Ten Favorite IASIP Episodes (in no particular order)
The Gang Goes to the Jersey Shore
Mac and Charlie: White Trash
Charlie Kelly: King of the Rats
Mac & Charlie Die: Parts 1&2
Paddy's Pub: The Worst Bar in Philadelphia
Chardee Macdennis: The Game of Games
* Though I adore Charlie's antics (in particular his squawking), many of the classic Charlie episodes are too full of second-hand embarrassment for me to survive. I have made three attempts to watch the middle parts of "Flowers for Charlie" and failed every time. I often take him best when he's functioning as the feral 'wild card' that he is - cut-off shorts and accidental kidnapping.Â
* Apparently one of my favorite conceits is the gang getting out of Philly. Nothing brings out the drama in any group like a long road trip, hypodermic needles, and getting stranded in the woods to eat roadkill. Plus, RUM HAM was pretty much my favorite one-episode character in anything forever. (And Mac being eye candy the entire time didn't hurt either.)
* As the seasons progress, I appreciate both the strong continuity and the relationship dynamics. Mac and Dennis 'breaking up' didn't just hit me as 'funny-because-lol-it's-almost-homo'; the barbs were aimed at their codependence. "A Very Sunny Christmas" was both sweet and sad as it showed the neglect, poverty, and abuse that Mac and Charlie grew up with. And "King of Rats" showed the gang almost doing something nice for Charlie (if admittedly for the wrong reasons).Â
