The One with the Thumb

"The One with the Thumb"
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 3
Directed by	James Burrows
Written by	Jeff Astrof & Mike Sikowitz
Original air date	October 6, 1994
Guest actors
Geoffrey Lower as Alan Beth Grant as Lizzy Jennifer Lewis as Paula

"The One with the Thumb" is the third episode of the first season of the NBC television series Friends. It's the third episode of the series. It was written by Jeff Astrof & Mike Sikowitz and was broadcast on October 6, 1994.

Plot

Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) comes back from an unsuccessful date, which prompts the gang to discuss dating euphemisms. Ross (David Schwimmer) reveals that he did not know his parents hid the fact that his dog had passed away.

Monica (Courteney Cox) is reluctant to introduce her new boyfriend, Alan (Geoffrey Lower), to her friends because they have mocked all of her previous boyfriends. To her surprise, after meeting Alan, they tell her that they love him. However, she later realizes that she does not feel a spark between Alan and herself and asks her friends if they think that he can sometimes be a little "too Alan".

Joey (Matt LeBlanc) has a part in a play where he has to smoke, and practices smoking with Chandler (Matthew Perry), who resumes his smoking habit, much to the group's irritation.

Phoebe becomes very agitated with her bank when they accidentally put an extra $500 in her bank account. Not able to use the money due to guilt, Phoebe informs the bank of this error. She receives a football phone for the inconvenience. However, instead of removing the $500 from her account, they add another $500 to it. She gives the money and the phone away to Lizzy, a homeless acquaintance. Lizzy buys her a can of soda out of gratitude. When Phoebe opens it, she sees a thumb, so she receives compensation from the soda company of $7,000. The episode ends with Phoebe giving the $7,000 to Chandler, if he promises to never smoke again.

Reception

In the original broadcast, the episode was viewed by 19.5 million viewers and achieved the rating of 13.6.

References

1. "Nielsen Ratings" (PDF). USA Today (Gannett Company). Retrieved 29 November 2015.