It’s an episode in which Chandler “didn’t speak much” said the actor, who died last month.
A month ago, we learned of the tragic death, at the age of 54, of Matthew Perry, the famous interpreter of Chandler Bing in Friends. Broadcast between 1994 and 2004 – and constantly rebroadcast since – the sitcom quickly earned a place of choice in the Pantheon of the best series of all time. As such, many lists ranking its best episodes have been published over time and everyone has their favorite episode…including Matthew Perry.
AN EPISODE IN WHICH CHANDLER SPEAKS LITTLE
“The One with the Juice” is the seventh episode of the first season and features two storylines occurring during a power outage. On the one hand, Joey, Monica, Phoebe, Rachel and Ross exchange secrets in Monica’s apartment, on the other, Chandler finds himself stuck in the vestibule of a vending machine with model Jill Goodacre.
And if Matthew Perry had a particular affection for this episode, it was for two reasons: the first was the fact that most of its dialogue was recorded in voiceover, and the second, perhaps more important, was that this episode is one that made him understand that the series was working, in particular thanks to his colleagues, as he confided to Entertainment Weekly in 2004:
“What’s interesting about this episode is that I didn’t talk much; it was mostly voiceover. We pre-recorded what I said and I had to react. Let’s be real: Jill Goodacre is hot so it wasn’t that hard…. I remember spitting out my gum and it stuck to the wall. It was my choice to remain completely frozen in fear and embarrassment. It was one of those things that the producers loved and it stuck…. What was great about that evening was that I also got to watch the other three quarters of the show, which was these five great actors doing incredible ensemble work. It was the first time I realized, ‘Well, the show works.’”
Friends enjoyed enormous success with the public as soon as it was broadcast but it is very likely that this seventh episode was filmed before the official debut of the series on the small screen: for the actor, it would therefore seem that it was this one which convinced that the show would be appreciated. The series finally had 10 seasons and will be remembered as one of the best comedies in television history, period.
Friends can be seen in its entirety on Netflix.