Everybody has that one Friends character who just gets them. And it makes sense — the six leads are archetypes in and of themselves: Joey Tribbiani’s the playboy, Pheobe Buffay’s the “weird one,” Rachel Green’s the girly-girl, Monica Geller’s the control freak, Ross Geller is the nerd, and Chandler Bing is… well, Chandler Bing. Can you guess which one has me screaming “SAME!” at my computer screen? Yep, Mr. Bing himself.
What can I say? Something about the idea of being a “data transpondster” has me waking up on the right side of the bed, and walking around with a little extra pep in my step. At this point in my life, Chandler sums up the life of a twentysomething millennial better than any other TV character at the moment. And he’s note even a millennial.
Here are all the times that we were one and the same at Chandler Bing:
1. When he prioritized drinking over everything else
It’s five o’clock somewhere! Social events almost always revolve around alcohol. Brunch: mimosas and Bloody Marys. Girls’ night in: wine (red AND white). Taco Tuesday: frozen margaritas. Post-work day happy hour: all of the above (and more). You’ve got to live while you’re young! And what better way to live than to drink your days away?
2. When he failed miserably at finding love
This one is TOO real. Finding a decent love interest these days is like finding a needle in a haystack…lost in space. While most of us thought we’d go off to college, meet a decent suitor, fall in love, and the rest would be history… the reality is much, much different.
It looks like the movies lied about that one. But hey, at least Chandler Bing told me the truth.
3. When he practiced a little self-indulgence
There’s nothing wrong with a taking some ‘me’ time every once and a while (okay, maybe once every day). And capturing the perfect Instagram photo isn’t the only thing a warm bubble bath is good for. After a hard day of work, you definitely deserve to relax the night away. Even Chandler knows that!
4. When he mastered the fake it ‘til you make it smile
There’s a lot of grunt work in entry-level positions, and that means a lot of pleasing your higher-ups. “Just suck it up and do it” is basically our motto. To make it work, you’ve got to master the this-looks-real-but-it’s-not-real smile and adopt it as your go-to facial expression. Without it, you’ll be fired faster than they can say, “do you have a problem with that?”
5. When he questioned his entire existence
Been there, done that. Re-evaluating everything and anything 24/7 becomes second nature when you’re stuck in the post-adolescence, pre-true adulthood limbo. Luckily, we can sleep easy knowing that we’re not alone with our obsessive need to question who we are and what’s going on around us.
The short answer? Nothing’s wrong with you, Chandler. Just keep swimming!
6. When he summed up emotional unintelligence for us all
I’m definitely not bragging about this one, and The Bachelor‘s Taylor definitely wouldn’t approve, but it’s at least reassuring to know that Chandler Bing feels with his emotions just as poorly as the rest of us. I’ve said it once, but I’ll say it again: we’re all still growing up.
7. When he tried (and failed) to still look cool at the club
Sure, most things get better with time (like wine and cheese, duh!) but there are some exceptions to that rule. First and foremost: dancing. It takes a while to realize that once a bad dancer, always a bad dancer. Hopefully, the rest of my fellow twenty-somethings will follow in my footsteps and pick up on that not so small detail soon.
8. When he accepted the fact that he just can’t do anything right
Not everyone’s perfect (actually, not. a. single. person. in. the. world.), and Chandler’s proof that we should all just embrace that very true fact. Living and learning is part of this decade whether you admit it or not.
9. When he understood the true meaning of brunch
Can’t stop, wont’ stop. No matter how full you are, once you pay for bottomless brunch, there’s always room for more. You wouldn’t want those unbelievably fluffy pancakes drizzled in syrup and topped with fresh fruit to go to waste now, would you? Chandler definitely wouldn’t.
10. When he just couldn’t get a grip on life
In his defense, the chair was already broken before he sat in it. But disregarding that I can’t help but feel like this GIF accurately describes life in general. Just when you think everything is smooth sailing and we let our guards down, we fall back onto the ground. That’s just the way it is.
11. When he had a quarter-life crisis
Every. Single. Day. Everyone else seems to have it all figured out by now, while we’re aimlessly wandering around, lost in the crowd. Seriously, if we had a dollar for every time what am I doing with my life? flashed through our minds, we would have enough money to buy out Monica’s apartment from under her.
12. When he said exactly what we’re all thinking
I don’t want to sound desperate, but…I’m desperate. As previously mentioned, finding a decent romantic partner is like finding a needle in a haystack in the middle of space in a galaxy far, far away. And being helplessly awkward definitely doesn’t lend a helping hand when it comes to searching one out.
13. When he fell for the you have really pretty eyes line
It’s a lesson we all have to learn at one point or another, buddy. There are people out there that have a few tricks up their sleeves, and you might not realize it until after you get up close and personal. Once you spot them out, stay as far away as possible.
14. When he gave up on trying to find the one
Right now, being alone forever seems very, very likely. The only beacon of hope? Chandler Bing. If he can turn a longtime friendship into a lifelong relationship, anyone can. Monica and Chandler ended up on one of the most iconic TV couples in history. Here’s to hoping the rest of us can make it out of the awkward phase alive too.
15. When he wasn’t afraid to call out his friends
He’s just calling it like he sees it! The time for tolerating bad friends is way behind us. There’s no reason to bury your feelings and opinions below the surface. Swapping passive aggressive attitudes for up-front honesty is pinnacle of maturity.
16. When he finally stood up to his roommates
While most of us are non-confrontational AF (we can’t all be Scorpios), when it comes to roommates, sometimes you’ve just gotta call them the eff out. Just like your twentysomethings are the times when you get past the point of tolerating bad friends, we’re well-beyond putting up with sharing everything and anything that we own with a rando just cause they have no sense of personal boundaries. Don’t be afraid to say it.
17. When he discovered the magic of Tinder
Alright, so Tinder wasn’t actually a thing back in the glory days of Friends, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t relate to Chandler’s love for online dating. Remember the whole needle in a haystack thing? Well, the only way to navigate that haystack is with a few right swipes and a whole lot of left swipes.
18. When he developed new (and useful) skills
Sleeping whenever heavenly possible has twentysomething written all over it. We aren’t as young as we used to be, but we still haven’t realized that we’ll never be younger than we are right now. If you ask me, Chandler Bing’s ability to sleep with his eyes open is a dream come true. We’re working on it.