Friends. Season 3, Episode 8. "The One with the Giant Poking Device" Chandler & Janice split.
Couple of things here you don't expect to see in a situation comedy series: strong continuity with the previous episode and heartfelt character drama. But they are here.
At the end of the previous episode Joey saw that Chandler's girlfriend was cheating on him. And, in this episode, he - eventually - tells Chandler. Matthew Perry has rarely been better. Four episodes earlier, it appeared that Chandler and Janice were splitting up and Chandler was a mess. But Matthew Perry played it differently. He played it for laughs. This time, the script doesn't call for laughs and Perry plays it very real. The dart throwing scene, for example, is spot on.
In many ways, Friends is just a dumbed-down version of Seinfeld. But, having said that, they totally took the ball and ran with it and - in the process - came up up with something special and wonderful in it's own right. And something unique. The perfect mix between laughs, serial and drama is highlighted in this chapter and it is a frequent part of the Friends mix.
The final goodbye between Chandler and Janice is also terrific. Our hero starts out noble and self-sacrificing. But, then, he caves and starts to plead with her to leave. And, it's not funny. Or, even, pathetic. Instead, it's just human and easy to relate to. Remarkable. The scene could have gone many ways, and Perry could have played it however he wanted, but there's no hard comedy or pathos here (a chuckle, yes, and a pang of pity, yes) instead the scene is very honest. OTT, yes, but honest nonetheless.
And Janice leaves. Minus a shoe. Friends had many, many great supporting characters and Janice was certainly one of my favourites. I always assumed - in those days before Monica - that Chandler and she would end up together and watching these early season again I can see why. Maggie Wheeler is hot and funny. Ideal partner material, crazy laugh and all.
Speaking of supporting characters, Gunther has a line in this one, immediately running with the (recently introduced) idea that he has a crush on Rachel and hates Ross. Good stuff.
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Friends. Season 3, Episode 8. "The One with the Giant Poking Device"
