Worst of Friends: Your Least Favorite Moments

[JessDVD]

12 hours ago, helenamonster said:

I'm gonna take things completely off topic just to say that growing up watching this show constantly set up some crazy expectations for how much sex my friends and I would be having in our 20s. Maybe we're just massive lame-os but man did pretty much everyone on this show really get around. I think Chandler had probably the most realistic sexual history of anyone in the main group; even Ross seemed to go through a lot of women in later seasons. Of course we're also millennials and apparently as a generation we're having less sex? Or more sex but less meaningful relationships? I can't keep track of what I'm ruining with my avocado toast this week.

Anyway, to at least bring it back to the overall topic of this thread, I notice it much more now as an adult than I did when I was, like, twelve and thought that it was normal/expected. And I can't unnotice it and it bothers me. Sometimes they're just sex-obsessed to the point where no normal person would be. Like damn, get some other hobbies. Or a copy of Rachel's book.

I think the show was pretty self-aware about Paolo. Nora has the great speech about how nobody wants to read about a Paolo.

That's pretty much what I was talking about. I kind of feel like it matters less what *I personally* think of Ross and Rachel and who was more wronger, but if we're going to evaluate their actions based on the culture that the show has set up - Ross wasn't behaving any differently than anyone else does on the show, and thus Rachel's pearl clutching over it is misplaced. I also have felt like the show is on Rachel's side in the "we were on a break" thing, and considering the show WROTE the culture of bed-swapping, that hardly seems fair to the fictional characters from a 20 year old show....

[Jax7917]

48 minutes ago, JessDVD said:

That's pretty much what I was talking about. I kind of feel like it matters less what *I personally* think of Ross and Rachel and who was more wronger, but if we're going to evaluate their actions based on the culture that the show has set up - Ross wasn't behaving any differently than anyone else does on the show, and thus Rachel's pearl clutching over it is misplaced. I also have felt like the show is on Rachel's side in the "we were on a break" thing, and considering the show WROTE the culture of bed-swapping, that hardly seems fair to the fictional characters from a 20 year old show....

I agree with you, but Rachel's (the shows) excuse is always that... BUT IT'S ROSS AND RACHEL so its different....who cares? They fought the whole beginning of their relationship.. they barely lasted a year and they had a very childish relationship during/after the break up. Monica and Chandler were so much better together yet the show focused on how special Ross and Rachel's relationship was . I especially couldn't stand how they dated for a year in 1996 and in 2004 they were still dwelling on their relationship . The show went to a lot of lengths to keep them apart.. and so I never felt like THEY even thought much of their relationship

( I just said relationship about 50 times)

Edited January 19, 2018 by Jaclyn88

[Madding crowd]

I guess I just love the show so much I can't get really upset about Ross and Rachel. And I really like Rachel in a lot of ways, but I hate how she is in romantic plots. I just rewatched the "Tag" episodes and Rachel is so, so unprofessional in how she is sexually harassing Tag from the moment she met him, then asking Joey to take him out and then being angry because two young guys actually talked to women, then being beyond bitchy to the woman who was interested in Tag. Then when she met Joshua she once again acted unprofessional. In general, I thought Jennifer did a good job of acting like a little rich girl princess who wants to succeed on her own, but still feels terribly entitled.  She also was really bitchy to Julie when Ross was dating her, Charlie when Joey was dating her and pretty much any woman who was dating Ross. 

I agree Ross was over the top with coming to her office and I also felt it was a bit out of character to be quite so obtrusive considering Ross was a professional. But, the sleeping with someone right after a break-up just didn't strike me as being abusive but rather a mistake, which we all make. 

[Bort]

31 minutes ago, Madding crowd said:

 She also was really bitchy to [snip] pretty much any woman who was dating Ross. 

Not every woman. Rachel was nice to Elizabeth. And Mona. 

[Madding crowd]

23 minutes ago, kariyaki said:

Not every woman. Rachel was nice to Elizabeth. And Mona. 

She was sleeping with Elizabeth ‘s father, so that had some influence. When Ross was dating Mona, Rachel was pregnant and had moved in with Ross. She did eventually ask Ross not to date and just be there for her.

[Dandesun]

On 1/18/2018 at 4:28 PM, Jaclyn88 said:

I'd say trying to ruin her ex bfs wedding is a bit worse than what he did with her job but yes .. let's agree to disagree .. I enjoy these conversations !

This one I'm a bit hazy on. Rachel was not going to go because it was weird (I agree) and she just didn't feel comfortable with it. Ross really really pushed for her to come and then was all pouty when she said she couldn't. Yes, she did come to the realization that she loved Ross (all of this came out of nowhere, by the way, Show) and decided to go off to tell him the truth. No one thought she should do it. (Frankly, she should have listened to Hugh Laurie but whatever.) The thing is, while the intent was there, she didn't actually do anything. Ross was thrilled that she came to the wedding after all and then he said her name during the vows. Rachel said nothing about loving him, she didn't try to get him to change his mind, she swallowed it all when she saw Ross with Emily and acted like she couldn't let him down and just wanted to be there as his friend. Whether or not she was lying about that is irrelevant. The fact is she didn't actually do anything to interfere with the wedding... except to show up which was apparently enough to make Ross fuck up as badly as he did.

Now, as far as etiquette goes, showing up after you've declined your RSVP is a pretty shitty thing to do.

Although given what we saw in later seasons maybe Rachel didn't understand that. Anyone else think it was absolutely bizarre that Rachel seemed to not know that, as maid-of-honor, it was her job to throw Monica a bridal shower? A Long Island princess like Rachel would have no concept of that? Seriously? I get Phoebe not knowing but Rachel should have been almost as hard-core as Monica about it all. I get Rachel becoming a lot more lax about a lot of things but she would have known that sort of shit regarding weddings and being a maid-of-honor. The person we met in the pilot would also have known the best places to have a bridal shower not been utterly flabbergasted at the very idea that she had to throw Monica a shower and buy her a gift.

Rachel? Not knowing when gifts are meant to be given? What the hell was that about?!

[Jax7917]

I was just glad Emily was off the show .. she annoyed me . But what I didn't like was that the show dragged out Ross and Rachel's non existent relationship for 8 years after they broke up and tried to show us time and time again that they ultimately wanted to be with each other .. yet never had them get back together . I get that they had to be apart for story line purposes , but at least have them date one more time throughout the show so their feelings for each other can be believable . I think the reason people ultimately don't give a crap about Ross and Rachel's relationship is because they were hardly together through the shows run 

[Kenny the copy guy]

Hi, long time lurker and first time poster wanting to share a thought about the Ross-Rachel breakup.

Not only was Ross a total jerk towards Rachel after she started working but the "let's take a break from us" line from Rachel was something she spurted out in the heat of a discussion and the mature thing for Ross would've been to leave, let things cool down and resume the conversation later to see if she really felt that way, instead he took it as a license to go and sleep with whoever he fancied.

I do however think Ross was right about Mark's intentions as he was trying sabotage Rachel's relationship in a passive aggressive way and inviting himself over to Rachel's in the middle of what he should've known was a bad fight and raising his voice when he knew Ross was on the phone was really creepy move. This is not however an excuse for him not trusting his girlfriend to not jump into bed with any man that's attracted to her.

Also, jumping into bed with the first girl you meet is not what normal men, however immature, do the night their heart get's broken, I am a man, I've had my heart broken and wanting revenge sex only comes after a few weeks of crying...

[Dandesun]

I think the best part about the whole Mark situation was after Rachel found out about the copy girl and they were having the big fight and Ross brought Mark up again, Rachel pulled out the 'well, what if I had slept with him last night? How would you feel about that? Would you be wanting to get back together with me right now?' argument. And it was great because it absolutely was the right point to make. That if they were, in fact, broken up for what appears to amount to twelve hours (like Chandler said 'bullets have left guns slower') and she had slept with Mark in that time... well, Ross would have been even more insufferable than he was about 'we were on a break!' Can you even imagine the years upon years upon years of 'I was so right about that Mark guy.'

Look, I fell for the whole Ross/Rachel thing hook line and sinker when it first aired. I was totally into the drama of it all. I grew up on soaps so it was pretty much the same thing. My sisters and I watched the big break up episode and had misty eyes and all that shit. But when Ross and Rachel got back together at the beach house and Rachel wrote that long ass letter and Ross couldn't deal with taking all of the blame for being 'a cheater' and they broke up for real... I was totally fine with that. The second break up was hilarious and, shit, that many pages (front and back) and Rachel got you're and your mixed up constantly? Yeah, that's a totally reasonable break up from where I stand.

The thing is, Ross was pretty much responsible for making the relationship 'too hard' when Rachel got her job. He was irrationally jealous of Mark to the point where Rachel apparently had no agency of her own if she was out of Ross' sight. Whatever Mark may have wanted, in Ross' mind, Rachel would just go along with which is wildly insulting and really really fucking gross. And the break followed by the official break up were all part and parcel of Ross' fucked up nature especially after Carol cheating on him made him wildly paranoid. But if Rachel wanted to get back together with him, making him take responsibility for all of it... struck me as childish. And really, they ended and that should have been the absolute end. I don't even have a problem with the two of them falling into bed every now and then as friends who had some chemistry and would screw each other when they weren't with anyone else. Turning them into this all-encompassing love when the majority of the time of the show really showed that they weren't it for each other really messed things up.

Meanwhile, Monica and Chandler were actual friends, there was actual love before they started sleeping together, It wasn't a teenaged obsession. Hell, I was just watching the episodes where Rachel gave birth and there's fucking Phoebe pushing the whole Ross/Rachel thing as if she's got money riding on her lobster theory (at least that would make some sense) and actually says to Ross 'Or you could have everything you've wanted since you were fifteen.'

Why is that a good thing?! I remember when I was fifteen. It was 1987. Does anyone think that there was anything going on in 1987 that would be something I was obsessed with 15 years later and have that be a good thing? Especially any twit that I knew in high school? That's not romantic, that's fucked up!

I like to think that three months after the finale, Ross and Rachel ran into yet another one of their bullshit roadblocks, maybe Ross decided Rachel was in love with their mail carrier and would. not. let. it. go, and they split up again. She went to Paris after all and Monica sat down with her brother and said 'Enough is enough. This doesn't work. Learn how to parent together without all of this 'we were on a break' bullshit and grow up. Also, see a therapist because your paranoia and jealousy are so out of control I'm seriously beginning to worry about you.'

[Seren79]

Currently re-watching all episodes on Netflix and as well as all the points previously raised, there are two Chandler related moments that really grind my gears. Firstly, in the episode with the alternative universe and Chandler’s a freelance writer, he’s made to wear glasses and a backwards baseball cap as if that marks him out as a “creative”. Secondly in TOW The Cooking Class, the fact that Chandler has to be schooled not to make inappropriate jokes during a job interview - and STILL messes it up because he can’t resist turning a normal interview comment into a joke about poo. He’s a grown man! So cringeworthy.

[Kenny the copy guy]

On 2/4/2018 at 11:27 AM, Seren79 said:

in TOW The Cooking Class, the fact that Chandler has to be schooled not to make inappropriate jokes during a job interview -.

The fact that they had Phoebe coaching him has always annoyed me as she had been repeatedly shown to be socially inept, what kind of person would take her advice on this front? Probably those who are prone to make scatological jokes in an interview....

Let's completely forget that by that point Chandler had a more than a decade long successful career in the corporate world and he had probably nailed a few interviews along the way. 

[Bort]

1 hour ago, Kenny the copy guy said:

Let's completely forget that by that point Chandler had a more than a decade long successful career in the corporate world and he had probably nailed a few interviews along the way. 

Well no, Chandler had worked in the same job since he graduated college, so he probably only had that one interview. Since he went in at entry level, the interview was probably not detail-oriented, nor very selective about whether or not he made poo jokes. However, we've seen him in countless meetings, you'd think he'd have learned to master the urge to resist jokes about bodily functions in front of executive bosses.

[Kenny the copy guy]

1 hour ago, kariyaki said:

Well no, Chandler had worked in the same job since he graduated college

Not really the same job, he worked for the same company but was promoted, he started working in a cubicle and ended up in a corner office with a view and a personal assistant, even if he had been promoted internally  he must have been interviewed at some point, of course Doug was his boss for a few years during this period and he seemed like the type of guy not to be put off by poo jokes.

Nothing beats splitting hairs about a side story of an episode of a show that ended fifteen years ago!

Edited February 5, 2018 by Kenny the copy guy

[Bort]

2 minutes ago, Kenny the copy guy said:

Not really the same job, he worked for the same company but was promoted, he started working in a cubicle and ended up in a corner office with a view and a personal assistant, even if he had been promoted internally at some point he must have been interviewed at some point

Chandler was promoted in an episode in season one, he didn't interview for it. They offered him the job, he promptly quit because processing (or trandspondsting or whatever) wasn't the job he really wanted to do but they pursued him so heavily that he gave in and took the job.

[Dandesun]

7 hours ago, Kenny the copy guy said:

The fact that they had Phoebe coaching him has always annoyed me as she had been repeatedly shown to be socially inept, what kind of person would take her advice on this front? Probably those who are prone to make scatological jokes in an interview....

Let's completely forget that by that point Chandler had a more than a decade long successful career in the corporate world and he had probably nailed a few interviews along the way. 

Right. Phoebe... who met her boyfriend's parents and told them about a pimp spitting in her mouth. She's absolutely the person you want giving you pointers on how to behave in a professional, dignified manner.

[mojoween]

I get irrationally irritated when Monica sits up and says “I can’t believe you did that” after they watched the prom video.  Ross wanting to take Rachel to prom should surprise NO ONE.  Her reaction was akin to them finding out that he donated part of his liver to a sick kid.

I often waffle between putting Monica or Phoebe at the bottom of the list of which Friend you like the most.  It really depends on the episode.  Joey is always third up from the bottom, then Rachel, then Ross second and Chandler is at the top.

[chitowngirl]

I am always irritated in the episode where Phoebe is giving Monica a massage after finding out Monica has been getting massages for years with someone else. Monica is laying on the table with her arms tucked under her. You can’t give or receive a massage that way! Your arms have to be down at your sides.

[Kenny the copy guy]

17 hours ago, kariyaki said:

Chandler was promoted in an episode in season one, he didn't interview for it. They offered him the job, he promptly quit because processing (or trandspondsting or whatever) wasn't the job he really wanted to do but they pursued him so heavily that he gave in and took the job.

You're completely right, guess it's time to re-watch the first couple of season's

9 hours ago, mojoween said:

I often waffle between putting Monica or Phoebe at the bottom of the list of which Friend you like the most.  It really depends on the episode.  Joey is always third up from the bottom, then Rachel, then Ross second and Chandler is at the top.

Phoebe would be at the bottom of my list and Chandler and Rachel at the top, I have trouble deciding where to put the other three, it depends a lot on the season and episode.

 

7 hours ago, chitowngirl said:

I am always irritated in the episode where Phoebe is giving Monica a massage after finding out Monica has been getting massages for years with someone else. Monica is laying on the table with her arms tucked under her. You can’t give or receive a massage that way! Your arms have to be down at your sides.

Judging from the sounds she makes one wonders what kind of "massage" she'd been getting

[Seren79]

I was starting to almost like Phoebe in some of the later episodes but I’ve just watched TOW Rachel Goes Back To Work and the secondary plot line where Phoebe works as an extra on Joey’s show made me want to kill her. Especially when she tells Joey that he’s threatened by her “talent”.

[Jax7917]

I get so annoyed by Rachel and Ross's claim over each other even until the very end. I was just watching the episode where Rachel kissed her co-worker Gavin on the balcony, and Ross saw and flipped out. I understand they have a baby together, but they weren't in a relationship or even dating AT ALL. Why would either of them feel like they owe anything to the other one? They dated for less than a year and broke up seven years ago. This show is annoying when it comes to them.

[Kenny the copy guy]

18 hours ago, Jaclyn88 said:

I get so annoyed by Rachel and Ross's claim over each other even until the very end. I was just watching the episode where Rachel kissed her co-worker Gavin on the balcony, and Ross saw and flipped out. I understand they have a baby together, but they weren't in a relationship or even dating AT ALL. Why would either of them feel like they owe anything to the other one? They dated for less than a year and broke up seven years ago. This show is annoying when it comes to them.

And that this jealousy is so inconsistent, neither seem to care about the other going out with Tag, Mona, Joshua, Danny or Charly.

Also I would've liked to see more of Gavin, he was definitely much a better suit for Rachel than Joey was and they wouldn't of had to dumb Rachel down to make it believable, thinking of how they made her chuckle at "homo" makes me cringe.

[Jax7917]

8 minutes ago, Kenny the copy guy said:

And that this jealousy is so inconsistent, neither seem to care about the other going out with Tag, Mona, Joshua, Danny or Charly.

 

Yeah that always annoyed me too. Both R & R had plenty of other relationships throughout the show, but only when it came to a Ross and Rachel forced story line,  then they both were not okay with the other one seeing someone else. I mean this type of thing happens on plenty of other shows too, and I get they have to have the characters date other people, but no show  was as  inconsistent with having feelings/ not having feelings for each other than friends.

Also, wasn't it only a few episodes before this one that Ross said he can't force himself to fall in love with Rachel again?

[chocolatine]

On 1/18/2018 at 4:16 PM, Jaclyn88 said:

Paolo was not cute . Not sure why The show tried to portray him as if he was gods gift 

I didn't interpret it that way at all. He and Rachel had great sexual chemistry and he didn't speak any English, so it was a superficial fling. It was exactly what Rachel needed at that time, after years of lackluster sex with Barry. I would have liked it better if the relationship had fizzled out on its own after a few months, without the show turning Paolo into a sleaze.

Reading through this thread, I see a lot of Phoebe hate. She's certainly had her bad moments, especially in later seasons, but I loved her in the beginning. Some people use humor as a coping mechanism to deal with a traumatic childhood. My late grandfather was like that; he was orphaned in WWII when he was ten years old and had to flee from the Nazis. To hear him talk about it, it was all a big, hilarious adventure (even when he had to help carry dead bodies). The way Phoebe talks about being homeless after her mother's suicide reminds me of my grandfather's war stories.

[Jax7917]

28 minutes ago, chocolatine said:

I didn't interpret it that way at all. He and Rachel had great sexual chemistry and he didn't speak any English, so it was a superficial fling. It was exactly what Rachel needed at that time, after years of lackluster sex with Barry. I would have liked it better if the relationship had fizzled out on its own after a few months, without the show turning Paolo into a sleaze.

Reading through this thread, I see a lot of Phoebe hate. She's certainly had her bad moments, especially in later seasons, but I loved her in the beginning. Some people use humor as a coping mechanism to deal with a traumatic childhood. My late grandfather was like that; he was orphaned in WWII when he was ten years old and had to flee from the Nazis. To hear him talk about it, it was all a big, hilarious adventure (even when he had to help carry dead bodies). The way Phoebe talks about being homeless after her mother's suicide reminds me of my grandfather's war stories.

Phoebe was okay , but personally I just found her character to  try too hard to be funny , whereas with the others , it came naturally ( for the most part ) . They all had good and bad moments but more often than not , I didn't laugh at phoebes lines . 

[Bort]

13 hours ago, chocolatine said:

I didn't interpret it that way at all. He and Rachel had great sexual chemistry and he didn't speak any English, so it was a superficial fling.

Right, but they wrote it so that just about every woman that met Paolo would swoon and need a change of underwear. Nope, not buying it. 

[Kenny the copy guy]

20 hours ago, kariyaki said:

Right, but they wrote it so that just about every woman that met Paolo would swoon and need a change of underwear. Nope, not buying it. 

By being Italian he was automatically supposed to be exotic and glamorous. This is one of those instances in which we are reminded that Friends happened in an alternative universe in which foreigners were a rare thing in NYC during the nineties and Italians settled in Manhattan neither speak or understand a word of English

[Danny Franks]

I figured the audience was always just supposed to sympathise with Ross, so they went with a guy who just didn't live up to the billing Rachel and the other women gave him. But I hated that whole storyline, because of Ross's passive-aggressive attempts to mark Rachel as his territory, and then bitch about Paulo all the time when she wasn't around.

[Bort]

I think Paolo was just a casting fail. I got what they were going for, but the actor being unattractive is where they lost me. They should’ve cast Paolo Seganti in the role. Italian, ‘90s actor (hell, I remember The Nanny casting him in an episode for a similar plot) and ridiculously hot.

[Jax7917]

Paolo was unattractive in friends, but he looks much better now.

 

[slf]

Ross was often just an ass, especially when it came to Rachel. Co-founding the I Hate Rachel Green club because, what, she wasn't interested in him? Spreading a rumor she was intersexed? Him going off on her when he felt she wasn't getting ready quickly enough?

Rachel: Yeahh, but, but those really go better with pants. Maybe I should wear pants?

Ross: Yeah, pants, what, what an idea. Or better yet, um, how 'bout you go without any pants. Look, I don't know what you're trying to do to me, but just get your butt in there and pick out any shoes that fit your feet, okay. No, no I don't care if they match. I don't care if they make your ankles or your knees or your earlobes look fat. Okay.

Rachel: But I...

Ross: No, no, no just do it. Go in there and pick something out so we can go.

Rachel could be really immature but Ross was something else.

[Jax7917]

2 hours ago, slf said:

Ross was often just an ass, especially when it came to Rachel. Co-founding the I Hate Rachel Green club because, what, she wasn't interested in him? Spreading a rumor she was intersexed? Him going off on her when he felt she wasn't getting ready quickly enough?

Rachel: Yeahh, but, but those really go better with pants. Maybe I should wear pants?

Ross: Yeah, pants, what, what an idea. Or better yet, um, how 'bout you go without any pants. Look, I don't know what you're trying to do to me, but just get your butt in there and pick out any shoes that fit your feet, okay. No, no I don't care if they match. I don't care if they make your ankles or your knees or your earlobes look fat. Okay.

Rachel: But I...

Ross: No, no, no just do it. Go in there and pick something out so we can go.

Rachel could be really immature but Ross was something else.

I know I'm in the minority but I was with Ross on the episode when everyone was late .. he kept telling all of them that they were late already and what a big night it was for him . They were all just taking their sweet time and didn't give a shit .. I would have been more pissed than him . 

 

I was just watching the last episode of friends and it's really disturbing that Ross was so upset that rachel was leaving and that he wouldn't see her all the time ... but didn't mention his daughter once . Everything was .. but I loveee rachel and how am I gonna live without her ?? Um Ross , do you even care that your daughter is moving with her and you won't see her grow up ? 

[Danny Franks]

53 minutes ago, Jaclyn88 said:

I was just watching the last episode of friends and it's really disturbing that Ross was so upset that rachel was leaving and that he wouldn't see her all the time ... but didn't mention his daughter once . Everything was .. but I loveee rachel and how am I gonna live without her ?? Um Ross , do you even care that your daughter is moving with her and you won't see her grow up ? 

Well he never gave a crap about Ben, other than the once or twice a season that he was wheeled out to remind us Ross had a son. But in the case of this storyline, it was just so the writers could really hammer viewers over the head with that "lobster" horseshit. 

[Madding crowd]

If that’s the case then Rachel didn’t give a crap about Emma because she was always with Rachel’s mom and Rachel wanted to take her to Paris where she would be with strangers all the time while Rachel worked. In truth, this wasn’t a family drama so the kids weren’t shown much. I saw no indication that Ross didn’t love his children - they were just not the focus of the show.

[Danny Franks]

17 minutes ago, Madding crowd said:

If that’s the case then Rachel didn’t give a crap about Emma because she was always with Rachel’s mom and Rachel wanted to take her to Paris where she would be with strangers all the time while Rachel worked. In truth, this wasn’t a family drama so the kids weren’t shown much. I saw no indication that Ross didn’t love his children - they were just not the focus of the show.

Without having an episode count, I'd be prepared to wager that Emma appeared in as many episodes as Ben, if not more.

How would living in Paris be so much worse for Emma? Rachel doesn't work 24/7, any "strangers" would only be so for a short period of time. The kid was less than two years old, let's not pretend she would have been losing a dearly loved circle of friends.

Edited February 19, 2018 by Danny Franks

[Bort]

2 hours ago, Jaclyn88 said:

I know I'm in the minority but I was with Ross on the episode when everyone was late .. he kept telling all of them that they were late already and what a big night it was for him . They were all just taking their sweet time and didn't give a shit .. I would have been more pissed than him . 

That whole episode was stupid because why were the rest of the Friends going to one of Ross's dumb work functions anyway? He was a paleontologist, not a rock star. That just seemed like one of those "someplace nice" things that Phoebe and Joey (and Monica too, at that time) couldn't really afford.

[OtterMommy]

8 hours ago, Jaclyn88 said:

I know I'm in the minority but I was with Ross on the episode when everyone was late .. he kept telling all of them that they were late already and what a big night it was for him . They were all just taking their sweet time and didn't give a shit .. I would have been more pissed than him . 

I'm with you on this.  I'm one of those painfully punctual people (trust me, my husband and children test this every damn day) and this might be the one time I agreed with Ross.  But...

5 hours ago, kariyaki said:

That whole episode was stupid because why were the rest of the Friends going to one of Ross's dumb work functions anyway? He was a paleontologist, not a rock star. That just seemed like one of those "someplace nice" things that Phoebe and Joey (and Monica too, at that time) couldn't really afford.

 

I also agree with this.  Of course, I'm kind of sick of the "I get some sort of recognition so EVERYONE I KNOW NEEDS TO BE TO THERE SEE IT" thing in TV.   I mean, I get why Rachel, as Ross's SO, would be there.  Hell, if I really tried, I could probably even justify Monica being there.  But I cannot see why his college roommate, his college roommate's roommate, and his sister's former roommate had to be there.

Also...yeah, he's a paleontologist.  Granted, I don't know any paleontologists, but I spent several years working with scientist in academia and, trust me, these "fancy" events were a very rare thing and, even when they were going to a fancy event, the scientists I knew would be a) late and b) wearing mismatched socks.

[Madding crowd]

38 minutes ago, Danny Franks said:

Without having an episode count, I'd be prepared to wager that Emma appeared in as many episodes as Ben, if not more.

How would living in Paris be so much worse for Emma? Rachel doesn't work 24/7, any "strangers" would only be so for a short period of time. The kid was less than two years old, let's not pretend she would have been losing a dearly loved circle of friends.

Yes but Ben appeared in the early seasons when the plots revolved around him and Emma appeared in later seasons when some storylines revolved around her. Actually Ben did appear more than Emma but I responding to the point that Ross didn’t care about Ben because he wasn’t featured in later episodes. 

As far as no difference between caregivers in Paris or NY-I disagree. In NY Emma would have four grandparents, her Aunt Monica and Uncle Chandler and Joey and Phoebe who loved her dearly and her dad. She would also have her new baby cousins. In Paris she would have nannies. 

[Bort]

3 minutes ago, OtterMommy said:

I also agree with this.  Of course, I'm kind of sick of the "I get some sort of recognition so EVERYONE I KNOW NEEDS TO BE THERE SEE IT" thing in TV.   I mean, I get why Rachel, as Ross's SO, would be there.  Hell, if I really tried, I could probably even justify Monica being there.  But I cannot see why his college roommate, his college roommate's roommate, and his sister's former roommate had to be there.

Also...yeah, he's a paleontologist.  Granted, I don't know any paleontologists, but I spent several years working with scientist in academia and, trust me, these "fancy" events were a very rare thing and, even when they were going to a fancy event, the scientists I knew would be a) late and b) wearing mismatched socks.

Exactly. Chandler's special work functions were likely about as exciting as Ross's were and nobody ever went to those except for Monica. As a group, they never went to any of the other Friends' work functions with the exception of Joey's plays and that was more about getting some butts in the seats.

[OtterMommy]

5 minutes ago, Madding crowd said:

Yes but Ben appeared in the early seasons when the plots revolved around him and Emma appeared in later seasons when some storylines revolved around her. Actually Ben did appear more than Emma but I responding to the point that Ross didn’t care about Ben because he wasn’t featured in later episodes. 

As far as no difference between caregivers in Paris or NY-I disagree. In NY Emma would have four grandparents, her Aunt Monica and Uncle Chandler and Joey and Phoebe who loved her dearly and her dad. She would also have her new baby cousins. In Paris she would have nannies. 

I don't know (or care) the number of Ben eps vs. Emma eps, but it does make sense that Emma would be seen more than Ben.  (It also makes sense that Emma would be seen more than she actually was, but I digress).  Ross shared custody of Ben with Susan and Carol and, while I don't think it was ever explicitly stated on the show, Susan and Carol had primary custody.  So, it was reasonable that Ben wasn't seen as much (it wasn't reasonable that he was so much "out of sight, out of mind," though...).  In Emma's case, her parents were Ross and Rachel, there were no other parents to take her off the scene.  Instead, she had the magical TV nanny that makes children disappear.

Oh, and as for caregiver in the US vs Paris...yes, she would have had more in New York, but not Joey as he moved to LA around the time that Ross and Rachel reunited and Chandler and Monica moved to the 'burbs.

3 minutes ago, kariyaki said:

Exactly. Chandler's special work functions were likely about as exciting as Ross's were and nobody ever went to those except for Monica. As a group, they never went to any of the other Friends' work functions with the exception of Joey's plays and that was more about getting some butts in the seats.

And, with Joey, it did make sense that everyone went.  They were plays...of course all his friends would go!

[chitowngirl]

How about the Gellar Parent’s Anniversary party? Why is the world would all 6 Friends be going to that? With a plus 1 for Phoebe?

[Bort]

And Nana's funeral, come to think of it. Joey clearly would've rather spent the day watching football.

[slf]

6 hours ago, Jaclyn88 said:

I know I'm in the minority but I was with Ross on the episode when everyone was late .. he kept telling all of them that they were late already and what a big night it was for him . They were all just taking their sweet time and didn't give a shit .. I would have been more pissed than him . 

I didn't see what the big deal was. A) they're adults with their own lives so naturally they'd have other stuff going on, B) plenty of people, myself included, handle personal/professional things while getting ready in the morning- it's called multi-tasking Ross!, C) apparently, despite Ross obnoxious panicking, they weren't late and there were no consequences, D) being mad that adults aren't devoting every single second to getting dressed and prepared for you work function - which is childish af - doesn't justify the way he spoke to Rachel. She shouldn't have stopped him from drinking the fat.

[WendyCR72]

1 hour ago, kariyaki said:

And Nana's funeral, come to think of it. Joey clearly would've rather spent the day watching football.

This one, I get. Two of the six lost a loved one. The other four were close friends with them and would go if just to offer support.

But, yeah, definitely don't get the party and having all of them there.

[Bort]

1 hour ago, WendyCR72 said:

This one, I get. Two of the six lost a loved one. The other four were close friends with them and would go if just to offer support.

But, yeah, definitely don't get the party and having all of them there.

Eh, if my friend is going to spend the entire service and reception listening to/watching football, he and his support can stay at home. For that matter, none of my friends came to my grandmother's funeral and it didn't even occur to me to want their emotional support.

As for the anniversary party, most of them actually needed to be there. Chandler was Monica's spouse. Rachel was gestating Emma at the time, plus the parents had been telling the rest of the family they got married, so they may have asked Ross to bring her. It's really just Phoebe, Joey and Phoebe's date (?) who were the anomalies. 

[WendyCR72]

3 minutes ago, kariyaki said:

Eh, if my friend is going to spend the entire service and reception listening to/watching football, he and his support can stay at home.

True. But then the dead woman's own son-in-law (Jack Geller) was involved with the football game, so good taste was apparently not a prerequisite for this funeral. Add in Ross falling into a grave and zonked out on painkillers and all decorum goes straight to hell, anyway.

[Maharincess]

8 hours ago, chitowngirl said:

How about the Gellar Parent’s Anniversary party? Why is the world would all 6 Friends be going to that? With a plus 1 for Phoebe?

I actually understand this. I'm very close to my kids' close friends.  My daughter's best friend lived with us from the time she was 15 until she went to college.  The kids and their friends always hung out at our house and they all called me mom, they still do even though I don't see them as often now.  If I was to have a big party like a milestone anniversary of something similar, I would invite them all. They all came to the funeral when my mom died too even though they didn't know her and only a few had met her. They came to support our family. 

My son is 32 and one of the people I'm closest to in the world is the first girlfriend he ever had when he was 15, the broke up after 3 years and she and I never stopped speaking. I adore her.  Thankfully, his current girlfriend has no problem with our relationship. I know people think it is weird but she and her boyfriend are invited to all of our functions. 

Edited February 20, 2018 by Maharincess

[mojoween]

I know it was to have Rachel fall briefly in love with whoever that doctor was, but Rachel saying “I thought you might like some ice chips” to Carol was not very in character.  I actually have no idea why Rachel, Joey, Phoebe or Chandler even stayed all night at the hospital for Ben’s birth. 

Them all being there for Phoebe, I get.  But then no one was there for Monica and Chandler?  Phoebe had to tell Ross his sister’s baby mama was going into labor?

[WendyCR72]

2 minutes ago, mojoween said:

I know it was to have Rachel fall briefly in love with whoever that doctor was, but Rachel saying “I thought you might like some ice chips” to Carol was not very in character.  I actually have no idea why Rachel, Joey, Phoebe or Chandler even stayed all night at the hospital for Ben’s birth. 

Them all being there for Phoebe, I get.  But then no one was there for Monica and Chandler?  Phoebe had to tell Ross his sister’s baby mama was going into labor?

Well, Chandler knew both Ross and Carol, I believe, as Chandler was Ross' friend and college roommate. Monica is the baby's aunt as well as the sister of the baby's father. So those two, I understand. But Rachel, Joey, and Phoebe? Yeah, I don't know why they stuck around.

[Crs97]

I decided that Erica didn’t want everyone at the hospital during a difficult time for her, and Monica and Chandler were following her wishes.  Otherwise it doesn’t make sense that no one showed for them.

[Jax7917]

40 minutes ago, Crs97 said:

I decided that Erica didn’t want everyone at the hospital during a difficult time for her, and Monica and Chandler were following her wishes.  Otherwise it doesn’t make sense that no one showed for them.

I decided rachel is a terrible friend . I feel like in every important time in Monica's life , rachel stole her thunder . When she got engaged , rachel made the day about her and having sex with Ross again... when she got married , rachel had to take a pregnancy test AT the wedding ( oddly it was by Monica's request , but still ) .. and then when Monica and chandler had the baby , rachel announces she was moving to Paris .They brought the babies home from the hospital , and Ross and Rachel just have to declare their love for each other that minute ... I honestly think rachel was the reason Monica wanted to move lol