There are reasons why professor’s should never, never ever ever ever, date their students. In high school it’s a big no-no since, well, the underage thing is kind of impossible to get around and one really shouldn’t try unless you think you look good in orange. In college it’s mostly legal since most people are of legal age and are technically adults. But it’s still a practice that many frown on since it tends to blur the line between the student and teacher and can cause a great deal of problems if not taken seriously. But when it came to the show Friends it was considered great comedy since Ross and his student, Elizabeth, played by Alexandra Holden, decided to throw caution to the wind, kind of, and form a relationship that seemed destined for nowhere. Keep in mind the age difference between the two, despite the fact that some people will proudly say that ‘age is just a number’. That’s very true to be honest but there are times when age isn’t just a number but also a state of mind. The fact is that Elizabeth hadn’t quite grown up all the way yet and Ross needed someone that was a bit more mature and would be able to show it more often.
Don’t get me wrong, as frowned upon as this practice might be it’s still something that many a student and teacher have engaged in since they’re consenting adults and therefore can’t really be busted for it so long as they’re both into it. But from an educational standpoint it does seem that keeping the romance out of the classroom is of the utmost importance. It might seem more acceptable if a professor dates a student that isn’t in their class, since then there isn’t bound to be a serious conflict of interest when it comes to grading and doing ‘special favors’ for their partner, but yeah, dating a student in your class is kind of a taboo that isn’t illegal but is definitely a no-go for a lot of people. Plus, the flak that Ross took from his own friends and from Elizabeth’s parents was more than enough incentive to think that it just wasn’t going to work, but hey, when matters of the heart, or other regions, are involved it’s tough to say no. Added to that is the stubborn streak that many people have when they’re told that they can’t or shouldn’t be doing something. Quite a few people will go ahead and do it anyway out of pure defiance, no matter if they come to find out that those that told them otherwise were correct. Daniel Welsh of Huffington Post has more to say on the subject.
But if one is really looking at this from an objective standpoint, one of the most major issues about this relationship is Ross. He’s, simply put, an easy character to influence and manipulate, and after a while it’s clear that his friends’ words are getting to him and causing him to rethink the whole relationship with Elizabeth. When he tries to invite her to a play and she’s more interested in a water balloon fight, he finally realizes that she’s not as mature as he would like and ends the relationship. Of course she has to prove her immaturity by dousing him with a balloon, but at that point it seems safe to assume that Ross kind of had it coming simply because he didn’t end it much earlier when it would have been easier. As for Alexandra she went on to guest star in a wide number of movies and TV shows and has been keeping pretty busy since her time on Friends. It’s easy to imagine that this role was something that she allowed herself to get into for as long as the arc lasted, but in truth it does feel as though it could have ended quicker, but then we would have missed out on all the inherent silliness and the jokes that were waiting to be made at Ross’s expense. After all he did kind of set himself up for a lot of the criticism that he had to endure and he did go out with a student, which is something that most self-respecting professors simply wouldn’t do.
But the assumption seems to be that the character of Elizabeth just went on her merry way after getting the last word and possibly lived her life in a manner that was more to her liking, away from the slightly stuffy professor that had wanted her to grow up before she was ready. It’s funny how that works isn’t it? We find people in our lives that are fun and engaging to be with right up until the moment when it comes time to really define what both people want out of it. At that point the divide that occurs tends to split a lot of relationships without fail.
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