Although
the writers wringlaughs from Ross'
ongoing discomfort with Carol and Susan's relationship,they also arguably give voice to Ross' fears in order
to dismantle them, to show how silly they ultimately are. In
Episode 1.23, Phoebe acts as this Voice of Reason in a scene
when she, Susan and Ross accidentally get locked in a hospital
closet together while Carol is giving birth down the hall:
ROSS:
No no no, believe me. No one has been waiting for this as
much as I have, ok? And you know what the funny thing is?
When this day is over, you get to go home with the baby, ok?
Where does that leave me?
SUSAN: You get to be the baby's father. Everyone knows who
you are. Who am I? There's Mother's Day, there's Father's
Day, there's no... Lesbian Lover Day.
ROSS: Every day is Lesbian Lover Day.
PHOEBE: This is so great.
ROSS: You wanna explain that?
PHOEBE: I mean, well, 'cause when I was growing up, you know
my dad left, and my mother died, and my stepfather went to
jail, so I barely had enough pieces of parents to make one
whole one. And here's this little baby who has like three
whole parents who care about it so much that they're fighting
over who gets to love it the most. And it's not even born
yet. It's just, it's just the luckiest baby in the whole world.
(pause) I'm sorry, you were fighting.
In
Episode 4.18, both Ross' friends and Carol challenge Ross when
he fears that Susan might convert his new girlfriend Emily while
she is showing Susan around London. "They're going to the
gym together!" he complains to his friends. "Two women!
Stretching! Y'know they-they take a steam together! Things get
a little playful--didn't you see Personal Best?"
His friends point out that unlike his ex-wife, Emily is straight,
but that doesn't calm the once-burned Ross, who then confronts
Carol with his suspicions:
ROSS:
So umm, any word from Susan?
CAROL: Ooh, yeah! She said she's having sooo much fun with
Emily.
ROSS: Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Uh, by the by, did it uh, did it ever
occur to you that, I don't know, maybe they might be having
a little too much fun?
CAROL: What's too much fun?
ROSS: Y'know, the kind of fun, you and Susan had when we were
married.
CAROL: Oh my God, you are so paranoid!
ROSS: Am I?!
CAROL: Yes!
ROSS:Am I?!
CAROL: I can't speak for Emily, but Susan is in a loving,
committed relationship.
ROSS: Uh-huh, Carol, so were we. All right, just-just imagine
for a moment, Susan meets someone and-and they really hit
it off. Y'know? Say-say they're coming back from the theatre,
and they-they stop at a pub for a couple of drinks, they're
laughing, y'know, someone innocently touches someone else...
There's electricity, it's new. It's exciting. Are you telling
me there isn't even the slightest possibility of something
happening?
CAROL: Maybe.
Ross: OH MY GOD!! I didn't really believe it until you just
said it!!
But
of course nothing happens between Carol and Emily, and when Ross
gleefully notes to Carol "no tongue, that's a good sign!"
when they go to pick up Carol and Emily at the airport and see
Emily and Susan hug goodbye, we're meant to laugh along with Carol
as she rolls her eyes at Ross.
This
is one of the many moments over the lifetime of the series
where the audience is invited to identify with the lesbian character
instead of the straight man. In Episode 3.17 when Ross barges
in on Carol in a dressy outfit while she's preparing a romantic
dinner for her and Susan, we sympathize with Carol's distress
and Ross' insensitivity as he drones on about his problems with
Rachel and begins eating the supper Carol has prepared for Susan.
But
Carol is presented the most sympathetically in Episode 2.11, the
1995 episode which featured the first lesbian wedding on television.
When Ross learns that Carol and Susan have decided to get married,
he is initially upset at the news, asking petulantly "They
already live together, why do they need to get married?"
But
Monica chastises him, reminding him (and the audience) that Carol
and Susan's relationship functions similarly to heterosexual relationships
and deserves the same respect: "They love each other, and
they wanna celebrate that love with the people that are close
with them."
