Rachel Green from F.R.I.E.N.D.S is a bad friend

Some elements in the '90s hit sitcom Friends might not sit well with today's audience but Rachel Green still remains one of its most voguish and iconic characters. Her transition from a privileged girl fallen from grace to an independent, successful woman continues to influence viewers.

Perhaps that's why I'm frequently met with vehement disagreement when I say that Rachel was a very bad friend. Sure, each character has their problematic moments in the show. However, here's why I think Rachel takes the crown for being the worst friend.

She's inconsiderate of her friends' feelings

Rachel's entitled attitude often made her disregard her friends' boundaries and advice. In the first season, the friends help pay for Rachel's skiing trip but she accidentally misses her flight. Instead of appreciating their effort, she laments being "stuck with them."  

When Monica seeks Rachel's help in asking out her long-time crush Van Damme, Rachel exploits the opportunity to ask him out for herself. In another episode, Rachel's date Paolo behaves inappropriately with Phoebe and even after being fully aware of the disgusting act, Rachel continues dating him. She lies to and about her friends on multiple occasions to favour her circumstances while shoving them under the bus.

She sabotaged relationships

Ross and Rachel's will-they/won't they dynamic is an aggregation of the jealousy and ill-will they harbour towards each other's partners. Whenever they were platonic friends, Rachel attempted to ruin Ross' new relationships. Evidently, Rachel's feelings resurfaced strongly every time Ross was in a relationship and she was not.

In season 2, Rachel is unfairly passive-aggressive and critical towards Ross' partner Julie. Later on, she manipulates Ross' girlfriend Bonnie to shave her head in a shallow attempt to make her "unattractive." Rachel actively thwarted Ross' attempts at moving on while allowing herself to move on.

She's a bad housemate

When Rachel needed a place to stay, she decides to be Monica's roommate without asking for her opinion. She never voluntarily did her chores and had no housekeeping skills. In season 1, when Monica's waitress cancels on her at the last moment. Rachel refuses to fill in unless Monica paid her twice the promised fee even though she had been living off of Monica in expensive Manhattan. When Monica and Chandler were moving in together, Rachel picks a fight about moving out. In an episode, Rachel's plugged-in hair straightener burns down Phoebe's apartment. Despite realizing she was at fault, she lets everyone believe it was Phoebe's doing.

The wedding fiasco

When Ross and Emily decided to get married, Rachel attempted to tarry her boyfriend Joshua into marrying her to contend with Ross' whirlwind romance. She was insecure that Ross would be in a stable commitment while she continued treading murky waters.  Against Phoebe's advice, she flies to Ross' wedding to reveal her romantic feelings for him and inevitably ruins his marriage. What's worse is that Rachel had botched Ross' solid shot at happiness to later lose interest in those supposed feelings after Ross and Emily go their separate ways.

Rachel is a fallible friend often motivated by her ego-centric urges. Ultimately, that's what makes her the most realistic character in the show.

Nuzha forgives people for pronouncing her name wrong and wallows in books and anxiety. Suggest her fiction at nuzhaoishee1256504@gmail.com