The One with the Birth Mother

"**The One with the Birth Mother**"
"The One with the Birth Mother"
Friends episode
Episode no.	Season 10; Episode 9
Directed by	David Schwimmer
Written by	Scott Silveri
Production code	176258
Original air date	January 8, 2004
Episode chronology
← Previous; "The One with the Late Thanksgiving"	Next →; "The One Where Chandler Gets Caught"
	Friends season 10
	List of episodes

"The One with the Birth Mother" is the ninth episode of Friends' tenth season. It first aired on the NBC network in the United States on January 8, 2004.^[1]

Plot

In this episode, Monica and Chandler travel to Ohio to meet Erica(Anna Faris), a young woman who has chosen them to adopt her baby. However, upon meeting Erica, they realize there's been a mix-up, and she thinks they're a doctor and a reverend. The couple panics, thinking they'll lose their chance at adopting the baby, but they decide to come clean about the misunderstanding. Monica and Chandler's honesty and genuine desire to be parents ultimately win Erica over, and she chooses them to be the adoptive parents, leading to a moment of relief and joy for the couple.

Meanwhile, back in New York, Joey has a hard time finding a new place to live after learning that Monica and Chandler are buying a house. He visits an open house with Phoebe, and after a few comical interactions, they meet a woman named Sarah who is also looking for an apartment. Joey takes a liking to her, but things go awry when he accidentally offends her, ruining any chance of a connection. Despite the setback, Joey remains optimistic about his future living situation.

Elsewhere, Ross and Rachel visit a friend's wedding, and Ross ends up accidentally seated at the kids' table. Initially frustrated, Ross eventually bonds with the children and enjoys himself. The experience gives Ross a chance to reflect on parenthood and the different stages of life, adding a touch of humor and introspection to the episode.

Reception

In the original broadcast, the episode was viewed by 25.49 million viewers.^[2] Sam Ashurst from Digital Spy ranked the episode #188 on their ranking of the 236 Friends episodes.^[3] Telegraph & Argus ranked the episode #188 on their ranking of all 236 Friends episodes.^[4]

References

^ ^a ^b "Friends | TV Guide". TVGuide.com. Archived from the original on July 15, 2017. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
^ "Friends Nielsen Ratings Archive - Season Ten". newmusicandmore.tripod.com.
^ Ashurst, Sam (January 1, 2018). "Every single Friends episode – RANKED". Digital Spy.
^ "The definitive ranking of all 236 Friends episodes | Bradford Telegraph and Argus". Archived from the original on 2019-04-16. Retrieved 2019-01-23.

[auto-1] "Friends | TV Guide". TVGuide.com. Archived from the original on July 15, 2017. Retrieved July 28, 2024.

[2] "Friends Nielsen Ratings Archive - Season Ten". newmusicandmore.tripod.com.

[3] Ashurst, Sam (January 1, 2018). "Every single Friends episode – RANKED". Digital Spy.

[4] "The definitive ranking of all 236 Friends episodes | Bradford Telegraph and Argus". Archived from the original on 2019-04-16. Retrieved 2019-01-23.

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v t e Friends episodes
Season 1	"The Pilot" "The One with the Sonogram at the End" "The One with the Thumb" "The One with George Stephanopoulos" "The One with the Blackout" "The One with the Monkey" "The One Where the Monkey Gets Away" "The One with the Fake Monica" "The One Where Rachel Finds Out"
Season 2	"The One with Ross's New Girlfriend" "The One with Russ" "The One with the Lesbian Wedding" "The One After the Superbowl" "The One with the Prom Video" "The One Where Dr. Ramoray Dies" "The One with Barry and Mindy's Wedding"
Season 3	"The One with the Princess Leia Fantasy" "The One Where No One's Ready" "The One with the Flashback" "The One with the Football" "The One with the Morning After" "The One at the Beach"
Season 4	"The One with the Jellyfish" "The One with the Cat" "The One with the Embryos" "The One with Ross's Wedding"
Season 5	"The One After Ross Says Rachel" "The One Hundredth" "The One with All the Thanksgivings" "The One Where Everybody Finds Out" "The One with the Girl Who Hits Joey" "The One with the Cop" "The One Where Rachel Smokes" "The One Where Ross Can't Flirt" "The One with the Ride-Along" "The One with Joey's Big Break" "The One in Vegas"
Season 6	"The One After Vegas" "The One Where Ross Got High" "The One with the Apothecary Table" "The One with Unagi" "The One with the Proposal"
Season 7	"The One with Monica's Thunder" "The One with All the Candy" "The One with All the Cheesecakes" "The One Where They're Up All Night" "The One with Ross and Monica's Cousin" "The One with Monica and Chandler's Wedding"
Season 8	"The One After 'I Do'" "The One with Rachel's Date" "The One with the Halloween Party" "The One with the Rumor" "The One Where Rachel Has a Baby"
Season 9	"The One Where No One Proposes" "The One with Ross's Inappropriate Song" "The One with Rachel's Other Sister" "The One in Barbados"
Season 10	"The One After Joey and Rachel Kiss" "The One Where Ross Is Fine" "The One with Ross's Tan" "The One with the Birth Mother" "The One with Phoebe's Wedding" "The Last One"
Specials	Friends: The Reunion