The sitcom Friends was a cultural phenomenon, and on this darkest of days, we just need to laugh again. There has been some quite upsetting news as of late which I won’t get into, but I’m here to compile this time capsule of some of the times that the late Matthew Perry had us in stitches, on the day we found out that we lost the terribly young legend of a golden age of television.
You may find it impossible to laugh right now, but remembering “the sarcasm king,” immortalized in syndication, has a chance of bringing us comfort and a sense of community at times like these. I was delighted to see fans take to social media to share their favorite Chandler Bing quotes and scenes. I dare you not to crack a smile.
“Shut up. Shut up. Shut uuuuuup.”
This episode was titled “The One with the Cop.” Rachel needed a couch moved upstairs, and Ross — ever the control freak — was at the top of the stairs, and kept squawking, “pivot!” which would unnerve the most patient of helpers. It was one of those scenes where the cast could not keep it together and the fourth wall came tumbling down, to hilarious effect.
The proposal
This scene doesn’t require any setup. From the episode titled, “The One with the Proposal part 2,” we were on pins and needles when it looked like Richard could be trying to come back into Monica’s life, but that wasn’t possible since she was already head over heels for Chandler. She found herself in the position of having to be the one proposing. We cried with her when she said, “there’s a reason why girls don’t do this!!”
The reunion
Perry spoke so eloquently about the experience of working on Friends and the relationships between cast members. Ok, I’m not laughing.
That time the guys were doing their Chandler impressions
That’s an awkward moment. The only ones who say, “impression is the sincerest form of flattery” are super-confident people. I hope no one ever flatters me like that.
Joey moves out
Just a couple of guys, trying to be guys and not get emotional about the fact that they won’t be seeing each other every single day anymore. We’ve all been there. You’re not meant to be in a roommate situation forever, it’s implied that it’s a stopgap arrangement. But when it ends, it’s bittersweet.
The final line of the final Friends episode
I don’t know how, but I never realized that it was Matthew Perry who uttered the last line on the final episode. They are all moving on to the next phase in their lives, and we wondered how we would ever be the same again. We watched the final credits roll and knew that we would miss those characters so much. And now we have to say goodbye for real.
And then there were five.