Friends
As we mourn the loss of Matthew Perry, beloved for his role as Chandler Bing on hit sitcom Friends, we can’t help but reminisce about all his greatest moments on the show.
Perry’s character Chandler was known for his witty one liners and sarcastic sense of humour. He actually asked the showrunners if he could have the last line in the series.
“Before that final episode, I’d taken Marta Kauffman to one side,” Perry wrote in Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.
“‘Nobody else will care about this except me,’ I said. ‘So, may I please have the last line?’ That’s why as we all troop out of the apartment, and Rachel has suggested one last coffee, I got to bring the curtain down on ‘Friends.'”
If you’re not familiar with the moment, after a teary goodbye where all of the friends leave their keys on the kitchen bench, Rachel asks if they should get some coffee.
“Sure,” Chandler says. “Where?” sarcastically finishing the show because of course they could only go to Central Perk.
So, in honour of Perry, we are taking the time to memorise his most iconic one-liners and moments on the show.
1. “Hi, I’m Chandler, I make jokes when I’m uncomfortable.”
Running into Monica’s ex beau Richard and his date, Chandler stumbles over his words and finishes off with this cracker, perfectly summating his character in 9 words.
2. Ross: “No, homo habilis was erect. Australopithecus was never fully erect.”
Chandler: “Well, maybe he was nervous.”
Chandler was never beneath a little dark humour, taking this opportunity to turn one of Ross’ palaeontologist rants into a joke.
3. “I’m not great at the advice… Can I interest you in a sarcastic comment?”
Chandler was nothing if not self-aware, knowing that while he mightn’t be the best at advice, he can seriously turn around the laughs.
4. Ross: “I went to that tanning place your wife suggested.”
Chandler: “Was that place the sun?”
When Ross walks in with a comical fake tan as orange as the fruit, Chandler can’t help but offer a subtle dig at his friend’s new look.
5. “How many of that girl are you seeing?”
One that really only kicks off when you know the context. For reference, this is from the episode where Chandler downs one too many vodka jello shots, and is seeing double. Only, it is actually all of Joey Tribbiani’s sisters, who all look alike.
6. “I was just trying to bring a little culture to the group!”
While trying to keep his relationship with Monica private, he accidentally kisses her goodbye in front of Phoebe and Rachel. Knowing his mistake, he goes on to peck both other girls, trying to hide his error under the guise of a ‘french kiss’.
7. “I’m glad we’re having a rehearsal dinner. I rarely practice my meals before I eat.”
A classic play on words from our boy, Chandler. So iconic.
8. “Shut Up! Shut Up! Shut UP!”
Probably more Ross’s moment than Chandler’s, but history-making none the less. Ross is trying to manoeuvre a sofa upstairs with help from his friends yelling “PIVOT! PIVOT!”. Sick of his yelling, Chandler adds to the din with his own screams of ‘Shut Up!’ as the sofa threatens to crush him in the stairwell.
9. My wallet’s too small for my fifties, and my diamond shoes are too tight!”
When Ross is complaining about being torn between Rachel and his current girlfriend Julie, Chandler can’t help but bring him back down to planet earth.
“What am I gonna do, I mean, this is like, a complete nightmare!” Ross says.
Chandler replies, “I know, this must be so hard. ‘Oh no, two women love me! They’re both gorgeous and sexy. My wallet’s too small for my fifties, and my diamond shoes are too tight!’”
10. “What did I marry into!”
When Ross is getting mad at Chandler for kissing Rachel on the same night as him when they were younger, he goes into detail about the story.
He explains that she was lying on his bed for some reason in a pile of coats and that he went to kiss her on the head but missed and kissed her on the lips. To his horror, Monica says, “I was the pile of coats.”
To which, Chandler swiftly replies, “What did I marry into!”
11. “At what point did you think this was a successful marriage?”
Always one to bring Ross back down to earth, when he complains that he doesn’t want “another failed marriage” after his drunken elopement with Rachel (which she wants to annul), Chandler responds, “At what point did you think this was a successful marriage?”
12. “I’ve has a very long, hard day.”
When Chandler became obsessed with the bath, we only become even more obsessed with him.
13. “OK. You have to stop the Q-tip when there’s resistance”
Perry told Good Morning America that this was his favourite line in the series. Joey is talking in a ramble, contradicting himself and getting everything wrong. That’s when Chandler comes in with this parry.
