The Five Cringiest Relationships on Friends

It's a windy, crappy day outside today so after doing some chores around the house, I am on the couch watching re-runs of Friends. 

The episode I'm watching right now is "The One with Phoebe's Ex-Partner," which, among other things, is reminding me just how terrible Ross (David Schwimmer) and Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) were as a couple and why they shouldn't have gotten back together (sorry, I just can't change my mind about that). However, it also got me thinking about some of the other relationships on the show and I realize it isn't the cringiest one from the series, or even the cringiest one Ross was involved with.

Here are my top five in no particular order:

Ross and Elizabeth (Alexandra Holden) - 

At first, I thought this was just a relationship that didn't age well. However, even the series itself recognized a professor dating a student just wasn't right by forcing Ross to keep it hidden to avoid being fired.

In fact, one of the great mysteries from the series, at least in my opinion, is how he wasn't fired. That breakup was ugly and very public. You can't tell me that didn't get to his bosses either directly or indirectly.

Monica (Courteney Cox) and Ethan (Stan Kirsch) - 

For all the flack Ross (rightfully) gets for dating Elizabeth, it almost seems unfair how Monica's fling with high school student Ethan was quickly forgotten because, depending on how old he was, it might have been statutory rape. 

And I know there will be those who will defend her because it wasn't as though she knew he was in high school, she thought he was a college student. I'm not going to give her a pass though. Think of it this way, would you be as OK with it had it been one of the guys sleeping with a female high school student?

Chandler (Matthew Perry) and Kathy (Paget Brewster) - 

It's not so much the relationship itself because they were both consenting adults about the same age. It's the fact Chandler and Kathy began their relationship while she was still dating Joey (Matt LeBlanc) and I just can't get over that. Even Ross had the decency not to act on any feelings toward Charlie (Aisha Tyler) until she and Joey broke up.

The thing that made this even worse for me was, Chandler nearly destroyed his friendship with Joey only to mess up the relationship with Kathy by accusing her of cheating, leading to her actually cheating on him. It was probably the only time in the series where I truly disliked him.

Rachel and Tag (Eddie Cahill) - 

I'll say the same thing about this one I said about Monica and Ethan, imagine if it had been one of the guys hiring a female assistant purely because of her looks then had a sexual relationship with her. It wouldn't be right and this wasn't either. She was his direct supervisor.

Need further proof - once they broke up, he was never heard from again, presumably because he lost his job or was forced to quit.

.

Ross and Rachel - 

I'm sorry, but while not the cringiest, it does still make my list. Overall, Ross was a likeable guy, but when it came to Rachel, he was jealous and possessive to the point it was hard to see things from his point of view. Had this series been a drama rather than a comedy, I think he'd even be a villain.

I will say I don't necessarily think Rachel was completely a victim and she did make some questionable choices as far as their relationship was concerned, including breaking up his marriage to Emily (Helen Baxendale). However, that only strengthens my belief they should never have gotten back together.

Honorable Mention - Monica and Richard (Tom Selleck)

This is one I know makes the top of other people's lists because Richard was a longtime friend of her dad's and was already an adult when she was still in diapers.  However, despite that, it doesn't make my official list.

There are a couple reasons for this. The first is, while there is that age difference, it's not like they started dating after she turned 18 or even in her early 20s. She was in her thirties and had been in multiple relationships before him.  Yes, there's still a bit of an ick factor, but the time gap does temper that a bit for me.

The other part of it was, outside of maybe Chandler (and that could be debated), Richard was arguably her healthiest relationship. They ultimately had differences of opinion about wanting children that resulted in them breaking up but I feel he helped her figure out what it was she was looking for (and not looking for) and that was a big part of the reason her and Chandler ended up working.

______________________________________________________________________-

Here are some similar entries:

Psych: Why Henry Spencer is one of TV's Most Underrated Fathers

Eight Television Characters that Should Have had Spin-Offs

Four Television Series That Deserved a Second Season

Professor Proton - The Big Bang Theory Spinoff that Should Have Happened