Rachel Green

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Rachel 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.

[edit] Background

Rachel appeared in the Pilot episode running into Central Perk in a rain-soaked wedding dress, in search of her old friend Monica Geller, with whom she had had little or no contact since high school. Rachel, unlike Monica, was popular during high school, and had always been promiscuous, which is steadily reflected in a comical sort of way throughout the series until the last couple of seasons. Rachel had fled her wedding to Barry Farber having discovered she desired the gravy boat that she had been given as a wedding gift more than she desired Barry, Rachel was stuck in a state of arrested development, an adult woman who emotionally had not outgrown adolescence.

Rachel's parents are rich and generally disapproving of her lifestyle in the city. Her mother, played by Marlo Thomas, was comically snobbish and her lack of hands-on mothering skills came into when she offered to be the nanny to Rachel and Ross' baby. Her father, Dr. Green was stern and intimidating, as seen in his behaviour towards Ross when Ross and Rachel were dating.

In comparison to her sisters, however, Rachel was definitely the most grounded and down to earth Green daughter. Her sister Amy (played by Christina Applegate), was rude and shockingly tactless, while her younger sister Jill (played by Reese Witherspoon), was spoiled and vain.

Rachel's on-again and off-again relationship with Ross eventually produced a baby Emma. Rachel's pregnancy was actually the second one of the group after Phoebe, who had acted as a surrogate to her brother's children. The show ended with Rachel getting back together with Ross. It is unknown whether or not they will marry again.

[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. She was often described as one of the most popular but also one of the snobbiest girls in school, and (Aniston's then-husband) Brad Pitt even once guest-starred as a jilted enemy from high school still angry at her treatment of him. Image-conscious Rachel had obviously had a nose job at some point as flashback episodes show a teenaged Rachel with a much larger nose. After an unhappy stint as a waitress, she was encouraged by her friends to follow her interests into the world of high fashion. Her focus on image and fashion often came at the expense of any domestic skills, of which she was mocked for having few. In one episode, for example, she memorably used meat when making the group a trifle for Thanksgiving dessert after misreading the recipe.

[edit] Relationships

Rachel and Ross on Friends

[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 their school days. 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 involves Ross and Rachel arguing in Monica's living room whilst the other four friends are 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 annullment, 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. Eventually, in the final season, Rachel and Ross finally got together after she almost moved to Paris for a new job.

[edit] Other relationships

• Shortly after moving to the city, and before dating Ross, Rachel engaged in a purely sex-based relationship with an Italian named Paolo.
• Rachel briefly dated Russ, an exact Ross lookalike (also played by David Schwimmer).
• Rachel dated her younger assistant at Ralph Lauren, Tag (Eddie Cahill) in season seven, trying to keep their relationship a secret at work before eventually breaking up due to the age difference.
• Rachel and Joey even had a brief relationship in season 10 before realizing that they were better at being friends.

• For a full list of her boyfriends see List of significant others of Friends

[edit] Career

Rachel got her first job as a waitress at Central Perk. She turned out to be hopeless, taking long breaks to sit with her friends and getting orders mixed up regularly. In the third season, after encouragement from Joey and Chandler she quit her coffee shop job to enter a career in fashion, working as a personal assistant at Fortunata Fashions and a personal shopper at Bloomingdales. She finally became a buyer at Ralph Lauren, where she memorably had an affair with her assistant.

[edit] Dwellings

Rachel has lived with all of the friends at some stage, except Chandler. 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 she 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.

[edit] Surname

Some inconsistency in the spelling of the surname has led to confusion as to the correct spelling. In the credits it is always spelled as "Green", particularly 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 and subsequent RSVP.^[1]

[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.

• Birthday 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 30th 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". ) A birthday in February is also consistent with Rachel's statement to a police officer in Season 7 that she is an Aquarius (Jan. 21-Feb. 19)--May 5th would make her a Taurus.

• Year of Birth

A 30th birthday in 2001 (Season Seven's "The One Where They All Turn Thirty") implies that Rachel was born in 1971. However, a 29th 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 3's "The One Where Rachel Quits" (December 12, 1996), but 15 months later Rachel describes herself as 28 in Season 4's "The One with the Fake Party" (March 19, 1998).

[edit] Trivia

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, 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, 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.

[edit] Notes and references

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