Friends, "The One with Ross's New Girlfriend": What the hell happened to you in China?

My review/recap of the September 21, 1995, second season premiere after a chicken poops in my lap.

Four months passed in real time between the last episode of Season 1 and this episode, but in the show's time there wasn't any time in between the two episodes. Before the credits, Phoebe is sitting in Central Perk with her guitar and breaks the fourth wall by recapping the events between Ross and Rachel in Season 1.

After the credits, the episode truly begins where last season ended, with Rachel at the airport waiting to pick up Ross. However, Ross gets off the plane with his new girlfriend, Julie. Rachel is incredibly sad after she sees the two of them together, and tries to run away before Ross sees her. Rachel is embarrassed, especially after she cuts her head on a chair and starts bleeding.

The rest of the group are waiting at Monica's, thinking that Rachel and Ross will come back together as a couple. Rachel runs back first and tries to tell them about Ross and Julie, but is out of breath, and they show up at the apartment. The rest of the group feel sorry for Rachel.

Rachel asks Chandler to talk to Ross to see what happened. Ross tells Chandler that he is incredibly happy with Julie, and he is past Rachel after meeting Julie. Julie calls Monica and Rachel's apartment to talk to Ross, which angers Rachel. She leaves the apartment to get away from the madness.

Monica talks Phoebe into giving her a haircut after seeing what she did to Chandler and Joey's hair. However, it goes wrong when Phoebe confuses Monica's wishes of a Demi Moore-like haircut with Dudley Moore. Ross goes to comfort Monica, and Joey tells Rachel that she should tell Ross how she feels. He tells her that Ross has been in love with her for 10 years, and has only been going out with Julie for two weeks.

Chandler goes to Joey's tailor (Buck Kartalian) because he needs new clothes. While measuring his in-seam, the tailor grabs Chandler's crotch. Chandler is highly uncomfortable by this, and when he tells Joey what happened, Joey tells him that's how tailor's measure an in-seam. Ross tells them that is not how it is done, and Joey practically goes into shock.

Rachel finally gets a chance to talk to Ross. She tells Ross that she wasn't going to get back with Paolo, who she slept with earlier in the episode. Ross tells her that she should be with someone who feels lucky to be with her - like he is with Julie. Rachel has nothing else to say after she realizes that Ross is truly happy with Julie.

Other notes:

• There are continuity errors all over the first scene at the airport, between the end of Season 1 and the beginning of Season 2 (reality of making a television show with an overlapping scene between seasons)
• The audience appaluse and laughs are a lot louder than in Season 1. It is more distracting.
• Funniest part of the episode: Joey, Chandler, and Ross talking about how a tailor is measures an in-seam

A good start to a new season of Friends. There were three plot points, (with one main one, but it didn't take away from the others [Ross and Rachel]) that had something for every character. The only thing that gives me some concern is that the Ross and Rachel overall storyline has pretty much switched, with Rachel now in love with an unobtainable Ross. I'm hoping that we don't get recycled stories just with the two roles reversed. Other than that, it seems like we are in for a good second season of Friends.