Dermot Mulroney had one of the best cameos in Friends (but it felt like unfinished business)

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Dermot Mulroney's cameo role as Gavin Mitchell in Friends is one of the show's greatest but lesser-used guest performances. Gavin, played by Mulroney, appears first in Season 9, in three episodes: The One Where Rachel Goes Back to Work, The One with Phoebe's Rats, and The One Where Monica Sings.

Gavin is a leave replacement for Rachel Green at Ralph Lauren. His arrival instantly creates tension, especially with Ross, who is jealous of the increasing chemistry between Rachel and Gavin. Gavin's smarmy yet egotistical personality clashes painfully with typically sensitive Rachel and resentful Ross. But although there was potential for an interesting plot, Gavin's story was cut short, and viewers were left hanging.

Gavin was a significant character in the sense that he played a role in keeping the dysfunctional Ross and Rachel relationship going. Their flirting and short-lived romance were moments, but looking back, there is certainly a sense that the character of Gavin could have been developed more. Mulroney's acting as Gavin was certainly compelling, and glimpses were given of a fuller character, but the show never actually capitalized on what it could have been with his character.

Even though his general objective was to catalyze the Ross-Rachel relationship, the lack of advancement as to who Gavin was as an individual aside from an office adversary means that the viewer must wonder about what could have been. The show, so to speak, is unfinished—a direction that never actually existed.

Gavin's role in Friends

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The arrival of Gavin in the world of Friends was certainly meaningful. Playing Rachel's stand-in at Ralph Lauren, Gavin created an atmosphere of professional tension and personal hostility as well. He was good-looking, confident, and a bit of a know-it-all, and so inevitably managed to generate some sparks between the two of them.

He was meant to introduce tension into already tense dynamics between Rachel and Ross, Ross already resentful of Gavin's attraction to Rachel. But typical of Friends to do with its guest stars, Gavin's potential was largely confined to the position of a plot device and not as a complete character. His limited interaction with Rachel provided some emotional dividends, but nothing was expended towards creating his own backstory or inner motivations.

What was most interesting about Gavin's character was how his relationship with Rachel unfolded. Rachel had just experienced a huge change in life because of pregnancy, Gavin was the handy diversion—a flirting affair wherein Rachel got to play with feelings independent of the unstable relationship between Ross and her.

The relationship mattered greatly to the development of Rachel but never stood the opportunity to unfold to its full potential. Rather, the Gavin storyline was abruptly halted, supplanted by Ross's comeback and continued relationship with Rachel. This inability to see any sort of resolution to Gavin's character arc made viewers feel cheated because they never discovered anything deeper about him beyond surface details.

Lost opportunities for character development

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The biggest flaw of Gavin's character on Friends is the feeling that his character was left unused with potential. Mulroney's performance made it appear as though there was something deeper beneath the surface of the character, but the show never let that depth come through.

Gavin's scenes with Rachel only lasted a few episodes, and his character was never allowed to grow beyond his initial appearance as the charming but conceited co-worker. More investigation into Gavin's past would have added depth to his character, too, instead of merely a hook-up for Ross. A glimpse into Gavin's past or what he is all about would have made the character more impactful. Furthermore, Gavin didn't even interact much with the rest of the Friends gang.

Although his chemistry with Rachel was undeniable, his chemistry with the rest of the cast, i.e., Chandler, Monica, or Phoebe, was virtually non-existent. If Gavin had been given more airtime, we might have witnessed how well he got on with the group as a whole.

Imagine the comedic potential of Gavin playing one-liners with Chandler's cynicism or Phoebe's offbeat humor! Instead, Gavin's narrative remained distinct from Rachel and Ross, with little leeway for the character to become deeply involved in the greater Friends world.

Gavin's short-term role in the Ross-Rachel saga

A second reason Gavin's character seemed like unresolved business was how it crossed paths with the on-again, off-again affair between Ross and Rachel.

Gavin's interest in Rachel played into their already turbulent relationship, but his personality served only to further the Ross-Rachel storyline. Rather than investigating Gavin's desires and motives, the writers instead looked at how his flirting with Rachel caused Ross to feel uncomfortable.

This storyline, as it worked back then, meant Gavin's character was there solely to make Ross jealous and provide Rachel with a brief distraction from her lingering feelings for her ex. Mulroney's work, though, was so good that audiences were left wanting to see more of him.

Gavin was not your usual love interest—there was something vulnerable and sweet about him that Mulroney brought out. This, regrettably, meant that Gavin's brief stint felt all the more wasted. By confining Gavin's storyline to Ross and Rachel's, the writers never gave the character any room to breathe or grow. Gavin could have been an even larger character in the series, but his story was unfortunately cut short.

Mulroney's thoughts on his character

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Dermot Mulroney has fondly talked about his stint on Friends. He's shared in interviews about having a good time acting as Gavin and even called his guest appearances "the best ones" of his entire career.

According to Entertainment Weekly, in an appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show, Dermot said,

"It's a huge show and I have a tiny part on it, but that guy, that character just came to life — and then took on even more of a life when people started to watch it over and over again,You know, we didn't used to have comfort shows, but now we do. It's like something we invented to explain what happens when you go back and start at the beginning and watch all of the Friends episodes again."

While he was given minimal screen time, Mulroney admitted to the enduring influence that his character had on Friends fans.

He further said,

"But I think the three best ones are the ones that I'm in."

Mulroney's cameo has been enjoyed by viewers who remember his charming take on the character, if only briefly. Mulroney's remarks show that while Gavin's character development was cut short, his acting left a lasting legacy.

Mulroney's pride in his work indicates that although his time on the series was short, he is happy to have been such a significant part of the Friends saga.

A missed opportunity for richer storytelling

Ultimately, Gavin's inclusion in Friends is a bittersweet reminder of what might have been. Mulroney was a good actor, and his character could have brought so much more to the show than mere conflict between Rachel and Ross. Gavin was a pleasant, if slightly arrogant, fellow who could have been developed into a bigger player in the world of Friends.

But the show decided to keep his part of the Ross-Rachel history, thus preventing him from being completely fleshed out and leaving everyone to believe that there was so much more to see. While Gavin's stay on Friends was short, it had a lasting impact. Mulroney's acting was surely intriguing, and his addition to the Ross-Rachel history is a treasure in the series' history.