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Original poster

to think Rachel should have gone to Paris?

113 replies

Aworryingtrend · 12/07/2011 13:08

I watched (for the hundredth time) the last episode of Friends last night, and once again thought how unfair it was that Rachel gave up on her dream job in Paris to stay with needy Ross.

I would be interested to hear what feminists make of it but I'm too scared to post on there.

What do you think, was she right to stay or should she have gone to Paris?

OP posts:
KaraToytown · 12/07/2011 14:21

I agree GetOrf. I said before that he just didn't want anyone else to have her.

The episode that makes me fume is the one where Phoebe and Rachel go out to a bar and a guy takes Rachel's number. Ross doesn't pass on the message that he phoned. And yet everyone has to hear about his relationships with Charlie/Elizabeth/lady from wedding etc

MsAnnThroppy · 12/07/2011 14:31

He did the same with Emily, didn't he?

Ross ruins their wedding by saying "Rachel". Yet Emily is unreasonable, unforgiving blah blah. Emily then catches Ross at the airport about to go on their honeymoon with Rachel. Once again, Emily is deemed to be unreasonable and not understanding what she is seeing. Gaslighting on Ross's part, methinks. Emily is then deemed by Ross to be completely unreasonable to not trust his relationship with Rachel, which she has no clear picture of, since she is still in London, presumably attempting to figure out how she got into this situation. Eventually, Emily moves on and gets engaged to someone else. Instead of happiness for her, he smashes up a scone. Add scone abuse to his list of misdemeanours.

Original poster
Aworryingtrend · 12/07/2011 14:33

Grin I am ROFL at "scone abuse".

OP posts:
KaraToytown · 12/07/2011 14:34

What about the inappropriate realationship with Elizabeth? He had to keep it quiet because she was his student. I seem remember that he got insanely jealous when she wanted to go on Spring Break with her friends and followed her along.

Nice catch Rachel.

KaraToytown · 12/07/2011 14:35

One day I will spell relationship correctly. Blush

Original poster
Aworryingtrend · 12/07/2011 14:35

Not to mention the way he treated Mona when he was seeing her but Rachel was pregnant with his child!

INCLUDING- entering and hiding in Mona's apartment after they had stopped seeing each other!

OP posts:
KaraToytown · 12/07/2011 14:39

Mona! That was the name I couldn't remember.

Yes, breaking into her apartment to get a shirt.

To be fair, he was very thoughtful to to walk Carol down the aisle at her wedding ceremony to Susan when her parents refused to come. So that's one nice thing. Am struggling to remember another.

KaraToytown · 12/07/2011 14:40

Chandler and Monica were a great couple though.

mrsmellow · 12/07/2011 14:43

This tread just made my afternoon Smile - but has ruined the chances of completing my presentation for tomorrow before 3pm....
Ross is so annoying, Joey is so thick, I fancy Mike (despite him being in Clueless) and did anyone really love seeing Chandler on the West Wing (or am I just outing myself as the ultimate Friends stalker???) Grin

TheCrackFox · 12/07/2011 14:45

He did treat Emily really badly.

But then I always thought it was weird that they named their DD Emma which sounded way to much like the ex-wife's name.

FreudianSlipper · 12/07/2011 14:46

lets talk about seinfeld much funnier

were george and jerry ever more than just friends, not that there is anything wrong with that, no not at all but were they :o

never ever got the friends thing it was so repetitive

MiserableLes · 12/07/2011 14:50

fuck fuck fuckety fuck

You have just ruined it for me. I am watching friends for the first time (Halfway through series 5)

Hopefully I will not remember what happens by the time I get to the end

dreamingbohemian · 12/07/2011 14:51

mrsmellow i loved chandler on west wing Blush

could my first day at work be any more dramatic?

Chandon · 12/07/2011 14:53

MiserableLes you must be so lovely and YOUNG

MsAnnThroppy · 12/07/2011 14:53

Let us not forget his treatment of Julie. With whom, one minute he is madly in love and more or less living with; the next, is dropped like a hot stone once he finds out Rachel fancies him. Julie is utterly heartbroken, but does not know why he has dumped her with no warning.

Rachel then finds the odious list. Once again, it is everyone else, not Ross, who is being unreasonable about that. He then undermines Rachel's other romantic interests. Rachel gets together with him over the whole Prom Night video. Presumably because Ross has always been there for her. Yes, Rachel, like a stalker.

TragicallyHip · 12/07/2011 14:56

Oh reading this Ross doesn't sound like a nice bloke at all! Shock

Always had a soft spot for him tho

HeavyHeidi · 12/07/2011 15:00

Of course she should have gone to Paris!

Yes, she was offered promotion in NY too, but do you remember why? Because she was a good employee and the boss did not want her to go? No, first of all, she was fired. And she was only offered the job back with promotion because Ross bribes the boss with some trips and a pterodactyl egg for his son. That would be the last promotion she ever sees - not only that, she would probably be fired soon again, as the previous issues are still there and boyfriend begging for her job is never a good look.

And she could do way better than Ross.

dreamingbohemian · 12/07/2011 15:03

MsAnn loving your Ross takedown!

But where do you stand on his treatment of Bonnie?

Is it ever acceptable to dump someone because they shave their head?

Even if it is, surely he was a dog for getting back with Rachel before Bonnie even packed her bags?

(or am I misremembering? I did most of my Friends watching on maternity leave, it's all a bit hazy!)

TheCrackFox · 12/07/2011 15:03

I remember he used to take the piss out of her for being a waitress - you would have tought he would have been happy that she was doing well in her chosen career but, no, he was arsey about it.

Very controlling and not at all attractive.

mrsbabookaloo · 12/07/2011 15:09

Ooh fantastic, a thread why I can justifiably expound my Big Friends Theory to a semi-interested audience!

I think the writers were intending to get Joey and Rachel together from series 3 or 4, and that they would end up together...all that moving in and out of flats, Rachel living with Joey when Phoebe's flat caught fire, then again after Emma etc...they were clearly ,much more comatible in a simplistic "we are both thick but beautiful" way, whereas she and Ross were horribly unsuited.

So, the whole story arc was going that way, until the last series when they started to negotiate what all the actors would do after Friends, and whether there would be a spin off or not. Matt Le Blanc was the only one who agreed to a spin off, possibly not fancying his chances of getting any big movie roles, and the writers realised that Joey couldn't get together with Rachel because he was going to be in the spin off and she wasn't. So they had to change direction and try to make it plausible that Rachel would get together with Ross.

Which was very unsatisfying. Voila! What do you think?

And yes, this thread makes you realise what an unattractive prospect life with Ross is!

And what a massive massive Friends saddo I am.

mrsbabookaloo · 12/07/2011 15:09

So many typos! Too keen to share my theory!

GetOrfMoiLand · 12/07/2011 15:10

MsaNTHROPY I think I love you - scone abuse!

And he was put on gardening leave by the university because he went mental at someone who ate his sandwich HIS SANDWICH

Mind you, apart from the fact that Ross was an infernal fuckwit and awful boyfriend (in the later series, I thought he was lovely in series one) he was actually very funny. Pivot, lift and slide, talc paste etc.

Oh dear god I have wasted hours of my life and precious memory cells watching Friends repeatedly and assimilating all the info!

Original poster
Aworryingtrend · 12/07/2011 15:16

That is an excellent theory Mrs babakaloo- as you say, they couldnt have Joey and Rachel getting together if he was going to be in the spin off but she wouldn't be as she was too busy making forgettable romcoms instead

GetOrf so true! if I could harness the hours spent watching Friends into productive time I could have invented a cure for cancer by now or somehing.

Ross was lovely in the first series- his crush on rachel, helping her at the Laundrette, sticking up for Monica to their parents, etc... where did it all go wrong for him? When did he start to change do we think?

OP posts:
Skimummy · 12/07/2011 15:20

Yeah, she should have gone to Paris...let Ross make a sacrifice for once. He definitely deteriorated as the series went on. However, completely agree that Ross was responsible for some of the best episodes. PIVOT! Classic. And the one where Phoebe and Rachel had to distract him from Monica and Chandler getting together in the apartment across the street. They acted really excited about his new apartment and he did this hilarious girly squeal. David Schwimmer has some brilliant delivery of lines - "it tastes like FEET".

Ah, Friends...

Shellshocked1 · 12/07/2011 15:38

Oh, I LOVE this thread. Can't believe I was sucked in, a la Rachel, and didn't realise what a terrible, terrible person Ross was.

I thought it was hilarious that Phoebe married Mike and then you never saw him again (albeit only for the last few episodes). That marriage obviously ended well. Or maybe he was babysitting Emma and Ben.