I went to the movies with BFF Amy last night. We went and saw The Killers of the Flower Moon. It was a dark movie, long, but very good. Three hours long, and when we got out, and went our separate ways, I got home and looked at my phone. First thing I see on the old Facebook is a shared news report saying Matthew Perry was found in his Jacuzzi, dead from an apparent drowning. It made me audibly gasp.
It’s been a bad week, not just for me, but for nearly everyone I know had something bad, awful or just sad happen. The list is long, but a couple of the low spots were my sister-in-law Heidi’s dad lost his cancer battle, as did the guy that started and ran a Brewers Fan page on Facebook that I follow. My Zelda was sick on Wednesday, to the point I was scared for her, and neither of us slept that night. (She thankfully is better now, but I don’t need that scare again!) People I know had losses, car accidents, illnesses and more. It truly felt like the universe was just piling on all of us.
Going to the movies with my best friend was just the thing to make a long, tough week start the calm down after hell week. A great little way to escape. I knew that movie wasn’t a pick me up, having read reviews of the book and movie. But a giant bucket of fake buttered popcorn can get you through anything. And we did have a good time, I think we both liked the movie, and I know we like the milkshakes we had before the movie, and the above mentioned popcorn. I left that theater and was feeling good.
Celebrity deaths hit you for a minute, and you move on. I know when Betty White died I took that hard. Same with Tom Petty, I am still not over that one. But seeing that Matthew Perry died, well that was a cold slap. I have watched every “Friends” episode more times than I can count. I know Matthew Perry isn’t Chandler, except he is. Then he had his book come out, detailing his struggles with addiction, and all the problems that brought into his life. It made him so human, so relatable. People fight so hard for their recovery, and he did as well. They haven’t said what happened, and I am not going to speculate that he relapsed, that isn’t fair without facts. Years of the abuse his addictions may have caused could be a part of it. Addictions are incredibly hard on your heart, and other body functions, and can shorten a lifespan. Regardless, his death hurts.
I was in my 20s when “Friends” came on the air. Roughly the same age as the characters. So their struggles in finances, romance, and friendships were so relatable. I felt like I could drop seamlessly into an episode, and be the 7th friend. When the series ended, I was adrift for a while, not finding anything else on TV that felt like it was mine. I know it’s weird, but that is what good shows do, they include you into their existence. It’s an escape, for a half hour at a time. Who watched “Friends” and didn’t feel an affinity for Chandler? He was sarcastic, funny, awkward, terrible at relationships. He was a male version of me, to an extent.
It hurts too, because he was only 54 years old. I will be 54 in a smidge over a month from now. That hits a little different as you go through life too. When famous people who you watched for years pass, and they are the same age you are, it reminds you of your own mortality. We will all physically leave this world, at some point. 54 is young, and especially since he struggled through so many of those 54 years with his demons. Rest in Peace, Matthew Perry, you deserve peace now, more than anything.
To pick a favorite Chandler moment is probably impossible. But if I had to choose, one of my favorites is when the other friends figured out about Chandler and Monica, and Phoebe seduces him to make them admit their relationship. When they are on their “date” and she walks in with her shirt open, showing her bra. His reactions and how he finally freaks out and admits his love for Monica, well, that’s just excellent. That’s just one of many, many funny moments. It’s just too hard to choose because he was so brilliant at being Chandler, and we will always have that. “Friends” reruns will run forever. It’s his legacy, and you can always visit your friends.
Coco's Veiw of the World 