To say that Ross and Rachel were not on a break, but even if they were..

[SneakyGremlins]

It only took Ross three hours to throw a relationship away?

This was discussed quite recently and a couple of days later I saw the episode.
It seemed to be Mark quite deliberately spoke knowing Ross would hear him.

Just checked and it's closer to 20 years ago.

Friends started four years before I was born

They were definitely on a break! I believe it went something like..

Ra: we need a break

Ross thought a break from the row/convo

Ra: no, a break from us

Can't be 25 years

AFAIK "On a break" didn't even exist as a concept in the UK at that time, so I don't even know how we can be deciding

'on a break' is pretty self explanatory though, no?

This was 20 years ago!

The way I look at it was Rachel said she wanted a break in a moment of pure frustration.
Ross wasn’t listening to her, she was trying again and again to explain about her job but he brought up Mark - Mark didn’t even work there anymore at that point!!!
Ross stormed off. Rachel didn’t know where he was and all her other friends were out so letting Mark come over was stupid but I can see why she did it.
So what I find interesting is Ross is so convinced that Rachel is shagging Mark at that point that he goes with Chloe but as soon as he hears her voicemail in the morning it’s all ok and forgiven?!
Uhm ok then Ross that’s all it took?
Her saying nothing happened? How come you didn’t believe her the other 4 million times she said nothing happened eh?
So then it all blows up and while he maintains he thought the relationship was over (over - not on a break) he’s sorry, he’s so sorry, he’ll do anything to make it right but she says no.
Then he decides that he needs to “win” the break up and hence the “we were on a break so technically I didn’t do anything wrong and it’s your fault we’re not together now” defense comes into play.
That’s just my thoughts on it anyway.

Imchanging

Well apparently not, as this thread shows. Non?

Rachel says “maybe we should take a break”
Ross- yes a break let’s get some frozen yogurt or something
Rachel- “no a break from us”
Ross then stormed off so actually nothing was agreed or confirmed

People like to say Ross was controlling, but he was 100% right about Mark!

But, as Monica pointed out, so what if Mark did like Rachel? Does that mean he gets to have Rachel? She has a choice too

In what world does "on a break" mean "OK to fuck random person three hours later".

They were on a break

But they weren't broken up, they were taking time out

Aw she chucked him and then was pissed he found someone else.
I know how she feels,
I dumped my first serious boyfriend with similar words and literally 5 mins later the phone rang and it was his ex asking him on a date- fuck me, I could barely contain my jealousy.......

I don’t think it’s really relevant, if you’re pleading innocence on a technicality then you know you’ve fucked up

Regardless of anything else, if you love someone you wouldn't sleep with someone else hours after you thought the love of your life was over. Well maybe you would... But then you'd be a cunt. Like Ross!

Ignoring all that...what about not telling Rachel they were still married? He actually lied and said he had sorted the annulment.

Ross is a shit. He couldn’t handle Rachel having her own career, interacting with men in the workplace - he freaked out over Mark when nothing at all was going on and embarrassed Rachel at work. I’d have dumped him long before the stupid break. So what if Mark fancied Rachel? She did nothing wrong at all. The thing that pissed me off was that within one episode of all the other friends being horrified that Ross had slept with someone else, phoebe was saying there was wrong on both sides, as if Rachel were somehow responsible for ross’s jealous, controlling behaviour or should have just sucked up his sleeping with someone else! Fucking handmaiden. I’m liking phoebe a lot less this time round.

Ok so i'm definitely over invested BUT ... yes Ross is jealous and controlling but so is Rachel! She was only really interested in him when he was with someone else and then cooled off when he was single - and tried to sabotage his relationships with Julie, the bald woman, Helen Baxendale - then got interested again when he was with the nice palentologist lady whose name I've forgotten.

(it's possible my recollections have been dulled by time)

Yeah, but Ross literally couldn’t stand having a bald girlfriend - oh no, woman looks less conventionally man-friendly! I have instantly gone off her even though we’re supposed to be close!

To me, I would say 'taking a break' doesn't mean broken up, it means a short respite after which you resume. You take a break at work to grab a coffee or a KitKat. Doesn't mean you're not coming back after getting some fresh air. For example 'AIBU I said I was going on a break and my boss hired someone else in my ten minute absence.'

They were on a break. Ross wasn't controlling her; she was free to make her own decisions.

He did nothing wrong.

Rachael was controlling and manipulative. Bonnie's hair cut. Keeping Ross hanging on for years.