Born to a romance novelist and a drag show queen, Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry) was scarred at a very young age by his parents’ divorce. Of the six main characters on Friends, Chandler was notorious for his use of humor to get away with anything, even in the most painful of situations. As he himself put it, Chandler’s sense of humor was a defense mechanism. One too many times, he was quick in his thinking, sometimes salvaging a situation with the best medicine: Laughter. These are some of his best jabs:
1. “That’s A Little More Relaxed Than You Want Them To Get”
As a masseuse, Phoebe ( Lisa Kudrow) had seen it all. She hated corporate, but she loved the money they paid her. She had all kinds of characters as clients, sometimes her own friends. On Phoebe’s table, when Monica was not making erotic noises, Rachel was asking her questions about being Swedish. One time however, the worst thing happened. A client, Mrs. Adelman, died on Phoebe’s table. That morning, Mrs. Adelman probably woke up and thought, “ Alright, so I’ll probably have some breakfast, and I’ll take a little walk, and, you know, then I’ll have my massage.” Little did she know God was thinking, “ Okay, but that’s it.” Phoebe walked into Monica’s apartment in a sad mood, clearly devastated by the day’s happenings. As soon as she made the announcement that Mrs. Adelman had passed away, Chandler said, “ That’s a little more relaxed than you want them to get.”
2. “ I’m Sorry It Was A Onetime Thing. I Was Very Drunk, And It Was Someone Else’s Subconscious”
It’s not every day that Chandler got to shine in someone else’s dream. On a normal day, he’d have an underwhelming dream score and be unsurprisingly inadequate. When he appeared in Rachel’s dream, Chandler was a star. Rachel ( Jennifer Aniston), who was a waitress at Central Perk at the time, had a lovemaking session with Chandler right at the table where all of them had their coffee. Rachel was coy about the experience, and she avoided looking at Chandler in the eye. As was expected, Ross, who always had the hots for Rachel, was mad at what had transpired. “ I can’t believe you two had sex in her dream.” He quipped. Chandler thought he was being ridiculous. “ I’m sorry it was a onetime thing. I was very drunk and it was someone else’s subconscious,” he said.
3. “ How Many Cameras Were On You?”
It’s no secret that Monica (Courteney Cox) had a love for food. Her passion for cuisine was so intense that she found herself in a profession that allowed her to explore and experiment with different dishes. While older Monica was more in control of what she ate and maintained a slimmer frame, younger Monica was spotting a couple of more pounds. Chandler kept away from referencing her weight, given that he didn’t find her attractive before, and ended up with her anyway. The friends got to watch a throwback clip of prom night that featured a chubby Monica. When Monica came to the screen, she covered so large a surface that her dad, who was filming, had to zoom out. “ Some girl ate Monica!” Joey ( Matt LeBlanc) screamed. “ Shut up! The camera adds ten pounds,” Monica retaliated. As was his expertise, Chandler, who was waiting for his next opportune moment, asked Monica, “ How many cameras were on you?”
4. “It Was Very Sad When The Guy Stopped Drawing The Deer”
Chandler often maintained that humor was his outlet. That explained why he had a hard time when it came to crying. He was watching a film with Monica, Phoebe, and Joey when the topic came up. The film had reached an emotional part and everyone was in tears. Everyone but Chandler. Phoebe chimed in that, with the movie Bambi, she cried for three days straight. On the third day, however, her mom killed herself so she was partially crying for that. “ That I can see crying over but Bambi is a cartoon,” Chandler remarked. Joey was taken aback by his thoughts. “ You didn’t cry when Bambi’s mother died,” he asked while struggling to balance his tears. “ Yes it was very sad when the guy stopped drawing the deer,” Chandler replied. Monica reminded him that there was nothing wrong with crying. She tried many ways to get emotion out of him, but Chandler was hard as stone. In place of a heart, he had a hollow pit. Chandler was steady with an emotionless front until Rachel and Ross had an argument in front of him. At the very end, the pair alluded to the possibility of a future together, which left Chandler bursting into tears.
5. “Was That Place… The Sun?”
Chandler and Ross were seated at the coffee house on a random day when Monica walked in looking amazingly tanned. Ross wanted to get a little tan himself, but not before Chandler called him out for looking at his sister’s legs. Monica handed Ross a card and he proceeded to make an appointment. Luckily, Ross knew the location since it was once an ‘X-rated video florist.’ When it was time to get a tan, Ross was meant to turn around after his first spray but he didn’t because he was counting ‘Mississippi-ly’. He unexpectedly got sprayed on his face four times. Soon after, he walked into Monica and Chandler’s apartment looking like he’d bathed in soot. “ I went to that tanning place your wife suggested,” he told Chandler, who’d noticed something was different. “ Was that place…the sun?” Chandler asked.
6. “ Where”
It only made sense that friends would have a memorable ending. After ten years of making the world laugh, it was time to call it a day. Through the years, we watched Rachel grow up and become a woman who was far from depending on her parents, we saw Monica fall in and out of love and finally marry her best friend, all while keeping her cleaning obsession at bay. Ross (David Schwimmer) and Rachel finally got their happy ending. Gunther eventually found the courage to tell Rachel he loved her. Joey was still Joey, but most of the friends were transitioning, and it was time to bid everyone goodbye. There was no better way to end the show’s legacy than with one last dose of Chandler’s sarcasm. As emotions reigned high at Monica’s empty apartment, Rachel suggested that they have one last cup of coffee before parting ways. “Where?” Chandler asked.
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