We all are fond of different couples from the Friends TV show but only a few couples are loved worldwide. One of them is “Ross and Rachel, Rachel and Ross”. Throughout the series, we have seen them as different individuals or as a couple. We have seen them fight until they couldn’t stand each other anymore, also we have seen their cute couple moments.
Even though they have been discourteous to each other at times, we all have craved until the very last season for them to get back together and live their life happily ever after. They are one such couple who always kept us on toes. The whole “we were on a break, no we were not”- whose side were you? As for me, I would have to say, Ross.
There have been times when Ross and Rachel were being childish and acted immaturely while sorting things out. So let me take you back to those nostalgic fights and talk about how they could have quit dawdling and made things work.
The one where Ross made the “pros and cons” list.
Making comparisons? That too in love? Do you ever think this will work out? Exactly!! That did not work out well with Ross and Rachel either. He was delighted to know that Rachel had feelings for him. But, at the same time, he was with Julie. He did not want to miss his evergreen crush ‘Rachel’. Ugh! He couldn’t decide either. That is where he took the advice of his “not so good at giving advice” friends Chandler and Joey. Chandler advised him to make a pros and cons list. As predicted, it turned out to be a flop idea. Although he did mention in that list that Julie is not Rachel, which I think was sweet and expressed how much Rachel meant to him. Making a list to decide with whom you want to be with is definitely not the right approach.
The one where Rachel could have been the bigger person.
The list did hurt Rachel a lot as she couldn’t digest the things Ross wrote. We all were touched when Rachel said that if it were up to her she would have never made a list. But we cannot ignore the ways Ross apologized and decided to wait for her, while she had already moved. Here, I believe Rachel could have accepted Ross’s apology and given him a chance to make up for his actions.
The one where Rachel could have been a little understanding.
I revere that Rachel was brave enough to start her life all over again. Not many people would have the courage to leave their family, home, and their whole lifestyle behind. When she got the job at Bloomingdale, no one was more delighted than Ross. He was amazed to know that Rachel is finally doing something she likes. But Ross didn’t like the idea of Rachel becoming friends with Mark (the guy who helped her get the interview and then trained her for the interview as well).
Given his marriage life with Carol, it was hard for him to trust someone that easily again. Later, Rachel became so obsessed with her job that she let it consume her and she didn’t focus on anything else. I guess Rachel could have been a little understanding and could have given Ross more attention and made him feel secure instead of assuming that Ross is not supportive and is not happy for her.
The one where Ross could have used his head.
Getting involved with some other girl, right after you split up with your girlfriend, not so cool. I agree that Ross felt awful when Rachel said she wanted to take a break and later found out that Mark is with Rachel. But that doesn’t justify his actions in return. He could have thought this through and had a word with Rachel about how they both were feeling at that time. Communication is the key to a successful relationship. They both could have arrived at a considerable conclusion.
The one where Rachel could have accepted her flaws.
One of the things that I dislike about Rachel the most is the fact that she would always be the first one to move on and would ask Ross to do the same. But, when Ross finally did move on, she wasn’t able to tackle that and would try to wreck things for him. Well, she did the same when Ross started dating Bonnie, Phoebe’s friend. Later, she gave an explanation that she was still in love with Ross and Ross didn’t even think twice before he broke up with Bonnie this time. After that Rachel wrote a letter (18 pages, front and back!) in which she held Ross responsible for everything that went wrong in their relationship which I think was pretty selfish of her. She could have acted like a grown-up and agreed that she made her shares of mistakes too.
The one where Ross could have been a grown-up.
The way Ross reacted after reading the letter was justified as anyone would have been pissed off after realizing that their lover is holding them accountable for everything. But I feel like Ross could have let go of his anger and could have talked things through with Rachel. The lack of communication is what affects most relationships.
The one where Rachel could have been patient.
Remember Emily? The one we all started hating after what she did to Ross. Imagine what would have happened if they hadn’t been divorced. You cannot. Can you? Neither can I! I guess Rachel could have been patient until Ross turned normal but as usual, as soon as she was done telling Ross she loved him, she moved on saying that it was a bad idea. If she had been a little patient, things would have worked out for them.
The one where Rachel could have been more sensible.
After giving birth to Emma, Rachel gets a little worried that she cannot handle things all alone without Ross. This is where our dearest Phoebe steps in and has a little chat with Ross regarding how she feels about him and Rachel. Simultaneously on the other side, Rachel misunderstood that Joey proposed to her and said yes. Well, well, well! As much as I would have admired to see Joey settle down with a woman he loves, I would have loathed it if Ross and Rachel wouldn’t have ended up together at the end. I do understand that Rachel was scared to be a single mother but at the very least she could have asked Joey to wait until she had a talk with Ross about this.
The one where Ross could have taken the risk.
I get it that Ross is not good at expressing himself. But, this nature became a major issue for their numerous fights. He was always so concerned about the outcome that he never really gave it a try. From my point of view, I feel like things would have been much better if he would have just spilled how he felt. “Shoot the breeze Ross!” was my never-ending phrase for Ross.
The one where Rachel crossed the line.
I could not believe the fact that Rachel kissed Gavin, a guy she barely knew. I mean, here Ross is taking care of Emma and keeping his promise to Rachel that he wouldn’t date anyone, but Rachel on the other hand was going to bars, giving guys her phone number, and kissing guys on the balcony! I was vexed after watching that episode. In my opinion, Rachel never considered Ross and their situation before doing certain things which I think is a flaw of hers that wrecked their relationship.
