The Last One, Part 2

"The Last One, Part 2" is the second of the two-part series finale of Friends, which aired on May 6, 2004. It serves as the seventeenth and eighteenth episodes of season ten; Part One and Part Two ran as one episode. 52.5 million viewers tuned in for the finale when it was originally broadcast. It was written by series creators David Crane, Marta Kauffman and directed by executive producer Kevin S. Bright.
==Plot==
After ending up at the wrong airport and calling Monica to verify their info, Ross and Phoebe race to the right airport. Afraid they are not going to make it in time to catch Rachel (who is actually already on the plane), Phoebe calls Rachel, telling her there's something wrong with the plane's "left phalange". The guy sitting next to Rachel freaks out and alarms the rest of the passengers, making everyone get off. This diversion is perfect for Ross, who catches Rachel just before she takes off again (also thanks to Phoebe's screaming, which makes Rachel turn around at the gates). Ross confesses his love for Rachel and says he wants to be with her, but it's too much for Rachel to take at the moment and all she can say to Ross is "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry" and passes through the gates again.
As a house-warming gift, Joey has bought Chandler and Monica a new chick and duck, Chick Jr. and Duck Jr. However, when he tries to show them to Monica and Chandler, he cannot find them in his apartment. When he tells them, Chandler helps him search for the birds while Monica finishes packing. The two realize that Chick Jr. and Duck Jr are stuck inside the foosball table, which Joey and Chandler don't want to break. Breaking it apart is a piece of cake for Monica, and she busts the table open. Joey and Chandler try to hide the awkward moment they have together as best friends, but they can't hold it and hug.
Ross doesn't meet the others at Monica's apartment because he is too sad about how he left things with Rachel. He goes home and checks his messages, and finds a message from Rachel. She admits repeatedly she loves him too, and by saying it over and over she realizes she wants to get off the plane. The message is cut in the middle of an argument between Rachel and a flight attendant. Ross tries to hear the rest of the message, asking himself "Did she get off the plane?". The door opens and he hears "I got off the plane."  He turns and finds Rachel at the door. They kiss, and both state how this is going to be "it", and Ross rectifies with "Unless we're on a break" but then adds "don't make jokes now" and they resume their making out. It's assumed that Rachel and Emma move back in with Ross shortly afterwards as Rachel said "this is where I want to be" and are in a relationship.
At Monica and Chandler's apartment, which is completely empty now, the guys cherish their last moments together. It's too much for the friends to handle, and they all look tearful as they note that over the years they've all lived in the apartment at some point (including the summer Ross stayed with his grandmother while he attended dance classes in his youth). Monica tells Chandler they need to leave their keys, and it turns out that all six have a copy, though for some reason Joey's has been misplaced and he has a red lollipop as a replacement. Monica and Chandler have some time before they go to their new house, and the friends decide to go for a last cup of coffee. Chandler tries to break off the tension by asking "Where?" this being the last line of the show. They walk out of Monica's apartment. The camera slowly pans over the empty apartment while the song "Embryonic Journey" by Jefferson Airplane plays in the background, showing the friends' six keys on the counter, and then ends on the door.
==Cast and Crew==
===Main cast===
Jennifer Aniston - Rachel Greene
Courteney Cox - Monica Geller
Lisa Kudrow - Phoebe Buffay
Matt Le Blanc - Joey Tribbiani
Matthew Perry - Chandler Bing
David Schwimmer - Ross Geller
===Guest cast===
Jim Rash - Nervous male passenger
Jason Kravits - Man in Cab 
Vincent Boyle - Another Passenger
Paula Newsome - Stewardess 
Brian Palermo - Airline Representative 
Michelle Pereira - Female Passenger 
J Graigory - Coffee Shop Patron 
Angelica Roberts - Coffee Shop Patron
Anthony Cistaro - Gate Attendant
Manao DeMuth - Ticket Agent
===Crew===
Directed By: 
Kevin S. Bright
Written By: 
Marta Kauffman & David Crane
==Trivia==
*Ross' dance lessons are found out by the whole gang. They were previously mentioned 4 years earlier in "The One In Vegas, Part 2".
*In Jewish tradition a child is not named after a family member unless they are dead. Despite this, Monica names her son after her father, Jack, who is still alive. This is possibly because Chandler is not Jewish and they may not be raising their children to be Jewish.
*The song playing when Ross and Rachel have their final on-screen kiss is the same song that played when they had their first kiss in "The One Where Ross Finds Out" (S2E7). It also played at the beginning of "The One With The Morning After" (S3E16).
*During scenes in Joey's apartment with Chandler and Joey, where they had just rescued the birds by breaking down the foosball table, two Chinese takeout boxes can be seen on the kitchen counter. The Chinese character for "Friend" (you) was written on both boxes in red, a tribute to the show's own title and its main characters.
*Courteney Cox was pregnant during this episode and hid her pregnancy bump with loose clothing and props throughout the episode.  However, it was so obvious that she was pregnant in the scenes where Monica left for the bathroom in the hospital and when she and Chandler bring the babies home.
*In this episode it is stated that all six members of the group have lived in Monica's apartment at some point. Although it is not mentioned, they have also all lived in Joey's apartment. It is also stated by Monica that Ross lived in Monica's apartment one summer during college before the series began when their grandmother, the original tenant, lived there.
*The song playing when Rachel first boards the plane is by Pearl Jam. The song playing at the end of the episode when the camera pans across the empty apartment is "Embryonic Journey" by Jefferson Airplane.
*The scene where Ross is stopped by the man asking for a boarding pass is nearly identical to the scene from "The One Where Rachel Finds Out" (S1E24) where Rachel tries to stop Ross from getting on his flight to China (the interaction between Ross/Rachel and the employee use almost the same exact lines, with minor differences).
*This is one of the rare episodes without any major recurring characters, such as Gunther. In this case, there's little difference as this episode is the last.
*Phoebe uses her alias 'Regina Phalange' one last time. She uses it this time to delay Rachel's flight so Phoebe and Ross can reach Rachel on time. Phoebe also used this alias in "The One After Ross Says Rachel" (S5E01), "The One In Vegas, Part 2" (S5E24), "The One With The Videotape" (S8E4) and "The One Where Joey Speaks French" (S10E13).
*The tenth season was supposed to last 24 episodes, but due to Jennifer Aniston's film schedule and likely the fact this is the last season, the season was cut down to 18 episodes.
*Rachel says her seat is 32C where it's obvious that her seat is 1C (or 1D), you could see it both from the fact she sits in first class and on some scenes where you see the seat numbers. It is somehow likely that she was given an upgrade while waiting to board the plane.
*The final episode drew an audience of 52.5 million people, when it was first shown in the USA. This was the fourth most watched finale in US television history. Interestingly, "The One After The Superbowl" (aired 28 January 1996), in season two, had higher figures with 52.9 million viewers.
* The end credits play over stock footage of New York City's skyline and streets, all of which was used at various points in episodes throughout the series. This is the only episode in which this occurs; all other episodes without an epilogue scene use the opening credits footage of the cast around the fountain.
* Chandler has the last line of the entire series. He asks "Where?" when Rachel suggests they all get coffee. His wife, Monica, said the first line in The Pilot.
*After being apart for 7 years, Ross and Rachel get back together the last day. In the spin-off Joey, Joey says "I was happy in New York and I tried to keep everything the same but things kept changing. All of my friends got married and had kids and moved on." This statement is vague and it can't be said for certain that this included Ross and Rachel marrying each other. It could be possible that they met other people. Later in the series, Joey tells Alex "I've only said I love you to one woman and she was pregnant with my best friend's baby and they ended up together" which can either refer to the day depicted in "The Last One, Part 2", or imply that Ross and Rachel were still together at that moment, but says nothing about any possible marriage between them.
**In a subsequent interview, Jennifer Aniston has stated her belief that Ross and Rachel remarried after the series finale and had at least one more child. 
**However, this above statement is contrasted by her more recent October 2019 post on , stating that Ross and Rachel had gone on a break from each other after getting themselves into too many arguments and as a result were mixing with other people. 
** At any rate, the actress Jennifer Aniston only played the fictional character Rachel. During the show Aniston only read lines which the writers wrote for her, and she does not and cannot have any knowledge about the fictional universe situation after the last episode until there is an official Friends continuation -- either more episodes or a film.
*Ross finally says he still loves Rachel, though he has been in love with her previously in the series, but didn't want to say it after they broke up til this episode. However he had told Rachel's father that he loved and cared about her when the latter confronted him about not marrying Rachel when she was pregnant. He also admitted to Phoebe that he loved Rachel in "The One Where Rachel Has A Baby" when Phoebe urged him to go for it with Rachel.
*When Rachel tells Ross "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry" as she head back towards the gate, this is a call-back to The Pilot when she said the same thing while on the phone to Barry's answer machine. Only this time she is on the point of tears when she says it to Ross.
*The scene where Ross and Rachel kiss and get back together for good is paralleled in the Young & Hungry episode, Young & Amnesia, when Gabi and Josh get back together and admit they love each other, and it's assumed (and very likely) they got back together for good like Ross and Rachel did in this episode. Ironically, Josh and Gabi are very similar Ross and Rachel, especially with the "on-again-off-again" relationship.
*The Finale was instantly followed by the spinoff Joey.
*It is possible that Phoebe was pregnant in the final scene as Joey tells Gina that "I was happy in New York ..... but all of my friends got married and had kids".
*It can be assumed that Rachel and Emma have moved back in with Ross a short time after the final scene in Monica's apartment, since they're now in a relationship and Rachel told Ross "this is where I want to be" before they resumed their kissing.
*One scene which was cut from the final script would have shown the rest of the gang reacting to seeing Ross and Rachel getting back together.
*Rachel's flight departs from Newark Liberty International Airport. In "The One Where The Monkey Gets Away", Rachel suggested they go out to the City of Newark, located in New Jersey.
*Phoebe calls Rachel and tries to get her off the flight to Paris by saying there's something wrong with the flight's "left phalange" (which Rachel reassures her aloud that there isn't), only for the passenger alongside her to misinterpret in fear and call out to get off the flight, which raises panic amongst the other passengers causing all of them to get off, including Rachel. 
* Nick@Nite version aired The Last One in one hour special. Also the part where old people walking slowly to the ticket counter, Rachel looking for boarding pass scenes, and Ross and Phoebe buying a ticket scenes were cut off.
*This is likely a loose reference to the 2000 American supernatural horror film Final Destination which also sees the main character of the film Alex and his class on Flight 180 to Paris, only for a premonition to intervene which causes him and a few others to evacuate the plane. Indirectly and tragically however, the film aired before the 9/11 attacks and the show took place during and after the events (Season 7 being pre, and Season 8 post), so that scene in the last episode perhaps shines a light to reflect on the real-life fear of flights and airplanes, and how the attacks have had their toll and what their impact has been on culture and society overall generally, in regards to safety and regulation, especially portrayed in that of media (music, film, and TV especially).https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_influence_of_the_September_11_attacks
==Goofs==
*In "The One With The Blind Dates" (S9E14), Joey mentions that Monica and Chandler agreed to name one of their children after him. Yet, they name the children Jack and Erica. However, it is obvious that Monica and Chandler never actually intended to name their child Joey, but just said it so that Joey wouldn't tell Rachel that they were having sex when they were looking after Emma.
*On the plane, when Rachel says, "She's almost never right," (about Phoebe) you can see the guy's hand is on the armrest. Then a split second later, his hand is about half a foot off the armrest while saying "But she is sometimes."
*After Ross and Rachel have their last on-screen kiss and Ross says, "unless we are on a break" his hands are on Rachel's shoulder, but when the camera came back to him, his hands are on her waist.
*In the last scene, two minutes before the end, it is obvious that the babies are dolls.
*When Rachel and Ross were talking at the airport, the image of the plane shows the fuselage but there are no wings.
*When the friends put down their keys, the keys' positions change when the camera pans the apartment.
==Images==
TheLastOne-2.png
TheLastOneBow.jpg
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TheLastOne-2-MovingOut.png
== References ==
==External links==
* Transcript of the episode
* The Last One: Part 2 at the Internet Movie Database
* The Last One at Wikipedia
* Pop Culture Digest Review
== Episode Navigation==
Category:Friends Episodes
Category:Season 10
Category:Episodes
Category:Season 10 Episodes
Category:Season Finales