NaiveYetChubby

I do think that term was the adopted shorthand for a much more complicated situation, but I got to thinking about this recently. There's a wide variety of opinions on the R/R breakup argument among those Friends fans I've talked to in real life.

Personally, I can see both sides of things at the time of the initial breakup. I understand why Rachel was hurt and if I was in her position, the lying more than the sleeping with another woman would have ruined it. But I also don't think it's fair to label Ross a "cheater" when you consider his state of mind at the time.

Your thoughts?

Cotton Candy

I never understood where the confusion was. Rachel said to Ross that maybe they should take a break. Well, now I kind of see it, because she technically said maybe.... But I see both sides too I guess.

Ross was very hurt, thought they had broken up and then assumed she had slept with Mark when he picked up the phone in her apartment. So, it's understandable.

But, I understand it from Rachel's side too. Since I just noted that she said "maybe", she may have assumed that it was something they would talk about and wasn't really official yet.

So, I guess I agree that I see both sides of the coin too. But, I suppose it doesn't really matter. It provided for one of the show's funniest mantras.

karma killer

I think they were definately on a break but i can see why Rachel dumped him because of it. But to say he cheated was a lie because they were broken up! Also, wasn't Ross really drunk? No excuse i know, but did Rachel know this? [img]smilies/confused.gif[/img]

balle

I think that they were on a break. I mean, she clearly stated that she wanted to take a break "from us" and the next morning, Rachel told Monica that she and Ross, "broke up". It doesn't get more clear than that, in my opinion.

Okay, Ross was wrong to sleep with that chick, but Rachel blaming all their problems on him was just unreasonable. She's also to blame, since it was her idea to break up.

Chippewa Falls Dawson

I can understand why Rachel would be angry with Ross for sleeping with the girl from the copy store, but I can also understand why Ross did sleep with her in the first place. I actually don't think it was because he was drunk, I think it was because from what he heard over the phone when he called Rachel he figured she was going to sleep with Mark, and he was really angry and hurt and he, in turn, wanted to hurt Rachel by sleeping with the copy girl.

Rachel had said that maybe they should take a break. But then she went over and made up with him, so that's why I think she was so upset with him. Plus she didn't sleep with anyone, so she must have thought it wasn't fair. And also, they had been on a break for what, a few hours? Maybe she thought Ross really didn't care for her if he slept with another girl mere hours after they supposedly broke up.

I actually think Rachel is right. Yes, they were on a break, but still, Ross didn't even tell her about the copy girl, and then after she finds out from Gunther what he did, he expects her to forgive him just like that. And I hated what Ross said to her, the thing about whether she wanted to fight for them or just bail when things got a little rough. It made her seem like the bad guy, or something, and like he was some saint trying to preserve their relationship when he messed it up in the first place. And then he starts kissing her, like kisses can make everything go away. If Ross couldn't live without Rachel, then why didn't he go to her apartment and work things out with her instead of sleeping with another woman?

[ 06-22-2003: Message edited Sparkle143 ]

girl in a cardigan

Ross: Look, I’m not trying to get out of anything, okay. I thought our relationship was dead!

Rachel: Well, you sure had a hell of a time at the wake!

That pretty much sums up my views on the subject. I believe that they had broken up, so I don't think that Ross was cheating on Rachel when he slept with Chloe. BUT I don't think he should have slept with her anyway. Less than 24 hours after breaking up, he's already in bed with another woman. Why should Rachel forgive him? There's nothing left to forgive.

JudeNeary

I agree with you J E N N.

In my mind, they had broken up before Ross made out with the copy girl. It was in the way Rachel said those things.

billibhoney

Break or no break the fact that he turned around and slept with someone so fast was heartless. and being drunk is not an excuse. He was jealous and he let his machismo get in the way. She was right to break up with him and even if he didn't sleep with someone else I don't think he was right for her. He was too possesive and the arguments they had prior to the take a break stuff showed that they should not have been together.

just my opinion.

~*~Celebriän~*~

I posted this before but then my computer went down, so:

As much as I hate it, they actually were on a break. She said the exact words! "Maybe we should take a break". So I understand Ross when he says that he did not technically cheat on Rachel.

But I totally understand her for being upset about Ross getting down with another girl so fast, I would have been devastated, things like that give you the feeling that you didn't really mean a lot to your partner/ex-partner

m&m fkan

I have to post my opinion...Ross was distraught, and under the impression that Rachel had just broken up with him...He got drunk and slept with someone.

Granted, it was stupid of him, but he thought that they had just broken up. He wasn't cheating.

(in my opinion)... [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

Claudia

Love n Hate

Yes they were on a break, but sleeping with a girl a couple of hours later is not right, he should of trusted her enough to know that she wouldnt sleep with Mark when over n over again she told him Mark was nothing to her..and he shut the fone on her to not even give a explination on why mark was there..thats my opinion..

~* Blue Angel *~

Hey, i just watched these episodes today (Series 3: 13-16) and man, how i cried on epi 16 [img]smilies/bawl.gif[/img] Its so sad!

But anyways, back to the subject.

I think they were on a break. Rachel said they need a break from each other. Ok, Ross walked out 2 seconds after she said that without properly talking about it and making things clear and regardless of whether he thought Rachel was with another man does not make it right for him to get with another woman but he thought they had broken up, he was upset - at a time like that he just needed comfort and while Joey and Chandler tried their hardest they couldnt give him exactly what he wanted ( [img]smilies/eyebrows.gif[/img] [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] ).

And at the whole morning-after episode you could see how cut up he was over it all [img]smilies/frown.gif[/img] He was so sorry and he loves her so much...and in the words of Ross himself, they "WERE ON A BREAK!" - to put it lightly [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

Jen [img]smilies/angel.gif[/img]

Stacey200

They so were on a break!

m&m fkan

I know it's your opinion...But Ross thought that they had just broken up...um...never mind...Your opinion should be valid to you ... [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

Claudia

AngelGrace

While I agree that they were on a break, I still believe that what Ross did was wrong. Even if he believed that Rachel was going to sleep with Mark, even if he was drunk, I just can't find justification for having sex with another woman less than 24 hours after ending what was supposed to be a serious relationship. No, it was not technically cheating, but I feel Rachel had every right to be upset. I know that if I were in her position, his actions would have made his feelings for me seem invalidated. If he loved her so much, how could he do such a thing?

So, yes. They were on a break. But Ross was/is still a jerk.

Grace