Just about everyone has seen "Friends" nowadays, and while it isn't my favorite show, I still really enjoyed the series. However, when thinking about the show a couple days ago, I realized that a lot of the things that make Ross and Rachel "cute" actually makes them toxic, and I figured I'd write about it.
1. They're each other's lobster.
The entire idea of having a lobster seems a bit wrong to me. Of course, there will be someone that you marry if you get married. And yes, the idea is to stay with them for your entire life. But I feel like people get very caught up in the idea of finding "the one," when in reality, just about anyone on the face of the planet could be "the one." By emphasizing the whole lobster thing, the show projects the idea that there is only one person for you and that if you lose that person, then you will be alone forever, which just isn't true.
2. "We were on a break!"
While I believe that Ross was not in the wrong, this whole issue lasted way longer in the show than it should have. Ross was truly sorry about what he had done, and he genuinely apologized to Rachel, yet she continued to hold it over Ross's head throughout the course of the entire show.
3. Instead of sorting out their problems, they went behind each other's backs.
Ross and Rachel were both very jealous, and this caused a major lack of trust in their relationship. But whenever they were arguing about something, instead of confronting the issue head-on, they went behind each other's backs, suddenly becoming very passive-aggressive. This is the whole issue that caused the "we were on a break" debate.
4. They got drunk and got married.
Obviously, this episode is a pretty pivotal part of the entire show, but the whole premise of the episode just isn't that great, and this isn't the only time in the show that Ross and Rachel get drunk and do something stupid (see: Emma). They obviously do not have enough control over their lives to make decisions like adults.
5. They didn't give each other closure.
Ross and Rachel never got any real closure, causing their on-again, off-again relationship and ultimately causing Rachel to get pregnant with Emma. If they had had a discussion about their relationship and allowed themselves to get closure and healing, then everything would have been okay, and they might have had the chance to have a real relationship.
6. Ross could never man up and tell Rachel how he felt.
From the very beginning of their relationship, Ross never actually told Rachel how he felt. Rachel always found out about Ross's feelings from someone or something else. Their relationship started for the first time after Rachel found out that Ross was going to take her to prom the night she got ditched. It was only then that she realized what his true feelings for her were.
7. They never had a chance to just be friends.
I am a strong believer in the whole "friends first" thing. From the very first episode of "Friends," Ross had a huge crush on Rachel. This caused them to not be able to be "just friends." Ross was always trying to figure out a way to ask Rachel out.
