Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
Ross Gellar gets a bad rap sometimes. We should know. We declared him the worst character on Friends. But just because he’s the worst friend doesn’t mean he’s that bad in the grand scheme of things. Ross evolved from a mopey sad sack in teh early seasons to a nearly unhinged emotional volcano in the later seasons. That second version of Ross was honestly a great version of Ross, and those episodes are very well represented by our picks for the Ten Essential Ross Episodes of Friends.
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'The One With the Fake Monica' (Season 1, Episode 21)
Going in chronological order means we’re starting with a sad one. This is the episode that concludes season 1’s mini-arc that saw Ross adopting a cute little monkey, Marcel, as a pet. Remember how big a deal Marcel was on this show? He only lasted a dozen episodes, and by “The One with the Fake Monica,” the realities of exotic pet ownership were dawning on Ross. Particularly that a maturing monkey will just start humping everything in sight. Credit to David Schwimmer for making Ross’s last moments with Marcel heartfelt; credit to Friends for demystifying the owner-pet relationship.
'The One with Russ' (Season 2, Episode 10)
Look, if we’re talking about Ross episodes, we’re going to have to put up with a lot of early-seasons mopiness (that’s okay, though, because we’re rewarded with a lot of mid-seasons craziness). This episode sees Ross confronted with his doppelganger; after Rachel dumps him (this would be the time she dumps Ross for making a pro/con list between Rachel and Julie), she shows up at Central Perk with a guy who looks suspiciously familiar. Everybody sees it but Rachel. …Or Ross.
'The One with the Prom Video' (Season 2, Episode 14)
Ah, Ross and Rachel. The engine that made Friends go. But the good Ross episodes weren’t the sad season 1 episodes, and they obviously weren’t the ones in early season 2 when he was dating Julie. No, the best of the Ross-and-Rachel episodes from a Ross perspective was this quasi-flashback episode that revealed how far back Ross’s feelings for Rachel go. Plus that afro! (Also? Dig that live-studio-audience gasp the instant they realize Rachel’s going to kiss him at the end.)
[Stream “The One with the Prom Video” on Netflix.]
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'The One With the Jellyfish' (Season 4, Episode 1)
The phrase “WE WERE ON A BREAK” gets thrown around a lot lately, but here’s the episode that hoisted it into immortality. After Ross and Rachel got back together (this was the time they broke up because Ross was jealous of Rachel’s boss, then Ross had sex with the girl from the copy place, then Ross started dating bald Christine Taylor, until Rachel decided she wanted to get back together because it was the season finale), Ross began to realize what it was in Rachel’s 18-page letter that he agreed to. And accepting responsibility to boning the copy girl mere hours after he and Rachel had declared a break was a bridge too far. Ross’s crowning achievement? The fake whimper he throws in — the death knell of Old Sad Ross, really — before spitting “Fine by me!”
'The One Where Chandler Crosses the Line' (Season 4, Episode 7)
Ross’s sound is a very important thing that ordinary minds (and ears) can’t always process. From the barnyard sounds to the laser effects, it’s a sophisticated composition of sound and rhythm. Especially if the rhythm you’re after is pre-set onto your keyboard. Both electrifying AND representative of infinite time.
[Stream “The One Where Chandler Crosses the Line” on Netflix.]
'The One Where Ross Moves In' (Season 5, Episode 7)
After Ross’s next romantic disaster (saying the wrong woman’s name on the altar at your wedding will do that), he had to move in with Chandler and Joey. That didn’t last long, in part because of Ross’s terrible habit of condescendingly gesturing for the boys to quiet down.
'The One With Ross' Sandwich' (Season 5, Episode 9)
Somewhere around the third Rachel breakup up and through the Emily wedding disaster, Ross went from sad sack of the group to the gang’s unhinged, barely-holding-it-together weirdo. Which was honestly a much more enjoyable version of Ross. Like this episode, where Ross’ desperate zeal for his post-Thanksgiving leftovers sandwich (complete with moistmaker, an honestly ingenius invention) was seemingly the only thing keeping him going. It was incredibly relatable, and his freakout when he finds out who took it is epic. It was not good for his rage.
[Stream “The One with Ross’ Sandwich” on Netflix.]
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'The One With All the Resolutions' (Season 5, Episode 11)
THE LEATHER PANTS. Oh God, Ross’s adventures with that ill-advised pair of leather pants — bought as part of a New Year’s resolution to do something new every day — represented some of David Schwimmer’s best physical acting of his career. By the time the baby powder came into play, it was a catastrophe of epic proportions.
'The One With Unagi' (Season 6, Episode 17)
Continuing Ross’s streak of subplots that can be summed up with one word or phrase, “unagi” is Ross’s term for a zen-like state of total awareness. If you can believe it, Ross’s belief in his complete and total powers of unagi end up conspiring to make him look foolish by episode’s end.
'The One Where Ross Is Fine' (Season 10, Episode 2)
Late-seasons Friends episodes found themselves mired in the Ross-Rachel-Joey triangle that vexed as many viewers as it captivated. The romantic/friendship tensions were often more sad than they were funny, but the exception was this episode, where Ross found out about Joey and Rachel’s coupling and wanted to make VERY sure everybody knew he was fine with it.
