As I tried to decide what whimsical post I could write for this week, two feathered friends (from the show Friends) popped into my mind. That's right. I'm talking about Joey and Chandler's pet duck and pet chick. These additions to the sitcom were ridiculous and pointless, but wonderful and perfect. So let's get into it with these two.
Easter 1995
I didn't even think about this post as an Easter post when I began mentally planning it, but it's true; it all began with a news report Joey saw that spring. The reporter talked about the cautions of giving baby chicks as gifts at Easter... only for Joey to somehow interpret it as a commercial for Easter baby chicks. And because he couldn't return the chick, or else the chick would be euthanized, he came home with the duck as well, saving him from the same fearful fate.
Chick
First thought to be a female chick, Chandler called the baby Yasmin, after his favorite on Baywatch. Later on, the boys discovered that the chick was maturing into a rooster. I guess that's no different than baby Chandler being a girl. But that discovery of the chick being a rooster was the catalyst for Monica put her apartment on the line in a bet, trying to evict the poultry pals. Other heartwarming moments with "Yasmin" included Chandler and Joey trying to get him to swim (and the subsequently blow drying) and Chandler watching Baywatch with little Yasmin.
Duck
After rescuing the duck from euthanizing, the duck became the final member of Joey and Chandler's little bromantic home. Despite the chick coming first, the duck became involved in more comical moments than the chick. Probably because he was louder than his brother. And according to Rachel, he riled up the maturing rooster. Some of my favorite funny moments with the duck include peeing on Ross's letter to Emily, visiting Phoebe's guru, and being put in time out.
Their Legacy
The antics of the chick and the duck played into the recurring gag of Chandler and Joey acting like a married couple, with the fowls being their children. I love the Chandler/Joey bromance and the fact that it continues after Chandler and Monica get married. Everyone needs a friend like Joey and the two pets just completed the package. We don't know exactly what happened to the two and when, but it was implied that sometime after Season 6 appearances, they died (or were sent to a "special farm"). They weren't forgotten though, as Joey got Chick Jr. and Duck Jr. as a housewarming present for Monica and Chandler. He kept them for himself in the end, but they were never seen in the Joey spin-off. So the second generation of feathered friends have an unknown fate. But I think it's obvious that Friends wouldn't be the same without these two.
No comments:
Post a Comment