5 Times Ross Geller was the Best

A couple months ago I wrote a post about how Ross was basically the worst of the Friends characters. The comments I got in response got me thinking, because it’s not like he’s a bad guy. At his core, he’s a caring, loving person. So in rebuttal to my own post, I wanted to look at some of Ross’s best moments.

Rachel’s prom

While a young college freshman, Ross was home visiting his family when Monica and Rachel left for their senior prom. Rachel’s date had seemingly stood her up, so she was naturally upset about missing her prom. At his parents’ suggestion, Ross prepped himself to take Rachel himself. He was crushing on her back then, but he didn’t have enough confidence to think she’d like him. But as Ross was about to come down the stairs to surprise Rachel, her date showed up and they left. What makes it sadder is that his heroic efforts weren’t even noticed until years later when the videotape was discovered by Monica.

Walking Carol down the aisle

Like Ross said, if Carol weren’t a lesbian and had been marrying a man, no one would have expected him to attend her wedding. Maybe having a child with her helped, but it took a moment of great humility for Ross to be there for Carol. Not only did he attend her wedding, but he walked her down the aisle, after her parents refused to attend her wedding. Again, no one would have blamed him for sitting it out. But he went above and beyond to be there for Carol.

Teaching Phoebe to ride a bike

When Ross found out that Phoebe never got her own bike as a kid, he went out of his way to buy her one (and adult bikes aren’t exactly cheap). Later on when he realized she didn’t know how to ride her bike, he tried to teach her. That ended up with its own sort of drama, resulting in eventually just giving Phoebe training wheels. But it’s the thought that counts; Ross went out of his way to make one of Phoebe’s childhood dreams come true.

Rachel’s broken rib 

Already broken up again for the umpteenth time, Ross found Rachel beaten up with a potentially broken rib (after Monica slammed into her). She was supposed to be off to a gala for work and Ross was supposed to be on the Discovery Channel. But with how pathetic Rachel was that night, Ross attempted to help her prepare for the gala, only to take her to hospital in the end anyway. Ross quietly and selflessly gave up his chance to be on television to take care of Rachel. 

Stepping down from playing keyboard 

The Phoebe/Ross friendship dynamic is completely underrated. Yeah, they’re at odds on stuff like evolution, but they love and support each other like nothing else (except maybe like Phoebe/Joey). After Ross pulls his keyboard out again, Phoebe decides he’s really good at his music (she’s the only one with that opinion) to the point that she stops playing her music at Central Perk. When Ross realizes this, he “plays bad” on purpose to give himself a chance to step down, so Phoebe would feel comfortable playing again. Now no one besides Phoebe or Ross could see any sort of worsening to Ross’s music, but it’s the thought that counts right?

I’m sure there are some shining Ross moments that I’ve forgotten, but these are some of my favorites. Even being the worst of the group, Ross has some redeeming qualities. And if even Ross can have redemption, maybe you shouldn’t be so hard on yourself either.