooking class, with Joey in tow. Meanwhile, Rachel gets jealous when Ross hits it off with a woman at the baby department store. And Chandler prepares for a job interview after Phoebe tells him that he makes a bad first impression.
Director: N/A
Writer: Brian Buckner
8.2/104,501 votes#22 - The One Where Rachel Is Late
Season 8 Episode 22 - Aired 5/9/2002
Monica and Phoebe bet on when Rachel's baby will be born as the due date comes and goes as Rachel becomes extremely irritable. Meanwhile, Joey invites Chandler to his big movie premiere and he manages to fall asleep during it. Also, Ross attempts to help Rachel speed things along by trying every possible method suggested by the doctor, except one.
Director: N/A
Writer: Shana Goldberg-Meehan
8.7/104,902 votes#23 - The One Where Rachel Has a Baby
Season 8 Episode 23 - Aired 5/16/2002
Ross and Rachel go to the hospital to have their baby, but it's a long labor. They get stuck in a semi-private room, and many other couples come and go before Rachel is ready to deliver - the last couple being Janice and her new husband. Meanwhile, Chandler and Monica decide to start trying to have a baby, but can't find an empty hospital room where they wouldn't be disturbed. Also, Phoebe meets a handsome stranger and "recruits" Dr. Drake Ramoray to gather some personal information about him. After Rachel gives birth to her little baby girl, she must confront relationship issues around her. So does Ross, who gets an engagement ring from his mother, while she urges him to propose to Rachel. The things, however, take an interesting turn.
Director: Kevin S. Bright
Writer: David Crane, Marta Kauffman, Scott Silveri
The Best Episodes of Friends Season 8
Every episode of Friends Season 8 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Friends Season 8!
Six young people from New York City, on their own and struggling to survive in the real world, find the companionship, comfort and support they...
Genre:Comedy
Network:NBC
Season 8 Ratings Summary
"The One After "I Do"" is the best rated episode of "Friends" season 8. It scored 8.6/10 based on 5132 votes. Directed by Kevin S. Bright and written by David Crane, Marta Kauffman, it aired on 9/27/2001. This episode is rated 0.4 points higher than the second-best, "The One with the Red Sweater".