Rachel Green was an iconic character back in the 90s, and some will argue that she still is to this day. From 'The Rachel' haircut to how her character developed throughout the course of the show, there's a lot to be said for just how much progress as a character she made from Season 1 all the way through to Season 10.
Alas, as is the case with every main Friends character, we've got a few questions that we'd quite like answering. So today, we're going to run through some of the lingering queries we have for the charcter that put Jennifer Aniston on the map.
Returning Gifts
Exchanging gifts for things that are perceived to be more valuable, in the eyes of the person who is doing it, probably isn’t considered to be a bad thing – but when that ‘more valuable’ item is store credit, some of the value is undoubtedly lost.
From an outsider’s point of view, Rachel just comes across as being quite shallow in this moment. Her wider character appeal goes far beyond that, but at various points during the show’s run, it seems like pretty much everyone gets annoyed with her in this department.
Giving Up On Joey
Rachel pursued Joey without really going too far both when he was single and then again when he was with Charlie. Eventually, they end up together, but the relationship only actually lasts for a few episodes – and they pretty much give up after only having one official date.
You’d think that Rachel would’ve kept going with it for a little while longer, and fans of the show seemed to feel the same way. After all, she kept trying and pushing through with Ross after an awkward start to their relationship.
Failed London Trip
The rollercoaster ride that is the back and forth relationship between Ross and Rachel really does need to be examined for future generations in order to understand how not to behave in a relationship. While it makes all the sense in the world for Rachel to still be in love with Ross, the fact that she flies halfway around the world to try and ruin his wedding in London just feels wrong.
Thankfully, she goes back on the whole thing and doesn’t go ahead with the ‘sabotage’.
Social Smoking
When Rachel lands a great new job in a great new position, the overriding emotion between both the cast and fans alike is relief that she’s finally been able to climb further up the ladder in her field.
However, in order to try and fit in with one of her colleagues as well as her boss, she decides to try and take up the habit of social smoking. We can all tell it isn’t going to end well, and so can she, considering she’s going completely against the beliefs instilled in her by her father. Although, face to face, she doesn’t really handle him very well.
Pushover To Her Dad
Even in the latter stages of the show’s run, Rachel never has the guts to stand up to her father in a face to face setting. She always attempts to put the blame on someone else, run away or deal with her problems over the phone.
This is despite the fact she is an incredibly successful woman with a great life in the big city. Her dad is the one form of kryptonite she just cannot seem to beat, and it plays true to the stereotype that many girls do, in fact, have daddy issues.
Not Seeing The Signs With Gunther
When Rachel discovers that Gunther is in love with her in the final episode of the show, it seemingly comes as a bit of a shock to her. That’s despite the fact he was willing to do just about anything to please her, dropping every single hint imaginable that he found her incredibly attractive.
We understand wanting to keep the joke running for as long as possible, but it didn’t exactly paint Rachel out to be the picture of intelligence. Then again, maybe that was the point of the whole thing.
Reunion With Barry
Rachel leaves Barry for a pretty valid reason: she just isn’t in love with him anymore. So then, when they meet up again once the first season is in full swing, why does she end up sleeping with him?
Making a mistake is one thing, but it felt like this took her character in the complete wrong direction. In the end, it may not have mattered in the grand scheme of things, but Barry was the sort of character that nobody really enjoyed having around. It was, at best, just needless.
Hiring Tag
As opposed to hiring a qualified, experienced assistant in order to help her out in a new role, Rachel decides to hire Tag – a young, attractive guy who doesn’t really have the same kind of abilities as Hilda, aka the experienced option.
The two go on to have a cute relationship with one another for a while, but at the end of the day, this is an incredibly unprofessional move from Miss Green. She’s well aware of the risks involved in hiring Tag, and yet, she just can’t quite seem to help herself.
What Happened With Paris?
In the final episode of the show, Rachel gets off the plane and walks away from a potential new life in Paris, France in favor of being with Ross. It’s one of the best moments of the finale and of Season 10 as a whole, but we can’t help wondering what actually happened with the Paris job.
We’d like to think she was able to come to some kind of arrangement about working remotely as opposed to being forced to head back over there or perhaps that she and Ross followed in the footsteps of Chandler and Monica by moving to the suburbs.
Not Seeing The Signs With Ross
Throughout the entire first season, it seems painfully obvious to everyone that Ross Geller is in love with Rachel Green and that he has been ever since he first saw her come back into his life. Yet, it takes a fumble from Chandler for her to finally open her eyes and realize what’s been in front of her all along. Ross even asks her out in the very first episode, “grabbing a spoon” in the process.
It all turned out okay, but just imagine of Chandler hadn’t made that one comment.