The main characters in were so close that they inevitably got involved in each other’s personal lives at some point, and in Phoebe’s case, she was key in making Ross and Rachel’s romance happen. Over the course of 10 seasons, the audience saw the main group in go through many ups and downs in all areas of their lives, mostly in their love lives. Each character dated a variety of people before settling down with their respective “lobsters” (except for Joey, who got his happy ending in his spinoff series), but paid special attention to the roller-coaster romance between Ross and Rachel.
was established in the pilot episode of , as it was quickly revealed that Ross had been crushing on her since high school. After many obstacles and dating other people, Ross and Rachel finally started dating, but that was only the beginning of a tumultuous relationship that got a definitive conclusion in the series’ final episode. Ross and Rachel counted on their friends’ support from beginning to end, but Phoebe ended up having a bigger and more important role in her friends’ relationship, as thanks to her, their romance was possible and kept afloat during some of its most challenging times.
As eccentric and carefree as she was, Phoebe was also very caring and never hesitated in giving her friends the push they needed, whether it was at work or with their sentimental partners. Phoebe was key in as she assured Ross in season 2’s “The One With The Prom Video” that he and Rachel are meant to be as they are “lobsters”, which Ross later tells Rachel about. At the end of the episode, after watching their old prom video, Rachel kissed Ross and they started a relationship.
However, after an argument due to Ross’ jealousy, they went on an infamous “break” and finally broke up, and in season 3’s episode “The One Without The Ski Trip”, Phoebe told Ross and Rachel that they needed to find a way to be together without arguing or they would ruin the groups’ dynamic, with Ross and Rachel promising to leave them out of their drama.
Years later, in season 8, Ross was very conflicted after Emma’s birth because he didn’t want to get back with Rachel because if it didn’t work out again, the baby would pay the consequences, but Phoebe stepped up once again and convinced him that it could work out – unfortunately, there was a bad timing situation with Ross,
. After these failures, Phoebe was key in making their final attempt at being together a success, as she drove Ross to the airport(s) so he could tell Rachel how he really felt in the two-part series finale. Phoebe’s first and last encouragements to make Ross and Rachel get together were successful, and ultimately, she was right when she called them “lobsters”.
As mentioned above, by the end of , everyone except Joey had found their right partners and were starting their own families, with Phoebe happily married to Mike, Chandler and Monica becoming parents to twins, and Ross and Rachel getting back together.
Although hasn’t been revealed, the spinoff TV series dropped a clue. In the pilot episode, Joey mentioned that all of his friends were already married and having children, but as he didn’t give any names, it’s understood that Ross and Rachel might have remarried and probably had another kid together. Ross and Rachel have a lot to thank Phoebe for, and in the end, she was always right about them.
