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The One With Ross’s Denial
Originally written by Seth Kurland
Transcribed by Eric Aasen


[Scene: Monica and Rachel's, Joey, Monica, and Phoebe are there as Chandler
enters.]

Chandler: (entering) Hey!

Phoebe: Hey! Check it out! This is unbelievable! Joey has been holding his 
        breath for almost four minutes! 

(We see Joey who has puffed up his cheeks and Chandler nonchalantly reaches
down and pinches Joey’s nose shut. In a few seconds, Joey has to move 
because he’s now forced to actually hold his breath.) 

Joey: (To Chandler) Dude! What are yo...you trying to kill me?!

Rachel: (entering from her room) Pheebs, I wanna ask you something.

Phoebe: Uh-huh, what?

Rachel: Well since I’m movin’ out and-and you’re so beautiful...

Phoebe: Oh!

Rachel: ...how about I move in with you?

Phoebe: Well, that would be great but then what do we do about Denise?

Monica: Who’s Denise?

Phoebe: My roommate.

Rachel: You have a roommate?!

Phoebe: Yes, Denise. Denise! 

Joey: Hey, what is with the secrecy Phoebe? Huh? And what about this Denise,
      is she cute?

Chandler: Pheebs, I don’t understand. How can you have a roommate that none
          of us know anything about?

Phoebe: Maybe because you never listen to anything that I say. I talk about
        her all the time! DENISE!!!!!

Joey: Hey Rach, listen I was thinkin’ uh, I’m gonna have an extra room over
      at my place...

Rachel: Oh, that’s true.

Joey: Yeah, why don’t you move in with me? It’ll be great! We could stay
      up late, watch movies, and you know about Naked Thursday’s right?

Rachel: Yeah, yeah I think I’m gonna find my own place.

Chandler: Hey-hey! I thought Naked Thursday’s was just our thing man!


Opening Credits


[Scene: Central Perk, Ross is reading a magazine, eating a cookie, and 
drinking some coffee as Phoebe enters.]

Phoebe: Hey.

Ross: Hey!

Phoebe: So, what did Rachel say when you told her you were still married to 
        her?

Ross: Oh, that. Umm, she took it really well.

Phoebe: You didn’t tell her did you?

Ross: No. 

Phoebe: Of course not, because you’re in love with her.

Ross: I am not in love with her. She was very upset about having to move out
      so I eh, didn’t tell her we were still married because she would only 
      get more upset. I-I just comforted her, as a friend.

Phoebe: What do you mean, comforted her?

Ross: It’s nothing, I just gave her a hug.

Phoebe: Ah-ha! A classic sign of love, the hug!

Ross: It’s also a sign of friendship.

Phoebe: Yeah, not in your case Lovey Loverson. (Tries to take a bite out of 
        Ross’s cookie.)

Ross: (grabs back his cookie) It was a hug!

Phoebe: Okay, just tell me this, did you or did you not smell her hair?

Ross: S-s-smell her hair? What if I did?

Phoebe: Ninety percent of a women’s pheromones come out the top of her head! 
        That’s why, that’s why women are shorter. So that men will fall in
        love when they hug them! (Ross is staring at her dumbfounded.) Oh 
        come on Ross, you’re a scientist. 

Ross: I was hugging her as a friend. It’s not my fault her-her hair got in
      my face, she’s got a lot of it and it smells all-all uh...coconutty. 
      (Phoebe raises her eyebrows.) What?! Oh, that doesn’t mean I have 
      feelings for Rachel! Maybe it means I have feelings for coconuts!

Phoebe: (taking his coffee) Okay, whatever you say. But just be careful, all
        right? Rachel’s not in the same place you are.

Ross: (grabbing back his coffee) If the place you are referring too is being
      in love, then she is in the same place as me because I am not in 
      that place!

Phoebe: Okay, I didn’t understand that, but y’know, maybe that’s ‘cause you
        were speaking the secret language of love! 

(She goes for his magazine and he grabs it away before she reaches it. But
she was only using the magazine as a decoy because she grabs his cookie and 
coffee, takes a bite out of the cookie and drinks some of the coffee.)

[Scene: Monica and Rachel's, Chandler and Monica are there as Joey enters.]

Joey: Hey! (To Chandler) Dude, some guy just called for you.

Chandler: Who was it?

Joey: I don’t know! How about, "Thanks for taking the message." Jeez!
      (Exits.)

Monica: Okay listen, y’know when you move in, Rachel’s room is gonna be 
        empty, you wanna talk about what we want to do with it?

Chandler: Sure!

Monica: Okay, I was thinking we should have a beautiful guest room, right? With
        a mahogany sleigh bed and bedside tables with flowers on them all 
        the time! And we could have a roll top desk with comment cards on 
        them so people could say how much they loved staying here!! Okay,
        whatever, I really haven’t thought about it that much.

Chandler: Well, I like that idea. Obviously! I was thinking maybe-maybe-maybe
          it could be a game room, y’know? I mean you can buy old arcade 
          games like uh, like Space Invaders and Asteroids for $200, the 
          real ones! The big-big ones!

Monica: No.

Chandler: Okay so you mean no as in, "Gee Chandler, what an interesting idea.
          Let’s discuss it before we reject it completely."

Monica: Oh, I’m sorry. Of course I mean that. Interesting idea, umm, talk 
        about it, but no.

Chandler: So, that’s it?

Monica: I just don’t think arcade games go in the beautiful guest room. The
        beautiful guest room is gonna be filled with antiques.

Chandler: Which is why Asteroids is perfect! It’s the oldest game!

Monica: What do you have against the beautiful guest room?

Chandler: I don’t have anything against the beautiful guest room, especially 
          since everybody we know lives about 30 seconds away!

Monica: Are you mocking me?

Chandler: No, I’m not mocking you, (in a mocking voice) or you beautiful
          guest room. (Exits.)

[Scene: Chandler and Joey's, Chandler is coming from across the hall.]

Joey: Hey, what’s up?

Chandler: Nothing, Monica and I had a stupid fight.

Joey: But you’re still moving in together, right? Because my ad came out
      today. (Shows him the paper.)

Chandler: (reading the ad) "Wanted. Female roommate, non-smoker, non-ugly."
          Nice!

Joey: Yeah? I just figured y’know, after living with you it’d be an
      interesting change of pace to have a female roommate, y’know? 
      Someone I can learn from, someone-someone who’s different than me. And
      what’s more different than me; a guy who’s not 19 than say a girl who
      is 19? Enh? (Points to his head.) Not just a hat rack my friend!

[Scene: Central Perk, Phoebe is on the couch staring off into space as 
Rachel enters.]

Rachel: Pheebs, I have to ask you...

Phoebe: Shhhhhh! I’m swamped right now.

Rachel: You’re just staring into space.

Phoebe: Umm, I’m trying to move that pencil. (There’s a pencil lying on the
        table.)

Rachel: This one? (Picks it up.)

Phoebe: It worked!

Rachel: Pheebs, this whole apartment thing is just a nightmare! Every place
        I can afford comes with a roommate who is a freak. I mean, look at 
        this; (Points to one and starts to read it.) "Wanted. Female
        roommate, non-smoker, non-ugly." It’s just, there is nothing! The
        city’s full!

Phoebe: Wait, no, look at this! (Points to one.) (Reading) "Two bedroom,
        two bath, must be non-smoker, Satan worshipers okay!" Oh, yeah, but
        it’s on the ground floor.

Ross: (entering) Hey!

Rachel: Hey.

Ross: Rach, uh, you still looking for a place?

Rachel: Yeah! Why?

Ross: Okay, there’s this guy, Warren, from the museum and he’s going on a 
      dig for like two years and he’s got this great place he needs to 
      sublet. So uh, you interested?

Rachel: That sounds great! I’d love to live at Warren’s!! I love Warren! 
        Thank you!

Ross: Don’t thank me! If you wanna thank something, thank the volcano that 
      erupted thousands of years ago, killing but perfectly preserving an
      entire civilization. (Rachel just looks at him.) Here’s Warren’s 
      number.

Rachel: Oh, this is great! I am gonna call him right now! (Jumps up.) Oh,
        thank you! 

(She hugs him and he starts to hug her back but notices the look Phoebe is 
giving him and pushes her away.)

Ross: Okay, you go grab it!

Phoebe: I saw it.

Ross: I don’t know what you’re talking about.

Phoebe: Umm, I’m talking about that which you already know but won’t admit.
        You love her again; you re-love her!

Ross: Look, I do not re-love her.

Phoebe: I can’t believe you won’t just admit it! (Pause) Okay, just promise
        me that you won’t do anything stupid.

Ross: Look, we’re just friends now! Okay? Why would I do anything stupid?

Rachel: (returning from calling Warren) Ugh!!! Well, the apartment is
        already subletted! I mean, this is just hopeless. I’m never gonna
        find anything.

Ross: You can live with me.

Rachel: What?!

Phoebe: What?!

Ross: What?


Commercial Break


[Scene: Central Perk, continued from earlier.]

Rachel: Oh my God! Are you serious?!

Ross: Uh-huh. (Phoebe grunts.)

Rachel: I would love to live with you Ross; that’s-that’s great! Thank you!

Ross: Well, I’m-I’m just glad I could, y’know, help you out.

Phoebe: Wow! I’m-I’m so happy for you guys. (To Ross) This is so-so, not 
        stupid.

Rachel: Ross-Ross, you have no idea what this means to me! I mean, I mean
        I was gonna be homeless. You just saved me! You’re my hero!

Ross: Hero, I uh, I don’t know...well, all right.

Rachel: Oh, I have to go tell Monica what a wonderful brother she has! 
        (Kisses him on the cheek and exits.) 

Ross: Oh please! (He sits down.) (To Phoebe) You’re gonna say things now,
      aren’t ya?

Phoebe: No. No, I won’t. But I should tell you this, this exact same thing
        happened to my roommate Denise. She moved in with a guy who was 
        secretly married to her and he said he didn’t love her, but he
        really did, and it just blew up! And that’s how she ended up
        living with me! (Ross looks at her.) (Pause) Okay, that’s a lie.

[Scene: Monica and Rachel's, Monica is in the kitchen as Chandler enters.]

Chandler: Hi.

Monica: Hi.

Chandler: Hi, listen, I’m sorry about before. I don’t need to have a game
          room. I mean when I was a kid I only played those games because 
          I couldn’t get girls, and now I can ‘em. Now, I have you. (Monica
          glares at him.) Not-not that I think that I have you or think of
          you as property in any sort of way, I see women...

Monica: Stop it Chandler. (Chandler is relieved) I’m sorry too.

Chandler: Really?

Monica: Yeah! Oh yes!

Chandler: Ohh.

Monica: Listen, we don’t have to make that a guest room, we can think of
        something to do with the room together.

Chandler: That’s a great idea! We can easily think of a way for us both to
          enjoy the room.

Monica: Totally!

(They start thinking.)

Chandler: We don’t have to come up with this now.

Monica: Oh good.

Chandler: Hey, y’know what? Why don’t we think about changes we can make 
          in the living room?

Monica: Changes?

Chandler: Yeah, I mean we’re gonna have to move around some furniture to
          make room for my chair. (Kisses her and heads into the living room.)

Monica: You’re-you’re-you’re gonna bring the Barca Lounger over here?

Chandler: Is that a problem?

Monica: Well, it’s a set and they should probably stay together.

Chandler: Oh, that’s cool. Then I’ll just bring them both over.

Monica: See now-now you’re taking them away from their home.

Chandler: Okay, I get it. So, I get nothing! Nothing here is mine! 
          Everything here is yours! I’ll get up in the morning put on 
          your clothes, and head off to work!

Monica: Yeah-yeah, y’know what? Yeah, that’s it-that’s it, everything will 
        be mine! Nothing will be yours! That’s-that’s what I said! Oh come 
        on, Chandler! I’m talking about the barca lounger! It just, it 
        doesn’t match! Where is it gonna go?!

Chandler: In the game room!

Monica: Look it is not my fault that your chairs are incredibly ugly!

Chandler: All right! That’s fine! That’s fine! I won’t bring over the 
          chairs! I won’t bring anything over! I wouldn’t want to ruin the
          ambiance over here at Grandma’s place!! (Storms out.)

[Scene: Chandler and Joey's, Joey is interviewing a potential roommate. And 
yes, she’s a female, non-smoker and very non-ugly.]

Joey: (exiting from Chandler’s room with the new roommate) Everything on your
      application looks really good. Ohh! Just one last question umm, are
      you and your friends gonna be over here all the time like partying and 
      hanging out?

The Potential Roommate: Oh don’t worry, I’m not really a party girl.

Joey: Whoa!! Now look, don’t be just blurtin’ stuff out. I want you to really
      think about your answers. Okay?

Chandler: (entering) You can call off the roommate search! (To the potential
          roommate) Hi! I’ll be living here. (Heads for the bathroom.)

Joey: Oh don’t listen to him, he’s just some guy who really wants the
      apartment, but I don’t think he’s gonna get it.

Chandler: Why did you take the shower curtain down?

Joey: That thing was a hazard! (To the potential roommate) I’m very safety
      conscious.

[Scene: Ross’s Apartment, Rachel is entering and Ross is making some room
on the shelves for his stuff.]

Rachel: Hey!

Ross: Hey! Oh listen, I was just clearing some space for your stuff.

Rachel: Oh thanks, but listen, I was just at Monica’s and she and Chandler
        had a big fight and they’re not moving in.

Ross: What do you mean, they’re not moving in? They-they’re still moving in
      right?

Rachel: No-no, they just had a big blowout over what to do with my room.

Ross: What?! Over a stupid room!

Rachel: Yeah, I feel kinda bad for them, but I’m also really psyched ‘cause 
        I don’t have to move in here!

Ross: Oh no, yeah no, that part’s great!

[Scene: Monica and Rachel's, Ross is entering, dragging Chandler, to mediate
the argument between Chandler and Monica.]

Ross: What’s all this about you guys fighting?! Is this really over a room?!
      I mean, that is so silly!

Monica: Ross, we can handle this.

Ross: Well, apparently not, and I can’t just stand by and watch two people
      I care about very much be hurt over something that is so silly. I 
      mean, enough of the silliness!

Chandler: Well, why don’t you tell her to stop being silly! (Monica mocks
          him and he joins in.)

Ross: (stopping them) Okay-okay! Two very good points, look I’ve known you 
      both a long time, and I’ve never seen either of you one/millionth as 
      happy as you’ve been since you’ve got together. Do you really want to
      throw that all away over a room? That is so silly. Now wh-what is more
      important, love or silliness?

Chandler: Well, we are fond of the silliness, but we also have a soft spot
          for the love.

Monica: Love is the best medicine.

Chandler: That’s laughter.

Monica: Why do you do it?

Chandler: I don’t know.

Ross: Okay! All right! Now, Chandler you-you wanna live with Monica, right?

Chandler: Yeah, I do.

Ross: And Mon, you wanna live with Chandler, don’t ya?

Monica: Yes.

Ross: (jumping up) Good! A verbal contract is binding in the state of New
      York! (Storms out.)

[Scene: Central Perk, Rachel is sitting at the counter waiting for Gunther,
yep Gunther’s back, to refill her coffee.]

Gunther: So I understand you’re looking for a place.

Rachel: No-no, I’m staying put.

Gunther: Oh, I was going to offer you my apartment.

Rachel: Why, where are you going?

Gunther: I don’t know.

Ross: (entering) Hey Rach!

Rachel: Hi!

Ross: You’re never gonna believe it uh, Monica and Chandler are moving in
      again. That’s great news right? I mean for them. Right?

Rachel: Oh wow.

Ross: Yeah but, on the bright side, we get to be roommates again.

Rachel: Yeah. Y’know umm, uh, umm, about that, umm, Ross I really appreciate
        your offer to let me move in and everything, but don’t you think 
        it’s gonna be weird?

Ross: Wh-why?! Why-why-why would it, why would it be weird?

Rachel: Well, because of us! Because of our history.

Ross: No!

Rachel: No?

Ross: No! No! It would be weird if we were still in that place, I mean are
      you still in that place?

Rachel: No! Not at all!

Ross: Good! Me neither! So it’s not a problem. We’re just two friends who 
      happen to be roommates.

Rachel: Okay, but Ross, eventually you and I are gonna be dating.

Ross: Really?! We are?

Rachel: Yeah! I’m gonna have a boyfriend, you’re gonna have a girlfriend.

Ross: Ohh! That would be great.

Rachel: But y’know what, if you think it’s gonna be okay we’ll just work 
        out a system. Y’know, it’ll be like college, I’ll hang a hanger on
        the door and put a sign, "Come back later, I’m gettin’ lucky." 
        (Laughs.)

Ross: (laughs as well, but for a different reason) Yeah, I didn’t think of 
      that.

[Scene: Monica and Rachel's, Chandler is once again being dragged in by Ross
so he that he can try to manipulate the situation so that it’s best for Ross, 
not necessarily what’s best for Monica and Chandler.]

Ross: So are you sure about this whole moving in thing?! I mean it’s a
      really big step! And-and what’s the rush?!

(They both start laughing at him.)

Monica: That’s very funny!

Chandler: He’s being silly, because he knows that we enjoy the silliness!

Ross: No, I-I-I’m serious, okay? I mean, think about it. You move in, you 
      start fighting over stupid game rooms, next thing y’know you break up!

Monica: Ross, you were right before, it was just a stupid fight about a room.

Ross: Okay, there are no stupid fights!! This isn’t about the room, this is 
      about what the room represents! And unfortunately, this room (Points
      to Rachel’s room) could destroy you!!

Chandler: Yeah, I'm not so worried.

Monica: Yeah, no, me neither.

Ross: Fine! It’s your life! (Starts to storm out mad about his failed
      attempt at the manipulation of his best friend and sister, but stops 
      and tries one last time.) I just don’t want to see you guys break up!
      Which you will do if you move in together, (Monica and Chandler just 
      stare at him.) but that’s what you want, there’s nothing I can do. 
      (Opens the door and tries one more time.) DON’T DO IT!!!!! (Finally
      leaves.)

Monica: You still want to move in together right?

Chandler: Of course!

Monica: Ross didn’t scare you?

Chandler: Scared me out of ever wanting to live with him.

Monica: Come here, I want to show you something!

Chandler: Okay!

(They run to the living room where Monica has moved the chair back (Towards 
the step), the coffee table forward (Towards the TV), and taped a square
outline on the floor.)

Chandler: Oh my God! Someone’s killed Square Man!

Monica: This is where I thought the barca lounger could go! You see you
        could see the TV and it’s still walking distance to the kitchen.

Chandler: Oh that’s so sweet! I want to show you something too!

Monica: Okay!

Chandler: Y’know those big-big uh, road signs that say "Merge?"

Monica: Uh-hmm.

Chandler: Y’know? So I was thinking that we could get one of those signs 
          and hang it over our bed. Because, that’s you and I together! 
          Merge!

Monica: Oh my God! I love that!

Chandler: Really?!

Monica: Uh, no!!

[Scene: Central Perk, Phoebe is singing a new song. Yep, the first new 
Phoebe song of season six, Ross, Joey, and Rachel are also there.]

Phoebe: (singing) I found you in my bed! 
                          How’d you whined up there? 
                          You are a mystery!
                          Little black curly hair!
                          Little black curly hair!
                          Little black, little black, little black,
                          little black, little black curly hair.

(Applause.)

Phoebe: Now if you want to receive e-mails about my upcoming shows, then 
        please give me money so I can buy a computer.

Ross: (To Rachel) So umm, where are the other guys?

Rachel: Umm, well let’s see Monica and Chandler are occupied.

Ross: Fighting?!

Rachel: No, the other thing. I really think it’s great they work things out.

Ross: Yeah. There’s no breaking them up, is there?

Rachel: Hey, can I borrow the key to your house so I can run across the
        street and make a copy?

Ross: Sure! Here. (Hands her his keys.)

Rachel: Thank you. (Gets up) Now are you sure? Because once I make a copy, 
        there’s no turning back.

Ross: Yeah, I’m-I’m sure. (Deadpan) Yeah, get out of here before I change my
      mind. (She exits)

Joey: Umm, listen, Ross do you really think this moving in with Rachel is a
      good idea?

Ross: I’ve been back and forth.

Joey: Yeah well, maybe you should go back! Okay? Rachel moves in, and before
      you know it you’re right where you don’t want to be! Back together!

Ross: Ehh, I don’t, I don’t think so. She’s already talked about y’know,
      dating other guys.

Joey: That’s not gonna work out! Then she’s gonna come home all weepy and
      you’ll be tellin’ her, "Oh that’s okay. You’ll find someone." And 
      then, bamn! She finds you!

Ross: Yeah, well, m-maybe you’re right.

Joey: I am telling you Ross, she is definitely gonna fall in love with you 
      again! Now, is that what you want?

Ross: Is that what I want?

Phoebe: (on the microphone, accidentally) Yes.

(Rachel enters.)

Joey: Here she comes. Hold on, I’m gonna make your life much easier.

Rachel: All right, well the place was closed. I’ll just copy it later.

Joey: Or not. Uh, Rach, why don’t you just move in with me? (Rachel sighs.)

Ross: Whoa! Whoa! Whoa, Joey!

Joey: No-no-no-no-no-no-no-no. It’s okay, I mean I, look Rach, I know I
      scared you off with that whole Naked Thursday’s thing, but we don’t 
      have to do that!

Rachel: Well, it would be easier to move just right across the hall. Wait a 
        minute, unless you’re thinking about Naked Wednesday’s.

Joey: Thursday’s clearly not good for ya, pick a day!


Commercial Break


[Scene: Chandler and Joey's, Joey has The Potential Roommate back for 
another interview.]

Joey: (opening the door to The Potential Roommate) Hi!

The Potential Roommate: Hi!

Joey: Come in. Thanks for comin’ back, umm, okay there have been a lot of
      people interested in the room, but I have narrowed it down and you are
      one of the finalists!

The Potential Roommate: Great!

Joey: Okay now, before I make my final decision I uh, I just want to make 
      sure our personalities match. Okay, so I made up a little test. Now,
      I’m gonna say a word and then you say the first thing that comes to 
      mind.

The Potential Roommate: I can do that.

Joey: Okay! Here we go. Pillow.

The Potential Roommate: Fight.

Joey: Very good! Okay. G.

The Potential Roommate: String?

Joey: Excellent! Okay umm, doggy.

The Potential Roommate: Kitten?

Joey: Ooh, sorry! No-no-no, so close though, but, bye-bye! (He ushers her out
      the door.)
 
END

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