The One with the Apothecary Table

Infobox Television episode
Title = The One with the Apothecary Table
Series = Friends
Season = 6
Episode = 11
Airdate = January 6, 2000
Writer = Brian Boyle (teleplay)
Zachary Rosenblatt (story)
Director = Kevin S. Bright
Guests = Elle Macpherson as Janine
Prev = The One with the Routine
Next = The One with the Joke

"The One with the Apothecary Table" is the eleventh episode of the sixth season of the American television situation comedy "Friends", which was broadcast on NBC on January 6, 2000.cite book |last= Sangster|first= Jim|coauthors= David Bailey|title= Friends Like Us: The Unofficial Guide to Friends|year= 2000|publisher= Virgin Publishing Ltd|location= London|edition= 2nd ed.|pages= pp.357–359|isbn= 0-7535-0439-1 ] The plot concerns Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) buying an apothecary table from Pottery Barn and trying to keep roommate Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) from finding out that she bought it from a chain store.

The episode was directed by Kevin S. Bright, written by Brian Boyle (from a story by Zachary Rosenblatt) and guest-stars Elle Macpherson in her final appearance as recurring character Janine Lecroix. The episode and producers attracted criticism for the blatant product placement present in the story.

Plot

Rachel buys an apothecary table from Pottery Barn for the apartment she shares with Phoebe. Monica (Courteney Cox Arquette) warns her that Phoebe hates mass-produced products and anything that does not have a history. In order to keep the table Rachel pretends to have bought it at a flea market, so Phoebe will think it is an antique. Eventually, Rachel ends up buying a lot of home decor from Pottery Barn, still lying about where they were all purchased. When Phoebe finds out Rachel has been lying she admits she likes the Pottery Barn furniture and does not want to part with it. Phoebe notices a lamp at Pottery Barn, which is the one thing Rachel hadn't bought, she intentionally coerces Rachel to threaten to move out if she does not buy that lamp.

Joey (Matt LeBlanc) and Janine go on a double date with Chandler (Matthew Perry) and Monica. When they get home, Janine tells Joey that she does not like his friends. Joey is torn because of his feelings for Janine. The situation escalates into an off-screen fight between Janine and Monica. Joey breaks up with her and she moves out.

Reception

"Entertainment Weekly" rates the episode B+, describing Janine's criticism of Monica and Chandler as inspired, and enjoying the mockery of the "omnipresent" Pottery Barn. [cite web|last= Staff writer.|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,261349,00.html|title=Review: Season 6 (1999–2000)|accessdate=2007-06-30|date=2001-09-15|work=Entertainment Weekly] The authors of "Friends Like Us: The Unofficial Guide to Friends" point out that viewers are aware that new characters will not remain on the series for long, citing Paolo, Julie, Richard Burke and Emily Waltham as examples. They further describe Janine's character as lacking personality, suggesting it is either bad writing or bad acting by MacPherson.

In a 2004 feature to mark the end of the series, "EW" compiled a "best product placement" list, placing this episode at number one. [cite web|first= Clarissa|last= Cruz|coauthors= Summet Bal|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,631488,00.html|title=Friends Goes Out In Style|accessdate=2007-06-30|date=2004-05-07|work=Entertainment Weekly] When questioned in 2000 about why there was product placement in the episode, Peter Roth of Warner Bros. played down the criticism by stating that the deal struck with Pottery Barn "offset the high cost of production". [cite news|first= Joanne|last= Weintraub|title= TV industry oh so flexible on money|url= http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4196/is_20000201/ai_n10582843|work= Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (at Find Articles)|date= (2000-02-01)|accessdate= 2007-06-30] The episode had lasting effects for Pottery Barn; in a 2004 interview Patrick Connolly of Williams-Sonoma said the "phones light up with catalog requests every time it airs" in syndication. [cite news|first= Beth Negus|last= Viveiros|title= Live From the Catalog Conference: The Williams-Sonoma Brands Have “Friends”|url= http://directmag.com/news/marketing_live_catalog_conference_8|work= Direct Mag.com|date= (2004-05-04)|accessdate= 2007-06-30 ]

This episode is cited in a study of product placement in television. [cite journal |last= Russell|first= Christel Antonia|year= 2002|month= December|title= Investigating the Effectiveness of Product Placements in Television Shows: The Role of Modality and Plot Connection Congruence on Brand Memory and Attitude|journal= Journal of Consumer Research|volume= 29|issue= 3|pages= 306–18|accessdate= 2007-06-30|doi= 10.1086/344432 ]

References

External links

* [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0583572/ "The One with the Apothecary Table"] at the Internet Movie Database