Love him or hate him, and regardless of whether you agree that “They were on a break,” nobody can deny that Ross Geller (David Schwimmer) was an integral part of theFriendscast. With extensive dinosaur knowledge and more than a few divorces under his belt, Ross is our whiny and arrogant (but ultimately well-meaning) straight man whousuallylevels out the zaniness of the group. However, any fan of the show knows that Ross also has a propensity for anger that often far exceeds the situation at hand, and this unfavorable trait is shown in spades in the aptly named episode,“The One With Ross’s Sandwich.”In this episode, the plucky paleontologist goes completely off the rails and lets loose a terrifying primal rage previously unknown on the joyful sitcom, proving for the umpteenth time that Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) should’ve flown to Paris and never looked back.
Ross Geller, Rachel Green, Monica Geller, Joey Tribbiani, Chandler Bing, and Phoebe Buffay are six twenty-somethings living in New York City. Over 10 years and seasons, these friends go through life lessons, family, love, drama, friendship, and comedy.
Ross' Sandwich Meltdown Is an Iconic ‘Friends’ Episode
To be fair to Ross, he is truly going through it by the time sandwich-gate rolls around in Season 5, Episode 9. Coming up on divorce number 2 (oh Ross, if only you knew) and having recently been evicted from his apartment, Ross is already having a rough time, and we can understand why he might be feeling tense. Nevertheless,when somebody in his office eats his cherished Thanksgiving leftover sandwich, this prompts a monumental meltdown, the likes of whichPatrick Batemanwould deem over the top.
Ross flies into Central Perk, initially donning his signature Ross-pout, but soon revving up his rage and whipping his coat angrily onto the couch. He tells the gang what happened, and Chandler (Matthew Perry), ever the comedian, asks what the police had to say about this. Ross is not amused, and cannot understand why the group doesn’t share his distress. Now, it’s already criminal that this man calls the gravy-soaked piece of bread in the middle of his sandwich“the moist maker”(ew?), but after Monica (Courteney Cox) offers him another sandwich with the last of the coveted ingredients, and Ross still continues his rampage, it gets even harder to forgive him.
After being briefly soothed by Monica’s sandwich promise, he bursts into another bout of hysteria, with fists clenched, teeth bared, and overly coiffed hair not exactly flying but definitely quivering under its layers of aggressive gel. Ross goes on to say that he left a note on his sandwich (from the point of view of the sandwich, might I add), asking that the lauded lunch not be eaten by any of his coworkers, proving that this guy has truly gone to the point of no return. The scene is simultaneously brimming withclassicFriendshumorand concern for Ross’s well-being as he positively flips out over, as he calls it, somebody eating “the only good thing going on in his life.”Yikes.
Later in the episode,Ross comes face to face with the coworker who ate his sacred sandwich, and learns that the guy didn’t even finish it, but actually threw most of it in the trash. Would we all be peeved if somebody ate our lunch from the work fridge? Absolutely. Does it suck that his colleague threw out most of the sandwich? Yes, totally. However, we also learn in this conversation that Ross has been leaving “threatening notes” around the workplace, and the roar of “MY SANDWICH?!” that leaves him and echoes through Central Park proves thatRoss’s rage is not to be underestimated.
This Bizarre Pilot Nearly Cost Matthew Perry His Role on ‘Friends’
Fortunately for Perry and audiences, this short-lived sci-fi sitcom didn’t impress anyone.
Now, branding Ross as a bad guy for one bad day (and one spectacular sandwich) is not totally fair, but we have to admit that Ross has his fair share of unflattering moments over the course ofnine seasons ofFriends. Due to his love for all things factual (and his compulsive need to be right),Ross tends to be judgmental and argumentative, which can especially be seen in Season 4, Episode 2, “The One with the Cat.” In this episode, the eccentric Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow) finds a stray cat that she believes possesses the spirit of her dead mother. While the rest of the gang steps back and allows Phoebe to bond with her cat-mom, Ross, always needing to be thesmartestFriendscharacterin the room, refuses to let her believe and repeatedly tells her that it isn’t possible (like… duh?).
Furthermore, Ross is involved in a good number ofFriends' most distasteful storylines. While it’s fruitless to faultFriendsfor every time they fall back on offensive ’90s TV tropes, we can still acknowledge that Ross, even by ’90s standards, pulled some truly shady moves. From judging his toddler son for playing with dolls, to making fun of a male nanny (Freddie Prinze Jr.), to trying to make out with his literal cousin, Ross’s behavior throughout the course ofFriendsranges from troubling to downright gross, not even counting the endless jokes he makes at the expense of his lesbian ex-wife (Jane Sibbett) and her new partner (Jessica Hecht).
“The One With Ross’s Sandwich” Is His Worst Episode
Nevertheless, it is “The One With Ross’s Sandwich” that stands as the moment that Rachel should have run for the hills for good in theFriendsseries finale. Apart from the obvious fact that going ballistic over a sandwich is just not a good look, it alsohighlights Ross’s immaturity and inability to control his emotions. While we’d all be ticked if somebody ate our sandwich, moist-maker and all, Ross’s willingness to not only spew his rage all over the coffee shop but also the workplace, proves that he is a loose canon who cannot be trusted with a lunchroom squabble, let alone with Rachel’s heart.
Friendsis available to watch on Max in the U.S.
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