Rachel and Joey

Although they were not together for long, they still went out on several occasions. Even when Rachel didn't know Joey liked her, there was still that thing between them. So, what did you guys think of these two?

I personally didn't like them as a couple. I felt sorry for Joey when he first developed feelings; he was falling hard. And when she found out, how everything turned weird, I loved it even though Joey was hurting. It was funny still in a way! But I didn't like them too much as a couple, so I'm glad it didn't work out for them.

I actually love them as a couple, and kinda wish they'd worked out! I think they're great together. /unpopular opinion

I didn't like them as a couple.

It always seemed to me that what Rachel had in Joey was brotherly protection, he was the guy who she'd run to if she had any problems or issues, and he was there for her. Plus, they lived together so that affected their friendship as well... What I loved about them is that strong bond they have.

channy wrote:

I didn't like them as a couple.

It always seemed to me that what Rachel had in Joey was brotherly protection, he was the guy who she'd run to if she had any problems or issues, and he was there for her. Plus, they lived together so that affected their friendship as well... What I loved about them is that strong bond they have.

yess! :)

I love them as friends, and I liked watch Joey a little angsty for some time because of Rachel but as a couple, I don't know... perhaps they needed to be a couple to see that it does not work out

I liked them. I never wanted them to end up together (lobsters!) but they were cute. Joey really loved her and was great to her. They have a great friendship bond too. I think they could have worked out if Ross/Rachel didn't exist.

I loved them as friends, Rachel was so sweet to him and he was like a little kid, like in that episode when he was reading Little women and didn't want to get to the end, also, the one where joey's girlfriend kept punching him and she kicked her on the knees lol... they had really cute storylines together. But them together as a couple was almost like... incest or something.

I absolutely loved this pairing. I loved that she made him sort of feel more and I don't doubt that they could have worked. I keep thinking ... what if Ross hadn't walked in, would they have had sex and thus eliminating the problem which broke them up? What if Joey hadn't felt the need to tell Ross, back in Barbados? I think there was love there. Overall, a very cute couple.

Moving a discussion over from the Characters You Dislike thread:

SmellyCat wrote:

MonicaGeller wrote:

SmellyCat wrote:

I hate Charlie with a burning passion. That tart, floozy giant, coming between my Joey and Rachel. MY OTP? HOW DARE YOU.

haha I'm glad to see I'm not the only Joey/Rachel shipper around here!

HI HI HIIIII CAN WE BE FRIENDS?
It is an amazing pairing.

MonicaGeller wrote:

SmellyCat wrote:

MonicaGeller wrote:

I'd go as far as to say we could be BRACELET BUDDIES! lol I'm always so alone in my OTP, my friends like Rachel/Ross sigh!

Exact same here. Everyone likes Rachel with Ross. Don't get me wrong, I like Rachel/Ross too but Joey/Rachel did so much more for my emotions. Surprise surprise, TOI Barbados is my favourite episode that isn't a major Mondler episode. The ending of that episode, with the scene and the music and the smiling and the "Oh" and my heart was pounding.

This is off-topic, I'm going to look for a Joey/Rachel thread now.

lol we definitely hijacked this thread, oops! I'll just quickly say Joey/Rachel actually make me feel something as well, whereas Ross/Rachel don't. And I agree about the Barbados episodes, I could watch that season final over and over :')

Just the look on his face... like he's finally got what he's been wanting. So much passion channelled into one kiss, built up over a year and a half from his end.

Rachel really seems to have a problem with the feelings thing. First Ross, then Joey... she always seems to have feelings for someone after that someone's feelings for her had come and gone. Bit late, eh Rach? :P

lol poor Rach! She did seem to have a bit of a timing issue lol. Then when everything was going well, it ended anyway. :( If Joey wasn't such an awesome friend to Ross, they definitely could (and should!) have worked out, imo.

Also, Joey in love is the sweetest thing ever. <3

He's so selfless. Yeah, I'd date him.

I'm watching TOI Barbados part 2 right now. Joey just found out she likes him. HAPPY FEELINGS IN ME. <3

I looove Joey/Rachel so much. They were very cute together, and had great build up. I wish they had lasted longer. Oh well, at least there is always fanfiction I can read of them! And wishful thinking, LOL.

myprecious wrote:

I looove Joey/Rachel so much. They were very cute together, and had great build up. I wish they had lasted longer. Oh well, at least there is always fanfiction I can read of them! And wishful thinking, LOL.

The only thing I'm glad about is that we have so much good fanfiction. My favourite one is probably Past & Present. There's this one scene where there's this intense stare between them and you can picture it so well.

They had a bullshit breakup. It didn't make sense. I would have imagined them both to just lose their minds and all rational thought and follow their instincts. If all else fails, just drink. They didn't try enough. Joey was so much suited to her than Ross ever was.

I could rant more, but if you stay on the site, you'll be seeing a lot of my J/R vs R/R rants. When I'm bored, I debate the two pairings in my head against myself and the only support I can find for R/R is "he's loved her forever" which is not a good reason to stop her from being happy with someone else. I:

Welcome to Central Perk! I like you already and I probably freaked you out.

No, you didn't freak me out! I agree with a lot of what you said. I used to be a R/R fan, but the way the writers wrote them together (mostly Ross) kind of killed any love I had for R/R. In making them such a DRAMATIC! Passionate! couple with obstacles, the writers made R/R unlikable to me. I get why others still ship them, I just... I can't anymore.

Seriously, there was all that buildup and Ross had finally calmed down, then Rachel slapped Joey and kicked him? Ross and Rachel got so many chances to be together, but Rachel/Joey got shut down before they ever really could have a chance - so unfair!

I like "Past and Present" too! I can't really remember which 'scene' you're talking about, so I'll have to read that again (I'll give any excuse to reread it). I love the part where they tickled each other in front of Emma, it's really cute.

I like you too and IMO you can rant away anytime!

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My favourite one is probably Past & Present.

Where can I read this FanFiction?!

To me, Rachel/Joey was what Joey yearned and desired in the episode where he dreamed that he was in a relationship with Monica and it was articulated that he wanted companionship in a relationship and not just sex. THAT was how his love for Rachel was developed and it worked! <3

I love this thread so much I want to marry it! And then never divorce it. Or get an annulment. Or a fake annulment.

MsChanandlerBong wrote:

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My favourite one is probably Past & Present.

Where can I read this FanFiction?!

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1354308/1/Past_Present :) It's one of my favourites too!

That post. Bless that post. Those are my exact thoughts. That scene in Ross' apartment is one of my favourite Ross and Joey scenes. It's the first time Joey had ever admitted his real feelings to any of them and goddammit, she felt the same way. Joey and Rachel went farther than Ross and Rachel did without her reacting negatively. It sure as hell looked comfortable for them and if Ross didn't cockblock every time they first tried, it might have happened. Uuuuugh.

To quote a conversation between Monica and Rachel from Touching the Stars [Rachel's POV]:
"And what is your relationship like? How does Joey make you feel, let's say in comparison to Ross."

"I can't compare Joey to Ross. They're so different."

"I don't mean comparing the men, I mean comparing what you feel for them. What your love for them is like."

I knew what she meant, I could guess what she really wanted to know. And it's not that easy to describe.

Ross was there when I started to live my own life. When I was just a spoiled little girl who didn't even know how to do her own laundry. When I was unfinished somehow. He showed me my possibilities, he showed me what life, what love could be like. I will always keep my first true love in my heart as a very precious memory.

Joey brings out feelings, tendencies in me that I didn't even know existed. The burning desire, the primal, gut level hunger, the boundless abandon I experienced every time I was with him. It was like my ability to love had matured and grown up as much as I had. Joey makes me see the world with different eyes. Through him I become aware of how much life has to offer, how precious any moment of it is. He makes me feel alive.

"Ross showed me the stars," I told Monica finally, not just referring to our first night in the museum.
"Joey…," I paused, unsure if Monica would understand what I was trying to say, "Joey makes me touch them."

That's one of my favourite lines in the fanfictions listed below. And if you think about it, it's true. Joey was the one who made her quit waitressing. Ross showed her how to be independent... then kept her on a leash for eight years.

Hope this thread gets some action now you're here!
Here's links to all the best R/J fanfiction I've found.
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2370607/1/ - A One Time Thing
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2649034/1/ - A Perfect Fit
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1980899/1/ - Dance in the Rain
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1354308/1/ - Past & Present
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1432919/1/ - Rachel's First Time
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1470203/1/ - Red Sheets
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2316547/1/ - Touching the Stars
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1438988/1/ - True Love Really Doesn't Run Smoothly

ITA with what you said, MsChanandlerBong!

Thank you, SmellyCat!

I too love the scene of Ross and Joey at the end of TOW Ross is Fine, when Ross finally realizes it had been 6 years since he and Rachel had been a couple. Ross stopped being a jealous caricature and Joey was shown not to be just a dumb, shallow womanizer. He had real feelings for Rachel, and I can't buy that he just lost all of them within a single episode.

I love that segment of "Touching the Stars" (tini is such a great J/R writer, I just wish she didn't stop writing them!) It is such an honest depiction of Rachel's relationships with Ross and Joey. R/R did have a kid and did have some good times. They were each other's first loves and that is special, but to me their relationship should've just stayed history and they both shoud've been allowed to move on: Ross with Charlie and Rachel with Joey. Those two couples were way more compatible, and it seemed like the writers were admitting it with the S9 finale.

I totally agree about Joey getting Rachel to quit waitressing. He brought up her dream of working in fashion, and in turn, she supported him more than the others did with his acting career (TOW Joey's Award and TOW Joey's Interview). They complemented each other and helped each other grow. That, to me, is what true love is.

"Past and Present" is one of the fics that got me switching over to R/J! I've read all those other fics, and they are fantastic, too. "Red Sheets" is one of my all-time favorite fics.

Here are my other faves:

TOW Joey Loves Rachel: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/791117/1/The_One_Where_Joey_Loves_Rachel

From This Moment On: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4094105/1/From_this_Moment_On

(series)
TOW All The Pretending: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/524329/1/The_One_with_All_the_Pretending
TOW Nothing's Easy: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/536170/1/The_One_Where_Nothings_Easy
TOW Heart and Soul: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/573047/1/The_One_With_Heart_and_Soul

The Age of Aquarius: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/996689/18/The_Age_of_Aquarius
(This one starts out with R/R but turns into J/R, starting in Chapter 18 in the drop-down list.)

Can't Go Home Again: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1209363/1/Cant_Go_Home_Again

Halfway Enough: http://yuletidetreasure.org/archive/36/halfwayenough.html

Thanks for the warm welcome! I will try help along the activity here

I LOVVVE having these recs!! Hopefully it will keep me happily occupied at least for the next few hours.

Thank you for the links! I've spent so many nights up 'til early morning because those fanfictions are so damn addictive and well-written.

And for a collection, here's the links to the two R/J communities on ff.net.
http://www.fanfiction.net/community/Rachel_And_Joey/60508/99/0/1/
http://www.fanfiction.net/community/Cobras/13103/99/0/1/

I'm glad you like the recs, MsChanandlerBong! Hope you enjoy reading them :)

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Thank you for the links! I've spent so many nights up 'til early morning because those fanfictions are so damn addictive and well-written.

You're welcome! I know exactly what you mean. I have done the same thing since getting back into Friends.

And thanks for those links! Hurray for not one, but TWO Cobra communities. That makes me very happy. Time to peruse through more R/J fics I haven't read yet!

I've got so many favorite Joey/Rachel moments. My current favorite is after Rachel had Emma and is afraid she'll have to raise her alone, but Joey says, "You are never ever gonna be alone. Okay, I promise I won't let that happen." The way he makes her smile and say "Oh sweetie, what would I do without you?", then how he hugs her with such a sad look on his face... OMG, what an amazing moment.

What are all your favorite R/J moments?

Aside from the moments where they're a couple, I love when he makes her stay with him by building a nursery for her baby.

It's my headcanon that he really moved to LA to get away from Rachel choosing Ross over him.

Aww, I love that scene so much! It was so sweet that he did all of that so Rachel would stay in the apartment. Then when Joey realized that Ross was being left out, he was willing to let Rachel go, even though he was falling for her. Very sad, but wonderfully so.

That's my headcanon too! I think some of it had to do with losing Estelle and wanting to start over, but Joey had been so devastated by all the changes in the group that I can't help but think he wouldn't have moved away otherwise. Rachel getting back together with Ross was probably what pushed him to move. Poor guy, I'd like to think she visited him at least.

His face at the end of that scene was heartbreaking. I love how he can confide in Chandler, it shows how strong their friendship is that he trusts Chandler not to laugh at his misery. He's so selfless it's amazing. What always gets me is when Rachel asks, "Do you not want me here?" and he says, "No, no! I love... living with you." He was about to say he loves her, I say. It's just so sad how he has to hide it just because Ross and Rachel broke up four and a half years before. And when he tells Ross, you can see how scared he is in his eyes: scared of losing his best friend and the only woman he's ever truly loved. It's him at his most vulnerable.

Yeah, I agree. I hate how their relationship ended and there was no mention of it afterwards. The slightest reference to how important they are to each other is where Rachel says goodbye to him on the balcony and he tries to climb over the wall (still not sure if I want him to be jumping or going onto the fire escape). I refused to watch Joey because I don't want to see him in a committed relationship with anyone other than Rachel (plus the obvious him not having the rest of the group).

There is so much I can say about this pairing I'm going to explooooode.

I actually don't like them as a couple and I think that their break up is for the best. All the "lobster stuff" aside, she was meant to be with Ross 'cause for seven years she was jealous of every girl he went out with and viceversa. I find it cute when he falls in love with her, then she falls in love, but them together just didn't work, 'cause as they said their friendship was too strong.