[7.8/10] There’s been an unexpected trend with the more recent seasons of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. More often than not, this vile, cynical, unapologetically transgressive show will end with a note of unexpected sincerity. Maybe it will hit diminishing returns at some point, but it still works on me.
Which is to say that I was unexpectedly moved at Charlie breaking down in the rain, asking his dead father why the man was never there to carry him. Charlie Dey does great work, communicating the legitimate pain in the heart of this sweet little goblin of a man. You don’t really expect this sort of dramatic, personal moment in IASIP, but considering how well and how often the show has done it over the last few years, maybe we should.
What follows, though, is the right blend of optimism and cynicism to cut any treacle. It’s sweet when Frank tells Charlie he’s sorry he’s not his real father, but that he’s always going to be there for him. That sweetness is tempered by the recollection that Frank is himself a strange goblin of a man, and that Charlie seemed headed to a better place without him.
It’s oddly heartwarming when The Gang drives up a big honking truck, resolving not to leave their friend behind, in the moment when he needs them most. That heartwarming moment is tempered by the fact that, as IASIP regularly reminds us, these are terrible people who aren’t the best influence on Charlie or another.
There’s something wholesome about this group deciding that they only make sense in America, in Philly specifically, and want to head back to the place that feels like home. And that wholesomeness is counterbalanced by the fact that they very much live up to the Ugly American stereotypes, and then some, while in the Emerald Isle, and the United States must deal with the return of this particular blend of cruelty and stupidity.
In short, it’s kind of perfect. I haven’t enjoyed this season of IASIP very much. The humor’s been hit or miss, and while the change of scenery to Ireland is a treat as a monotony-breaker, the show hasn’t truly capitalized on it. And yet, if the whole thing was a setup for this closer, I think I can be happy with that. There’s something so true to form about The Gang going away to broaden their horizons, failing at every cultural endeavor they embark upon, and yet finding an odd solace in being their boisterous, uncouth, repugnant, undeniably American selves together. It would be touching if it weren’t so terrible.
The episode’s also well-built in service of that. There’s something parable-esque about The Gang trying to haul the corpse of Charlie’s dad up the mountain, while each one peels off for various reasons, before heading back. Dee getting sick of the “bros before hoes” shtick, Mac finding out he’s Irish and the rest of the group pranked him to make him less insufferable about his identities, Dennis fretting over his “vitruvian back,” and Frank trying to make nice with his surrogate son only to...accidentally give him a bottle full of piss to drink, is the right mix of the ludicrous and the on-brand for each member of The Gang.
There’s a good structure to this one, and bolstered by some beautiful, sweeping shots of the verdant Irish countryside, it gives the season finale a distinctive feel. As is often the case on IASIP, nobody has learned anything or grown from these experiences, but they are ever more themselves, for good or (ninety-nine percent of the time) for ill, and seeing the wider world only reinforces that they have no need for it, or anything it contains outside the hardscrabble confines of Philadelphia. The rest of the world, not just Ireland, should consider themselves lucky.
Jesus they are really doubling down on the covid vaccine schtick. Too bad it's not funny. A lot of potential wasted this season which is a shame. I was looking forward to the Ireland setting.
Yeah, maybe this show should`ve ended a couple of seasons back
Rumor has it Charlie Day sent in the clip of his rain monologue as his audition for Luigi.
This episode is an essential American text.
Well I mean they got the stereotype of American tourists in Ireland fuckin dead right
(Also I’ve been watching this upon the insistence of my bf basically everyday since Christmas and now I don’t have my comfort show and I’m really sad)
Out of Ireland at last. What a waste of a potentially interesting concept. Really quite frustratingly bad this season, but let's hope they can pull it back next time. Otherwise it might be time to finally pull the plug on this once great show.
Well there goes the end of serialization I guess... it was like when South Park suddenly got serialized in season 18 (?) and then later it went back to normal (funny how these two series have a lot in common actually). It couldn't hurt to see some more serialization in the future though
And about the episode... damn it really made me tear up :( poor Charlie he deserved better, and that scene REALLY got to me for very personal reasons... ouch.
(also we need more of Charlie Day's dramatic performances come onnn)
I guess by the end of the story it's nice to see some kind of confirmation that the gang apparently does love Charlie, even if they treat him like absolute garbage and consider him the lowest ranking of them. However, I do wonder if they would've acted the same if it was any of the other gang members in that situation? Because yeah they're all friends (?) but I think it's very canonical that each one of them has a rare level of closeness to Charlie when they're 1-on-1 (he's some sort of morality pet in a way) and in this ending that seemed to be some common ground for them to agree quickly (UNCOMMON MOMENT), thus I can't help but feel they would've been at least a little bit more inclined to ditch the situation altogether if it was anyone else lol It made a very cool entrance though!
"Now I don't have to spend the rest of my life waiting for you to pick me up!" oh fuck that stung :cry:
Charlie does great acting while the rest of the story just kinda wraps up the Ireland saga
the closest an episode has come to almost make me cry, and it had to be the last one.
So disappointed in this season </3 after the last couple of years we’ve had all I wanted was the gang being the gang.
So much has happened that I wanted to see these events from the gang’s perspective and I can’t believe they just gave us an episode of that, and that would’ve made sense if the rest of the season ignored covid/elections/etc but instead they gave dennis covid and then another character died from it, so either you go all the way in or you don’t do it.
A few seasons back they made a quarantine episode and it was so so much better than this season. I wanna clarify I don’t specifically wanted a covid/2020-22 season but this show has always manage to find a balance between what’s going on with the world and how it affects a group of clueless deranged individuals.
Everything could’ve been set in Philly, didn’t see the point of going to Ireland.
And the child abuse/r:asterisk_symbol:pe/JE jokes/storylines were disgusting.
Shout by CaesarBlockedParent2021-12-23T20:50:38Z
Charlie got me sobbing :cry:. This episode was surreal. It's not like watching Always Sunny but I kinda dug it. I hope there's a Christmas or New Year special.