On Friends, every main character had a love interest apart from their primary one whom we could see that particular character settling down with. Chandler had Janice, Phoebe had David; and along the same lines, Ross had Emily. Their marriage was cut short due to Ross’s big mistake of saying Rachel’s name at the altar, but the two had a definite connection before this irreparable damage happened.
If we put some points aside, we can come up with valid reasons why Emily wasn’t wrong for Ross. On the other hand, there’s no denying Rachel really was the one for him. For this reason, here are five reasons why either woman was best for Ross.
Emily: He Opened Himself Up For Love Again Because Of Her
After the incident with the long letter led to Ross and Rachel breaking up again, Ross went through a phase where he tried to move on with other women but was unable to. He admitted to Rachel later that he still wasn’t “in that place” until he met Emily.
It was after this that he found it in him to feel happy again, and more importantly, attempt to be in love once more. Had he not met Emily, then Ross might have pined over his former relationship with Rachel for years. For this reason, we have to hand it to Emily’s influence over him.
Rachel: He Would Always Go Extra Lengths For Her
Ross was shown to be rather cheap on occasion and would also prioritize his career over other things, usually without realizing it. With Rachel, though, he would go the extra mile just to see her happy, making him selfless in this regard.
The many instances include almost drinking fat to apologize to her for taking time choosing her outfits, dressing up to take her to the prom and not holding it against her when she went with Chip, forgoing an important interview to take care of her, and trying relentlessly to get Rachel her job back at Ralph Lauren.
Emily: Their Romantic Moments Were Perfect
Ross had many romantic times with Rachel, but most happened off-screen, with a lot of hijinks involving them being the scenes we saw on the show. On the other hand, we witnessed a lot of beautiful moments with Emily and Ross that just can’t be written off.
They had a lovely first date where they had an adventure in Vermont, admitted their love to one another across continents, got happily engaged despite Ross using an earring to make the proposal, and arranged their wedding at the venue Emily always wanted to get married at. Had Ross not messed up the name, this would’ve been a perfect love story.
Rachel: All The Friends Love Her
Since the characters on the show saw their friends as closer than their families, it goes without saying that any one of them needed to have a spouse whom the group loved. With Emily, there was never such a connection as none of the friends had a friendship with her.
Of course, Rachel was one of the friends in question here so it goes without saying that everyone loved her. However, it doesn’t end there as the group also loved seeing Ross and Rachel as a couple and were always in favor of them staying together.
Emily: She Was Willing To Move Her Life For Him
The biggest reason why Rachel and Ross broke up was because Ross felt he was being treated secondary to her career; In Emily’s case, not only was this not an issue, she was ready to leave her home for him.
The problem with her job never became a hurdle once Ross proposed, and they were able to easily come up with a future for themselves. Again, had Ross not said the wrong name, then there wouldn’t have been any resentments from either of them where the matter of career was concerned. That was something that always came up between Ross and Rachel.
Rachel: She Overlooked Their "Break"
Sure, the two took to trading insults and holding the other in contempt for a while, but Rachel was also willing to be civil with Ross despite him having basically cheated on her. In the end, she was able to overlook the matter of the “break” entirely for them to remain happily together.
Emily became extremely vicious after the whole name controversy, to the point where she couldn’t have any trust with Ross’ faithfulness even though he had never made any romantic move toward Rachel. Clearly, overlooking Ross’ faults was vital to either relationship lasting, and it was Rachel who managed to be the bigger person.
Emily: She Quelled Ross's Jealousy Issues
The second major factor in Ross’s break-up with Rachel had to do with his insane jealousy of Mark. Sitcom couples in other shows also break-up for weird reasons, and Ross’s insecurity was right up there in ridiculousness.
However, he was able to get over this during his relationship with Emily, as his fears of losing her to Susan firstly turned out to be false. Emily also had a hand in Ross losing his jealous tendencies further when she chose him over the guy called Colin she’d earlier been involved with. This kind of development in character was instrumental in shaping Ross for the future.
Rachel: She's His Best Friend
Emily and Ross had always been lovers, and had parted as ex-lovers. They weren’t seen being friendly with one another, with their relationship being purely romantic. The great thing with Rachel was that Ross also had a friend where she was involved.
In fact, their dynamic became even better after they’d broken up as Ross and Rachel became firmer friends as the series progressed. By the time they got back together, there was nothing standing in their way since their friendship became their number one priority and was unbreakable.
Emily: She Was Willing To Give Him Another Chance
Even though Emily did become crazy after Ross embarrassed her at their wedding, she didn’t give up on them right away. While Rachel broke up with Ross instantly after he’d wronged her, Emily still chose to get married and then began speaking to him again.
They were then on their way to potentially live a married life once Ross had fulfilled Emily’s conditions; while that was very spiteful of her to make him jump through hoops, she did give him a chance. Maybe if Ross hadn’t admitted Rachel was around during their final phone call then Emily could’ve come to New York and they might have managed to become a real married couple.
Rachel: She's His "Lobster"
It’s the old romantic in us talking here, but this is a legitimate point simply because Friends was centered around the relationship between Rachel and Ross, and it worked like a charm. In-universe, it was fate that brought them together each time they were apart.
Ross had to be dumped by his wife, get embarrassed repeatedly, wait about a decade before he had Rachel’s love; she too met with certain heartbreak, had unrequited feelings for him, and took the long road before being with him. They could never be apart without needing each other, and Phoebe’s assertion of them being “lobsters” was 100% the truth.