Episode 1.8- The One Where Nana Dies Twice

The TV.com Summary
This is the one where Nana dies twice, Monica and her mother come to an understanding, Ross falls into an empty grave, and everyone at Chandler's office thinks he's gay.

The Guest Stars
Christina Pickles as Judy Geller
Elinor Donohue as Aunt Lillian
Nancy Cassaro as Shelly
Stuart Fratkin as Lowell
special appearance by
Elliott Gould as Jack Geller

The Ratings
Creativity- 9.2
Humor- 8.6
Emotion- 8.5
Fun- 8.7
Overall- 8.8

Chandler- 8.9 (With another leading storyline, Chandler was hilarious and insecure!)
Joey- 8.6 (He was hilarious with the little tidbits he did throughout the episode)
Monica- 8.9 (Typically brash yet insecure, Monica rocked in this episode)
Phoebe- 8.9 (Once again not much to do, but Lisa Kudrow dominated the screen as Phoebe)
Rachel- 8.5 (Rachel did not have a main plotline, but she did well warming the bench)
Ross- 9.0 (Ross was funny, serious, and played his part excellently: really the breakout star of this episode)

The Best Lines
Chandler's co-worker: Hey gorgeous, how's it going?
Chandler: Dehydrated Japanese noodles under fluorescent lights... does it get better than this?

Monica (talking about why she thought Chandler was gay when she first met him): It's just... you have a quality.
Chandler: Oh, oh, a quality... good. Because I was worried you guys were going to be vague about this!

Judy: What's with your hair? What's different?
Monica: Nothing.
Judy: Oh... maybe that's it.

Ross (when looking at his dead Nana): Maybe she's with Poppop and Aunt Phyllis now.
Monica: Aunt Phyllis is dead?
Ross: Yes, for like six years!
Monica: Where was I?
Ross: Okay, can we focus please?

Chandler: I just have to know, okay. Is it my hair?
Rachel: Yes, Chandler. That's exactly what it is. It's your hair.
Phoebe: Yeah, you have homosexual hair.

Ross: I thought it was going to be a closed casket...
Judy: Well, that doesn't mean she can't look nice!

Jack: When my time comes, I want to be buried at sea.
Monica: You what?
Jack: I want to be buried at sea, it looks like fun!
Monica: Define fun.
Jack: Come on, you'll make a day of it! You'll get a boat, pack a lunch...
Monica: And then we throw your body in the water! Gee, that does sound fun.
Jack: Everyone thinks they know me. Everyone says: Jack Geller, so predictable... maybe after I'm gone they'll say: Buried at sea. Huh.
Monica: That's probably what they'll say.
Jack: I'd like that.

Phoebe: I'm sorry I'm late... I couldn't find my bearings.
Rachel: You mean your earrings?
Phoebe: What did I say?

Monica: Are these the shoes?
Rachel: Yes... Paolo sent them from Italy.
Ross: What, we don't have shoes here?

Phoebe (at the funeral): God, what a great day. (Everyone looks at her) What? Weather-wise!

Judy: Your grandmother would've hated this.
Monica: Well, sure, what with it being her funeral and all.
Judy: No... I'd be hearing about "Why didn't I get the honey-glazed ham?" or I didn't spend enough on flowers but if I spent more she'd say, "Why are you wasting your money? I don't need flowers, I'm dead."

The Moments
Chandler's co-worker thinks he's gay.
Ross kisses his dead Nana and she comes back to life momentarily.
Ross gets rained on by his Nana's Sweet & Low's.
Ross falls into an empty grave.

The Romances
Paolo calls Rachel from Rome.
Chandler's co-worker tries to set him up with a guy.

The Verdict
Wonderful episode, great plotlines, and brilliant acting made this another excellent episode! After the previous episode, this did not disappoint. I'm wondering how long the writers can keep up before they have an episode that even slightly misses the mark. This episode was filled with great lines and classic moments, and whenever Monica and Ross's parents are involved, the episode always turns out hilarious. The writers of Friends are really on a roll!