Monica and Chandler are one of the best couples in Friends, and even though Chandler’s preparations to propose to Monica were disastrous, it became one of the show’s most memorable storylines – however, a theory suggests that all that mess was Richard’s fault, as he sabotaged Chandler’s proposal on purpose. Friends continues to be one of the greatest TV shows ever made, and its arrival to the world of streaming has made its fanbase grow, which in turn has made way for a variety of interpretations of the show, its characters, and its events, as well as a bunch of theories.
Friends took the audience to New York City to follow the lives of a group of six young adults who did their best to juggle their social, personal, and professional lives while also dealing with everything adulthood threw at them. Over the course of 10 seasons, Monica, Chandler, Phoebe, Joey, Rachel, and Ross went through all types of obstacles – from different jobs to problems between them and, of course, different relationships. One couple who became one of Friends’ most popular and solid pairs is Monica and Chandler, and following the sense of humor of the show, their relationship was full of ups, downs, sad, and funny moments.
Chandler, who was the one member of the group afraid of commitment, took a big step when he decided to propose to Monica, but even that unleashed a series of problems for him and Monica. Chandler did his best to distract Monica and make her believe that he still had commitment issues so she wouldn’t suspect he was about to propose, but it didn’t go as planned and got even messier when Monica’s ex-boyfriend, Richard Burke (Tom Selleck), showed up. The way Chandler’s proposal developed made way for a theory that suggests it was messy because of Richard, who intentionally sabotaged Chandler’s plans as soon as he realized what he was about to do.
Friends Theory: Richard Tried To Sabotage Chandler’s Proposal
A theory posted on Reddit suggests that Richard knew that Chandler was going to propose when they came across at the restaurant, and so he went on to sabotage this important moment. Chandler was originally going to propose to Monica during dinner at a nice restaurant, and Chandler (very on-brand) was extremely nervous, so much that he kept checking his jacket’s pocket where he kept the ring. Chandler even refused to give his jacket to Monica when she said she was cold, and once that awkwardness was over, he started his speech… and was interrupted by Monica, who saw Richard coming in with his date. The author of the theory points out that, when Chandler awkwardly hugged Richard, the latter felt the box in his pocket, and he quickly realized that Monica wasn’t going to be available anymore. This is also why he took the table next to them when the waiter said it was available, as he knew Chandler wouldn’t go on with his proposal if he was there.
Days later, Richard showed up at the restaurant where Monica worked and told her he wanted to marry her and have kids with her, as he knew well that’s what Monica wanted when they were together. With Chandler lying to her by saying he didn’t want to get married and Richard suddenly declaring his love to her, Monica became conflicted, but luckily, Joey saved his friends’ relationship by telling Monica the truth.
How This Friends Theory Changes Richard & Monica
The couples in Friends are a regular topic of debate among the show’s viewers, as some believe the main characters were better off with other partners and others are big supporters of the endgame pairs. Monica and Richard were one of the most important couples in Friends, but the age difference between them eventually impacted their relationship as they wanted different things, leading to their break up. Monica struggled to get over Richard, and they even became “friends with benefits” for a while, so it was heartwarming to see her in a happy, loving, and stable relationship with Chandler. Richard Burke is often seen as a good man and one of Monica’s best boyfriends, but this theory completely changes that perspective.
The theory makes Richard a selfish man, who didn’t care about ruining a proposal and ruining Monica’s happiness as long as he could have one final chance with her. Richard’s declaration of love comes off as insincere and it’s hard to believe that he had changed his mind about being a father again, and all this is incredibly unfair to Monica. The theory also changes Richard and Monica’s relationship, as it makes Richard manipulative and puts a big question mark over his actions when they were together. Like many other theories, this one is open to the interpretation of each viewer, who will decide if it makes sense or not – but if it does, it completely changes one of Friends' most notable couples.