Rachel Green
From Friends Central
| CHARACTER | ||||
| Rachel Green | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| First appearance | The Pilot | |||
| Last appearance | The Last One, Part 2 | |||
| Number of episodes | 236 | |||
| Portrayed by | Jennifer Aniston | |||
| | ||||
| Name | Rachel Karen Green | |||
| Nickname(s) | Rach, Green, Ray-Ray, Pumpkin | |||
| Gender | Female | |||
| Date of birth | May 5, 1970 | |||
| Occupation | Waitress at Central Perk (S1–3) Assistant at Fortunata Fashions (S3) Buyer and Personal Shopper at Bloomingdale's (S3–5) Executive at Ralph Lauren (S5–10) | |||
| Relatives | Leonard Green (father) Sandra Green (mother) Ida Green (paternal grandmother) Jill Green (sister) Amy Green (sister) Emma Geller-Green (daughter) Ross Geller (husband) Ben Geller (step son) | |||
Rachel "Rach" Karen Green (or sometimes Greene) (born May 5, 1970) is a fictional character on the popular U.S. television sitcom Friends (1994–2004), played by Jennifer Aniston, who received Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe for her performance.
Contents |
[edit] Background
[edit] Prior the series
Rachel is the daughter of Dr. Leonard Green, a stern an intimidating surgeon and Sandra Green who was comically snobbish and lacked hands-on mothering skills. She has two sisters. Her older sister Amy (played by Christina Applegate), is rude and shockingly tactless, while her younger sister Jill (played by Reese Witherspoon), is spoiled and vain. Rachel grew up spoiled much like her sisters, and didn't become more grounded until her early adult life. Like Ross and Monica, Rachel is believed to be Jewish. It is also revealed throughout the show that Rachel had a cat, a dog, a pony, a turtle and a tarantula while she was growing up. Rachel grew up in a very wealthy family and even received her own boat when her pony was sick.
In high school, Rachel was extremely popular. She was homecoming queen, prom queen, and class president. ("The One Where The Monkey Gets Away") Her best friend was Monica Geller. While they ran in different circles, Monica not being popular at all, they remained close. Monica's brother, Ross, who was a year older than her, developed a crush on her that would last for the rest of the series. Rachel was aware of the crush, but never said anything.
Later in high school, a student Rachel was particularly mean to, Will Colbert started an "I Hate Rachel" club with Ross and a foreign exchange student and spread the rumor that Rachel was born a hermaphrodite. While this created an unwanted reputation for Rachel, she was still so popular that other girls still tried to emulate her. One even went to the extent of stuffing a Tootsie Roll down her pants. However, Rachel, somehow, managed to stay oblivious about everyone in her school (and even Chandler's school) knowing about it.(The One With The Rumor)
For her Senior prom, Rachel's date was Chip Matthews, the popular boy in school. When he almost didn't show up, Ross put on a tuxedo in an attempt to take her, himself. At the last minute Chip did show up, however, crushing Ross. (The One With The Prom Video) At the prom, Chip ditched Rachel to have sex with a girl named Amy Welsch.
Rachel spent Thanksgiving with the Gellers two years in a row: 1987 and 1988. In '87, she first met Chandler Bing, a college friend of Ross'. She and Monica attended a party at their college around Christmas of that year. At that party, Chandler kissed a very drunk Rachel as revenge for Ross kissing a girl Chandler liked. However, Rachel passed out seconds into the kiss and woke up without the memory of it.
Sometime between then and Thanksgiving 1988, image-conscious Rachel had had a nose job, due she claimed, to a deviated septum. A teenage Rachel had a large nose and the intimation is that the operation was for image rather than necessity, a fact seemingly confirmed by a flippant comment from her sister Amy regarding Emma - "Aren't you worried that she's going to inherit your real nose?" (in which she does worry).
Sometime during her early years of college, Rachel lost contact with Monica. She met a man named Barry Farber and became engaged to him around 1993.
[edit] First Season
In 1994, on the day of her wedding, Rachel runs into Central Perk in a rain-soaked wedding dress, having just fled her wedding to Barry Farber (or Barry Finkle, as he was initially known) because she discovered she was more turned on by a gravy boat she had received as a wedding present than by Barry. Rachel is in search of Monica, who she hadn't spoken to in some time and who wasn't invited to the wedding, because she was the only person she knew in the city. (The Pilot)
She decides to move in with Monica, but learns that she is stuck in a state of arrested development, an adult woman who emotionally had not outgrown adolescence. Soon she gets a job as a waitress at Central Perk. She then has to return Barry's ring and finds out that Barry is dating her now ex-best friend Mindy who had been Rachel's maid of honor (The One With The Sonogram At The End)
She then falls for the new italian Paolo without realizing that Ross is in love with her (The One with the Blackout) but their relationship ends when Paolo makes a move on Pheobe (The One With The Dozen Lasagnas)
She then is assigned to watch over Marcel, but she looses him, but then she blackmails a former classmate that trapped Marcel so she would give in Marcel, thus bringing him back. Ross then makes a move for her but Barry interrumpts claiming his love for her. She then has an affair with him but eventually confesses to Mindy, but the latter forgives Barry, much to Rachel's dissapointment. (The One With The Evil Orthodontist)
At Ben's birth she tries to seduce the doctor revealing her obsession with doctors (The One With The Birth). At her birthday party she recieves a wonderful gift from Ross, then Chandler lets slip the whole truth, "Remember back in college when Ross was in love with Carol and he bought her that ridiculously expensive crystal duck?" Asonished, Rachel cannot believe it and goes to the airport but fails to catch Ross who was going to China. A week passes and she tries to forget the whole thing, but her date with Carl gets interrumpted when Ross "appears" to her and tell her to give it a shot, then after a "kiss" she storms off to the airport. But she didn't know that Ross was getting off the plane with another woman... (The One Where Rachel Finds Out)
[edit] Second Season
Rachel realizes that Ross was getting off the plane with Julie, his new girlfriend, she tries to leave but she falls over and is seen by Ross (The One With Ross's New Girlfriend). She then becomes trapped in a love triangle when Ross finds out and kisses her, Ross breaks up with Julie but she blows him off when she realized that Ross made a pros and cons list (The One With The List).
She then gets back at Ross, but she later changes her mind after watching the prom video. After that they make out but she can't stop laughing, at a second attempt they have a wonderful date at the museum and have sex in the planearium (The One Where Ross And Rachel...You Know).
She is asked by Mindy to be her maid of honor and has to wear in a horrible pink dress which she decribes as "something you drink when you get nausea", but her dress was showing all her butt, then she decides she cannot stand it and tries to leave as Barry makes fun of her, but instead she stays and sings Copacabana.
[edit] Third Season
Rachel convinces Ross to tell him about a fantasy in order to full fill it, he tells her about the princess Leia fantasy. She tells Phoebe about it, Phoebe makes fun of this infront of Ross(she didn`t know it was him). Ross and Rachel argue about sharing stuff with other Friends, Ross remarks about the night of ten times. She eventually does the fantasy stuff but Ross is not turned on due to the fact that he kept watching his mother instead of Rachel, due to a conversation he and Chandler had earlier (The One With The Princess Leia Fantasy)
She helps Chandler, along with Ross with some of his relationship problems, but when Chandler asks about how not sleeping hugged she says she can`t help, Ross on the other hand explains him about the "Hug and roll" tactic. After Chandler uses it he ends up hurting Janice, after Rachel asks what happened to her she tells her about the "Hug and roll" (The One With The Metaphorical Tunnel).
She is annoyed by the fact that her friends consider her useless in football, she is eventually traded from Ross's team to Monica's, making it boys vs girls, the girls eventually win because of her (The One With The Football) She is then convinced by Chandler and Joey to quit, she is glad that she won't make another cup of cofee anymore, or so she believes she ends up being a mere assistant that makes coffee (The One Where Rachel Quits).
When she tells this to Monica at Moondance she meets Mark, a guy who works at Bloomindale's, he helps her out to get a job, thus making Ross jealous (The One Where Chandler Can't Remember Which Sister) So Ross makes all humanly possible so Mark can tell that Rachel is dating, this brings a lot of trouble to their relationship (The One With All The Jealousy).
When Rachel has to work on their anniversary, Ross brings a picnic to her work a picnic which causes havoc, thus prompts a fight, both argue and Rachel decides to take a break Ross leaves, she spends an awful evening, Mark calls and hears her distraught so he comes over, Ross goes to a party where he calls Rachel, when he hears Mark voice he freaks out believing the worse, prompting him to have sex with Chloe, the copygirl (The One Where Ross And Rachel Take A Break).
Next morning she goes to Ross's place to make up, everything's ok 'til Gunther (who has an enormous crush on Rachel) "accidentally" told her about Ross's infidelity. She ends up locked in Monica's apartment havin a huge fight with Ross (this was so emotive that both David and Jen actually cried after it was filmed) and then eventually break up (The One With The Morning After).
The next days she and Ross begin fighting about "We were on a break!" but eventually wettle down when Ross give Rachel her t-shirt back. The two become friends again (The One With The Tiny T-Shirt).
Then Rachel begins to date Mark, making Ross extremely jealous, but eventually ditches Mark because she is still not over Ross. Then she dates this screamer guy but blows him off when she discovers yelling at the duck (The One With The Screamer).
She then tells Phoebe it's ok to set up Ross with Bonnie, the bald girl, but trouble comes over when she realises that Bonnie is not bald anymore, therefore when they go to the beach she convinces Bonnie to shave her head. Ross goes to see what was Rachel's problem and Rachel abruptily reveals that she is still in love with him, they kiss but they're interrumpted by Joey and Chandler. Rachel goes to her room. Joey and Chandler tell Ross that he can go back with Bonnie or that he could go with Rachel and make things up. Ross goes upstairs and is left with the choice of who's room will he enter, he then walks into a room and says "hi" (The One At The Beach).
[edit] Fourth Season
Ross is revealed to entered Rachel's room, but she's not alone. Bonnie is there too, and Rachel is applying after-sun to Bonnie's bald, sunburnt head. Ross gets Bonnie out of the way and he resumes his interrupted kiss with Rachel. Things don't go beyond this, however, as Ross goest to break up with Bonnie (a long break-up, as Ross later exclaims that he stopped when he saw the five-o-clock shadow on her head) and Rachel writes him a 36-page letter which she wants him to read before they get back together. Having failed to go through the whole letter, Ross wakes up in the morning and tells a worried Rachel that he read every word of the letter twice, but is thrown off course when she asks him "Does it?". However, his desire to get back with her was so strong that he agrees with her that it does. Later on, he is shocked to find that what he agreed to with Rachel was that he would take full responsibility for everything which went wrong in their relationship. After the couple have sex (or apparently not) in Rachel's apartment, her continuous references to the letter and the new humiliating perspective she took of Ross forced their definitive break-up.
The fights with Ross are not over, and to provoke his beliefs, Rachel claims she believes Phoebe's cat to be her mother, making him apologise to the animal knowing how painfully embarrassing it would be to him (in The One with the Cat). She urges Chandler to break up with her boss Joanna, but later finds a semi-naked Chandler handcuffed in her boss's office. However, she made sure that this time, Chandler did break up with her boss, but she had to "make (Chandler) this generation's Milton Berle" - a myth that lasted only a couple of hours thanks to Joey (The One with the 'Cuffs). It is only now that Rachel "learns" how and where to take out the garbage. Her unconscious trigger to Treeger's temper, together with Joey's unsuccessful "old school" intimidation of the super, reveals the illegal sub-letting of the girls' apartment (The One with the Ballroom Dancing). Things with Ross have now reached their peak in a dating war which Ross began when dating a woman with a child. She begins dating a college student. It took a sick Monica to reveal the truth about Ross's babysitting "dates" and Rachel's thieving college boyfriend (The One with Joey's New Girlfriend).
Rachel, together with Monica, bet $100 to the guys to know who best knows whom, but minutes later the game is spiced up to a real competition, complete with lightning round emergency. Money doesn't matter anymore at the end of the quiz (both teams tied at the end), so Rachel gets the guys to get rid of the birds should the girls win. Chandler spices up things further by claiming Monica's apartment if the boys won. Monica seals the deal and then loses the game and the apartment. Rachel urges Monica to get it back but she is unable to do so and they are forced to move to the guys apartment.(The One with the Embryos.
Apart from the smaller apartment, she is down-shunted to lesser department in Bloomingdale's due to her boss Joanna's sudden death. She tries to quit but her new client, Josh, changes her opinion of her job. (The One with Rachel's Crush) Her crush comes at a costly price, however, since her boss's niece (whom she dumped for a chance to meet Josh outside work) ended up with Ross and with full plans to marry him (The One with Joey's Dirty Day). In order to attract Josh, Rachel throws a "surprise party" for Emily (messing Ross's plans in the way) and uses her lucky dress and "spin the bottle" to try to kiss Josh but fails when Phoebe's babies kick. Later she wears her cheerleader dress to try to amuse Josh but only ends up with a stuck bra in her sleeve and a broken tooth. Josh reveals that his just-ended marriage is the only thing standing between him and her. Not long after that, Ross and Rachel have a heart-to-heart talk and Josh arrives to kiss Rachel (The One with the Fake Party).
Things with Josh go well - she invites him for dinner at her apartment, but the chick and the duck scare Josh out of his wits. The date resumes at his parents' house, where she changes into a more revealing dress and meets Josh's parents, much to her embarrassment. Her "new prototype dress" is all she wears to dinner with Josh and his family and to cap it all, her boob pops out at the restaurant (The One with Rachel's New Dress).
Ross and Emily announce their engagement in The One with All the Haste, and because of this, she urges Josh to marry her, scaring him. Joshua breaks up once and for all after he sees Rachel complete with wedding dress and an "I doooo!" answer ready for him (in The One with the Wedding Dresses).
Ross invites her to his wedding, but she rejects to go (The One with the Invitations), claiming that their history would make it too painful for her to watch the ceremony. Ross tries to talk Rachel in to go to the wedding but she refuses. Phoebe makes her reason things out and admit she's still in love with him. What Phoebe didn't predict was a determined Rachel who sets off to London leaving her and the babies behind. Rachel's forgotten passport does not stop her full-fledged plans. Phoebe calls Joey to warn him about Rachel. She was brought to her senses when she saw Ross and Emily share a tender moment at the church right before the wedding, and all she could manage to tell him was a "congratulations". The wedding vows take place: Emily says hers repeating after the minister. Ross repeats after the minister, but not exactly: his exact words were "I, Ross, take thee, Rachel...", ending the fourth season and possibly his not-even-started marriage.
[edit] Fifth Season
Rachel is surprised to hear Ross say "I take you Rachel" but the wedding goes on, although a little bit tensed up as Emily almost sticks the ring in Ross's finger and the Geller's remark that this wedding is worse than when he married the lesbian(Carol). Rachel ruins Monica and Chandler's plans to have sex when she goes to stick in the phone with Phoebe about recent events. She is also present when they discover that Emily escaped the same way she did. Rachel is crushed when Ross remarks that her name doesn't mean anything, but at the end she is convinced to go to Greece with Ross but Emily arrives to see the both together, Ross chases her and dumps Rachel in a plane to Greece (The One After Ross Says Rachel)
Rachel returns from Greece angry and decides that from now on Monica will have absolute power over her love life, so she sets her up with a guy, bt then she decides to tell Ross that she loves him, when she tells him this she laughs so they don't take the whole thing as a big deal(The One with All the Kissing)
When Phoebe gets in labor she asks Rachel if she could ask Frank and Alice to give her one of the babies, but she tells her that she can't. Later Phoebe explains that givin' birth is too painful for Rachel(The One Hundredth). Emily agrees to come to NY and make up things with Ross if he doesn't see Rachel ever again, Rachel(unkonwn to her) convinces Ross to do so, but when she finds out she freaks out and gets mad at Ross(The One with the Kips). Then Monica and her are scared by a hairy guy(dubbed the Yeti) and poison him, after realizing their mistake they try to apologize but he only answers "ok", then all the guys are hanging out when Emily calls and implies that it would be very unfortunate for Ross Rachel being there, this upsets Rachel so Ross confronts Emily and they decide to get the divorce.(The One with the Yeti)
Phoebe invites Rachel to a book club but she won't take the class seriously so she embarrases her, so Rachel decides that she should go with Monica(The One with Ross's Sandwich). Rachel starts dating Danny(the Yeti) but she finds disturbeing the fact that he and his sister are so close so they break up(The One with the Inappropriate Sister). Rachel then decides that her New Year's Resolution will be to not gossip, but she is pushed to the limit when she finds out Chandler and Monica relationship, she decides to confront them but after hearing Monica telling Chandler how hard it is to her lying to Rachel, she backs down(The One with All the Resolutions)Then she helps Joey picking up clothes and picks a bag for him claiming that it is "unisex" when Joey doesn't understand she spells it out "u-n-isex" Joey then thinks she is inviting him for sex. She goes to Phoebe's Grandmother's funeral(The One with Joey's Bag)
She decides to play practical jokes on Monica and Chanlder and helps Phoebe to uncover the whole truth(The One Where Everybody Finds Out)She goes along with Ross to buy a new couch and is angered when Ross tells a store emplyee that they had sex 298 times, she also helps trying to transport the couch to Ross's apartment(The One with the Cop)
Rachel then gets a job opportunity to work at Ralph Lauren but she accidentally kisses her boss, then in a second interview she believes that he wants to sleep with her so she yells at her, at the end she convinces to hire her and then accidentally touches his penis(The One with Rachel's Inadvertent Kiss)
Rachel then tries to smoke so she can fit in at work, but she convinces her boss to quit smoking this backfires when her boss personally excludes her from the group(The One Where Rachel Smokes) Then she gets a date for Ross, but she gets a message for Ross from Emily telling him that she wants to rekindle their relation, she convinces Ross to leave Emily alone(The One Where Ross Can't Flirt)(The One with the Ride-Along) It's also told that she hates incoming objects towards an eye(The One with Joey's Big Break)
When the guys leave for Vegas(with the exception of her and Ross) she walks around the apartment naked catching Ross's attention, he comes over believing her to be inviting him to the "physical act of love" Rachel and Ross depart for Vegas,
[edit] Sixth Season
[edit] Seventh Season
In the seventh season, Rachel received a promotion at Ralph Lauren. Her new position allowed her to hire a personal assistant, which was how she met Tag Jones (portrayed by Eddie Cahill), her six-years-younger boyfriend for part of the season. She preferred his good looks to his rival Hilda's qualifications and experience, but eventually broke up with Tag after realizing her "plan" for the future cannot involve him.
In the season finale, together with Phoebe, Phoebe is the one who finds the pregnancy test in Monica's bathroom, Rachel just nods along even though she is pregnant. The last camera shot, is on her, the future mother.
[edit] Eighth Season
[edit] Ninth Season
[edit] Tenth Season
In the tenth season, Rachel gets a new job offer to work for Louis Vuitton in Paris, France. She accepts the offer and the last few episodes of the series deal with her preparing to leave. She goes to the airport to find out that Ross still had feelings for her. He tells her he loves her and pleads for her to stay. She still got on the plane, but decides to get off just before the plane takes off, resulting in a confrontation with a flight attendant. Rachel goes to Ross's apartment and kisses him. They promise to take their relationship seriously this time, "unless," Ross says jokingly "[they're] on a break".
It is possible that they married again, but sources are still not completely sure. However, a hint is dropped in the season premiere of the spin-off Joey where Joey states that all his friends were married, settled and started a family.
[edit] Personality
Rachel's personality evolved somewhat over the series. Early on, the focus was on her as a spoiled daddy's girl stereotype, although later in the series, especially after having her baby, Rachel became less self-absorbed. However, she was still the friend most focused on image and very selfish.
Rachel's catchphrase or famous line is "Noooooooo!" which is used mostly in the later series. However, in one Season 5 episode, Rachel and Monica are playing back a message left by Ross' ex-wife Emily at his apartment, where Monica says "Noooooo!" to which Rachel responds with Monica's line "I know!"
[edit] Relationships
[edit] Ross
Rachel is perhaps most famous for her turbulent relationship with Monica's brother Ross Geller. Ross had apparently harboured a crush for Rachel since ninth grade. When Rachel moved to the city, Ross tried to re-kindle his affection, and after a rocky start the two finally got together in The One With The Prom Video. After an argument over Rachel's friendship with a male co-worker, Rachel announced that they were taking "a break". Ross, thinking that Rachel was ending the relationship, got so drunk that he slept with "the cute girl from the copy place", Chloe. When Rachel found out, she broke up with Ross in a famous scene that involved Ross and Rachel arguing in Monica's living room whilst the other four friends were trapped in Monica's bedroom. From then on, the two shared an almost-on again-almost-off again relationship. First, Ross said Rachel's name instead of Emily's at his disastrous wedding ceremony in London. Later, on a trip to Las Vegas, the two got married after a drinking binge. Unable to get an annulment, they had to divorce, despite Ross' panic over being a "triple divorcee". Rachel and Ross later had a baby, Emma, who was conceived after a one-night stand, although they chose to remain just friends and live together to raise Emma. Eventually, in the final season, Rachel and Ross finally got together after she almost moved to Paris for a new job.
In the first episode of the spin-off Joey, Joey hints that Ross and Rachel had surely married by saying that all of his friends are wed.
[edit] Emma Geller-Green
♦ Born: May 16, 2002
Emma is Ross and Rachel's daughter. Rachel's pregnancy was originally revealed in the season finale of Season 7. Emma is born in "The One Where Rachel Has A Baby, Part Two." The name Emma was originally chosen by Monica as the name she wanted to use for her future daughter. Before deciding on "Emma", Ross and Rachel discussed several other names like "Delilah" (nixed because Rachel felt it made her sound like "a Biblical whore") and "Isabella." However, ironically, in a season 2 episode, Ross states he would name his daughter "Emily", but it is possible that Ross decided against this name after his failed disaster of a marriage to second wife Emily. While still living with Ross and Rachel, Emma laughs at her parents singing "Baby Got Back", Rachel is afraid to admit that she cannot make her laugh any other way. Until they get into a fight and Rachel moves in with Joey, Emma lives with both parents. In the series finale, her parents reconcile, and it was hinted on Joey that all Joey's friends had wed and settled down.
[edit] Chandler
Rachel and Chandler met in the 1980s when she was introduced to him through her best friend Monica's brother Ross. Their first meeting was at a Thanksgiving celebration at the Geller home. The pair met again at a party at Ross and Chandler's college in the winter of 1987, as revealed in the Season 10 episode "The One Where The Stripper Cries". At this party, Chandler and a drunk Rachel shared a kiss (but it was revealed that the only reason Chandler kissed Rachel was to get back at Ross for kissing a girl he liked). In 1993, they met again at a bar which would be torn down to make room for the gang's frequent hangout spot Central Perk. Rachel hadn't seen Monica, Ross, or Chandler since her days in high school. At the bar, Chandler overhears Rachel talking to some friends about how she wants to have one last night of meaningless sex before her marriage to Barry, and that she wants to have it with the first guy she lays her eyes on, which happens to be Chandler. They never did hook up, but Rachel did fantasize over him, regretting not letting him take her, but by this time it was too late. This was shown in the Season 3 episode "The One With The Flashback".
At the start of the show, Rachel and Chandler would cross paths again, this time in 1994, when Rachel, having just left Barry at the altar, storms into Central Perk looking for Monica. Through the course of the series, Rachel and Chandler's relationship grows, and they share a close friendship, often consoling and confiding in one another; on one particular occasion they shared a stolen cheesecake with each other and concealed it from the others. Particularly in earlier seasons, they go out to lunch together a few times. Despite, the closeness of the friendship of all six, it is arguably quite apparent that Chandler and Rachel are the two friends who interact with each other the least.
When Rachel says goodbye to each friend individually, her goodbye with Chandler is short and sweet, with them simply telling each other that they love each other, and that they will miss the other.
[edit] Joey
Later on in the series, Joey and Rachel have a brief relationship. In the episode "The One With The Donor", Phoebe learns about Rachel's feelings for Joey. Then in the episode "The One In Barbados, Part One", Ross and Charlie Wheeler (his female work associate) discover that they have a lot in common, while Joey and Rachel discover their feelings for each other. Earlier on in the series, Joey was jealous of Chandler and Monica's love for each other, so he thought that he might be able to have a relationship with Rachel since they are already friends. Then in the episode "The One In Barbados, Part Two", Joey and Rachel finally decide they are going to be a couple. In the episode "The One Where Ross Is Fine", Ross pretends to be fine with Rachel dating Joey, but really isn't, so he acts really crazy when he and Charlie decide that they were going to have a relationship and had Rachel and Joey over for a "Double Date." Later that episode, Ross said that he was really fine. In the episode "The One With Ross' Tan", Joey and Rachel decide that dating each other is too weird, with their attempts to go further than kissing hampered by their complete awareness that it is the other touching them, so they just decided to be friends.
[edit] Phoebe
Rachel's other best friend. Phoebe first met Rachel in the pilot episode when Rachel leaves Barry and comes to live with Monica. In a season 5 episode "The One With The Kips", Phoebe and Rachel consider starting a new group of friends with Joey after Emily (Ross' wife at the time) demands that Ross doesn't see Rachel anymore. Rachel says "We can start a new group, you and me, we're the best ones" to which Phoebe responds "Okay. But let's try to get Joey." This never happened as Ross could not go without seeing Rachel and the group remained as it was.
From seasons 6-7, Rachel and Phoebe lived together after Chandler and Monica moved in together at Monica's apartment. In "The One Where Ross Dates A Student", Phoebe and Rachel's apartment catches fire, causing Phoebe to temporarily live in Monica's apartment and Rachel to live in Joey's. Later on in "The One With The Holiday Armadillo", the apartment is fixed and Phoebe and Rachel decide to move back in, however the repair work left them with only one bedroom, so Phoebe decides to live there on her own while Rachel continues to live with Joey.
[edit] Monica
Another friend Rachel was closest to was Monica, her friend since high school. In their high school years, it is revealed that Rachel was a popular cheerleader with a string of boyfriends, while Monica was her less attractive and overweight best friend. They lost contact for a number of years, but became close again when Rachel jilted Barry before their wedding and chose to move in with Monica.
It is revealed that Monica didn't expect to become close friends with Rachel again, as during a flashback episode, set shortly before Rachel's scheduled wedding to Barry, Monica and Rachel have a chance encounter, resulting in Monica remarking: "Ten bucks says I'll never see that woman again in my life."
During the period that they lived together, Rachel is revealed to be an exceptionally good roommate. As Monica tells Phoebe, Rachel has sweet little quirks, such as folding back the pages in catalogues of things she thinks Monica would like. She also leaves messages on the mirror when Monica takes a shower, and lets Monica borrow her hundred-plus pairs of boots.
Their living situation lasted for the first 5 seasons until eventually Chandler moved in with Monica during Season 6. Rachel's moving out drew the two women to tears. Later, they had a near falling out when, on the day of Monica's engagement to Chandler, Monica caught Rachel and Ross kissing, and accused Rachel of always trying to "steal her thunder."
[edit] Family
Like all the main characters, Rachel has slight problems within her family.
In a way quite reminiscent of Monica's mother, Mrs. Green has a way of being quite dominating and unpleasant without going too much overboard. She's also quite harsh when it comes to her opinions (such as, for instance, when she suggested moving into Ross's apartment after Emma's birth and saying that his "dinosaur things" belonged in the garbage). It is implied that Rachel was quite like Mrs. Green before she decided to turn things around and start a life in the city, running away from her marriage, whereas Mrs. Green actually got married to "her Barry." During her first visit, she actually says that Rachel's life is what she wants.
Dr. Green, however, is quite a dominating but nonetheless equally harsh man when it comes to speaking. He's very concerned about discipline. He has a striking sense of sarcasm and what he deems right or wrong, but he's not afraid of spoiling his daughters (as shown in one episode when Rachel reveals that her father bought her "her own boat" to cheer her up after her "pony was sick"). However, when disagreeing with them, he disables their unlimited use of money. However, despite being quite generous when it comes to his daughters, he shares very little of his wealth with others, as reflected when he leaves a 2% tip at a restaurant after going out to eat with Rachel and Ross.
Rachel's parents have had barely any love life, as they married for the sake of money; according to Rachel, they barely even spoke (except when they argued) and ended up getting divorced in Season 2. They could not be in the same room as each other, as shown when the Friends throw Rachel two birthday parties at the same time; one with Rachel's mother in Monica's apartment and one with her father in Joey and Chandler's.
Rachel also has two sisters, Jill and Amy, with whom she has a typical sibling-rivalry relationship; when they were younger, they would constantly pull pranks on each other. Jill is supposedly her "favorite" sister, despite being extremely spoiled, and during her visit when their father decides to financially cut her off, Jill decides to start dating Ross, but ends up doing it to get back at Rachel (Only for Ross to cut it short because he didn't want to know that nothing could ever happen between him and Rachel).
Unlike Jill, who at least found Ross "cute, but nerdy," Amy does not even recognize him and believes he's a falafel-seller. In spite of her tactless nature, it is also revealed that Amy is the "bitter" one, as questioned by Phoebe in the Thanksgiving episode in which Amy comes to spend the holidays with the Friends. Rachel also doesn't seem quite as close to Amy as to Jill; when Amy visits during Emma's first Thanksgiving in the ninth season, she only says Hi, but then tells her she came by to borrow a hair-straightener, and saying how "Emmett" is cute, then realizing the baby is a girl.
In "The One With Rachel's Phone Number", some guys in a bar live in her grandmother's building. Her grandma's name is Ida Green and the mens' affectionate nickname for her is "Spuds". Rachel says that she has "no sense of personal space, kinda smells like chicken, looks like a potato--that's my bubbe!" This is another indication that the character is of Jewish descent; the word "bubbe" means "grandmother" in Yiddish.
[edit] Other relationships
[edit] Career
Rachel gets her first job as a waitress at Central Perk. She turns out to be hopeless, taking long breaks to sit with her friends and regularly mixing up orders. In the third season, after encouragement from Joey and Chandler she quits her coffee shop job to enter a career in fashion, working as a personal assistant at Fortunata Fashions. Later on, she gets a job as an assistant buyer at Bloomingdale's with the help of colleague Mark, but after Mark leaves and her boss Joanna dies, her department is closed out and she is demoted to personal shopper. She then becomes a buyer at Ralph Lauren, where she memorably has an affair with her assistant, Tag Jones. In a few episodes, when acquaintances are impressed by Rachel's occupation and query whether Rachel knows Ralph Lauren himself, she always says that she does. However, when they reply "really?" she admits she actually does not.
In the final episodes of the last season, Rachel is fired from Ralph Lauren when her boss overhears her having a job interview with Gucci. She is then offered a lucrative job in Paris with Louis Vuitton by her ex-colleague Mark. Upset by Rachel's impending move to Paris, Ross, through bribery, manages to convince Rachel's old boss from Ralph Lauren to give Rachel her job back for more money than the offer in Paris. Initially, Rachel declines this offer and decides to accept the job with Louis Vuitton. However, she cancels her plans to leave New York after she realizes she is still in love with Ross.
[edit] Dwellings
Rachel has lived with all of the friends at some stage. For six years, Rachel lived in Monica's apartment and they had a likeable, enduring chemistry which was to become one of the main elements of the show. She then moved in with Phoebe, with whom she squabbled over things like Pottery Barn furniture and their morning jogging routine. After her and Phoebe's apartment burned down, she moved in with Joey, but then after having her baby moved in with Ross. Later, she moved back in with Joey again.
It is often incorrectly stated that she has never lived with Chandler, however, in the previously mentioned episode in which her and Phoebe's apartment burned down, she briefly moves back into Monica's apartment (in which Chandler is also a resident) before moving in with Joey the next day (as punishment) after it is discovered that it was her abandoned hair straighteners which she had left turned on that started the fire.
[edit] Surname
Some inconsistency in the spelling of the surname has led to confusion as to the correct spelling. In the credits it is spelled as "Green" when referring to the surnames of her parents. However, within the show itself it has been spelled "Greene," including when her name was written on an invitation sent out by Ross and a subsequent RSVP. The name plate on her office door also says Greene. Also in the hospital, when Emma is in the caring room her name tag says "greene".
The subtitles of the DVDs change: in the earliest seasons' DVDs it's spelled Greene, then changing it to Green.
[edit] Age and birthday
Although Rachel's age is treated inconsistently by the show's writers, the best evidence is that she was born on May 5, 1970 or 1971.
- Month and Day
In season four's "The One With Joey's New Girlfriend", Rachel tells Gunther her birthday is May 5, and this is consistent with the month of birthday parties thrown for her on the show, e.g. the party in season one's "The One Where Rachel Finds Out", which aired in May, 1995, and season five's month-early surprise party in "The One Where Rachel Smokes", which aired in April 1999. Rachel's thirtieth birthday, however, is celebrated in February in season seven's "The One Where They All Turn Thirty", which aired on February 8, 2001. (There is no question that the party is on the birthday itself: Rachel at one point says "In Guam I'm still 29".) Rachel also mentions that her birthday is after Valentine's Day in "The One With The Girl From Poughkeepsie" ("next thing you know, it'll be Valentine's Day, then my birthday, then... Bang! They're lighting that damned tree again".) A birthday in February is also consistent with Rachel's statement to a police officer in season seven that she is an Aquarius (Jan. 21-Feb. 19) - May 5th would make her a Taurus.
- Year of Birth
A thirtieth birthday in 2001 (season seven's "The One Where They All Turn Thirty") implies that Rachel was born in 1971. Her thirtieth birthday is celebrated as the last while the thirtieth birthday of others are shown in the flashback which makes her the youngest of all six. However, a twenty-ninth birthday in 1999 (season five's "The One Where Rachel Smokes") implies that she was born in 1970. In other episodes, Rachel's stated age is inconsistent with birth in either 1970 or 1971, and advances at varying speeds. Chandler refers to her as 28 in season three's "The One Where Rachel Quits" (December 12, 1996), but 15 months later Rachel describes herself as "a 28-year old cheerleader with a fat lip" in season four's "The One with The Fake Party" (March 19, 1998).
While these differences appear as inconsistencies, it may be in keeping with Rachel's character to shield her actual age.
[edit] Trivia
- Before Jennifer Aniston was casted, Leah Remini was supposed to play Rachel.
- Rachel, like Ross, has kissed all five of her fellow Friends castmembers. She kissed Ross numerous times during their romantic relationships, she kissed Chandler at a college party in "The One Where The Stripper Cries", she kissed Phoebe when Phoebe wanted to know what the fuss was after Rachel convinced her that she shared a passionate kiss with her old sorority buddy in "The One With Rachel's Big Kiss", she kissed Joey numerous times during their brief relationship, and she kissed Monica after striking a deal with Chandler and Joey to get their apartment back if they kissed for one minute in front of them, though this is off-screen.
- One of Rachel's trademark expressions when shocked or angry was to drag out the enunciation of the word "no". This was periodically paired with Monica's "I know!".
- Two of Jennifer Aniston's real life boyfriends portrayed characters on the show: Tate Donovan as Rachel's boyfriend Joshua during the fourth season and Brad Pitt as Will, a high school classmate whose intense dislike of Rachel was revealed when he came to Thanksgiving dinner in "The One With The Rumor". (Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston were married by the time the episode aired.)
- In season 8, she sees all male friends naked.
- Rachel was both the first credited Friend and the last introduced.
