5

There's the following scene in Friends:

Robin: Why? Why?! What’s wrong with me?!

Billy: What’s the matter?

Robin: I have a feelin’... I, my wife is sleeping with her gynecologist.

(The gang is now eavesdropping in on the conversation, and is shocked.)

Billy: How do you know?

Robin: Well ya know, he’s got access.

Billy: Yeah.

Robin: Y'know it’s that feeling you get, ya know?

Billy: Like when you go bowling and you know you’re in somebody else’s shoes?

Robin: That’s the one.

[cut back to the gang.]

Phoebe: All right, so, so you went to Pete’s...

Ross: What happened?

Monica: (Robin is speaking loudly again) I...

[cut to Billy and Robin]

Robin: Why is this happening to me?! I don’t know, maybe it’s my wound.

[cut to the gang]

Monica: Forget it. (they all turn and listen to Billy and Robin)

Billy: So it’s-it’s not healed yet?

Robin: No-no, it’s oozing, oozing. (to Rachel) Could you pass me the cream? Is there any—Oh, there’s the cream.

Billy: Thomas, this is gonna be hard, but I wanted it to come from me, and nobody else.

Robin: What is it, Tim?

Billy: It’s me, I’ve been sleeping with your wife.

Joey: (to Billy) So you’re the gynecologist?

Billy: (to Joey) Hey, I’m trying to have a private conversation! Is that okay?!

Robin: (starting to cry) Ooh, (to Rachel) Can I have a napkin, please? Could you please hand me a napkin? (Rachel tries to grab one, but is too slow for his tastes.) Would you--Give me this thing (grabs the napkin holder from her.) all right!! Enough! (to Billy) And you are no longer my friend! We are finished! (gets up to leave) Nada!! No more! You are a bastard for doing this!! (Billy follows him) Get away from me!!

Ok, the whole scene has many questions for me:

  1. "Like when you go bowling and you know you’re in somebody else’s shoes?" What does he mean by that?

  2. "Maybe it’s my wound." What is the oozing wound? And what has it to do with the cheating feeling? And there is a cream in the table? And why does he need it?

  3. "You are a bastard for doing this." When I was reading the transcript I saw "bastard" in bald font, and when he said it the crowd was laughing, is there something rather funny about it that I don't get? Or is it just funny because it is silly?

1
  • 6
    Thanks for your recent questions, just a couple of notes about formatting: 1. When you quote something, please put a > before each line; 2. When making a list, it's formatted better when the numbers are followed by a dot (or you could use asterisks for bullet points); 3. You're quoting a very long scene. While that's OK, for texts of this length you could just sum up the key points instead, and\or simply paste a link to a script of a video (like Pesetas74 did). (See the revisions here.)
    – Walt
    Dec 20, 2015 at 12:14

1 Answer 1

10

1- Like when you go bowling and you know you’re in somebody else’s shoes? What does he mean by that?

It's a joke about the fact that he suspects his wife is cheating on him. He means that, just like when you put the bowling shoes on you know you are not the only one who's been using them, he knows that he's not the only one that's sleeping with his wife (he gets the same feeling).

2- maybe it’s my wound. What is the oozing wound? And what has it to do with the cheating feeling? And there is a cream in the table? and why does he need it?

He doesn't say where he's wounded. He's just trying to think about possible reasons for his wife's infidelity and is afraid she might be sleeping around because maybe she's turned off/disgusted by his oozing wound. About the cream, he needs it for his coffee, and it's unrelated to what he's talking about. It's just a way to show us that Robin Williams is a complete train wreck (the same goes for the napkins bit a while later).

EDIT: after reading Walt's answer I realized I've missed the double entendre on the cream :) thanks for that

EDIT2: @ARGMAN I've just watched again the "cream bit". The guys are "overhearing" William's conversation and their mind is still fixed on the "oozing". Look at Rachel and Chandler's reaction recoiling in disgust as Williams asks for the cream... So funny :)

3- You are a bastard for doing this.

I don't think that there is a specific meaning/reference to the use of "bastard". Watching the scene on youtube, I don't feel that the audience's reaction is provoked by the word but by the general tone of the discussion and William's interpretation (he also adds a funny accent).

Hope this answers your doubts

5
  • 6
    It should also be noted that this scene isn't supposed to make much sense. It wasn't even in the script. It was quickly written (and partly improvised by the 2 actors) on the day of shooting because they were in the area and wanted to promote their film Father's Day.
    – Walt
    Dec 20, 2015 at 11:56
  • Thank you Pesetas74 and Walt! Regarding the cream, where is the double entendre? Isn't about RW "rubbing the genie" with the cream and the napkin? Originally I thought that the cream is for healing the wound (I never drink coffee or go to coffee shops for that matter).
    – ARGMAN
    Dec 20, 2015 at 13:14
  • 3
    @ARGMAN: RW is talking about his wound that keeps on "oozing" and is clearly embarassed about it. Then all of a sudden he asks for cream to put in his coffee. They guys are still thinking about his wound, so when he asks for cream they think about the [ointment](en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cream_(pharmaceutical) and immediately recoil at the thought
    – Pesetas74
    Dec 20, 2015 at 21:37
  • But isn't "double entendre" suppose to have one of the meanings (at least) with a sexual reference?
    – ARGMAN
    Dec 21, 2015 at 10:55
  • 1
    @ARGMAN: not necessarily, according to wikipedia. Anyway this is just a play on words (by the authors or by RW himself but not by the charecter played by RW) since the word cream has multiple meanings.
    – Pesetas74
    Dec 21, 2015 at 15:15

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .