Episode 1.7- The One with the Blackout

The TV.com Summary
This is the one where there's a blackout in the city, Chandler gets stuck in an ATM vestibule with Jill Goodacre, and Ross attempts to tell Rachel that he has feelings for her.

The Guest Stars
Jill Connick as Jill Goodacre
Larry Hankin as The Weird Man
Cosimo Fusco as Paolo

The Ratings
Creativity- 9.0
Humor- 8.9
Emotion- 8.9
Fun- 9.2
Overall- 9.1

Chandler- 8.9 (Fantastically bold, clumsy, desperate, lovesick, boyish, and hilarious all rolled into one! His finest performance yet)
Joey- 8.6 (Joey rocks as Ross's confidante and even though he has little to do, he does it all well)
Monica- 8.1 (Monica disappoints, perhaps because she has very little to do in this episode and I struggle to remember what she did)
Phoebe- 8.9 (Phoebe is wonderfully quirky and she steals the show with funny one-liners and marvelous oddities)
Rachel- 8.5 (Rachel is good in one right, but you can't help but hate her for what she's unknowingly doing to Ross)
Ross- 8.7 (Ross plays the lovesick card very well, and he shines in this episode but can get a little piny-irritating by the end of the episode)

The Best Lines
Monica (talking on the phone with her mother): Pants and a sweater! Why, mom? Who am I going to meet in a blackout? Power company guys?! Eligible looters?

Joey: My weirdest place would have to be: the woman's room on the second floor of the New York City Public Library.
Monica: Oh my god! What were you doing in a library?!

Phoebe (singing): New York city has no power, and the milk is getting sour, fortunately it is not scary, 'cause I stay away from dairy...

Rachel: God... the first time he smiled at me, those three seconds were more exciting than three weeks in Bermuda with Barry.
Phoebe: Now, did you ride mopeds? (Monica and Rachel give her weird looks) 'Cause I've heard... oh, well, it's not about that right now.

The Moments
The first time we see Phoebe performing at Central Perk.
Chandler is trapped in an ATM vestibule with a Victoria's Secret model.
Monica, Ross, Joey, Rachel, and Phoebe hang out in Monica's apartment during the blackout.
Joey tells Ross he needs to act on his feelings for Rachel.
A cat jumps on Ross as he tries to ask Rachel out.
We meet Paolo for the first time.

The Romances
Ross comes very close to telling Rachel how he feels about her.
Rachel meets Paolo in a blackout.

The Verdict
Although the best lines section is very light, this episode had one scene where I laughed more than anything I've laughed at in a while. The episode starts out light, airy, and fun, but as it goes it takes a couple serious dramatic turns, all the while keeping the humor to the forefront. This definitely gets the first spot on the "Best of Friends" episode list, and this could be the episode that hooked many for life. Original, exuberant, yet emotionally delicate, we see these personalities of these characters shine in intimate settings. This episode is an instant classic, and the somewhat stunt casting of Jill Goodacre proved brilliant as she added a wonderful presence to the ATM vestibule.

CERTIFIED "BEST OF FRIENDS" EPISODE