Ross and Rachel's relationship managed to be one of the biggest takeaways of Will-the-won't-they couples aren't hard to find on TV today, but Ross and Rachel remain iconic due to their fresh story at the time.
The excitement of the unknown kept viewers on the edge of their seats, and it managed to shift focus away from the problematic aspects of the romance. It's easy to get caught up in rooting for their love story, but . They couldn't stand to be around each other for a large portion of the series, and there are multiple quotes that prove the couple never actually wanted to be together.
Rachel and Ross's breakup was one of the most emotional episodes of the series. What Ross did was unforgivable in Rachel's eyes and proved that he wasn't the person she thought he was. Rachel had fallen in love with a man who she thought would never hurt her, but this wasn't who Ross turned out to be.
He betrayed her trust and even attempted to use a technicality to justify it. Rachel said herself that she would never be able to look at Ross the same way again, so it's puzzling how they were able to disregard an incident that permanently changed Rachel's perception of him.
Exes relapse all the time, so Ross and Rachel falling back into bed together didn't come as a shock. Despite their hookup, neither of them wanted to date again and Ross preferred they remain friends.
Ross and Rachel had plenty of opportunities to get back together over the course of the series, but they only seemed to be interested in one another when they were seeing someone else. There was more possessiveness between them than there was love.
Rachel gave Ross the chance to apologize and own up to the part he played in their breakup. Most people in Rachel's situation wouldn't have given Ross a second chance, but she wanted to make their relationship work. Ross lied to Rachel about reading her letter and unknowingly accepted all the blame.
After they slept together, Ross's ego got the better of him and he took back his apology because "they were on a break." Ross didn't cheat in the technical sense of the word, but it still didn't excuse what he did as far as Rachel was concerned. His refusal to take accountability for his actions made Rachel realize she never should've considered getting back together with him.
The sarcastic tone in which Ross makes this statement doesn't leave much room for argument. This is one of several in , as Ross is using Rachel's mood swings during her pregnancy to justify not wanting to be with her.
Rachel was far past her due date and getting increasingly uncomfortable by the day. Rather than show her sympathy and recognize that she's carrying his child, he insults Rachel while simultaneously expressing his disinterest in her.
"... Now just tell Emily that I love Her and I can't imagine spending my life with anyone else."
It can easily be argued that in . Their relationship was a bit unconventional due to how quickly it moved, but they knew early on that they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. While he was with Emily, Ross appeared to be completely over Rachel. He didn't have any second thoughts, and this quote exemplifies how sure he was of his feelings.
Ross did say Rachel's name at his wedding, which, while looked bad, wasn't a reflection of Ross's feelings. He had been disappointed that Rachel wasn't coming to the ceremony, and was bombarded by her right before walking down the aisle. It's a horrible slip-up, but it likely had to do with Ross's shock at seeing Rachel in London and was unrelated to which woman he loved.
This line was put in for laughs, but it doesn't change the fact that Rachel was completely serious when she said it. Ross isn't the best musician, and listening to him play his "wordless sound poems" on the keyboard had most of his friends cringing.
Rachel's comment implies that she's longer attracted to Ross, and at least at the moment, she found the idea of them being together deplorable. This is only one of several quips Rachel makes about regretting her decision to date him.
If there was truly a part of Rachel that wanted to get back with Ross, it's likely that this situation would have been handled differently. Since a ceremony in Las Vegas likely isn't what Rachel envisioned her wedding to be, it's safe to say the annulment was always going to happen.
However, given their history, if any kind of romantic feelings remained, it would've made sense to examine why they made the drunken decision. Instead, they end up fighting over Ross not wanting to look bad by having a third failed marriage and Rachel wanting nothing to do with him.
In context, the single word almost changed everything. This situation could have only happened in due to how ridiculous it was, but it did make for one of the funniest episodes of the series. After giving birth to her and Ross's baby, Rachel mistakingly thought that Joey was proposing to her.
The fact that Rachel agreed, even if she didn't have romantic feelings for Joey, was further proof that she didn't see a future with Ross. Given the events leading up to her labor, it could be argued that Rachel was still in love with him. However, by agreeing to marry Joey, she clearly didn't believe she and Ross would work out long-term.
