It’s been a month since fans and colleagues learned of Matthew Perry’s sudden and untimely death. Although the actor, who died at the age of just 54, also appeared in countless films, his best-known role is and remains that of Chandler Bing from the cult sitcom ‘Friends’, which Perry played for ten years and as many seasons. During this time, 236 episodes have been collected – which obviously gives fans plenty of opportunities to debate which one is actually the best.
If Matthew Perry has his way, the question has long been answered: in his eyes, it will be the seventh episode of season 1, which is called ‘Dark Passion’ in this country, but is more appropriately titled ‘The Blackout’ in the original. Because that’s exactly what the episode is about: a blackout (i.e. a power outage) paralyzes New York. While the rest of the friends make themselves comfortable in Monica and Rachel’s apartment by candlelight, Chandler is stuck in the front room of a couch – along with Victoria’s Secret model Jill Goodacre.
Matthew Perry: ‘The interesting thing is I haven’t spoken much’
Although there is hardly any direct dialogue, we hear via voice-over how Chandler looks for ways to draw attention to himself and make contact with his fellow sufferer – which of course leads to all kinds of embarrassing situations. Although a relatively unusual episode, episode 7 was the first time Perry felt the show’s concept was fully realized, as he told Entertainment Weekly (through ):
“The interesting thing about this episode is that I didn’t talk much,” he said.No half things“-Star. “We had pre-recorded the voice-over and I had to respond to it in the scene. Let’s be honest: Jill Goodacre is hot, so it wasn’t that hard. I remember spitting out the gum and it stuck to the wall. I decided to freeze completely from fear and shame. It was one of those things that the producers liked and kept in the episode. But the best thing about the evening of the shoot was meeting the others too saw three quarters of the series, with five great actors doing great ensemble work. It was the first time I felt like the series would work.”
Perry was of course right in his feeling: Even almost twenty years after the end, ‘Friends’ is one of the most popular and successful sitcoms ever, which, in addition to the sharp, imaginative scripts, is mainly due to the unique chemistry of the ensemble.