And his comedic talent was never more evident than in “The One Where Everybody Finds Out,” as noted by Laura Martin.
Selecting a favorite Chandler episode from Friends is akin to being tasked with choosing between the chick and the duck: an almost impossible endeavor.
Throughout ten years of primetime television, Matthew Perry – who tragically passed away at the age of 54 this past weekend – stood out among the formidable comedic ensemble of his five co-stars: Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, and Matt LeBlanc. He transformed the sarcastic and neurotic Chandler into one of the show’s most humorous characters. With adept delivery of Chandler’s sassy and sarcastic remarks, he illuminated the heightened anxieties of a twenty-something navigating life in the wittiest manner possible, often drawing from his own personality.
Over the course of 236 Friends episodes, Chandler had numerous moments that made audiences burst into laughter, and everyone has their personal favorites. There’s the unforgettable Season Four, Episode 15, where he pretends to be relocating to Yemen to escape his exasperating girlfriend, Janice. In a beautifully executed farcical moment, he scurries back through the airport gate with Janice waiting to see him off, pretending not to notice her, only to break into laughter and tears when he’s forced to board the plane. (“Well then, I guess I’m going to Yemen!”). Then there’s Season One, Episode Seven, where he gets stuck in an ATM vestibule with Victoria’s Secret model Jill Goodacre and launches into a tortured inner monologue (“Gum would be perfection? I loathe myself,” he scolds) that hits every comedic beat while exposing Chandler’s crippling sense of inadequacy. However, if there’s one episode that truly encapsulates Perry’s talents as Chandler, it’s arguably “The One Where Everybody Finds Out.”
A delightful game of deception
Appearing in the middle of Season Five, it serves as the climax of the storyline where Chandler and Monica have been seeing each other in secret. When Phoebe accidentally witnesses the couple in an intimate moment, she and Rachel decide that she should seduce Chandler to make him admit his relationship with Monica.
In the opening sketch of the episode, we witness Perry’s unique delivery that famously influenced how millennials spoke, as the gang discusses the butt of Monica and Rachel’s ever-nude neighbor, Ugly Naked Guy. Chandler says, staring at his takeout container, “And now we’re done with the chicken fried rice,” with his sentence ending in a downward inflection, contrasting with the upbeat and rising intonation of his co-stars. Perry later explained in his 2022 memoir how he honed his comedic style through his distinctive line readings. “I read the words in an unexpected fashion, emphasizing elements that no one else had emphasized… I didn’t realize it at the time, but my speaking style would permeate culture over the next few decades,” he wrote. “At that moment, though, I was simply striving to find intriguing ways to deliver lines that were already humorous, but that I believed I could truly make come alive.”
The subsequent love-bluff game is a delightful showcase of slapstick humor. Realizing that Phoebe and Rachel have discovered their relationship, Chandler and Monica decide to outwit them. “The jokers become the fooled!” exclaims Chandler with delight.
The seduction scene perfectly highlights Perry’s impeccable comic creativity and timing. Chandler must navigate the fine line between pretending to be interested in a liaison with Phoebe while preventing things from going too far. As Chandler strives to exude an air of nonchalance, Perry expertly manipulates the numerous layers of required body language, adding depth to the humor. Whether it’s Chandler’s faux-casual stroll into his apartment with Phoebe or his hand hesitating over her chest before awkwardly resting on her shoulder, the scene is a masterclass in comic timing.
