Friends may not have ever become the cultural phenomenon it was without the increasingly
complex and hugely popular love story between Ross Geller and Rachel Green.
To celebrate the ups and downs of this rocky relationship, here are some of the best and
worst Ross and Rachel moments.
Best: The prom tape
Although Ross tells Rachel about his feelings for her in the pilot, it takes a long time
for either of them to finally grab that proverbial "spoon."
But all the ups-and-downs of their early days are worth it for the scene in which the two
realize they really are each other's "lobsters."
Thanks to an unearthed video from prom in season two, Rachel discovers the hidden truth
about the night that her date, Chip, showed up late to pick her up.
If she'd paid attention to what Ross was up to back then, however, she might've seen this
happen.
"Rachel, ready or not, here comes your knight in shining...Oh no!"
"Bye!
Don't wait up!"
"Chip!"
That gesture didn't pay off at the time, but once Rachel sees his hurt and embarrassment
on tape, she more than makes it up to him.
The moment is near-perfect, finally bringing forth their long-awaited romance with just
the right note of sincerity.
Worst: The break
While Ross is a mostly a thoughtful and emotionally generous boyfriend, his jealousy quickly becomes
downright crippling to his relationship with Rachel.
Whether or not his instincts about coworker Mark prove to be correct, Ross' incessant
presence at Rachel's workplace makes the situation untenable, especially once he begins to shame
her for putting work needs over their date plans.
"Lately, I feel like you're slipping away from me, you know?
With this new job and all these new people and got this whole other life going on."
The breakup that results from that disagreement is perhaps one of the most arduously dramatic
moments of the entire series.
"No…a break from us."
So Ross takes off to drown his sorrows at a bar, ending up in the arms of the fabled
copyshop girl Chloe.
Despite his efforts to hide the truth the next morning, Rachel finds out, which leads
to an even grimmer war of words between the two.
"I thought our relationship was dead."
"Well, you sure had a hell of a time at the wake."
If not for a certain vengeful pizza order and the much-needed comic relief of the quartet
hiding in Monica's room, this episode would be an easy skip-through for Ross and Rachel
fans, mostly because it's uncharacteristically bleak for Friends.
The fact that this scene is also the beginning of the never-ending "we were on a break" chant
makes it come across as even more cringeworthy.
Best: Mrs. Ross and Mr. Rachel
Perhaps the seminal example of these two characters' wires crossing in the best possible way happens
in season five, when Ross mistakes Rachel traipsing around naked in her apartment as
a personal invitation, as the two hang at home before their trip to Las Vegas.
"You actually thought I wanted to have sex with you?
Oh my…"
"No."
The next day, they spend the whole flight out west trying to embarrass each other, with
Ross winning the battle by drawing on Rachel's face with permanent marker.
"Oh my God you drew on me?"
"Yeah, you wet my pants."
Once Ross realizes the prank has ruined Rachel's vacation, he tries to make it up to her by
joining her for drinks in the hotel so she doesn't suffer alone.
After they run out of beer and playing cards, they venture out together and drunkenly stumble
onto a chapel and get married.
"Well hello, Mrs. Ross!"
"Well hello, Mr. Rachel!"
The scene is classic fun, of course, but their gasp-filled day-after discovery of what they'd
done is just as ridiculous and enjoyable.
"What?
We didn't get married!"
"That's ridiculous!"
This development also leads to some iconic bickering scenes about the status of their
annulment, before their on-and-off romance inadvertently steals the thunder of Monica
and Chandler's engagement night in season seven.
Worst: The long letter
Rachel clearly prefers to keep Ross at arm's length most of the time, but, like clockwork,
she can always be counted on to sabotage almost every relationship he has with other women...and
then walk away from him again once the wrecking is complete.
Such is the case in season three when he starts dating Bonnie, the feisty friend of Phoebe
who turns out to be far more intriguing than Rachel expects.
"You said she was bald!"
"Was!
Was was was was was!"
Rather than letting the new couple carry on with all their fun during the gang's beach
trip, Rachel decides to meddle and convinces Bonnie to shave her head.
She then pretends to be friendly to Bonnie while informing Ross that she "maybe" wants
to be with him again, leading him to break up with his new girlfriend.
Of course, he does just that, but as soon as he sends Bonnie on her way, Rachel pulls
out an 18-page letter for him to read, which demands that he accept full responsibility
for what previously went wrong between them.
"But if time was what you needed just to gain a little perspective."
"We were on a break!"
Ultimately, the quick reconnect and ensuing breakup is a major letdown for those fans
who want to see them reunite in a real way, without any pettiness.
Worst: Mannyphobia
Although Ross says plenty of cringeworthy things relating to gender and sexuality throughout
the series, his treatment of the male nanny in season nine is one for the books.
After interviewing a ton of potential caregivers for daughter Emma, he and Rachel are exhausted
by their lack of options and become increasingly desperate to find someone who can be trusted
to tend to their baby.
That's when Sandy arrives and proves to be absolutely perfect for the job; he has oodles
of experience, a great temperament, and most importantly, is excellent with both Rachel
and Emma.
But Ross simply refuses to get past the fact that Sandy is a man, peppers him with questions
about his sexual preference and taunts about his gentle demeanor.
"But I really believe the most satisfying thing you can do with your life is take care
of a child."
"Okay."
Upon seeing Sandy fit in too well with Rachel and his other friends, Ross insists that the
guy be fired, despite his many qualifications for the job.
It's a juvenile and unmodern position for him to take, which is made even worse by the
fact that he proceeds to lust over Molly, the female nanny who replaces Sandy.
Best: She got off the plane
During Friends' final episodes, Ross goes through a lot of grief as Rachel accepts a
job that will take her and their child to Paris, indefinitely.
To make matters worse, he's also refused a personal goodbye with Rachel, who considered
their unexpected hook-up as the perfect farewell.
"Fine, then why don't you say something?"
"Because it is too damn hard, Ross."
Eventually, Ross decides to put aside his hurt feelings and tell Rachel that he doesn't
want her to go, making it just in time thanks to Phoebe's erratic taxi-driving and flight-delaying
stories about missing phalanges.
Unfortunately, his declaration of love comes too late and she gets on the plane anyway.
"The Last One" then sees Ross come home to find a voicemail from Rachel as she experiences
a real-time realization that she loves him too, and when the tape cuts off as she tries
to get off the plane, this happens.
"Oh my God, did she get off the plane?
Did she get off the plane?!"
"I got off the plane."
After so many missed connections between these two, many of which were set around airports,
it feels pretty poetic that their story is book-ended by one last flight.
And seeing both Ross and Rachel decide to finally commit to one another for good is
an intensely satisfying ending for the show.
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