

The episodic nature of the season sees the other characters having multiple dates, many of which go wrong (Monica dates a minor in one episode). When the baby is born at the end of the season, Ross, Carol, and Susan agree to name him Ben: after a name tag on a janitor's uniform worn by Phoebe. This puts him and Carol's lesbian life partner, Susan Bunch, in an awkward position.


Ross' estranged lesbian wife, Carol Willick, is pregnant with his baby. As she waits at the gate for Ross to arrive, the season ends on a cliffhanger as he gets off the plane but with a new girlfriend: Julie. Rachel realizes that she has feelings for Ross and rushes off to the airport to tell him that she wants to pursue a relationship with him. Chandler accidentally reveals that Ross is in love with Rachel, much to her shock. Ross leaves for a fossil dig in China at the end of the season, missing out on Rachel's birthday party but staying long enough to give her a meaningful present: a cameo that was just like the one that belonged to Rachel's grandmother. Several episodes revolve around his attempts to tell her how he feels. It establishes early on in the season that Ross has been infatuated with Rachel since the two characters attended high school. Rachel, who left her fiance at the altar on her wedding day, has come to New York and ends up living with Monica as her roommate when Phoebe had just moved out. This season introduced the six main characters: Chandler Bing, Phoebe Buffay, Monica Geller, Ross Geller, Rachel Greene, and Joey Tribbiani.
