-Yeah, the first season, we -- I had a major crush on Jen.Friends: The Reunion · 2021 — Chapter 23 of 25 · 3'55" · B2
David and Jen's Secret Crush, Explained: two ships passing
The cast reveal a first-season crush that went nowhere: they had feelings for each other, but "it was like two ships passing" since one of them was always taken. Then they rewatch the first kiss, where the reply is a flat "This ship has sailed."
What happens
The cast open up about the first season, when two of them had a mutual crush. They admit it was like two ships passing—always one of them in a relationship—so they never crossed the line. The show then revisits Ross and Rachel's coffee-house first kiss, ending on a cold "This ship has sailed."
Listen for
This ship has sailedtwo ships passinghad no right tomajor crush on
00:00 / 03:55Space play · ← → lines · R repeat
Now
Phrase of the scene
two ships passing
像两艘擦肩而过的船；有缘无分
两位演员说当年彼此喜欢，却因为总有一方在恋爱而一再错过。
We kept missing each other, like two ships passing.
Also in this scene
- This ship has sailed
船已经开走了；机会已经错过
- had no right to
没有权利；不该
- major crush on
对……特别迷恋；狠狠地暗恋
Everything marked in this scene
41 notes across 67 lines
flap
-Yeah, the first season, we -- I had a major crush on Jen.we were both crushing hard on each other, but it was like two ships passingwe were both crushing hard on each other, but it was like two ships passingelision
we were both crushing hard on each other, but it was like two ships passingwe were both crushing hard on each other, but it was like two ships passingbecause one of us was always in a relationship.So -- And we never crossed that boundary.past simple
So -- And we never crossed that boundary.You know, we respected that.And -- but we both -- -Bullshit."It's going to be such a bummer if the first time you and Iactually kiss is gonna be on national television."Sure enough, first time we kissed was in that coffee shop. -Hang on, so --Sure enough, first time we kissed was in that coffee shop. -Hang on, so --liaison
Sure enough, first time we kissed was in that coffee shop. -Hang on, so ---Is this blowing anyone else's mind?-That scene in the coffee house when their first kiss,The tension, it was just palpable.I'm so glad you guys didn't because I don't know -- well, you would've just been great actors.subjunctive
I'm so glad you guys didn't because I don't know -- well, you would've just been great actors.But, man, that was something. -Yeah, we were really just not great actors.-You had no right to tell me you ever had feelings for me.-You had no right to tell me you ever had feelings for me.weak form
-You had no right to tell me you ever had feelings for me.-What? -I was doing great with Julie before I found out about you.-Well, then you should have said something before I met her.And how come you never said anything to me?-Right, because you only had a year and we only hung out every night.You know, and it's not like I didn't -- I didn't try, Rachel, but things got in the way,And do you even have a point?Okay? I'm happy. This ship has sailed.present perfect
Okay? I'm happy. This ship has sailed.liaison
Okay? I'm happy. This ship has sailed.Okay? I'm happy. This ship has sailed.You can just sort of put away feelings or whatever the hell it was that you felt for me?You can just sort of put away feelings or whatever the hell it was that you felt for me?-Hey, I've been doing it since the ninth grade.I've gotten pretty damn good at it.When she looks up, she's startled to see Ross at the door staring back at her.They hold each other's gaze.David and Jen's Secret Crush, explained
What's really going on
Two things are happening at once here: a candid confession and a scene that dramatizes it. The confession is careful—"we were both crushing hard on each other, but it was like two ships passing"—and the excuse is timing: "one of us was always in a relationship." What makes it land is that they didn't waste the feeling; they say they channeled it into Ross and Rachel, which is exactly what the coffee-house scene shows. There, the same missed-timing idea comes back sharpened: "This ship has sailed." The scene pairs the real people's restraint with the characters' regret, so the on-screen kiss reads as both fiction and memory.
Theme
RomanceA mutual off-screen crush and an on-screen kiss both hinge on timing.
HeartbreakThe coffee-house argument shows the ache of feelings confessed too late.
Listen for
- a major crush on — flap
- two ships passing — elision
- Sure enough — liaison
- feelings for me — weak form
Okay? I'm happy. This ship has sailed.She tells him the chance is gone and she won't reconsider.
-But so we just channeled all of our adoration and love for each other into Ross and Rachel.They poured their real feelings into playing the two characters.
It's too late. I'm with somebody else.She's moved on and says his timing is past.
'Cause I don't need your stupid ship.She throws his own line back at him out of anger.
Questions about this scene
Did David and Jennifer actually date during Friends?
They say they had a mutual crush in the first season, but they never acted on it. One of them says it was like two ships passing, because one of them was always in a relationship.
What does "two ships passing" mean in this scene?
It describes two people who feel the same way but keep missing each other, never single at the same time. Here it explains why the off-screen crush never turned into a relationship.
Why does Rachel say "This ship has sailed"?
In the coffee-house scene she's telling Ross it's too late and she's happy with someone else. The line means the chance has passed and she won't go back on it.
Why is Ross angry in the coffee house?
He finds out Rachel knew about his feelings and feels she had no right to tell him, since he was doing fine with Julie before. She fires back that he never said anything either.
Did the real feelings help them play Ross and Rachel?
They suggest so: they say they channeled all their adoration for each other into the characters, and another cast member jokes that watching the first-kiss scene is easier because they were "just not great actors."
Friends: The Reunion · 25 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 24the long arm of the lawWere Ross and Rachel on a Break?
Chapter 1get in the wayThe Cast Returns to the Set
Chapter 2in the bagThe Friends Cast Reunites On Stage
Chapter 3stay in touchThe Cast Reunites at the Fountain
Chapter 4that time in your lifeThe Friends Creators Explain the Premise
Chapter 5pet peeveThe Cast Plays a Friends Quiz
Chapter 6has this magicThe Cast Plays Trivia
Chapter 7at the top of their gameThe Cast Revisits the Jellyfish
Chapter 8down to the wireHow Friends Cast Its Six
Chapter 9to make a long story shortThe Cast Recalls Their Auditions
Chapter 10in the wrong handsCasting the Rest of the Cast
Chapter 11tail between my legsThe Producer Who Predicted Stardom
Chapter 12a completely different ballgameThe Cast on Sudden Fame
Chapter 13had a big hand inFans on What Friends Meant
Chapter 14got you hookedThe Cast Answers Fan Questions
Chapter 15down-to-earthThe Monkey Kept Ruining Takes
Chapter 16cost a fortuneThe Chair Scene Goes Wrong
Chapter 17put our heads togetherThe Sling Written Into the Show
Chapter 18beat you to itHow Monica and Chandler Became a Couple
Chapter 19take something for a spinThe Cast Reenacts Smelly Cat
Chapter 20buy a word of itThe Couch Pivot Scene
Chapter 21keep straight a faceThe Friends Blooper Reel
Chapter 22calls out to meJanice Returns to the Reunion
Watching · Chapter 23two ships passingDavid and Jen's Secret Crush
Chapter 24the long arm of the lawWere Ross and Rachel on a Break?
Chapter 25go to piecesSaying Goodbye to FriendsChapter 23 of 25 · about 10 min to go