It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Review: The Gang Spies Like U.S.
Narsimha Chintaluri
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Maybe they needed a week off after that awesome surprise health inspection on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 10 Episode 4, because something about It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 10 Episode 5 felt a bit more stale than usual.
Now this was to be expected, considering that they're pushing season 10 (and haven't been immune to the occasional lull here and there in the past few years), but I was just hoping they'd prove me wrong after such a strong start to the year.
Not to say that "The Gang Spies Like U.S." is a retread of an old plot or something (these guys still seem to churning out new storylines with ease), and not to say that it was stale because of the character arcs (at this point, the caricatures these characters have become is the sole reason to watch the show), but there definitely felt like was something missing.
It was still a great time, and had a handful of laugh out loud moments (one in particular including Dee, her hair, fish meat, and a butcher's knife), but I guess I didn't buy into the premise.
Always Sunny has developed into such a self-aware parody of itself, that it often times comes down to whether or not the initial premise has you interested. It doesn't always have to look interesting on paper (I mean, who would've thought another sitcom about a "health inspection" would've been as great as it was), but it does have to draw you in at some point.
Tonight's half-hour never did that. Dee, on the low, might have actually had the best plot-line – with her multiple, escalating, accidents landing her in the hospital (only to be abandoned by the gang after they come to visit for a total of five seconds).
But don't tell her I complimented her though, that's near-blasphemy for this show:
Dennis: We gotta get back in our apartment man.
Mac: Yeah I know, I hate Dee.
Dennis: Yeah I hate her.
Sometimes I really do wonder why Dee craves their approval so much, and then I remember that she's just as crazy as the rest of them.
Dennis: The one time we let you on the team instead of Charlie and all we get is back sass?! Do you even want to be on the team?Dee: Yeah, yeah, I wanna be part of the team sorry!
Charlie's trouble with his earpiece and trying to be a double agent also led to some good laughs, especially when he first came over to deliver the flowers/hidden cam.
Dennis's reaction was classic:
Throw those god damn flowers in the trash.
Dennis
The whole climax (no pun intended) with the "cream pie" confusion wasn't nearly as funny as the gang probably thought it would be, and is ultimately why this episode felt like it had no real pay off.
Honestly, I could've taken an entire episode of them messing with that poor waiter over this conspiracy over the Chinese, and the final conclusion that yes, almost everyone is indeed masturbating all of the time.
As always, thanks for the words of wisdom, Dennis.
Frank: You’re talking like you know me. Have we ever met?
Waiter: Let’s just move past this part.
Watch It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia online to catch any of your favorite moments moments, including the multiple accidents Dee managed to be involved in, and head over to It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia quotes to see more highlights from the episode.
Here's to hoping next week picks it back up again!
