Trama

Rachel takes up smoking to feel more included at work. Joey auditions for a soup commercial with Ross's son Ben, but they end up competing against each other. Monica and Phoebe plan Rachel's surprise birthday party one month in advance.

Joey is envious when Ross' son Ben gets an audition for a commercial, but is delighted to hear there also is a role for the boy's father, so he teams up with his godchild; both pass the first round. Everybody is hoping for free stuff, now that Rachel is starting her job with Ralph Lauren. Phoebe suggests they throw an intimate dinner as a surprise birthday party for Rachel, a month in advance, but Monica quickly takes over in grand style; Phoebe insists on being in charge of something, so she gets cups and ice. Rachel quickly finds that her boss Kim and collaborators tend to make all decisions on the balcony during smoking breaks, so after trying just to join them - which doesn't get her close enough - she adopts the terrible habit her dad, a doctor, always warned against with true horror stories. After Ben and Joey are selected for the final cut, Joey is told their lack of physical resemblance means they will be paired with different actors, and only one of them will be cast. Monica's nose and Chandler's experienced eye immediately notice that Rachel has started smoking; she convinces the office girls to attempt quitting together as 'patch sisters', but the others quickly relapse and insist she keep clean - she's out again. Joey's fake offer to waive his audition so that Ross will likewise retract Ben fails. During the final audition, even the line "Mm, soup!" is too hard for Joey not to mess up, as he keeps saying "noodle soup". Phoebe uses cups and ice in huge quantities and endless, wacky variations to take over much of Monica's party; Ross consoles Joey by suggesting he subconsciously wanted to fail so that Ben's feelings wouldn't be hurt - but the kid didn't get the part either. Chandler gets a taste of the Ralph Lauren smokers' balcony.—KGF Vissers

Ross (David Schwimmer) and Carol (Jane Sibbett) inform the others that their son Ben (Jack and Charlie Allen) has an audition for a soup commercial (the casting director saw Ben in the park, found him cute and asked him audition), which Joey (Matt LeBlanc) finds hard to accept. When he learns that the TV commercial also has a part for the father, he volunteers himself for the audition (Joey is also alarmed to hear from Ross that he is not Ben's Godfather). Both Joey and Ben are chosen for the callback but a lack of similarity in looks among the remaining actors makes the director cast them with different individuals, therefore ensuring only one of them can be chosen for the commercial. Joey is paired up with a famous child actor.

He talks to Ross about the callback in an attempt to make Ben back out of the audition which Ross finds unreasonable as it was Ben's audition in the first place, and Joey just invited himself along. Both end up fighting over it, which drags on until the callback is held. Joey messes up his two-word line: "mmm soup", ultimately losing him the part (he keeps saying "mmm Noodle Soup"). Later, Ross consoles him, and then hypothesizes that subconsciously, Joey sabotaged his own audition because he cares about Ben, to which Joey agrees. Ross then informs him that Ben also did not get the part.

On her first day working at Ralph Lauren, Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) tries to get along with her new colleague and boss, Nancy (Megan Ward) and Kim (Joanna Gleason). The latter two are smokers, and go on a cigarette break, which Rachel cannot join as she does not smoke and she is angered to find that Nancy and Kim are busy making company decisions without her during the smoking break. Rachel fears for her position, as Kim and Nancy spend more time together during smoking breaks and have a better chance to bond, and thus Nancy is most probably going to get promotions. Monica advises Rachel to just hang out with them and not smoke, while Chandler advises Rachel to do the easy thing and smoke away.

To make an effort and bond with her co-workers, Rachel goes with them and smokes a cigarette. She is not enthusiastic to fall into the bad habit and tries to talk Kim and Nancy into quitting which comes to no avail, later catching them smoking behind her back. Kim warns Rachel that she would fire her if she catches her with a cigarette as she does not want to "drag her down with them". She forces Rachel to leave, just as she invites Nancy to go on a business trip to Paris with her.

Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) and Monica (Courteney Cox) organize a surprise party for Rachel one month ahead of her birthday, but Monica's insistence to take responsibility over everything leaves Phoebe with only cup and ice duties. However Phoebe vows to get back at Monica. At the party, the apartment is overflowing with decorations and made of cups, and everyone is enjoying the snow cones Phoebe has made with the ice, meaning all of Monica's food is ignored. Rachel arrives home and is very surprised to find the party, given that Chandler's (Matthew Perry) birthday is before hers.

In the tag scene, Chandler arrives up on the Ralph Lauren rooftop to take Rachel to lunch, only to be informed by Nancy and Kim that she is in her office. However, Chandler, distracted by all the smoke, quickly puffs at Kim's cigarette before leaving.