OK, I’m gonna try to make this very short, but I don’t think it’s all that weird that towards the end Chandler is put off by Janice. You have to take him into consideration something you mentioned earlier or kind of alluded to. He is very insecure. He’s not sure of himself, I think the final time that Janice basically says I’m going to pick my husband and the father of my child over you even though he’s the one who suggested it I think deep down he really wanted her to pick him and when she didn’t pick him and he built this Reason to hate her and despise her even though deep down, he still had deep feelings for her. If you look at it from that lens, it makes perfect sense. Why all of a sudden that final when she does the husband and goes back to the father of her child and he feels like he was turned down, that he then builds up this wall and refuses to let her in and now despises her, especially taken into consideration that every other time they broke up, it was him who broke up with her. There’s more that I could speak on, but I already feel like I went way past being a short response lol
Yeah, chandler catching the ick so bad for her after she leaves him for her husband actually does really make sense to me. He finally fully opened himself up to her and let her all the way in and went all in on their connection to each other, and she cheats on him and leaves him for her ex. I was in a similar though not as dramatic situation, and though we tried to get back together a year or so afterwards, my avoidant-attachment ass could never truly open up to them in the same way I did BEFORE they decided they couldn't commit to me over their ex. For someone already avoidant to finally muster the strength to work past that avoidance only to have it blow up in their face, its REALLY hard to recover from that kind of rejection.
@@chadwickmelton so your argument is that when faced with some he says he loves chosing what is best for her child and family over him, he turns that love into revilement. I mean it is possible this is "Friends" they are all kinda self involved AHs. But this reading does not make Chandler look any better. The most charitable read is that he values his friends more than a potential reconnection and adopts the groups ick to prevent himself from being in the situation he was in before constantly defending Janice to his closest friends.
@@chadwickmelton sorry if I sounded judgemental. Its a legit theory, very plausible. I defaulted to thinking you were defending his ick, And just wanted to make sure someone was still saying Chandler was wrong for the turn around on Janice.
I disagree. The last time I watched Friends, I started to feel like Chandler didn't deserve Janice at all. He's so mean to her, and she deserves someone way better than Chandler Bing. And true facts, her outfits are supposed to be tacky, but I think she looks so freaking cute. Just adorable.
Ross might be the most evil character in television history. Sopranos, Breaking Bad, The Boys - all of them gave us vile protagonists, but only Friends expects us to consistently root for them to end up with Jennifer Aniston
I totally think part of it was the friends not liking a more assertive dominant relationship style in a woman; they also would constantly go after Monica for being like that (remember all the teasing her for wanting to keep things clean and telling the other friends how to clean and cook and organize, like it was a flaw of hers instead of a strength?). And the irony is Chandler clearly prefers that kind of dynamic, he is happiest in the submissive role, but society and the friend group were not totally willing to accept him like that.
The comparision between Fran from the Nanny and Janice has really struck me. Thats...really specific a thing for them to mock. And Fran is amazing as a character!
That fast-talking woman from Brooklyn archetype was everywhere at the time. Fran Drescher had already been playing that role for years (though The Nanny had just hit big the year prior to Friends debuting), Marisa Tomei won an Oscar for her version, and Rosie Perez found fame with a specific racialized version of it.
It made me a little sad to realize this just now, I loved the nanny growing up! I hate to think of her boyfriends' friends making fun of her like that 😢
I don't think Janice was a specific reference to Drescher, just an ultra-white LA writer's take on a certain type of "ethnic"-but-still-white New York woman - Italian, Jewish, but very Nyu Yoak. More than a bit condescending, kinda urban white trash stereotype - big hair, loud outfits, obnoxious attitude and voice, above all not upper class, refined, or WASPy - that was common, easy to laugh at, but also a safe target for a broad joke that would play for white audiences in general.
@@andrewklang809 It's like the mob wife aesthetic Gen Z had trending, it's immigrant aesthetic alt-WASP. It was considered loud, gaudy, trashy. It was definitely a thing in the 90s, even the Addams Family movie was an interpretation of it. Dark, unconventional, hot-blooded foreigners.
Things between Chandler and Janice may have actually worked out if he had just realized that love is NOT trying to find the perfect person, but instead learning to love an imperfect person for who they are (taking in the good, and the bad). Sean McGuire of Good Will Hunting enunciated this sentiment perfectly: "You're not perfect, Sport. And let me save you the suspense: This girl you met, she isn't perfect either. But the question is whether or not you're perfect for each other. That's the whole deal. That's what intimacy is all about."
I think to an extent that's what happened when they dated while she was separated from her husband. He fell hard for her before knowing who she was, so when he did learn it was her, the things that annoyed him previously and at later points didn't annoy him that time, because he'd already fallen for her over chat. If she hadn't decided to give her marriage another go, they may have ended up married themselves.
I was always of the opinion that Janice being considered cartoonishly unbearable in-universe was too much, she was actually quite cool. This video really made realize two things: 1. I love Janice's outfits, she got a great style, and, 2. I personally think Phoebe, Monica and Rachel ARE cartoonishly unbearable, they are absolute freaks and Janice would be a lot more pleasant to be around.
What I always thought about the baby was that Janice rushed out and had a rebound relationship after Chandler, got pregnant right away, and then married the father. That would partly explain why the marriage doesn't work out; it was rushed and a matter of practical convenience. I appreciate the video. Justice for Janice.
1. That little sock gift scene is so gd adorable. 2. So is your little avatar-narrator-dude. I don't know if that's new, haven't caught a video in a while, but that's a really fun addition to your content!
When Friends first aired, I took it for granted that Janice was annoying. A few years ago, I watched the entire series again, and couldn't understand why everyone hated her. She had a sightly annoying laugh, but she's a sweet and friendly person, and always a lot of fun to have around.
Oh wow, I don't think I've ever met anyone who agrees that Janice is perfect for Chandler before. I mean, I still haven't but you know what I mean. I thought I was the only one
I never liked the Chandler/Monice pairing, after (and around) the initial hookup the show starts to Flanderize. The extended M+C just always felt so unnatural and forced to me, and apparently it was b/c it was originally planned by the writers to be a one night stand. Audience reaction made them stay together, but the writers were going to break them up with Chandler cheating on Monica, the studio made them cut it. So it makes sense that it felt so forced, because it actually was.
I find it very weird that everyone acts like Janice should know that she is getting on Chandlers nerve or aggravating as if he doesn’t do all these things behind her back .. I always liked Janice since I was young she seems like a sweetheart and is honestly too good for Chandler
I love Chandler and Monica so so much but I think they both could have ended up with other people (Chandler with Janice, Monica with Richard) and it would have been a happy healthy relationship if the circumstances were different (Janice being accepted by the friend group or Richard & Monica being on the same page in regards to family). Similar to Phoebe and Mike or Phoebe and David. I think it’s a nice contrast to Ross & Rachel who were always depicted as definite end game no questions asked (when the relationship was never really healthy to begin with), and it mimics real life well in a way that’s - there’s not really one soul mate for you, but multiple people you could end up with, but you will have to be the person to make that decision and make it work.
@@ninjanibba4259 he literally saw her growing from when she was 3 and running around neighbourhood naked. he's literally her father's age wtf it's creepy
I thought the same thing about Monica and Richard, he even came back at the end wanting to give it another go, but she was with Chandler. If Chandler had stayed with Janice I definitely think they would have got together.
The “abandons his girlfriend/booty call every time his friends give him crap for being serious about someone they find mildly annoying but is actually perfectly fine” is insane in how realistic a scenario it is. When I was a very small toddler any my mom was in her mid-20s, she met a guy who she dated for over a year. I have home videos of this guy, who I don’t remember, being WAY more active and supportive in my life than my actual dad has ever been. She said he was the nicest and sweetest guy she’s ever met and he really cared. They got engaged. They were almost married. But during their bachelor/bachelorette weekends his friends spent the entire time giving him the “ball and chain” lecture and he called her in a panic and broke it off. Imagine if your friends were supportive, basically lmao
Honestly Janice was never that bad. Especially compared to the core cast who we're actually supposed to like. She's certainly way more honest than the rest of them and personally I think that's why they didn't like her. She was genuine where they weren't. I think her and Chandler make way more sense than he and Monica, excluding the whole "best friend's little sister i fatshamed for years and wouldn't look at twice until she became conventionally attractive" thing.
Remember, Ross and Janice did hooked up during a particularly low point in Ross’s life after his divorce. However, their relationship didn’t last long because Janice found Ross too annoying and whiny.
Janice was a sweetheart and the most genuine character on this whole show. The friends didn't like her because they're all wildly insecure, addicted to drama, and therefore in a cycle of misery. (I am Janice lmao)
I remember being confused as to why Janice was never part of the core friend group. I always felt she was always around in a way that wasn't true about Gunther or Tom Selleck or Paul Rudd or Rachel dentist husband. (Says a lot I can't even remember most of their names lmao)
There was a really interesting article I read contrasting Janice with Fran Fine on The Nanny - how similar characteristics in each character are treated completely differently by the other characters on each respective show. A lot about what it says about Jewish female representation in the 90s. Very thoughtful read, if you can find it.
It was always in the back of my mind that he ended up with Monica who is phenotypically similar to Janice. She's like none characterized Janice. Janice in another universe if you will. Even their need to care for people…..Chandler specifically. Edit: I wrote this before I finished the video……im so glad it wasn't just me 😅
Great video! I have similar thoughts on the Chandler/Janice relationship but personally I have come to agree with a bit of a different perspective. I subscribe to the theory that Janice is Chandler’s not-soulmate soulmate. She’s clearly correct in that she’s the one the universe is pushing towards Chandler. They are suited for each other in a lot of ways. But I think ultimately they just didn’t work because Chandler didn’t want them to. And I think that’s ok. Most of the time it wasn’t solely Chandler’s friends who disliked her. Save for their one lovey-dovey period, Chandler didn’t particularly like her either. I saw their honeymoon period as Chandler kind of giving in to the universe and just going with it for once. But when it didn’t work out, I was not surprised to see their relationship revert to status quo. Is there a world where Chandler and Janice are together? I think very much yes. But it wasn’t the world we saw on Friends. There they just didn’t fully click and make it work. Chandler got with Monica instead and they chose each other. I love Janice as a character and I love the way they used her. I think part of what makes the not-soulmate soulmate thing so funny and compelling is the fact that there is a legitimate argument they could work. But ultimately I’m glad with how they ended up too.
This was a fantastic video! I love your takes on things and the clips you picked for this show really made your points so well. This was genuinely a very well crafted video. Lovely job
@5:15 I was listening to this and not paying attention to the screen. But when you said, "it's just a theory," I stopped and backed it up a little. Wasn't disappointed.
The worst part of Friends is when they are terrible friends. The best episodes are the ones where they wear their heart on their sleeve and trust the closest people in their life. Too bad theres like 4 episodes where they actually support one anothers relationships.
okay so i never grew up watching friends so i never even knew about janice but im honestly glad i watched this video through because i relate to chandler and his relationship w her. My friends never really liked my gf and there is some truth to their opinion influencing your own but im glad im still with my gf and appreciate all of her qualities that might seem annoying to others. at the end of the day she makes me happy and that's what should truly matter ❤
AND Janice loves Chandler enough to love him from afar. What could be a better expression of unconditional love? She respects that he's not ready but she loves him and is kind to him ANYWAY. Damn after this video I now believe they're endgame too lol
This video has kinda helped me understand why I've always bounced off Friends when I tried it. Same thing with Seinfeld and It's Always Sunny, where the main gimmick is they're just awful people for us to laugh at...I don't do that so well. I think Friends doesn't go as hard, but the main characters being really shallow always rubbed me wrong. This video makes me think they were really invested in being cool, and Janice didn't fit so they pushed her out. And I agree with that other comment that Chandler having his change of heart feels more like he got hurt and internalized his Friends' judgment as his rationalization. But like...do the writers know this? 😂
I'm similar. Although I think Friends might have irritated me more because I usually felt like the show wanted you to like the Friends and mostly I didn't. I think I bailed on it early enough I didn't know some of these plot points.
The Take did an amazing video about 5 years ago called "Is Janice Chandler's soulmate?" I think it came at a perfect time for me. I had the same values I still have but I could easily been influenced by certain manosphere figures that could have recontextualised. Janice is a great person, her being annoying doesn't devalue her as a person.
I think chandler had some inner childhood work he needed to do. Yo-yo’ing a relationship just sounds so unhealthy. But i mean, fictional characters, and to each his own anyways. 🤷🏼 This video was really smooth. I don’t know if I’m being more observant just cuz i read your book, but I don’t recall the last one having quite the same spark (watched after also). Anyways kudos. These are a nice little escape from irl, plus the nostalgia . ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Finally someone's talking about this. I never understood what was wrong with Janice, that she was constantly made fun of on d show. She was always nice to everyone in the gang n seemed to really love Chandler. The show was unfair to her for sure.
Omg I love your take on this! I always thought it was unrealistic and unfair how Janice was portrayed. PLEASE do a video on Emily and Ross (I don’t think they belong together but her hate is so unwarranted). Also a video on Rachel and Joey (i think those two could’ve been good for each other if they let Joey mature. They liked each other and shared similar interests).
HIMYM always just felt like an updated Friends to me, even repeated several gags/storylines. I like the early seasons of both, but imo they both jumped the shark eventually
Interesting, I love both shows but I felt the opposite. With HIMYM I'm like if there wasn't a camera filming this friend group would've broken up years ago. The Barney/Ted/Robin thing would've split them up for sure but there were other plots that made me doubt the characters would stay friends.
I liked Janice. She didn't annoy me that bad cause i loved franny the nanny! 🥰🤣 Janice was a sweetheart. He lied so much to her so she could do so much better. 🥹
Obviously while the fake move to Yemen is unforgivable, my guess is that he kind of “detoxed” after she left him to go back to her husband. He knew he couldn’t make it through another on/off stint and had to make sure he was over her for good.
what a great video thanks for voicing everything i've been thinking about janice all these years. the friends have been pretty trash to each other at multiple times in the series and this is imo one of the worst instances of it
I always thought Janice was a dime. No idea why they made her out to be some awful thing. She was fun and I liked her a lot. I'd give anything to have a Janice in my life.
Oh i can believe that Ross & Rachel got divorced again and got remarried/coparenting again or Joey found his stardom & love But Monica & Chandler breaking up? Never 😊
Ooh - I hadn't considered this. As an autistic person, I can definitely see her as someone ND who's being written by neurotypical folks. (Even if they're not consciously thinking of her that way, if they're basing her on some real life ND people, it has the same effect - I'm drawn to the character in certain ways, but then put off of them because of the mockery.) This is going to give me a lot to think about on top of a lot to think about already from the video! :)
I had a similar thought. I'm autistic and I've noticed a common experience amongst neurodivergent people of being disliked for no reason other than "you're annoying" or "your laugh is weird".
Nah, I doubt it. More like what ""@jeniferjoseph9200" said. "This whole subplot read as mildly anti semetic to me. All the traits they don’t like about her are exaggerated versions of New York Jewish women in the time. As someone who loved the Nanny, the Friends writers choosing to mock her with scorn seemed quite mean and just off to me."
While I agree that Chandler and Janice are toxic soulmates; the ending of your video was very abrupt. Your conclusion is that Chandler and Monica break up and he gets back into the toxic relationship with Janice? I don't think so and I'd say most fans of Friends would agree that the scenario you posed is very unlikely. It would destroy Chandler's character growth from seasons 5-10. Plus, he is happily married to Monica and has two children with her. Betraying that love and family would be in character for seasons 1-4 Chandler but be out of character for seasons 5-10. You mostly brushed off Janice's negative points as not that bad. But to Chandler, his parents divorced and their treatment with/raising him has been very unstable. With Janice, it was the same unstability. With Monica, it has been stable and tested.
The fact that the group hatred of Janice came from Joey and is never addressed really annoys me, if he didn't put the group against her they wouldn't have any issue with her and Chandler being a thing, so it's basically Joey's fault.
This whole subplot read as mildly anti semetic to me. All the traits they don’t like about her are exaggerated versions of New York Jewish women in the time. As someone who loved the Nanny, the Friends writers choosing to mock her with scorn seemed quite mean and just off to me.
My first T1J video was a sitcom analysis of 30 Rock, and these are still my favorite T1J videos. Now for my thoughts on the actual video: I never really got that into Friends. I mainly watched it because it was popular, but all the relationship drama made me dislike it compared to Seinfeld. Not just Chandler and Janice, but Ross and Rachel, and Chandler and Monica. It's not the actors' fault (well, maybe David Schimmer. That guy's listed in the dictionary under "talentless") but the way the show is about upper middle class New Yorkers, disguised as everyday people, just makes it hard to relate to it. I've never been able to rewatch it and enjoy it. But looking at analysis of the show, I think the six friends are the worst for each other, without the humor of actually showing that they're bad people like Seinfeld does. Janice as a character has a couple turnoffs for me (the nasal voice/laugh, but she can't help that!) but the hate for her very much feels like the writers just wanted to create some comedic tension and didn't bother developing any of their characters enough. It felt like lazy characterization when I was in high school, and it feels even lazier today with how much better a lot of sitcoms portray their characters since. Cheers and Seinfeld have aged better, old classic Simpsons still feels funny and relevant even though a lot of that is very laden with 90s references, and Fresh Prince feels more sincere. Friends obviously has status as one of the big 90s sitcoms, but almost all of that is because they're white and sneakily affluent. It's a low tier show in retrospect and I think that's also why there was some mounting backlash/disinterest in the later years.
Besides just not liking the characters much I'd agree the "sneakily affluent" thing was kind of irritating. In the Drew Carey show he had his own house, but I think it was at least indicated he got it from his parents or relatives or something. (Like I have a nice house but am legitimately poor in income. My sister basically designed a wheelchair accessible house for herself, so I could visit, then moved and gave me a nice rental deal on it.) And yeah I think at the time I was into ABC sitcoms maybe more.
I loved Janice. She’s a bit annoying, but who isn’t? Monica is way worse, while Janice is actually fun. Maybe I have a thing for Mediterranean women, but I also think she’s prettier than Monica.
I went down the Fran/Janice rabbit hole a while back, and from what I could find there's no relation. The Friends creators said that wasn't their intent. But they could have just been trying to cover their tracks for legal reasons, so make of that what you will.
No, this relationship was funny af. We all have that one person we bang in life that we are embarrassed by and do our best to keep hidden but damnit they just won't play their damn position.😅😂😅 The episode where he tells her he's going to Yemen and tells her his address over there is 123 Yemen Road, Yemen, lives in my head rent free. Chandler was immature, yes , and Janice was, you know, Janice.
#JusticeForJanice. Also, i never realize how similar her and Monica are, and i totally see it, which would make sense why he was so quick to be more than friends (no pun intended) with her when the time came. So my head canon is Janice returns and finds out Chandler and Monica have the twins. Shes with her first child who Monica notices looks like Chandler, but he doesnt wanna believe it. They confront her, and she tells the truth that it is his and thats why her and her first husband finally split. Both Monica and Chandler and Janice and her current husband agree to be good friends and be as close as the OG group
I was hoping this would be an episode about the soul connection/reflection between people with high self confidence yet low self awareness.. unhealed people
i like janice more than o=any of chandler's friends but i get it why they portray her as someone very annoying. her bubbly personality, her constant talking, cheering, laughing and etc. is charming on screen in very little dosages, but seeing/hearing this in real lfe all day long can be too much. also she's obviously caring but such people also can be too overbearing. plus her very annoying voice lol it's like in HIMYM with glass breaking episode, you really can tolerate these type of 'quirks' only if you really truly deeply love a person. as much as i love Janice, i think i couldn't be able to be around her 24/7 in real life
I enjoyed the video on Janice, but felt like the 2.5-long minute ad in the middle of the video was a bit much. If you made your ads shorter, people might watch them all the way through, instead of skipping. Anyway, Janice was a bit of a tragic character, constantly being broken up with by Chandler, and being lied to with ridiculous lies ("16 Yemen Road, Yemen."). Chandler did her dirty.
Monica and Chandler never sat right with me. It always felt to me like she married him out of desperation brought on by her emotionally abusive parents. She doesn’t seem to respect him or even like his personality very much.
OK, I’m gonna try to make this very short, but I don’t think it’s all that weird that towards the end Chandler is put off by Janice. You have to take him into consideration something you mentioned earlier or kind of alluded to. He is very insecure. He’s not sure of himself, I think the final time that Janice basically says I’m going to pick my husband and the father of my child over you even though he’s the one who suggested it I think deep down he really wanted her to pick him and when she didn’t pick him and he built this Reason to hate her and despise her even though deep down, he still had deep feelings for her. If you look at it from that lens, it makes perfect sense. Why all of a sudden that final when she does the husband and goes back to the father of her child and he feels like he was turned down, that he then builds up this wall and refuses to let her in and now despises her, especially taken into consideration that every other time they broke up, it was him who broke up with her. There’s more that I could speak on, but I already feel like I went way past being a short response lol
That's an interesting perspective i never thought of!
Yeah, chandler catching the ick so bad for her after she leaves him for her husband actually does really make sense to me. He finally fully opened himself up to her and let her all the way in and went all in on their connection to each other, and she cheats on him and leaves him for her ex. I was in a similar though not as dramatic situation, and though we tried to get back together a year or so afterwards, my avoidant-attachment ass could never truly open up to them in the same way I did BEFORE they decided they couldn't commit to me over their ex. For someone already avoidant to finally muster the strength to work past that avoidance only to have it blow up in their face, its REALLY hard to recover from that kind of rejection.
@@chadwickmelton so your argument is that when faced with some he says he loves chosing what is best for her child and family over him, he turns that love into revilement. I mean it is possible this is "Friends" they are all kinda self involved AHs. But this reading does not make Chandler look any better.
The most charitable read is that he values his friends more than a potential reconnection and adopts the groups ick to prevent himself from being in the situation he was in before constantly defending Janice to his closest friends.
@@withainsley my point was to never make Chandler look better. It was to present another side or aspect to his potential psyche.lol
@@chadwickmelton sorry if I sounded judgemental. Its a legit theory, very plausible. I defaulted to thinking you were defending his ick, And just wanted to make sure someone was still saying Chandler was wrong for the turn around on Janice.
I disagree. The last time I watched Friends, I started to feel like Chandler didn't deserve Janice at all. He's so mean to her, and she deserves someone way better than Chandler Bing.
And true facts, her outfits are supposed to be tacky, but I think she looks so freaking cute. Just adorable.
Janice's greatest sin was having an annoying laugh, but Ross gets to stick around. Justice for Janice, man.
right fuck Ross, Janice is just kinda jappy and cute
@@MvenvenIf you're going to call out ross you have to call out rachel too. She's just as bad.
Ross might be the most evil character in television history. Sopranos, Breaking Bad, The Boys - all of them gave us vile protagonists, but only Friends expects us to consistently root for them to end up with Jennifer Aniston
@@joegibbskins That part! He's a demon.
@@Riskofrain527 Nah Ross is worse, we were on a break is a bs excuse
I totally think part of it was the friends not liking a more assertive dominant relationship style in a woman; they also would constantly go after Monica for being like that (remember all the teasing her for wanting to keep things clean and telling the other friends how to clean and cook and organize, like it was a flaw of hers instead of a strength?). And the irony is Chandler clearly prefers that kind of dynamic, he is happiest in the submissive role, but society and the friend group were not totally willing to accept him like that.
I can't help but remember that Joey once says to Chandler "Don't you EVER get on top??'
WHAT IF HE DOESN'T WANT TO, JOEY. WHAT IF HE DOESN'T WANT TO
imagine if his friends were actually good friends lol
Then there wouldn't be a show lol
The comparision between Fran from the Nanny and Janice has really struck me. Thats...really specific a thing for them to mock. And Fran is amazing as a character!
That fast-talking woman from Brooklyn archetype was everywhere at the time. Fran Drescher had already been playing that role for years (though The Nanny had just hit big the year prior to Friends debuting), Marisa Tomei won an Oscar for her version, and Rosie Perez found fame with a specific racialized version of it.
dude I literally thought fran and janice were the exact same actor and character one to one entirely when i was a kid 💀😭
It made me a little sad to realize this just now, I loved the nanny growing up! I hate to think of her boyfriends' friends making fun of her like that 😢
I don't think Janice was a specific reference to Drescher, just an ultra-white LA writer's take on a certain type of "ethnic"-but-still-white New York woman - Italian, Jewish, but very Nyu Yoak. More than a bit condescending, kinda urban white trash stereotype - big hair, loud outfits, obnoxious attitude and voice, above all not upper class, refined, or WASPy - that was common, easy to laugh at, but also a safe target for a broad joke that would play for white audiences in general.
@@andrewklang809 It's like the mob wife aesthetic Gen Z had trending, it's immigrant aesthetic alt-WASP. It was considered loud, gaudy, trashy. It was definitely a thing in the 90s, even the Addams Family movie was an interpretation of it. Dark, unconventional, hot-blooded foreigners.
Things between Chandler and Janice may have actually worked out if he had just realized that love is NOT trying to find the perfect person, but instead learning to love an imperfect person for who they are (taking in the good, and the bad). Sean McGuire of Good Will Hunting enunciated this sentiment perfectly:
"You're not perfect, Sport. And let me save you the suspense: This girl you met, she isn't perfect either. But the question is whether or not you're perfect for each other. That's the whole deal. That's what intimacy is all about."
I think to an extent that's what happened when they dated while she was separated from her husband. He fell hard for her before knowing who she was, so when he did learn it was her, the things that annoyed him previously and at later points didn't annoy him that time, because he'd already fallen for her over chat. If she hadn't decided to give her marriage another go, they may have ended up married themselves.
I was always of the opinion that Janice being considered cartoonishly unbearable in-universe was too much, she was actually quite cool. This video really made realize two things: 1. I love Janice's outfits, she got a great style, and, 2. I personally think Phoebe, Monica and Rachel ARE cartoonishly unbearable, they are absolute freaks and Janice would be a lot more pleasant to be around.
💯
What I always thought about the baby was that Janice rushed out and had a rebound relationship after Chandler, got pregnant right away, and then married the father. That would partly explain why the marriage doesn't work out; it was rushed and a matter of practical convenience. I appreciate the video. Justice for Janice.
1. That little sock gift scene is so gd adorable.
2. So is your little avatar-narrator-dude. I don't know if that's new, haven't caught a video in a while, but that's a really fun addition to your content!
I always really liked Janice and she's definitely treated unfairly by everyone!
Agree!!!
When Friends first aired, I took it for granted that Janice was annoying. A few years ago, I watched the entire series again, and couldn't understand why everyone hated her. She had a sightly annoying laugh, but she's a sweet and friendly person, and always a lot of fun to have around.
Give her a break, she had to deal with dating George Costanza before meeting Chandler.
The unwritten Seinfeld subplot where George has a secret family...
Oh wow, I don't think I've ever met anyone who agrees that Janice is perfect for Chandler before. I mean, I still haven't but you know what I mean. I thought I was the only one
This video has changed me. I didnt realized how much i loved Janice as a character. Shes great!
I never liked the Chandler/Monice pairing, after (and around) the initial hookup the show starts to Flanderize. The extended M+C just always felt so unnatural and forced to me, and apparently it was b/c it was originally planned by the writers to be a one night stand. Audience reaction made them stay together, but the writers were going to break them up with Chandler cheating on Monica, the studio made them cut it. So it makes sense that it felt so forced, because it actually was.
One of her lines to chandler, is, aww arent you a puppy?! And that line has stuck with me for as long! I say it all the time to my 10y/o dog. 😂
I find it very weird that everyone acts like Janice should know that she is getting on Chandlers nerve or aggravating as if he doesn’t do all these things behind her back .. I always liked Janice since I was young she seems like a sweetheart and is honestly too good for Chandler
Chandeliers friends are mean.
everyone on American sitcoms are mean, not just the ones where that's the joke (like Seinfeld)
Chandler was mean!
I did a rewatch of friends in the last year and oh god they're all awful to each other
@@katerrinah5442 only realistic thing about the show
I love Chandler and Monica so so much but I think they both could have ended up with other people (Chandler with Janice, Monica with Richard) and it would have been a happy healthy relationship if the circumstances were different (Janice being accepted by the friend group or Richard & Monica being on the same page in regards to family).
Similar to Phoebe and Mike or Phoebe and David. I think it’s a nice contrast to Ross & Rachel who were always depicted as definite end game no questions asked (when the relationship was never really healthy to begin with), and it mimics real life well in a way that’s - there’s not really one soul mate for you, but multiple people you could end up with, but you will have to be the person to make that decision and make it work.
no no no. richard love story was creepy and weird
@@tanyamoretzthere’s nothing creepy about it
@@ninjanibba4259 he literally saw her growing from when she was 3 and running around neighbourhood naked. he's literally her father's age wtf it's creepy
@@tanyamoretz so? People grow up, it’s not like he was grooming her
Get over it, they’re grown
I thought the same thing about Monica and Richard, he even came back at the end wanting to give it another go, but she was with Chandler. If Chandler had stayed with Janice I definitely think they would have got together.
The “abandons his girlfriend/booty call every time his friends give him crap for being serious about someone they find mildly annoying but is actually perfectly fine” is insane in how realistic a scenario it is. When I was a very small toddler any my mom was in her mid-20s, she met a guy who she dated for over a year. I have home videos of this guy, who I don’t remember, being WAY more active and supportive in my life than my actual dad has ever been. She said he was the nicest and sweetest guy she’s ever met and he really cared.
They got engaged. They were almost married. But during their bachelor/bachelorette weekends his friends spent the entire time giving him the “ball and chain” lecture and he called her in a panic and broke it off.
Imagine if your friends were supportive, basically lmao
Janice is one of the best people in the entire show. I love Janice and none of the "friends" deserved her
Honestly Janice was never that bad. Especially compared to the core cast who we're actually supposed to like. She's certainly way more honest than the rest of them and personally I think that's why they didn't like her. She was genuine where they weren't. I think her and Chandler make way more sense than he and Monica, excluding the whole "best friend's little sister i fatshamed for years and wouldn't look at twice until she became conventionally attractive" thing.
Oooof. Yeah. That part is 😬
Remember, Ross and Janice did hooked up during a particularly low point in Ross’s life after his divorce. However, their relationship didn’t last long because Janice found Ross too annoying and whiny.
Janice and Gunther were about the only recurring characters on the show that worked.
Poor Gunther 😅😅😅
Richard and Mike both worked imo
Janice was a sweetheart and the most genuine character on this whole show. The friends didn't like her because they're all wildly insecure, addicted to drama, and therefore in a cycle of misery. (I am Janice lmao)
Living for all the core Friends hatred in the comments (it's not wrong)
Janice deserves the world!
miss chanandler bong dropped the ball on this one fr
That's ms, thank you
I remember being confused as to why Janice was never part of the core friend group. I always felt she was always around in a way that wasn't true about Gunther or Tom Selleck or Paul Rudd or Rachel dentist husband. (Says a lot I can't even remember most of their names lmao)
I was never a big "Friends" fan, but Chandler was the only character who could reliably make me laugh.
RIP Mr. Perry
We only disliked her because we were told to 😢
#justice4janice
T1J makes me want to rewatch every show I've ever watched and reevaluate how every character really makes me feel 😰
There was a really interesting article I read contrasting Janice with Fran Fine on The Nanny - how similar characteristics in each character are treated completely differently by the other characters on each respective show. A lot about what it says about Jewish female representation in the 90s. Very thoughtful read, if you can find it.
It was always in the back of my mind that he ended up with Monica who is phenotypically similar to Janice. She's like none characterized Janice. Janice in another universe if you will. Even their need to care for people…..Chandler specifically.
Edit: I wrote this before I finished the video……im so glad it wasn't just me 😅
This was awesome man! Rewatching the show as an older adult I always thought Janice was great, so warm and alive.
Yeah, I always liked Janice & Chandler's dynamic with her. The friend group was always a little to hard on her for some reason. Great video!
My man's doing a Friends Ship video of Chandler and Jance
I can respect that
I like Janice. She's sweet and kind, and 100% herself. ☺️
It’s nice to have my perspective on Janice be updated as an adult, great video!
Something interesting about Monica being the most similar to Janice is that Maggie Wheeler, Janice's actress, had originally auditioned for Monica
Oh. My. GODDDDD.
Great video! I have similar thoughts on the Chandler/Janice relationship but personally I have come to agree with a bit of a different perspective. I subscribe to the theory that Janice is Chandler’s not-soulmate soulmate. She’s clearly correct in that she’s the one the universe is pushing towards Chandler. They are suited for each other in a lot of ways. But I think ultimately they just didn’t work because Chandler didn’t want them to. And I think that’s ok.
Most of the time it wasn’t solely Chandler’s friends who disliked her. Save for their one lovey-dovey period, Chandler didn’t particularly like her either. I saw their honeymoon period as Chandler kind of giving in to the universe and just going with it for once. But when it didn’t work out, I was not surprised to see their relationship revert to status quo. Is there a world where Chandler and Janice are together? I think very much yes. But it wasn’t the world we saw on Friends. There they just didn’t fully click and make it work. Chandler got with Monica instead and they chose each other.
I love Janice as a character and I love the way they used her. I think part of what makes the not-soulmate soulmate thing so funny and compelling is the fact that there is a legitimate argument they could work. But ultimately I’m glad with how they ended up too.
We love shipper manifestos in RUclips format. 💜✨
This was a fantastic video! I love your takes on things and the clips you picked for this show really made your points so well. This was genuinely a very well crafted video. Lovely job
thank you :)
When Janice walked away and showed all that movement back there🤯Chandler fumbled hard.
Yesss. When I rewatched the show years ago I realized how awesome Janice is! The rest of the friends are such haters and it kind of bothered me
@5:15 I was listening to this and not paying attention to the screen. But when you said, "it's just a theory," I stopped and backed it up a little. Wasn't disappointed.
The worst part of Friends is when they are terrible friends. The best episodes are the ones where they wear their heart on their sleeve and trust the closest people in their life. Too bad theres like 4 episodes where they actually support one anothers relationships.
Ngl when I watched friends as a kid, I legit thought Janice was Fran. I eventually realized they weren’t connected
The older I get, the more I love Janice!
I have never been invested in Friends, never knew anything about Janice, but i clicked on this video so quickly xD
okay so i never grew up watching friends so i never even knew about janice but im honestly glad i watched this video through because i relate to chandler and his relationship w her. My friends never really liked my gf and there is some truth to their opinion influencing your own but im glad im still with my gf and appreciate all of her qualities that might seem annoying to others. at the end of the day she makes me happy and that's what should truly matter ❤
AND Janice loves Chandler enough to love him from afar. What could be a better expression of unconditional love?
She respects that he's not ready but she loves him and is kind to him ANYWAY. Damn after this video I now believe they're endgame too lol
This video has kinda helped me understand why I've always bounced off Friends when I tried it. Same thing with Seinfeld and It's Always Sunny, where the main gimmick is they're just awful people for us to laugh at...I don't do that so well. I think Friends doesn't go as hard, but the main characters being really shallow always rubbed me wrong. This video makes me think they were really invested in being cool, and Janice didn't fit so they pushed her out. And I agree with that other comment that Chandler having his change of heart feels more like he got hurt and internalized his Friends' judgment as his rationalization. But like...do the writers know this? 😂
I'm similar. Although I think Friends might have irritated me more because I usually felt like the show wanted you to like the Friends and mostly I didn't. I think I bailed on it early enough I didn't know some of these plot points.
The Take did an amazing video about 5 years ago called "Is Janice Chandler's soulmate?" I think it came at a perfect time for me. I had the same values I still have but I could easily been influenced by certain manosphere figures that could have recontextualised. Janice is a great person, her being annoying doesn't devalue her as a person.
Will have to check that out!
Welp, color me convinced, I’m now fully a Janice and chandler Stan lol
She seems so fun and I bet she’d be a really good friend.
One thing this video reminded me of is how much Janice fucking rocked her outfits
I enjoyed this video more than I ever enjoyed watching Friends.
I think chandler had some inner childhood work he needed to do. Yo-yo’ing a relationship just sounds so unhealthy. But i mean, fictional characters, and to each his own anyways. 🤷🏼
This video was really smooth. I don’t know if I’m being more observant just cuz i read your book, but I don’t recall the last one having quite the same spark (watched after also). Anyways kudos. These are a nice little escape from irl, plus the nostalgia . ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I did not know she was almost a main character
yeah, she's in a lot of episodes in the first 3 seasons!
Finally someone's talking about this. I never understood what was wrong with Janice, that she was constantly made fun of on d show. She was always nice to everyone in the gang n seemed to really love Chandler. The show was unfair to her for sure.
Omg I love your take on this! I always thought it was unrealistic and unfair how Janice was portrayed. PLEASE do a video on Emily and Ross (I don’t think they belong together but her hate is so unwarranted). Also a video on Rachel and Joey (i think those two could’ve been good for each other if they let Joey mature. They liked each other and shared similar interests).
I actually love Janice! She's kind, funny, beautiful, smart, and probably great in the sack.
Definitely more chemistry with this couple than with Chandler and Monica
Is it wrong of me to admit that one of the reasons I'm subscribed to you is because I enjoy looking at your face? Please bring it back
Love friends, would love to see More friends video from you
Never got into friends. How I Met Your Mother really felt like a group of friends while Friends always felt like adults in situations.
HIMYM always just felt like an updated Friends to me, even repeated several gags/storylines. I like the early seasons of both, but imo they both jumped the shark eventually
Interesting, I love both shows but I felt the opposite. With HIMYM I'm like if there wasn't a camera filming this friend group would've broken up years ago. The Barney/Ted/Robin thing would've split them up for sure but there were other plots that made me doubt the characters would stay friends.
I liked Janice. She didn't annoy me that bad cause i loved franny the nanny! 🥰🤣
Janice was a sweetheart. He lied so much to her so she could do so much better. 🥹
Janice was always my favorite ❤
Chandler and Monica are happily married with two kids to this day.
Obviously while the fake move to Yemen is unforgivable, my guess is that he kind of “detoxed” after she left him to go back to her husband. He knew he couldn’t make it through another on/off stint and had to make sure he was over her for good.
I was the Janice for a few people Chandler and I am glad I no longer associate with them
what a great video thanks for voicing everything i've been thinking about janice all these years. the friends have been pretty trash to each other at multiple times in the series and this is imo one of the worst instances of it
I always thought Janice was a dime. No idea why they made her out to be some awful thing. She was fun and I liked her a lot. I'd give anything to have a Janice in my life.
Love these sitcom analysis!
Oh i can believe that Ross & Rachel got divorced again and got remarried/coparenting again or Joey found his stardom & love
But Monica & Chandler breaking up? Never 😊
Janice dogged a bullet
This video essay is so sweet, I've loved it! I've never understood all the friends hating on Janice.
i ship it.
but Chandler and Monica were also good before they got together in London.
I think Janice might have been neurodivergent. I always liked her
Ooh - I hadn't considered this. As an autistic person, I can definitely see her as someone ND who's being written by neurotypical folks. (Even if they're not consciously thinking of her that way, if they're basing her on some real life ND people, it has the same effect - I'm drawn to the character in certain ways, but then put off of them because of the mockery.) This is going to give me a lot to think about on top of a lot to think about already from the video! :)
I had a similar thought. I'm autistic and I've noticed a common experience amongst neurodivergent people of being disliked for no reason other than "you're annoying" or "your laugh is weird".
Nah, I doubt it. More like what ""@jeniferjoseph9200" said.
"This whole subplot read as mildly anti semetic to me. All the traits they don’t like about her are exaggerated versions of New York Jewish women in the time. As someone who loved the Nanny, the Friends writers choosing to mock her with scorn seemed quite mean and just off to me."
@@samhayet4286You know Monica is also supposed to be Jewish?
While I agree that Chandler and Janice are toxic soulmates; the ending of your video was very abrupt. Your conclusion is that Chandler and Monica break up and he gets back into the toxic relationship with Janice? I don't think so and I'd say most fans of Friends would agree that the scenario you posed is very unlikely. It would destroy Chandler's character growth from seasons 5-10. Plus, he is happily married to Monica and has two children with her. Betraying that love and family would be in character for seasons 1-4 Chandler but be out of character for seasons 5-10. You mostly brushed off Janice's negative points as not that bad. But to Chandler, his parents divorced and their treatment with/raising him has been very unstable. With Janice, it was the same unstability. With Monica, it has been stable and tested.
The fact that the group hatred of Janice came from Joey and is never addressed really annoys me, if he didn't put the group against her they wouldn't have any issue with her and Chandler being a thing, so it's basically Joey's fault.
This whole subplot read as mildly anti semetic to me. All the traits they don’t like about her are exaggerated versions of New York Jewish women in the time. As someone who loved the Nanny, the Friends writers choosing to mock her with scorn seemed quite mean and just off to me.
Oh, the "Friends" are all haters.
Broke: "Ross is the worst'.
Woke: "All of them except Phoebe are the worst."
My first T1J video was a sitcom analysis of 30 Rock, and these are still my favorite T1J videos. Now for my thoughts on the actual video:
I never really got that into Friends. I mainly watched it because it was popular, but all the relationship drama made me dislike it compared to Seinfeld. Not just Chandler and Janice, but Ross and Rachel, and Chandler and Monica. It's not the actors' fault (well, maybe David Schimmer. That guy's listed in the dictionary under "talentless") but the way the show is about upper middle class New Yorkers, disguised as everyday people, just makes it hard to relate to it. I've never been able to rewatch it and enjoy it. But looking at analysis of the show, I think the six friends are the worst for each other, without the humor of actually showing that they're bad people like Seinfeld does. Janice as a character has a couple turnoffs for me (the nasal voice/laugh, but she can't help that!) but the hate for her very much feels like the writers just wanted to create some comedic tension and didn't bother developing any of their characters enough. It felt like lazy characterization when I was in high school, and it feels even lazier today with how much better a lot of sitcoms portray their characters since.
Cheers and Seinfeld have aged better, old classic Simpsons still feels funny and relevant even though a lot of that is very laden with 90s references, and Fresh Prince feels more sincere. Friends obviously has status as one of the big 90s sitcoms, but almost all of that is because they're white and sneakily affluent. It's a low tier show in retrospect and I think that's also why there was some mounting backlash/disinterest in the later years.
Besides just not liking the characters much I'd agree the "sneakily affluent" thing was kind of irritating. In the Drew Carey show he had his own house, but I think it was at least indicated he got it from his parents or relatives or something. (Like I have a nice house but am legitimately poor in income. My sister basically designed a wheelchair accessible house for herself, so I could visit, then moved and gave me a nice rental deal on it.) And yeah I think at the time I was into ABC sitcoms maybe more.
I loved Janice. She’s a bit annoying, but who isn’t? Monica is way worse, while Janice is actually fun. Maybe I have a thing for Mediterranean women, but I also think she’s prettier than Monica.
im so here for thisss
The universe may wanted them together but both of them came to realize that not what they wanted and I am happy for both of them
Yaaaas friends content!!!
Another banger!
I went down the Fran/Janice rabbit hole a while back, and from what I could find there's no relation. The Friends creators said that wasn't their intent. But they could have just been trying to cover their tracks for legal reasons, so make of that what you will.
Janice was the real Mrs. Chanandler Bong.
Janice is a sweetheart.
This video is wild 😅
No, this relationship was funny af. We all have that one person we bang in life that we are embarrassed by and do our best to keep hidden but damnit they just won't play their damn position.😅😂😅
The episode where he tells her he's going to Yemen and tells her his address over there is 123 Yemen Road, Yemen, lives in my head rent free.
Chandler was immature, yes , and Janice was, you know, Janice.
Janice is like the girl version of Steve Urkel and Chandler is the guy version of Laura ❤
#JusticeForJanice. Also, i never realize how similar her and Monica are, and i totally see it, which would make sense why he was so quick to be more than friends (no pun intended) with her when the time came. So my head canon is Janice returns and finds out Chandler and Monica have the twins. Shes with her first child who Monica notices looks like Chandler, but he doesnt wanna believe it. They confront her, and she tells the truth that it is his and thats why her and her first husband finally split. Both Monica and Chandler and Janice and her current husband agree to be good friends and be as close as the OG group
I always liked janice, i thought she was sexy, and idk i thought her voice was cute and i think they chandler and her would have been great together
I was hoping this would be an episode about the soul connection/reflection between people with high self confidence yet low self awareness.. unhealed people
i like janice more than o=any of chandler's friends but i get it why they portray her as someone very annoying. her bubbly personality, her constant talking, cheering, laughing and etc. is charming on screen in very little dosages, but seeing/hearing this in real lfe all day long can be too much. also she's obviously caring but such people also can be too overbearing. plus her very annoying voice lol it's like in HIMYM with glass breaking episode, you really can tolerate these type of 'quirks' only if you really truly deeply love a person. as much as i love Janice, i think i couldn't be able to be around her 24/7 in real life
I enjoyed the video on Janice, but felt like the 2.5-long minute ad in the middle of the video was a bit much. If you made your ads shorter, people might watch them all the way through, instead of skipping.
Anyway, Janice was a bit of a tragic character, constantly being broken up with by Chandler, and being lied to with ridiculous lies ("16 Yemen Road, Yemen."). Chandler did her dirty.
i like chandler and monica together, but Janice always seemed good when he was with her never had a problem with her
Janice, Julie and David all deserved better.
Monica and Chandler never sat right with me. It always felt to me like she married him out of desperation brought on by her emotionally abusive parents. She doesn’t seem to respect him or even like his personality very much.
It's not unusual