Did This Rachel Scene On Friends Go Too Far?
Rachel Green was first introduced to "Friends" fans as a spoiled little rich girl who'd just fled her wedding and was abruptly cut off by her unimpressed parents as a result, leading Rachel to get her first ever job, in Central Perk (where she frequently got everybody's orders wrong). Over the course of the beloved sitcom's successful ten-year run, Rachel morphed into a fan favorite whom everybody could easily relate to and root for. Series co-creator Marta Kauffman told Vanity Fair the part was originally offered to Courteney Cox, who opted for Monica instead, which was lucky considering how intrinsic their friendship was to the overarching story.
Monica and Rachel had been friends since they were kids, but fell out of touch as both went their own ways. It's Monica who takes Rachel in, and their onscreen relationship bled into real life too. However, like most friendships, Monica and Rachel's is plagued with disagreements. In fact, during Season 6 episode "The One on the Last Night," both ladies detail everything they've done to annoy each other over the years (via IMDb). Although most of this fighting is in good fun, there's one particular moment where "Friends" fans believe Rachel may have actually gone a bit too far.
Was Rachel a bad Friend?
"Friends" establishes early on that Monica and Rachel are competitive since, in high school, Rachel was popular while Monica was an overweight nerd. In Season 2's "The One After the Superbowl: Part 2" they memorably fight for the affections of Jean Claude Van Damme, culminating in an epic battle involving spot-on mimicry and marinara sauce (via IMDb). However, it's during Season 7 opener, "The One with Monica's Thunder," where fans believe Rachel showed her true colors (per IMDb). After Monica and Chandler announce their engagement, Rachel seduces Ross in an effort to make herself feel less left out. Monica calls her on it, suggesting her high school pal is jealous. They eventually make up, of course, and thankfully without anyone having to sleep with Ross, but for fans of the show, the damage was done.
One commenter pointed out on Twitter how Rachel "made Monica's engagement party all about her by kissing Ross in the hallway where anyone could walk in," describing her as the "WORST friend," while another noted on Twitter that, on top of this, Rachel announces her pregnancy at the actual wedding, thereby stealing Monica's thunder yet again (for some reason, this doesn't bother the blushing bride as much, as one Twitter user noted). There are several Reddit threads dedicated to dissecting Rachel's character, or lack thereof, but as one commenter argued, we've all been Rachel. The main point is she manages to evolve as a person and ends the show in an entirely different place to where she began.