So, when I first started watching "Friends", I kept thinking, “I really want a friend group like this one day,” but now, I can’t really decide whether or not I would want a friend like Ross in that friend group. I’m only about halfway through the series, so my opinion of him could change. I want to like Ross, but right now, I am NOT his biggest fan.
For the first couple of seasons, I felt sorry for Ross because of his divorce, and I really thought he was a nice guy. I rooted for him and Rachel to become a couple, and then they did….
At first, I was excited for them to be together, awkward moments and all (Example: the nights Richard and Ross both slept over at Monica and Rachel’s apartment.) Then their relationship started getting really rocky until Rachel suggested they take a break. I think that’s the night that Ross really started showing his true colors. Now I’m not saying that Rachel is completely innocent in everything, but I was really disappointed in Ross. I still am.
The day I watched those episodes is the day that I realized that Ross is similar to those self-proclaimed “nice guys” who complain that they’re in the supposed “friend zone” because girls like only jerks even though they’ll call girls every awful name in the book when they get rejected. I know several Rosses in real life.
Obviously, Ross’s story isn’t exactly like the nice guy story I just described, but it’s close enough. When Ross and Rachel took a break, I understood to a certain extent the way Ross felt that led him to sleep with another woman, but how dare he get angry at Rachel for Mark being at her apartment!
First of all, he didn’t trust Rachel even though she hasn’t really given him a reason not to trust her. Second of all, he was upset with Rachel for something she didn’t even do, but for some reason he can’t really understand why she’s angry and upset that he slept with someone else. Typical. Why are so many guys willing to do something to a girl knowing extremely well that they would be angry if a girl did the same thing to them? So, whatever, Ross. “We were on a break!” isn’t going to get you anywhere with me.
On the plus side, I really enjoy how dynamic the characters on Friends are, including Ross. Some episodes I really like a character, and other episodes, I get a little angry at them. So Phoebe, Monica, Rachel, Chandler, Joey, and Ross seem like real people. That’s really cool. It makes the show interesting, so I’ll deal with thinking Ross is a huge jerk half the time. (But seriously, why do so many guys act the way Ross did?)
