Tour de force of nuance acting for David Schwimmer. Plays the role of an awkward post graduate academic and lovable social buffoon struggling to come to terms with the "real- world" with an understated charm despite the weak acting of the girl playing Carol and a ridiculously silly lesbian story-line straight out of the writing of Seinfeld, but done with far less irony or wit and far more emphasis on setting up a soap opera like story ark for the entire season to fall back on for countless emasculating jokes about Ross. The one liners are much punchier and satirical here, delivered with a stronger gusto than the pilot, especially by Matthew Perry. Elliott Gould and Christina Pickles make a great appearance as semi-neurotic parents overly obsessed with their children finding a permanent relationship and having kids. Shows more extensive attention to editing and tighter, more compact writing than the Pilot and Jennifer Anniston makes a dramatic leap in improving the range of her acting chops in the extended period of time between shooting the pilot and this episode.
