Though it was already a hit sitcom at the time, Friends changed forever when Chandler and Monica got together.
Ross and Rachel might have gotten more focus when the show was on the air, but long after the show ended, Chandler and Monica are perhaps the most important couple of the series as the audience got to experience so many big moments from the two. Taking a look at the timeline of their relationship highlights some of the biggest and most memorable moments of the series.
With the tragic death of Matthew Perry, many fans have looked back on Chandler’s best moments on Friends and found it’s impossible to separate them from his relationship with Monica. While it was a risk to put two characters from the ensemble together romantically so late into the series, their chemistry worked so well that it was an easy pairing to cheer for. From the shocking moment they got together to their wedding and planning their future, Chandler and Monica’s romance made Friends even better.
For the first four seasons of Friends, Monica and Chandler are very just friends, with a very platonic relationship. They both pursue relationships with other people, and the “will they/won’t they” aspect of the show is exclusively on Ross and Rachel. They do have a few cute relationship-adjacent moments, though, that hint to fans at something more to come. In one episode, Chandler suggests to Monica that they be each other’s ‘back up’ person, and spends time showing her what a great boyfriend he would be. It’s intended as a joke, but was foreshadowing in hindsight.
They also often seem closer than some of the others on the show, but nothing comes of it. However, Friends went for the risky “friends to lovers” approach at the end of season 4, when Monica and Chandler hook up in London. Despite the fact that they intend this to be a one-time thing, the season four finale is the episode where Monica and Chandler get together – ‘The One With Ross’ Wedding: Part 2′.
The season ends with them even almost getting married in Friends’ classic Las Vegas episode, but deciding at the end that it is too soon – and they should move in together instead. This season does a fantastic job of making a relationship compelling viewing, without relying on fights or breakups to do it, and it’s easy to see how these two are going to end up together.
Season 6 keeps things moving with the relationship milestones as Monica and Chandler move in together and get engaged over the course of this season. Once again, the season shows how a relationship can be kept interesting without having to have the pair break up and makeup over and over. This season, it’s all about learning to live together and forming a relationship that is getting more serious than anyone expected.
“The One With The Proposal” ended up being the most important Monica and Chandler episode to that point. This is made even more emotional than a usual TV proposal because Richard reappears at the very end when Chandler is trying to make Monica think he isn’t going to propose (even though he is). This leaves Monica with what looks like a decision to make. Of course, her decision was made long before, and she proposes to Chandler in a candlelit scene that is one of the most heartwarming of the show.
Monica and Chandler continue to hit their milestones in this season, as they get married. Definitely the biggest wedding in the entire series, the entire season is a lead-up to the big day, with the actual wedding taking up the two-part Friends finale.
Once again, there are some ups and downs surrounding the upcoming nuptials, such as Chandler’s fear of becoming like his parents, and Monica’s Type-A personality taking over the planning. However, the season continues to reiterate that Chandler and Monica are soulmates. Even when Chandler gets cold feet right before the wedding, him thinking that Monica is pregnant proves to him how much he wants to build a life with her.
