Friends Could Never Get Their Facts Straight About Ross, And It Drove Fans Crazy
To be one of the biggest shows in TV history, you need to get the little things right. You just need to hire the right people for the right characters, you need the right theme song, and you need to keep the right storylines in place. Sprinkle on some solid comedy writing, iconic characters and catch phrases, and you have all the makings of a good show.
Friends had plenty of memorable characters, including Ross Geller. Fans got to know everything about Ross as the show unfolded, but over time, people noticed that the show's writers could never get ceratin facts straight about the character.
Let's look at what the writers got wrong with Ross, and how other characters had to deal with some severe writing inconsistencies, as well.
Ross Geller Is An Iconic Part Of Friends
Few characters in TV history are as recognized as Ross Geller from Friends. Played by the talented David Schwimmer, Ross was the quintessential intellectual of the group, a paleontologist with a penchant for the peculiar and a heart as big as his dinosaur fossils.
Ross underwent significant character development throughout the ten-season run of Friends. He started as a divorced, somewhat awkward paleontologist with a deep love for dinosaurs. As the series progressed, viewers witnessed his growth as he navigated through several relationships, including his tumultuous on-again-off-again romance with Rachel Green, played by Jennifer Aniston.
Ross's quirks and interests, such as his obsession with dinosaurs and his use of complex vocabulary, added depth to his character. His passion for paleontology, though occasionally a source of humor, was an essential part of his identity.
Ross was central to some of the show's most memorable episodes. "The One with the Prom Video" (Season 2, Episode 14) showcased Ross's unrequited love for Rachel in a touching moment that left fans rooting for their eventual reunion. In "The One with All the Thanksgivings" (Season 5, Episode 8), Ross's antics with a turkey on his head became an iconic comedic moment.
Now, while Ross was an integral part of the show, this does not mean that everything about him was perfect. In fact, the writers struggled with one particular aspect of the character.
The Writers Got Many Facts About Ross Wrong, Specifically His Birthday
According to Insider, "On season four, episode five, "The One with Joey's New Girlfriend," Ross begins to tell Gunther that his birthday is in December.
"But on season nine, episode two, "The One Where Emma Cries," he tells Joey his birthday is October 18 while filling out forms at the hospital.
"Plus, if you want to get super petty about it, Ross implies on yet another episode that his birthday is in March," the site wrote.
That's right, for a show about a specific group of people, the writers sure had a hard time remembering a basic detail. Friends is hardly the first show to have a mistake like this, but it's especially bad because it happened multiple times, and each date is wildly different from the next.
One fan on Reddit pointed out some other inconsistencies with the character.
"Also the amount of years he was with Carol changes too. Chandler said it was 4 years,Joey said it was 7 years. Then when Ross was on a date with Carol he said it was 9 years so what’s the real amount?" the user wrote.
Having one character with a seemingly unknown birthday is bad, but Ross was not the only character that faced this challenge.
The Show Had Other Some Serious Age-Related And Birthday Mistakes
Insider notes that Rachel also had some trouble pinpointing her birthday.
"Again on season four, episode five, "The One with Joey's New Girlfriend," Rachel tells Gunther that her birthday is May 5.
"But on season seven, episode 22, "The One with Chandler's Dad," Rachel gets pulled over. The cop, looking at her license, says, "You're an Aquarius, huh?" — which would mean she was born in late January or early February," the site wrote.
The site also talks about how multiple characters hava e ages that wildly change.
Joey is supposed to be the youngest, but his aging process is insane on the show.
"On season two, episode 16, "The One Where Joey Moves Out," Joey says he wants to live alone because he's 28 years old," the site wrote before adding "Then on the season seven premiere, "The One with Monica's Thunder," it's revealed that Joey has already turned 31, multiple episodes before Rachel turns 30 — even though he's supposed to be younger than both Rachel and Monica.
Mistakes like this can typically hurt a show, but Friends blitzed right past these glaring mistakes, and it's still one of the most popular TV shows in the entire world.
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