Friends S2E1
The one with Ross's new girlfriend
[TV sitcom]
Getting Started
In the whole of season one, Ross is in love with Rachel, but he can't seem to bring himself to tell her, nor to even ask her out for a real date. But in the last episode, Rachel finds out how Ross feels about her. 
Begin season two. Rachel is eager to welcome Ross back from China at the airport. She hopes to tell him that she would be interested in starting a relationship now that she knows how Ross feels about her. However, there's a twist in the story – Ross arrives at the terminal with his new girlfriend, Julie, who also happens to be a paleontologist and a former classmate of Ross from their university days. Rachel sees them and tries to flee the scene, but Ross sees her trying to get away. There's an awkward introduction and then they move on to the baggage claim area.

Later, at Central Perk coffee shop, Chandler decides to have a  talk with Ross trying to find out why Ross suddenly changed his love interest. Ross said that he had finally accepted, as Chandler had said before, that Rachel would never see him as more then just a friend, so he decided to move on. Chandler also found out that Ross seemed to be sincerely enjoying his new relationship with Julie. Chandler relays this information to Rachel, which doesn't bring her much comfort.  This turn of events leaves Rachel feeling quite down.

As the days go by, everyone starts growing tired of Ross and Julie's flirtations, especially Rachel. In an attempt to cope with her emotions, Rachel has a one-night stand with her old flame, Paolo.

Eventually, Rachel gathers the courage to talk to Ross. She admits that she and Paolo won't be getting back together and that it was a mistake seeing him again. She's about to confess her feelings for Ross but Ross speaks up. Ross tells her that he believes Rachel deserves someone who truly appreciates her, just as he appreciates Julie. Upon hearing this, Rachel realizes that Ross is genuinely happy with Julie. So she decides not to tell Ross about her true feelings.

Meanwhile, in a separate part of our story, Chandler needs to get his pants altered. Joey sends him to the Tribbiani family tailor, which seems like a simple task. However, when the tailor measures Chandler’s inseam. The man cups Chandler’s private area. Chandler is a bit upset and returns and tells Joey and Ross what happened. But Joey thinks that's Chandler is overreacting because Joey believes that this is how tailors measure inseams. They go up one side, move things over, and then do the other side. He looks to Ross for confirmation. But Ross, instead, enlightens Joey that this is certainly not how it’s done.

In another part of our story, Monica admires Phoebe's hairstyling skills, especially after the excellent haircuts she gave Joey and Chandler. After some persuasion, Phoebe agrees to give Monica a makeover. Monica asks for a haircut like the famous female actress, Demi Moore's. Phoebe, however, gets confused and ends up giving her a haircut that looks more like the male actor Dudley Moore's. Monica is quite upset that her hair has been butchered, The rest of the group tries to cheer her up, but to no avail.

In the last scene, Julie asks Phoebe to style her hair like Andie MacDowell's, a famous female actress. Phoebe doesn't want to make the same mistake she did with Monica, so she wants to verify with Rachel exactly who Andie MacDoweel is. When she turns to Rachel for verification, Rachel tells her that Andie MacDowell was "the guy from [the movie] Planet Of The Apes." In fact, this person was a famous male actor named Roddy McDowell.
Comprehension Questions
  1. Where does Rachel go to meet Ross?
  2. When Rachel arrives at the arrival gate, what did she discover?
  3. In just a few words, describe who Julie is.
  4. When Rachel sees Ross with Julie, what does she try to do?
  5. At Central Perk, what does Chandler find out about Ross's new relationship?
  6. How does Rachel take this news from Chandler?
  7. When Rachel get tired of seeing Ross with Julie, what big mistake does she make?
  8. Explain the situation around when Rachel realizes that Ross is genuinely happy with Julie.
  9. What does Chandler and Ross teach Joey about his tailor?
  10. Explain Monica's haircut by Phoebe.
Discussion
  1. Is anything thing in this episode similar to something that happened to you?
  2. Discuss your favorite scene.
  3. Should Rachel have gone ahead and told Ross about her feelings despite his new relationship?