Rachel Green

"Rachel Greene" redirects here. For the ER character, see Mark Greene.

Rachel Green
Friends character
Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green
First appearance	"The Pilot" (episode 1.01)
Last appearance	"The Last One, Part 2" (episode 10.18)
Created by	David Crane Marta Kauffman
Portrayed by	Jennifer Aniston
In-universe information
Nickname	Rach, Green, Ray-Ray, Noisy Girl #2, Pumpkin, Raquel, Rocky, Rachem (due to a typo by Chandler), The Hermaphrodite Cheerleader from Long Island
Occupation	Waitress at Central Perk (seasons 1–3) Assistant at Fortunata Fashions (season 3) Buyer and personal shopper (at Bloomingdale's [seasons 3–5]) Executive at Polo Ralph Lauren (seasons 5–10)
Family	Dr. Leonard Green (father) Sandra Green (mother) Jill Green (sister) Amy Green (sister)
Spouse	Ross Eustace Geller (m. 1999–2000, 2004–present)
Children	Emma Geller-Green (daughter) Ben Geller (stepson, via Ross)
Relatives	Monica Geller (sister in law, via Ross) Chandler Bing (brother in law, via Monica)
Religion	See below

Rachel Karen Green is a fictional character from the NBC sitcom Friends, portrayed by Jennifer Aniston. Aniston received an Emmy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Golden Globe for her portrayal. In June 2010, Entertainment Weekly named her one of the 100 Greatest Characters of the Last 20 Years. AOL also named Rachel the 23rd Most Memorable Female TV Character. Her relationship with Ross Geller was included in TV Guide's list of the best TV couples of all time, as well as Entertainment Weekly's "30 Best 'Will They/Won't They?' TV Couples".

Personality

Rachel's personality evolves during the series. Early on, she is portrayed as a spoiled "daddy's girl" but becomes more interested in other people, especially after having Emma, her daughter. Despite having an attitude problem early in the show, she is the most sensitive and responsible of her family. Her sisters, Amy and Jill, are mean-spirited and materialistic.

Image-conscious, Rachel had a [nose job] during college which, she claimed, was due to a deviated septum. Flashback episodes show her with a much larger nose and the insinuation is that the operation was for image, a fact confirmed by a flippant comment from her sister Amy, regarding Emma – "Do you ever worry that Emma's going to get your real nose?"

After working as a waitress, she is encouraged to use her interest in fashion to get a job in that industry. Her focus on this and image come at the expense of domestic skills or common knowledge, for which she was constantly mocked. (After working at Central Perk for two and a half years Gunther forces Rachel to retrain, because she does not know basic things like where to stack trays.) Others see her as unusually beautiful. When Chandler offers to find Rachel a blind date at his job, he reports that "I just showed them this picture of you and guys were throwing themselves at me! They're buying me drinks, giving me stuff ... Guys are signing over their 401(K)s to me!" She is seen as a bit promiscuous throughout the series and it is implied that she lost her virginity before tenth grade. Rachel implies that she lost her virginity in the back of a van and possibly (though unlikely) the van that Monica and Phoebe buy in the episode. However, she has developed a rule that she does not sleep with guys on the first date. It is also revealed in season 7 that Rachel developed very early, with her breasts being developed to the extent of a fourteen-year-old girl by the age of ten.

She is very caring and affectionate towards her friends, shown by how she leaves messages on the mirror for Monica when Monica's taking a shower, how she covers Monica with a blanket if her friend has fallen asleep on the couch and how concerned she was for Joey after she had turned him down. She helps Ross get a date after he embarrasses himself trying to flirt and swears that she had nothing to do with it. She also comforts Phoebe when Phoebe is miserable about her songs.

Relationships

Ross

File:RRE.jpg

Ross and Rachel with their daughter Emma.

Rachel's most prominent relationship throughout the series is with Monica's older brother, Ross. When she moves to the city in the pilot, Ross has been obsessed with her since high school. Although the rest of the gang know this, Rachel is oblivious until the gift Ross gives her for her birthday prompts Chandler to reveal Ross's feelings for her, just as he has left for China on a work trip. Ross tried several times to tell Rachel that he had feelings for her but is derailed by her ex-fiance, Barry, and Paolo (played by Cosimo Fusco), an Italian man she met during an electrical blackout, and Ross, unsure of himself, simply backs down.

After Chandler's bombshell and a moment of self-discovery, Rachel realizes she has romantic feelings for Ross and decides (assisted by her friends) to give him a chance. But, he brings a new girlfriend, Julie, back with him from a work trip to China. Rachel is now in the position that Ross was in the first series as her attempts to reveal how she feels about him fail. Attempting to move on, she goes on a date but her constant ramblings of Ross lead her to leave a drunken message on his answering machine, telling him how she feels. On hearing this, Ross and Rachel finally kiss and he ends things with Julie to be with her. Things seem perfect until she finds a list of pros and cons he wrote in order to make his choice, and is deeply hurt and disteressed by his assessment of her, so she calls it off. Ross begs for forgiveness but Rachel is still hurt and turns him down until Monica finds a box of high school mementos, including a video of Monica and Rachel getting ready for their high school prom. In the video, Rachel's date is late and Ross, wearing his father's tux, is about to surprise her by offering to be her date. However, just as he is about to ask, her date arrives and he watches, heartbroken, as Rachel leaves. Touched by this unknown romantic gesture, Rachel forgives him and they start dating again. They date for about a year before Ross's jealousy of her colleague, Mark, and his obsessive behaviour leads Rachel to suggest taking "a break". Ross assumes this means they have broken up. Depressed, he gets drunk and succumbs to the advances of another girl and they have sex. Rachel finds out, and after a bitter argument, she ends things for good. From then on, the two have an on/off relationship and are usually jealous when the other dates someone else; such as when Ross dates Phoebe's friend, Bonnie (resulting in a short reconciliation), and when Rachel dates her customer, Joshua.

Rachel's feelings towards Ross blossom again when he announces his engagement to Emily, niece of Rachel's boss at Bloomingdale's. Ross and Emily decide to get married in London only one month after getting engaged and makes Rachel panic. She then proposes marriage to her then-boyfriend of four dates, Joshua, but he refuses and they break up soon after. Rachel claims she cannot attend the wedding because she has too much work but later tells Monica and Phoebe that watching them marry would be too painful and admits that she thought she and Ross would get back together again one day. However, she changed her mind and flew to London to tell Ross that she loved him but sees him and Emily kissing. She gave them her blessing instead but Ross accidentally says Rachel's name at the altar. Following the wedding, Emily stays in London and tells Ross she will only return if he promises never to see Rachel again. He agrees, initially, but tells her that he can't and their marriage ends. When the gang visit Joey in Las Vegas, Ross and Rachel get drunk in their hotel room and marry in a Las Vegas wedding chapel. Upon sobering up and realizing what happened, Rachel demands an annulment. Ross reluctantly agrees but at the last minute doesn't, but tells Rachel he did. Rachel is furious when she finds out but forgives him when she realizes his reasons for that decision, Ross simply didn't want to be known as the guy who had three short failed marriages. The two are friends during the next season except for a brief kiss and a failed "bonus night" opportunity on the night of Monica and Chandler's engagement. However, they have a one night stand a few weeks before the wedding. During their wedding, Rachel is revealed to be pregnant and in the following days Ross is revealed to be the father. During the pregnancy, Rachel moves in with Ross so they could raise their child together. When Rachel goes into labour, Judy - Ross' mother - gives him her mother's engagement ring urging him to marry Rachel so their child would have a real family. Ross is hesitant but after watching the birth of Emma, he almost considers it. However, Rachel accepts a proposal from Joey mistakenly and causes Ross to have doubts over the possibility of a relationship. Raising Emma together seems to be a joy at first but Ross's continued jealousy over one of Rachel's co-workers puts a rift in their relationship and Rachel moves out. However, their friendship and desire to be good parents cause them to remain good friends.

After Rachel is fired by Ralph Lauren, she gets a job in Paris, devastating Ross. At her going-away party, she says goodbye to everyone except Ross. This upsets him and after he confronts her about it, Rachel tells him that saying goodbye would upset her too much as their history would make moving too hard for her. To give her a reason to stay, he kisses her and they sleep together. The next morning, Ross thinks they are back together and is stunned when she says "It was the perfect way to say goodbye". After moping throughout the day thinking he's lost her, he chases her to the airport and admits he loves her and pleads for her to come back with him. Rachel still gets on the plane. When he returns home heartbroken, Ross finds a message on his answering machine and on playing it, he hears Rachel telling him she loves him too and what a mistake she's made and has to get off the plane but is interrupted by flight attendants when the line cuts off, leaving Ross wondering if she got off. Just then a voice speaks "I got off the plane". It's Rachel and Ross rushes to her. The two share a kiss, rekindling their romantic relationship. Later, Joey tells his family that "all his friends (in New York) are married", which implies that Ross and Rachel are now married as well.

All of the Friends season finales with a cliffhanger (Seasons 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8 and 9) involved Ross and Rachel.

Emma Geller-Green

Ross and Rachel's daughter is born at the end of Season 8. After struggling to find a name for their daughter, Rachel decides on Emma after Monica tells her that she wants to name her future daughter Emma but allows Rachel to use the name. Rachel proved to be a protective mother and was furious when Amy got Emma's ears pierced without permission. She also did not want Emma to play in the playground as she is afraid Emma will get hurt. At first, Emma lives with Rachel and Ross in his apartment, but moved in with Joey after Rachel and Ross have a fight. In the series finale, Ross and Rachel reconcile meaning Emma will live with both parents.

Joey

Joey and Rachel are very good friends and shared an apartment after Phoebe's was destroyed in a fire. Joey develops romantic feelings for Rachel, and Ross- despite Rachel currently being pregnant with his daughter- gives his blessing but Rachel unfortunately does not feel the same way. However, this changes a year later, with Rachel telling Phoebe about her feelings for Joey before telling him later. Initially, he tells her they cannot be together because of Ross but changes his mind when he sees Ross kissing Charlie, his ex-girlfriend. Ross later walks in on the two kissing and, although at first he has trouble accepting it, he tells Joey he is happy for them. The two date for a while but have trouble when it comes to consummating their relationship, unable to get past the knowledge that it is their close friend touching them, and a conversation with Chandler about how easy it was for him and Monica to become more than friends helped Joey and Rachel realize that they were better off as they were.

Monica

Monica and Rachel have been friends since they were six years old. In their high school years, it is revealed that Rachel was a popular cheerleader with a string of boyfriends, whilst Monica was her less attractive, overweight best friend. After this, it is assumed they lost contact until they meet again in the pilot. A chance encounter, revealed in a flashback, shows that Monica didn't expect to become close friends with Rachel again, with her remarking: "Ten bucks says I'll never see that woman again in my life."

During the time they lived together, the pair coexist in relative harmony, despite their opposing personality types, most notably when concerned with household chores. Monica is portrayed to be extremely uptight and compulsive whereas Rachel is shown to never help out and be unaware of where items such as the vacuum cleaner are kept. Despite these tensions, the two display a true affinity for each other. In Season Two, when Ross starts dating Julie, Rachel is shown to be extremely upset about their relationship but is equally devastated by the possibility of losing her friendship with Monica to Julie. While crying, Rachel says: "She's actually stealing you!" This is the first time that the depth of the relationship between Monica and Rachel is shown. Their living situation lasts until Chandler moves in with Monica and Rachel's moving out drew the two women to tears. Their relationship mirrors that of sisters, and the two grow even closer once Rachel has Emma as Monica becomes her aunt due to Ross being the father.

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's current wife) 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 moved into Monica's apartment. In "The One Where Ross Dates A Student", Phoebe and Rachel's apartment catches fire, causing Phoebe to temporarily live with Monica and Rachel to live with Joey. Later on, in "The One with the Holiday Armadillo", the apartment is fixed and Phoebe and Rachel decide to move back but the repair work left them with only one bedroom, so Phoebe lives there alone while Rachel stays living with Joey.

In an early episode, Phoebe and Rachel go to get tattoos together. Though Rachel ends up getting a heart tattooed on her hip, Phoebe does not get the intended lily (for her mother) on her shoulder because she 'didn't know they did it with needles'. Rachel tried to convince her to get the tattoo, but the artist barely touched her with the needle before she ran off screaming. She now has a 'blue freckle' which she claims is 'the earth as (her) mother sees it from heaven'.

Phoebe and Rachel have a very strong relationship throughout the series, despite occasional and humorous squabbles over things like jogging, massages, Pottery Barn furniture and an alleged lesbian encounter Rachel had in college (which Phoebe refused to believe). As with Rachel and Monica, their relationship is like that of close sisters.

Chandler

Although it appeared that Rachel and Chandler met for the first time in the pilot episode, they had actually met before, in flashback episodes. They met for the first time in 1987 when Ross introduced them, initially at the Gellers' house and then again at a party at Ross and Chandler's college. At the party, Chandler and Rachel kissed briefly (but it was revealed that Chandler only kissed Rachel to get back at Ross).

In 1993, they had a chance meeting met at a bar that was closed down to make room for Central Perk. Chandler overhears Rachel talking to some friends about how she wants to have one last night of meaningless sex before she marries Barry and that she wants to have it with the first guy she lays her eyes on, which Chandler then makes sure is him. They didn't hook up but Rachel did fantasize about him, regretting not sleeping with him but 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 crossed paths again in 1994, when Rachel, having just left Barry, goes to Central Perk, looking for Monica. During the series, Rachel and Chandler's relationship grows, and they are close friends, often consoling and confiding in one another. In particular, Chandler comforts Rachel in Season 2 when her parents are going through a divorce, relating to her his own experiences of his parents' divorce when he was a child. On one particular occasion, they share a stolen cheesecake and conceal it from the others. Particularly in earlier seasons, they go out to lunch together a few times. The two have also set each other up on dates, although the results were mixed; Chandler's brief relationship with Rachel's boss, Joanna, ended because she handcuffed him to a chair in her office, while his attempt to set her up on a date with a colleague went wrong when he claimed she only wanted a fling but later told the guy she was looking for a serious relationship. In Season 2, Chandler, being the child of divorced parents, is the only friend able to empathize with Rachel when her parents are unable to be in the same room on her birthday. Before Rachel leaves for Paris in season 10, they share a strong private moment and Chandler tells her that he loves her, will miss her and is sad that she's leaving, to which Rachel responds tearfully "I love you, too."

Family

Like all the main characters, Rachel has slight problems within her family.

Sandra Green (Marlo Thomas), her mother, can be quite dominating and unpleasant without going overboard. She can also be quite harsh with 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 very like Mrs. Green before she turned things around and started a life in the city, and it is revealed that Rachel actually feared becoming like her mother. However they bond after Rachel ran away from her marriage, whereas Mrs. Green actually married "her Barry." During her first visit, she says that Rachel's life is what she wants.

Rachel has a more difficult relationship with her father, Dr. Leonard Green (Ron Leibman), a harsh, sarcastic disciplinarian who always has to have his own way. Nevertheless, he spoiled 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"). When she runs out of her wedding, he cuts her off. Their relationship improves after she makes something of herself on her own, however; in "The One With Rachel's Other Sister", he says that Rachel is the only daughter he is proud of. He charges into Ross's apartment when hearing about the pregnancy, demanding Ross marry her.

Rachel's parents married for the sake of money; according to Rachel, they barely even spoke except when they argued; they divorced in Season 2. They could not be in the same room together, as shown when the Friends throw Rachel two birthday parties; 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, (Reese Witherspoon) and Amy (Christina Applegate), with whom she has a typical sibling-rivalry relationship; when they were younger, they would constantly pull pranks on each other, and in the episode "The One with the Inappropriate Sister", Rachel admits that she does not like either of them. Jill is supposedly her "favorite" sister, despite being extremely spoiled, and during her visit when their father decides to financially cut her off, Jill starts dating Ross, but does it to get back at Rachel (only for Ross to end it because he wanted to be with Rachel). Unlike Jill, who at least found Ross "cute, but nerdy," Amy does not even recognize him and believes he is a felafel-seller. In spite of her tactless nature, it is also revealed that Amy is the "one who bit [Rachel]" as questioned by Phoebe in the Thanksgiving episode in which Amy comes to spend the holidays with the Friends. Rachel isn't as close to Amy as she is to Jill. When Amy visits during Emma's first Thanksgiving, she only says Hi and tells her she came by to borrow a hair-straightener. She says how "Emmett" is cute and then realizes the baby is a girl. Amy also believes that she is Rachel's "favorite" sister and revealed that she never liked Jill. Amy also pierced Emma's ears and got Ross and Rachel really mad.

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 men's 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!"

Career

Rachel gets a job as a waitress at Central Perk but is shown not to be very good as she is careless, takes long breaks to sit with her friends and regularly gets orders confused. In the third season, with encouragement from Joey and Chandler she quits her job as a waitress to pursue a career in fashion. Joey is able to get her a job with Fortunata Fashions as a personal assistant. 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, she is demoted to personal shopper. She then begins a job at Ralph Lauren in "The One With Rachel's Inadvertent Kiss" where she is the coordinator of the women's collection. Ralph Lauren is impressed by her work and in "The One With Rachel's Dirty Starfish" she is promoted to merchandising manager where she has an affair with her assistant, Tag Jones (although she can't recall his last name).

In the final episodes of the last season, Rachel is fired from Ralph Lauren when her boss overhears her job interview with Gucci, but is 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 at 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, in the end, she cancels her plans for Paris after realizing she is still in love with Ross.

Surname

Some inconsistency in the spelling of the surname has led to confusion as to the correct spelling. The credits of any episode where her parents appeared list their last name as "Green" and on the Warner Bros. Friends Official Website the biography on Jennifer Aniston states her character's name as Rachel Green. However, in certain episodes it is seen to be spelled "Greene" such as when her name was written on an invitation sent out by Ross and a subsequent RSVP. Finally, Jennifer Aniston confirmed that the name Green was spelled: G-R-E-E-N.

Birthday

In the episode "The One With Joey's New Girlfriend", Rachel tells Gunther that her birthday is May 5 (her birthday is celebrated in various episodes in May). Her real birthdays were shown in the season 1 episode "The One Where Rachel Finds Out", the season 2 episode "The One With The Two Parties" and in the season 9 episode "The One With The Rats". However, in the season 7 episode "The One With Chandler's Dad", when Rachel is pulled over for speeding the police officer comments that she is an Aquarius when he sees the birthday on her license. This is inconsistent with a May 5 birthday, as that date would mean she is a Taurus.

There are some further inconsistencies. In 2001 ("The One Where They All Turn Thirty"), she celebrates her 30th birthday, implying a birth year of 1971. It is revealed in that episode that she is the youngest of the six friends, as the others had already turned 30 and were relating their birthdays. In the episode, she is wearing a shirt that has her supposed birthday on it (12–4), which is also inconsistent with the dates above.