Few onscreen couples are as widely beloved in the world of TV fandom as Ross Geller and Rachel Green from the long-running series Friends. Their seasons-long flirtation and on-again, off-again relationship kept fans in the throes of suspense throughout the show's 10-year run. While both characters had plenty of other relationships in the time they weren't together - Ross was married and divorced twice outside of his relationship with Rachel - no relationship contrived by the show was met with more animosity than that of Rachel and Joey Tribbiani.
It wasn't just that, on Friends, Rachel and Joey were part of the same friend group, it was that their short-lived relationship came deep into the show in Seasons 9 and 10. By then, fans were deeply invested in seeing Ross and Rachel as the endgame. But there are some who disagree that Rachel ended up with the right guy. And no one makes a better case for why Joey and Rachel were actually the better relationship of the two than Claire Willett, AKA @kaneandgriffin. The writer and TV enthusiast laid out her 100-point reason for why Rachel and Joey should have stayed together in an epic Twitter thread.
And she's worth hearing out. Willet's well-laid out argument has some very good points that may have even the most ride-or-die #RossAndRachel4Life fan rethinking whether the show really ended the way it should have.
Willett Admits From The Get-Go She's Never Rooted For Ross
From the very start of her thread, Willett expresses that she was never a fan of Ross and thus not supportive of Ross and Rachel's friendship. Not a popularly held opinion, but there are plenty of viewers who dislike Ross but still like the idea of him with Rachel.
I'm formulating an epic tweetstorm in defense of Joey & Rachel you guys
There's a word doc outline with bullet points— Skaiplana (@kaneandgriffin) August 8, 2017
1/ In Defense of Rachel and Joey: A Thread
— ��Skaiplana�� (@kaneandgriffin) August 8, 2017
3/ I am on record as being absolutely ride-or-die anti-Ross Geller, who is for my money one of television's all-time worst human men.
Willet's first of three main points highlighting Joey and Rachel's compatibility is that, from the moment Rachel appears on the show, Ross only has ever known her as his high school crush and then current crush. He never actually befriends her without underlying feelings, whereas Joey was her friend first, lover later. This makes all the difference in how each man views Rachel.
6/ ARGUMENT #1: Ross Never Saw Rachel As a Friend, But Joey Did.
Willett points out that it's consistently Joey who has the more healthy view of Ross's obsession with Rachel. And when he eventually starts have feelings for Rachel himself, he in no way thinks that he deserves or has "earned" her affection by waiting patiently.
23/ And you'll note that throughout the series it's often Joey telling Ross he doesn't OWN Rachel, while Chandler and Monica enable him.
One of the biggest and best points that Willett makes in her 100-tweet argument is that the timing of when Joey fell in love with Rachel is hugely significant to why their relationship was the real deal. In Season 8, Rachel finds out she's pregnant and initially doesn't tell anyone that Ross is the father. At the time, she's roommates with Joey and he sees her at her most raw and real.
Its especially romantic that he would fall in love with her during this time, considering he's historically been the friend most caught up with superficiality when it comes to women. He would not be attracted to a pregnant woman if he didn't have deep and genuine feelings.
27/ Joey's feelings for Rachel were born out of genuine friendship. They were roommates. SHE WAS PREGNANT.
