She Doesn't Even Go Here

Peter: I'll open it.

Hook: I'm afraid the window is barred.

Peter: I'll call out her name.

Hook: She can't hear you...

Peter: No!

Hook: She can't see you.

Peter: Wendy!

Hook: She's forgotten all about you.

Since I missed the FRIENDS hype when it originally aired, I wanted to jump on this 10+ year old bandwagon and learn about all the cool stuff I missed.

I tried to watch every episode of FRIENDS this January after it was released, but I didn't quite make it. I just finished it now though, and I'm confused, a little disgruntled, and confused again. Mostly for one main arc throughout the show:

ROSS + RACHEL

Don't get me wrong, this relationship was adorable at the start. Ross had a crush on her for all these years, he was going to take her to prom. I get it! It was adorable!

Then it goes downhill, and my confusion/disgruntlement starts.

So, Ross and Rachel get into a fight, and Rachel implies that she thinks they should take a break. Instead of talking about it, Ross leaves. Rachel tries to call him and fix it, he isn't home.

He's at a bar, where he eventually sleeps with another woman, because he feels like they are broken up. He realizes the mistake the next day, and tries to hide it from Rachel, who of course finds out. They break up for real. 

She still CLEARLY loves the guy, and for the remainder of the SERIES, not season - series - she doesn't have another major relationship, like she had with Ross.

Ross has many.

Rachel comes to terms with the fact she still loves Ross. Ross is currently with someone else, and he slightly cheats on the current girlfriend with Rachel. Rachel feels conflicted about their relationship, and writes Ross a letter, which is 18 pages front and back. It is late at night at this point, and Ross falls asleep while reading it, lies about reading it, and then realizes that Rachel wants him to take responsibility for his actions and say they weren't on a real break.

He can't do this. They break apart. RACHEL STILL CLEARLY LOVES HIM.

Later, Ross then gets with Emily, and plans on marrying her. Rachel, still in love, plans to travel to the wedding and tell Ross her feelings. He says Rachel's name at the alter. 

This is the end of Season 4. 

Ross and Rachel get drunkenly married in Season 5, nothing comes of it, and they divorce. Though Ross does lie to Rachel about this for awhile, so they stay married longer than she wanted. 

Season 7 ends with the realization that Ross + Rachel slept together, and are dealing with an unexpected pregnancy together.

After the birth of their daughter, Emma, Ross plans on trying to get Rachel to be a couple again. He gets upset, because Rachel in a hormone induced emotional episode following the birth of a child, thought Joey asked her to marry him, and she said yes. Ross seems to think this means Rachel would have accepted anyone's proposal, and backs off.

Rachel and Ross move in together, still friends, to care for the baby.

Rachel and Joey try to have a relationship, it gets weird. Rachel moves out of Ross's place and in with Joey. Rachel and Joey break up.

THEN COMES SEASON 10, THE FINAL SEASON:

Rachel loses her job, but gets offered another one in Paris.

Ross tries to help her out by getting her old job back, but soon realizes it isn't what she wanted. Rachel even states that she had grown as much as she could in her old position, and she wanted to work in the fashion capital of the world. Her monologe about this sways both Ross, and the viewing audience.

Ross agrees to help her out with the baby, and the move, so Rachel can follow this dream.

THIS IS WHERE I GET DISGRUNTLED:

Right before she leaves for Paris, Rachel and Ross sleep together after Rachel finally confesses her feelings to Ross.

She leaves for Paris. Ross comes to the airport to try and win her back, airport kerfuffle ensues. She comes to realize she loves Ross, and leaves the plane. Coming back to Ross in the very last episode.

That's it.

We don't find out if she does actually move to Paris, or take the job. But it doesn't seem that way in the last episode. She's just casually helping Monica and Chandler pack up their apartment and leave. 

This wasn't the epic love saga I was promised!

"Ross + Rachel, so romantic!"

"Oh, they are so endgame!"

"Adorable, true love!"

"The last thing he ever said to me was, 'Just always be waiting for me, and then some night you will hear me crowing.'"

"Yes."

"But, alas, he forgot all about me," Wendy said it with a smile. She was as grown up as that. . . .

And then one night came the tragedy. It was the spring of the year, and the story had been told for the night, and Jane was now asleep in her bed. Wendy was sitting on the floor, very close to the fire, so as to see to darn, for there was no other light in the nursery; and while she sat darning she heard a crow. Then the window blew open as of old, and Peter dropped in on the floor.

He was exactly the same as ever, and Wendy saw at once that he still had all his first teeth.

He was a little boy, and she was grown up. She huddled by the fire not daring to move, helpless and guilty, a big woman.

"Hullo, Wendy," he said, not noticing any difference, for he was thinking chiefly of himself; and in the dim light her white dress might have been the nightgown in which he had seen her first.

"Hullo, Peter," she replied faintly, squeezing herself as small as possible. Something inside her was crying "Woman, Woman, let go of me." . . .

"Peter," she said, faltering, "are you expecting me to fly away with you?"

"Of course; that is why I have come." He added a little sternly, "Have you forgotten that this is spring cleaning time?"

She knew it was useless to say that he had let many spring cleaning times pass.

"I can't come," she said apologetically, "I have forgotten how to fly."

"I'll soon teach you again."

"O Peter, don't waste the fairy dust on me."

She had risen; and now at last a fear assailed him. "What is it?" he cried, shrinking.

"I will turn up the light," she said, "and then you can see for yourself."

For almost the only time in his life that I know of, Peter was afraid. "Don't turn up the light," he cried.

She let her hands play in the hair of the tragic boy. She was not a little girl heart-broken about him; she was a grown woman smiling at it all, but they were wet eyed smiles.

Then she turned up the light, and Peter saw. He gave a cry of pain; and when the tall beautiful creature stooped to lift him in her arms he drew back sharply.

"What is it?" he cried again.

She had to tell him.

"I am old, Peter. I am ever so much more than twenty. I grew up long ago."

"You promised not to!"