Phoebe finds out some shocking news about her birth mother; Ross chooses Rachel over Bonnie, but has to read an 18-page letter about her feelings before she'll agree to get back together with him. He doesn't quite make it all the way through the letter before telling Rachel that he agrees with everything in it. The rain finally lets up and the friends go to the beach where Monica is stung by a jellyfish, and has to decide which is worse: the pain from the sting, or the remedy that Joey suggests.

Kenny Bania, Jerry's rival, continues to take Jerry's past material, and even starts dating one of Jerry's ex-girlfriends. To change this, Jerry decides to do badly in one of his acts so Kenny will do bad as well. But Jerry's plan completely backfires. Kramer starts shaving using butter and starts roasting himself in a sauna. Newman sees him as a giant turkey and chases him around. Meanwhile, Elaine and Puddy travel to Europe together, and George tries to hide that he's a closet Bania fan.

Season Premiere. The ER is under the bright lights when a television documentary is filmed depicting a typical day in the ER. British trauma specialist Elizabeth Corday joins the staff. Carter restarts his residency, this time in the ER. A man is paralyzed while breaking up a gang fight. Morgenstern suffers a heart attack. Mark's stress level continues to build.

Coming Soon...