Monica Geller Rachel's because it remained "healthy and strong until the series ended", while the other couple was relentlessly on-and-off. "Encyclopedia of Television" author Horace Newcomb believes that Monica's feelings for Chandler are responsible for curing the latter's fear of commitment. Similarly, "Slate" writer Ruth Graham observed that "Chandler is painted as a self-loathing loser with women, until he finally snags Monica at the end of Season 4." Meanwhile, Silveri believes that "Friends" ultimately ran as long as it did due in part to Monica and Chandler's romance, explaining, "if the center of "Friends" had remained Ross and Rachel, you would've seen
Ross Geller grew closer to each other though the competition between them was still visible as seen in the season three episode, "The One with the Football". Ross often comes into conflict with his close friend, Phoebe Buffay. His rationality and Phoebe's eccentricity lead to conflict over evolution, gravity, and whether Phoebe's mother was reincarnated as a cat. It is also revealed that Phoebe once mugged Ross (stealing a copy of the comic book "Science Boy" that Geller had created) when they were teenagers. The two are roommates for a few weeks when a fire forces Phoebe to move into Chandler Bing