i have some more bc now iām curious about your mysterious least favorite and also iām enjoying your analyses :)
the gang turns black, charlie has cancer (for the mac/carmen plot line), a lot of charlie gets crippled, the gang gives back, sweet deeās dating a r person (love the rock band storyline tho), thundergun express
itās hard for me to say i dislike episodes entirely bc there are always parts i like but yeah as a whole i would say these are in my bottom 20
The Gang Turns Black: disagree. I was shocked to learn this one was so hated honestly. I love musical episodes, and I think all their singing is perfectly fine (I donāt know why people say they sound bad??) and the songs are mostly funny and catchy. And I know people think the Quantum Leap thing is stupid but I like it. I like the idea that the gang are so racist it would take a literal magical scenario for them to learn how to be better. I like that the final message of the episode is the reality of systemic racism and police brutality, but I get thatās heavy for a sunny episode and some people find it tactless and I understand completely if anyone feels that way.
Charlie Has Cancer: agree. Honestly Iāve seen this episode so few times specifically because of that plot line. But because Iāve seen it so few times I barely remember it and so donāt have a big rant prepared. But my biggest take away isāitās one thing to show the characters being transphobic, because theyāre horrible people thatās just what the show is, but when the camera is transphobic thatās just the writers thinking the idea of a trans woman having a penis is funny and expecting the audience to find it funny too. Awful. Honestly maybe this one is my least favorite Iāve just seen it so few times and so long ago itās hard to even remember for me. I donāt even remember the Charlie plot at all or what Dee was doing if anything.
Charlie Gets Crippled: I think agree depending on what you mean by āa lot ofā. The stuff about being in a wheelchair getting them free strippers is stupid and based on the false idea that life is somehow easier for disabled people because of pity (wrong and bad). And pretending to be disabled to get attention does make sense for the characters to think of and again itād be one thing for the characters to be proven wrong but the episode plays it like theyāre right and being disabled does get you adoration which uh. If youāve ever actually been in public with an assistance device you know how wrong that is. But I like the Dennis and Dee stuff and of course our dear friend Mr Tibbs (RIP). I love the opening where Dennis runs Charlie over in his haste to flee from his shitty dad. I love that Frank is introduced as being āmanically depressedā for most of his lifeāitās a good way to set up the way he acts throughout the rest of the show. But yeah a lot of bad with the good. I donāt watch it often.
The Gang Gives Back: disagree! I love this episode! The gang are so horrible I think thereās a lot of humor in pairing them up with kids (also why I love Frank Reynoldsā Little Beauties). I love Mac and Dee competing to be head coach and I love the horrible dangerous things they tell the kids to do. I love that Frank ātrying to bondā with Dennis turns out to be a ruse for Frankās gambling, something Dennis doesnāt at all seem surprised by, which says so much about Dennis and Deeās childhood without even directly mentioning it. I even think Charlie using AA to flirt with The Waitress while sheās only interested in Dennis is funny. And itās hilarious that Frank chastises Dennis for sleeping with The Waitress when he knew Charlie likes her when Frank did literally the exact same thing lol. Just a very funny one for me I think all the character dynamic are really good and the kids are funny.
Sweet Deeās Dating a: Agree! You found my least favorite episode! Congratulations! I hate it so much even the band parts and Dennisā slutty little outfit donāt save it for me, which trust me is saying a lot about how bad the rest of the episode is. Itās just. Ugh. Similar issue as the others where itās one thing for the characters to be ableist, but the narrative itself is ableist too. And itās not even funny like. Even the band parts arenāt funny beyond their outfits to me. Yeah the scene of Dennis helping Charlie when heās upset is cute but even that doesnāt save it for me. Itās hard for me to even think about this episode without my blood pressure rising. Itās both boring and offensive! Worst combo. Iāve watched this one as few times as Iāve watch Charlie has Cancer but this one sticks in my mind more in a bad way which is why I say itās worse for me but who knows maybe if I rewatched both Iād feel differently. But I donāt want to lol.
Thundergun Express: disagree. This oneās another really funny one to me. The whole āweāll come back for youuuuuā running gag is great to me every time, I love Frankās awful boat tour where he just rambles about his chaotic life, I love that theyāre all so excited for the dong, I love Mac stealing a motorcycle, failing to drive it, and abandoning it in the middle of the street, I love the sewer (yeah, thatās shit in my hair) and I think Frank calling in a bomb threat because heās so upset he didnāt make it is a fantastic ending. Dennisā plot is pretty weak but thatās my only criticism, the rest makes me laugh and thereās a lot of great quotable lines from this one.
