iasip ranked

dir. Randall Einhorn, written by Rob Rosell, aired October 7th, 2010, Season 6 Episode 4

summary: mac wins a radio contest and gets the chance to stay at a beach house with charlie if he scores a winning shot at a hockey game, and frank encourages the twins to start a podcast and brings on some weird guests. in the end, mac slips on the ice immediately and misses his big break.

abby’s favorite line: ‘oh, ZING!’ -frank

luce’s favorite line: ‘touch your toes!’ -charlie ‘what am i, a gymnast?’ -mac

positives:

genuinely one of the best charmac eps ever!!! it’s also rare to see charlie teaching mac something (since mac’s always helping him read/write/etc) so this was a nice change, and it’s rlly pure to see them confide in and trust each other

the podcast bit is maybe the most relatable thing the show has come out with like. i ALSO have interesting conversations that are worthy of thousands of listeners

the gang’s use of outdated technology gets funnier and funnier with each season (frank recording the podcast over his luther vandross mix is Gold)

it’s rare and actually kinda sweet to see frank encourage the twins to do something productive and fun (even though it’s for his gain as well, and he ruins it by bringing in a depraved cast of guests and eating crackers loudly)

also he admits that he regularly tapes their convos and plays them in the car??? most of it is probably bickering but like if he genuinely hated them, he wouldn’t actively listen to their voices when he doesn’t need to, so he..cares? I guess?

dennis liking the laser beam soundtrack is unbearably sweet

his delivery of ‘tWo wAaAAaArs?!’ give a round of applause for glenn juilliard howerton everybody

dennis and dee setting out to discuss intellectual issues but quickly regressing into the sound-effect-filled, moronic radio that they were making fun of at the start is really interesting meta on the state of radio today and podcast’s messages getting lost in translation... i kinda love that rcg cared enough to write an episode about this

also it’s rather interesting that mac ruined his big break simply by falling on the ice, usually when the gang have good opportunities they soil them by being cruel and disgusting, but mac was just being...himself? which kinda shows that no matter what the gang do or how much they try to succeed, ultimately they’re doomed for failure! damn rcg didn’t have to go that hard

negatives:

the sheer second hand embarrassment of the ending of this episode is almost too much for me to bear and thus prevents me from rewatching the episode very often...

cricket’s bestiality is slightly uncomfortable but within this ep is still passable as a joke - it was only really taken too far in ‘a cricket’s tale’

dir. Heath Cullens, written by Scott Marder, aired February 10th, 2016, Season 11 Episode 6

summary: an episode completely from frank’s perspective, going through a not-so-ordinary day in his life and uniquely experiencing all the schemes and dumbassery.

abby’s favorite line: ‘pondy’s the coolest!’ -frank

luce’s favorite line: ‘if you could just casually, off the cuff, mention that i can bench-press more than him, i think that he’ll respect me’ -mac

positives:

this episode is a fantastic new way of rcg branching out and making things feel fresh even eleven seasons later! this method of storytelling, completely from frank’s perspective, gives us more insight on his character and how he sees the world around him rather than simply a normal episode where he’s the forefront. 

this first-person perspective also allows space for so much more humor, (peeing into the bucket, touching a nurse’s breasts) and even though it can be gross or crude, it makes the audience feel closer to this weird small man, and maybe even as though we Are him. 

frank, like the rest of the gang, is extremely impulsive but you can recognize it even more in this ep and i think thats rather cool

frank’s objectification of women, addiction to drugs and alcohol, and general bad behaviour throughout the show comes into a new light this episode as we see just how normalised these things are to him. additionally we see how he has reverted to childlike behaviours and exhibits similar expressions and logic to a child, showing his overall immaturity and indicating something similar for the rest of the gang at a level that we may not have fully comprehended before.

it’s quite interesting how the only part of frank’s day where he is somewhat kind/tender is with charlie at the very end. this shows how generally awful he is, yet also has the capacity to love and be loved, and he’s not afraid of that part of himself.

mac trusts frank to talk to him about dennis??? i mean mac is very open with his feelings to anyone thats willing to at least half-listen so i guess whatever works 

negatives:

quality of the episode aside, frank is the character i would least have wanted a glimpse into the psyche of. also not enough of the gang in this ep and too much of ponderosa (the b*stard)

dir. Kat Coiro, written by Conor Galvin, aired October 31st, 2018, Season 13 Episode 9

summary: as charlie gets left behind at the bar, mac, dee, frank, and their various degenerate friends go to the Super Bowl to watch the Eagles hopefully win, and usual shenanigans ensue!

abby’s favorite line: ‘would a person with pink eye do this? *rubs pink eye into other eye*’ -dee

luce’s favorite line: ‘it’s the invigaron berries, man...i’ve got to sell 40 cases of this stuff or i’m gonna lose my apartment’ -rex

positives:

this is suuuch a hilarious, fun comfort episode. like i never really cared about sports, but this made me feel genuinely proud of philly

this is the episode that collectively made the gays respect sports. rob had to make a sports ep before he could give the gays what they Needed in mfhp

glad we got to see more of the waitress this episode! she really is a fun character and it is good to see her without the burden of charlie being around

it’s pretty interesting seeing mac take up the role of the ‘leader’ as that is usually dennis. you can tell the Super Bowl means a lot to him and he wants to have as much control as possible.

the message of this ep: that they’re all losers and are bad representation for philly, but then realize that they have to embrace who they are and they can actually use their anger for something good, is a theme that comes up a lot in this show. the gang are very awful and no one wants to be around them, but they are who they are, and sometimes they're proud of that and sometimes they make things like nightman cometh or mac’s coming out dance that is fueled by anger and trauma and develops into something beautiful and healing.

it’s hilarious to have the gang singlehandedly help the eagles win, but also it shows how much affect they actually have on the world around them. they’re always stuck in the bar and shutting everyone else out so it’s nice to see them, even though they’re doing it in their own weird ways, make a positive change in the world since all they do is destroy. 

frank and mac are a lot closer in this episode and the season in general, and it’s really cute to see?? ‘you did it!’ ‘no mac, we did it!’ like that’s so wholesome!!! frank is a piece of shit but he’s helping mac be happy and supporting him and sort of being a father figure for him, like he’s done for charlie. 

negatives:

honestly kinda sucks that mac and rex didn’t hook up?? missed opportunity!

it is a bit sad to not see dennis in this episode. on one hand, it’s funny to imagine him on his own in north dakota suffering bc it was his decision not to be with the gang at this moment, and on the other hand, it would be nice if we at least were able to get a little glimpse as to what he was feeling and what he too was experiencing during this monumental event for them! this episode’s main weakness is the absence of two important members of the gang

uncle jack shouldn’t have been in this he can choke

also this episode being tied to the gruesomeness of charlie’s home alone brought it down for me. it would have been a really fun ep but to have to watch the two together to get the whole story is awful...

dir. Todd Biermann, written by Dannah Phirman and Danielle Schneider, aired October 17th, 2018, Season 13 Episode 7

summary: in an episode potentially set in dennis’s head, the gang remember scenes from their past (i.e. the show), and slowly forget what is real, being thrust into an inception-like reality where the gang inhabits the dream-minds of different members.

abby’s favourite line: ‘(scat singing) stop sucking and go’ -dee and charlie

luce’s favourite line: ‘i don’t remember dennis leaving’ -frank

positives:

they censored the r slur that was in the christmas ep clip!! it’s a little thing but means a whole lot

if you’re not aware, sunny’s official insta account posted this photo about the ep, confirming the theory that clip show is in fact all in dennis’ head...which makes so much fucking sense and opens up a great opportunity of learning about dennis’ emotions and fear and vulnerability

this whole episode is him wanting to be incredibly attached to reality, he does not like change, and all the big changes in his life (maureen, nd) have been purely impulsive, so now that he’s back to philly and the gang, he just wants to stay in the moment. he doesn’t even wanna reminisce in the beginning (maybe bc it brings us painful emotions he’d rather not think about?) but at the end, he’s the one that doesn’t want to stop reminiscing...but when everyones on their phones and it’s “reality” again, he says “thank god we’re back to normal”...literally his last line in s13, that is art 

since this is all in his head, he’s literally imagining the gang stopping him from leaving for north dakota, which says so goddamn much about idk if necessarily regretting the decision to leave, but regretting not saying out loud that this fucking scares him and he wants the gang to question him more and stop him from his impulsivity or if not stop, simply go with him so he’s not all alone in this new change

dennis allows himself to imagine all this scenarios instead of actually putting them out into the real world and making these things happen simply bc he’s terrified...it lets him live out the fantasy without truly feeling the consequences

this all just stems from dennis’ need to live that heteronormative life...he married maureen but then divorced her bc he realized thats not him and he left for nd but then came back bc he realized thats not him but he keeps craving this extravagant dream that he’ll never ever get, but he still holds onto it desperately. I'm not sure if he genuinely still has hope that he’ll achieve it, but it’s the only thing that keeps him going bc if he brings these fantasies into reality and really looks at who he is deep inside, he’s gonna break. his whole life will feel like a lie and he’ll feel maybe like a failure, bc he hasn’t done anything with his college degree, no stable income or wife or suburban home. the most stable things in his life are the gang and the bar. and even tho he knows it, and u can see him rlly loving the gang in s13, he’s still somewhat embarrassed to associate with them Only bc they’re not what he expected he would end up with. so he plays it off like he hates them or is gonna leave again and blah blah blah in the end he’s an emotional mess that loves his friends too much to admit it

it’s truly so cool how we can learn so much about a character without the character themselves explicitly saying/showing it...it’s easy to forget how much dimension this show has sometimes and this was kind of revolutionary in that aspect, demonstrating yet again how close these ppl are to each other and how much they rlly do care about each other, even if they don’t show it

also check out @araki-iasip katherine’s blog, she talks about this ep all the time and delves into all the little things, providing a huge amount of insight

long legged frank was the best part of this episode for a casual viewer... he reminds me of an insect

also while the point was to make fun of clip show episodes it is fun to look back on classic sunny moments as rcg views them!

rewatching this episode i completely forgot about the seinfeld bit and the fact that glennis and rob/mac were BOTH jerry is so funny they really are... like that

negatives:

even though this episode is canonically in den’s head, you probably wouldn’t know if you’re just a casual fan and/or don’t check sunny’s social media posts. it's unfortunate that something that makes for such interesting character analysis isn’t canon in the ep itself and isn’t available to all viewers unless you’re actively looking for it! 

apart from everything dennis, this episode was rather underwhelming? they definitely could have gone farther with the screwing up reality theme and expanding more on the nd plotline, macdennis, and the whole hating on mac thing, besides the little things they planted in that was more or less up to interpretation

the overall plot of this episode really doesn’t make sense - they spent too much time on the clip show aspect and then went on to try and make it about inception? too much... it’s too much packed into one episode and they could have achieved so much more if they went in with a solid aim.

dir. Todd Biermann, written by Conor Galvin, aired February 17th 2016, Season 11 Episode 7

summary: in a follow up episode to the maureen ponderosa wedding massacre, bill ponderosa is on trial for putting bath salts in the milk at the wedding, causing the loss of liam’s eye and the couple not getting married. dennis is there in an attempt to get rid of his alimony payments to maureen, charlie is there as one of bill ponderosa’s lawyers along with his uncle j*ck, frank is there as bill’s aa sponsor, and dee and mac are there for the ride. the gang combined with the insanity of the mcpoyle clan, uncle j*ck and the lawyer (who is back with a vengeance!) quickly turn the court case upside down, much to the annoyance of the judge.

abby’s favorite line: ‘i wouldn’t understand the physics of it, i’m not an executioner’ -charlie

luce’s favorite line: ‘i can’t follow any of this’ -uncle j*ck

positives:

the court theme here works really well for the episode. it keeps it moving, and provides it with a backbone, as well as makes it a fun capsule episode while still being outwith the bar

dennis being a dumbass in this episode is fun, we love him trying to get the alimony issue on the docket :’)

margaret mcpoyle is a goddamn master manipulator, tricking dennis in gang gets held hostage and now tricking mac...you go girl

honestly the charlie bird law joke fucking peaked this episode, his whole speech at the end is gold and charlie day is an incredible actor and bring so much passion to the role

i think it’s also interesting how in this ep, similar to charlie’s home alone, we see more of charlie’s intelligence, because even though he technically didn’t win the case for pondy, he still definitely got his point across and was smart enough to know that the bird was under pappy’s hat...little stuff like that really shows how capable he is when he’s committed to something so strongly

the lawyer being back is honestly awesome after not seeing him so long, he adds such a good outside perspective into the ep and really pushes the idea of how awful the gang is

it’s also sad tho that the gang keeps ruining his life?? as they do with like every person they interact with?? that’s just how they be

uncle j*ck is a demon but those big hand gloves were hilarious

negatives:

legal eagle on youtube (aka the only good lawyer in the world) said a lot of this is unrealistic in terms of real life law so points off for that lmao

gonna be honest and say that while this episode harkens back to classic sunny characters and humour, it feels very much made to be a fan favourite. there is a sense that the writers of this episode were attempting to replicate past successes and in doing so have created an episode with, apart from mcpoyle facts, not much new to offer to the sunny lore, and especially not any revelations on the characters’ behalf.

why is guillermo del toro in this episode? his cameo really doesn’t add anything and isn’t especially funny against the rest of the episode

also it’s probably just because of scheduling reasons, but i really wish liam and ryan mcpoyle were in this ep??? they’re the main ones and the most outlandish and funny!

dir. Richie Keen, written by Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, & Rob Mcelhenney, aired October 25th 2012, Season 8 Episode 3

summary: the gang attends maureen ponderosa’s and liam mcpoyle’s wedding and shit goes awry. dennis tries to make sure the wedding goes smoothly so he doesn’t need to make alimony payments anymore, and frank tries to break it up  to help ryan make amends with liam for the mcpoyle family bloodline to stay ‘pure’. ryan actually makes up with liam, yet liam convinces him that marrying maureen will help gather more people into the family. that doesn’t work out though when dennis and maureen have sex and she gets attached to him again. in the end, we find out that bill ponderosa actually spiked the milk with bath salts and that’s why everyone went mad! 

abby’s favorite line: ‘diddly dee’ -bill ponderosa

luce’s favorite line: ‘well, you know the academy, charlie. sometimes, it’s atrocious’ -mac

positives:

the way this episode is made: the harsh contrasted lighting, the dark music, the fast cuts, the close-ups, etc. is all sooo good at giving it that horror vibe

also in the beginning, the shots are very warm: in the bus and outside. but throughout the 20 minutes, the coloring and environments gets colder and colder, enhancing the drama

how rcg balance drama with comedy in this is exceptional, jokes sprinkled throughout makes so you still laugh amongst the seriousness and chaos

it’s just rlly cool seeing rcg go for something new and yet it still works well within the confines of the show

LOVE that charlie knows the whole speech from jaws! it is also another nod to the horror/thriller genre

dennis succumbing to maureen’s new tits and having sex with her and IMMEDIATELY regretting it says so much...he thinks this is what he wants, based purely on an impulse decision fueled by internalized homophobia and wanting to be a Straight, but it just bites him in the ass and he realizes that right away. this is very similar as when he decided to marry her a few seasons ago, it was impulsive and out of fear...he doesn’t even like maureen, he likes the idea of her. and that’s actually perfect for this episode, bc when he sleeps with her, it’s more terrifying than the “true horror” going on around them

the mcpoyle clan being fully realised this episode is genuinely magnificent, plus the fact that the gang is so accustomed to the incest that goes on that it barely fazes them is so funny

negatives:

it does help with the storytelling aspect, however the format with the cop and going back and forth isn’t particularly strong as it takes you out of what is happening a bit and those scenes feel like filler for the episode

the ending is a little confusing as the next episode doesn’t show dennis and maureen together so maureen bailing him out is never really expanded upon

this isn’t really a negative but i hate that frank and bill ponderosa are friends it truly is a match made in hell and to think that with a good sponsor bill might have been able to get sober... saddening

JDKSKDKF first i want you to know that this ask is sending both of us !!!

but i think that was rcg’s intent to keep us guessing with this episode like they are playing it very coy for what essentially could be sex... but in terms of where mac is that season in terms of acceptance it’s more likely to be wrestling? certainly with the wrestling pretext it could be, but either way the homoeroticism is undeniable! i think that the context within the episode is to expose trevor taft for banging mac despite making fun of him, presumably this evidence was more damning than with dee so i think it’s fair to say that we have seen mac bottoming!

dir. Richie Keen, written by Scott Marder and Rob Rosell, aired November 15th 2012, Season 8 Episode 4

summary: while dee and charlie are stalking the waitress, a rich brother and sister crash cars with them, and ask them on a date. charlie and dee try to act fancy initially, but are coaxed by the rich people to be themselves. frank, mac and dennis attempt to get in on this, with dennis eventually trying to seduce the woman who has fallen in love with charlie, to no avail. meanwhile mac talks to [hits on] trevor and they enter into a homoerotic wrestling situation. frank attempts to carry out charlie’s tasks he does for the waitress, and the waitress’ life begins to crumble as she realises how reliant on him charlie had made her. the gang are all invited back to the mansion for a party, and soon discover the rich people are just taking advantage of them for laughs. trevor shows a video of him and mac engaging in wrestling? sex? meanwhile the gang tries to get charlie out of the relationship he has entered into. charlie reveals that he has been using ruby taft to make the waitress jealous.

abby’s favorite line: ‘judo, karate, i got more of a catholic thing goin’ on’ -mac

luce’s favorite line: *barks* -charlie

positives:

this episode doesn’t shy away from the fact that charlie is stalking the waitress, in fact far from it. this episode demonstrates in a humorous way how abuse victims are forced to become reliant on their abusers, and this is exactly what charlie has done to the waitress. if only season 12 and 13 could have this same insight...

the homo-eroticism of this episode is off the charts! this is really a key episode in which we see mac’s association of wrestling and typically masculine activities with sex - it’s also another example of mac and dee having the same taste in men (see rex)

dennis being irritated by a girl wanting charlie over him is priceless, and what his character really needed at this point to become more depraved. also dennis immediately relating the situation to the nineties chick flicks cruel intentions and dangerous liaisons is so incredibly in character!! also the spooky music playing in the scenes where dennis is ‘worried’ charlie will get humiliated really adds to it

when mac looks through the window to the taft house to see dee ‘ruining’ their chances with the tafts vs. mac later looking into the room where the taft dudes are all making fun of them are interesting parallels; no matter what the two could have done they are just inherently messy and aggressive and easy to poke fun at 

this episode rlly shows how the gang always thinks everyone’s out to get them (in this case, the rich) when really, they’re usually the ones causing the trouble and being cruel

all the different locations in this episode are absolutely gorgeous and actually like really heighten the drama and clear difference between the lives of the gang vs. everyone else

also dee breaking open the lobster claw for mac is pure and wholesome mac and dee are best friends actually 

negatives:

while the portrayal of abuse and stalking in this episode on the one hand is really interesting and good, the character of ruby taft in this episode is entirely mistreated. this episode is an insight into charlie’s true nature: a malicious stalker who doesn’t care about women in the slightest. ruby taft is used entirely for a game on charlie’s behalf and she is incredibly emotionally damaged by the affair. it’s just not as obvious as dennis’ mistreatment of women, within the show and the fandom charlie tends to be treated as a baby and his crimes are overlooked. the takeaway from this episode should have been that charlie is just as bad as dennis, and yet people still see him as an idealised, lovable version of a man. of all the characters on the show, we need to pay more attention to its darling and hold him accountable as much as we would frank or dennis or even mac and dee. it is good though that charlie’s horrible behavior is brought up again in s13′s times up for the gang.

dir. Todd Biermann, written by David Hornsby, aired September 5th, 2018, Season 13 Episode 1

summary: the gang has a new member named cindy who is replacing dennis and leading the gang with smarter and well-thought-out schemes. it’s going well until a sex doll resembling dennis shows up and things go awry, the rest of the gang succumbing to dennis’ energy and not following cindy anymore. they end up genuinely having an orgy with the doll (dee just watches in horror but acceptance) and ‘play’ the doll’s asshole to get back at and humiliate dennis. dennis arrives out of nowhere and cindy goes off on him, but even after a close taste of success, the gang still choose dennis.

abby’s favourite line: ‘your look is played out, and so are you. you’re basic.’ -cindy

luce’s favourite line: ‘i requested that the doll feel as though it’s in mid-conversation’ -mac

positives:

the very start of the episode is a clever trick to the audience, being like “can you believe paddy’s has changed!”, but then it’s revealed that of course it’s all a scheme, returning to classic sunny. 

the concepts of liberal tears and conservative whine are funny, but it’s even funnier that mac feels the need to constantly explain it to himself and others even though everyone understands it already

mac trying to shoehorn his shirtlessness and new ripped body into literally anything is funny commentary on how men in various media are Always Shirtless and Always Jacked for no reason and no one seems to question it! rob becoming ripped for this one joke is insane and is really one of the defining points of the season

dennis leaving a phone number for a mental health line for mac, while i still am clinging on to that theory that dennis put himself in a mental institution instead of heading to nd, it kind of does make sense seeing as dennis obviously cares about mac and he wants him to reach out to someone if he’s upset, but won’t let himself get too close to him in fear of..everything and anything bc his repression is stronger now than ever.

mac resorting to the wild choice of getting a sex doll of dennis to cope is sooo tragic and like he probably has tried a lot of other things and nothing else worked to make him feel better...GOD he needs to get dicked down 

mindy kaling is such a cool and unique addition to this episode, and her character is pretty much the exact opposite to dennis, not just physically but her personality too. frank describes her well: “she’s an asshole but in all the right ways.” i wrote a post about this but basically, she tries to bring out the best in the gang, while dennis likes to pick on their failures. cindy would actually help them succeed, but dennis doesn’t care, even if their scheme doesn’t work, he can still pretend he led them in an effective way and maintained his superiority. this actually ties in really well with dennis’ whole plot line in s13, which is wanting everything to stay the same.

it’s kinda sad to realize that even with the tiniest bit of guidance and validation from a different perspective, the gang can actually muster up some confidence and work to their strengths and attempt to become better at their craft or simply how they handle themselves. this is also backed up by mac finds his pride, in which mac’s dancing partner helped him tremendously with coming out and brought out his heart and voice when he needed it most. 

the gang being incredibly affected by the dennis sex doll and feeling as though it’s actually talking to them and making them feel small, even though it’s literally not dennis (it represents him though and that’s enough), is such a good way to show how dennis has ultimately conditioned them to think bad about themselves, and do things in the way that he exactly would want them. they are constantly manipulated and they are semi-aware of this, but they’re not gonna do anything about it bc it’s familiar, it’s comfortable.

also the trump/america/dennis parallels are super interesting: dennis wants everything to stay the same and when he’s back “paddy’s is great again”, but is it really? yes in a way, because the gang is back together, but from our perspective no bc they’re now just gonna go backwards again and be stuck in their own hell they’ve made for themselves.

negatives:

this is another one in which we are gonna have to talk about the implications of dennis’ double life. the way that dennis comes back, while hilarious, makes no sense if he has been away for one and a half years! the gang’s reactions to him coming back are extremely odd and unemotional and the whole episode actually doesn’t make sense in terms of them still being focused on him. you would think that they’d reach the acceptance stage of dennis leaving after 1.5 YEARS...it’s the gang i guess and this episode showed they really can’t handle not having each other, but it could have been shown a bit differently?

seriously why isn’t anybody angry at him for leaving in the first place? mac should’ve punched him! also as the audience we’re mad at dennis for leaving so it sucks that we didn’t really get that satisfaction, doubled by never finding out what frickin happened to dennis all this time!!!

also this episode feels particularly wooden and this is mostly definitely on purpose - i.e. to indicate that the show’s flow is disrupted by glennis not being there, thus the gang is off without him - and while i do think this is a smart choice, it can possibly sacrifice the humour of the episode and make it weaker due to the unfamiliarity 

i love mindy khaling as much as the next person but her role in this episode although interesting in terms of gang dynamics really isn’t very funny - i don’t understand why they would have mindy khaling on the show but give her a really boring role

dir. Matt Shakman, written by Scott Marder, Rob Rosell, & Luvh Rakhe, aired December 2nd, 2010, Season 6 Episode 11

summary: on the way to an animal rights fundraiser, frank has taken a massive detour and the gang gets stranded in the woods (well duh). dennis and charlie hitch a ride to atlantic city with a closeted trucker who comes onto them before they arrive at the event and are showered with praise for the donation ‘they’ (frank) made. meanwhile the rest of the gang remain trapped and without a working car set out to find food, each developing a strange relationship with this one rabbit as they get to grips with the brutality of nature. in the end, dennis has a catch with chase utley and mac, dee, and frank finally get saved, but by the same trucker.

abby’s favorite line: ‘this is for the rats !’ -charlie

luce’s favorite line: ‘good night...sweet prince’ -mac

positives: 

as much as eps in the bar are great, it’s actually kind of refreshing seeing the gang go to new places and the dynamics and storytelling still work rlly well and they actually serve to challenge their morals and motivations and generally explore their characters in a new environment 

this is SUCH a good charden ep! dennis calming charlie down from being in a new unfamiliar environment and reminding him to say yes to adventures? gambling, getting wasted, getting a private jet? wholesome

additionally its quite interesting that right after he says this, the first adventure he comes across is something gay and then immediately denies it....like yes that truck driver is Very explicit and creepy so its understandable he would say no but it’s a rather good storytelling choice from rcg and also den’s fear of this new experience could also be backed up by similar trauma in gang gets racist. also good commentary and very in character how dennis acknowledges how creepy that dude is but not acknowledging his own predatory actions towards women 

frank eating the goddamn crow and then it tearing up his stomach is Amazing karma for how shit he was treating animals 

overall the episode does a pretty good job at discussing animal rights and how easily hypocritical people can be, but also how hard it can be to love and respect animals in the ‘right’ way (that way depends on which person u ask), as our society has conditioned us to eat them as well as care for them 

dennis talks about how he wears makeup regularly which in the general scheme of things makes sense since he wants to retain a look of ‘perfection’, but is also kind of unexpected (but cool!) bc it’s pretty out there for him considering he wants to be a Man and this blurs the lines of gender

even just mac helping dee find something to eat like he could easily not give a shit but it’s these little things within the gang that remind us how much they rlly care about each other!

the juxtaposition of the plotlines works quite well!! it’s funny to see how great charlie and dennis are doing compared to how terrible things are going for everybody else

negatives:

while the two plot lines of this episode begin in the same place, they do not really tie together well in the end - this makes the episode as a whole less memorable no matter how funny the individual content was

minus points for mac not getting to meet his idol chase utley when dennis did and then flexed on him about it :’(

the gay trucker was extremely predatory and i’m not 100% sure where that plot point came from, nonetheless it was funny how they were mistaken for hustlers because of their tuxedos, yet another side effect of frank’s terrible driving

dir. Richie Keen, written by Dave Chernin & John Chernin, aired November 29th, 2012, Season 8 Episode 7

summary: frank recruits charlie to help him ‘fix’ his old business and the rest of the gang get involved in literally impersonating a dead guy and his colleagues! in the end, frank sells his business, mac and charlie create fight milk, and dennis..gets off. 

abby’s favorite line: ‘this is about the thrill of wearing another man’s skin’ -dennis

luce’s favorite line: ‘AYOOOO, FREE BATTERIES!’ -dee

positives:

the many matching outfits of frank and charlie ugh how iconic

also iconic, this ep is the origin of fight milk!!! one of the most classic, quotable sunny moments

the conversation where charlie asks what the company actually makes and frank just saying ‘wealth’ is hilarious and brilliant, really demonstrating the extent to which corporations only care about money 

also when frank fires that guy that gets a printer paper jam, he's kneeling so frank is physically towering over him, helping give him an evil and cruel presence

dennis getting off on controlling and manipulating other people is a really interesting look into his psyche especially at this point in the show, and the homoeroticism between him and mac is PALPABLE throughout this episode to say the least!

it's quite satisfying seeing all the plot lines intersect at the end, something a few of the eps we ranked lower were lacking

this episode definitely achieves delivering the idea that big businesses don't actually give a shit about products or customers and that everything is pretty corrupt

additionally it does a good job of showing how frank’s old views that he attempts to impose are deeply out of touch to today’s society 

negatives:

it can be easy to forget the highkey boring warthog plot line is even happening when the brian lefevre one is so entertaining and low-key seems more important

not necessarily a negative this is just cursed: this ep creates brian lefevre, which is the same persona that dennis takes when he heads to north dakota *frank voice* i don’t like to think about it!!!!! 

this is also not necessarily a negative i know the gang are bad people but it really ticks me off how they don’t return the wallet... lawful good rant over back to regularly scheduled posting