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michael_bragg99
Reviews
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: The Gang Solves Global Warming (2019)
Sweet Dee Shines
This episode was made for me by Sweet Dee, and the gag where she turns her charm on and off when the camera is on her for her social media feed. Kaitlin give a fantastic performance! And that worked really well as a send up of the performative nature of social media stars.
For me, the sort of parable that the episode created about global warming didn't really play just because everything that the writing had to say about the subject was pretty well-worn territory. And the amount of space that the script devoted to that probably took away from more opportunities for humor.
On the whole, the excellent performance from Kaitlin carried the episode to the extent that I would consider it a solid episode. It wasn't a great one. But it was good. But that Sweet Dee performance was so good that I wanted to write a review to call it out.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Charlie's Home Alone (2018)
Some Laughs, But Not Enough
This episode got some really good laughs from me. But overall, it was kind of meh. There were some really slow, slack parts to the episode that were just mediocre.
Part of the reason I think it wasn't that great was the lack of more than one plot strand. I've been rewatching Sunny lately, and something I feel I've noticed is that the best episodes are structured kind of like Seinfeld, where several different plot strands are followed and then come together improbably in the end.
I actually think that's a big part of why I haven't enjoyed a lot of the more "meh" episodes, such as the female Boggs episode. Some episodes, like this one (and female Boggs), only have one plot strand and thus don't have as many comedic beats. Other episodes, like the Ski episode, have multiple plot strands but they don't work right because the strands are related or don't make sense.
In this episode, I found it hilarious when Charlie started making decisions that got him hurt by his own traps. But the nods to Home Alone didn't really work for me. Like the aftershave splash, they play as weak parody that doesn't really comment on the original or do anything new with a gag that has been parodied many times already.
As I stated above, I suspect that structurally the reason why these weak gags stayed in the script was the lack of other plot strands. Similar to the problem I had with the ski movie episode, I feel the problems came from the characters in the episode all being in on doing the parody.
It does occur to me that the Lethal Weapon episode did work. But I'm not sure that was actually a parody. My feeling was that it was more of a jumping off point that allowed the writers to play with the characters. I can't say for sure because I wasn't able to watch those episodes on streaming QQ.
TLDR structural issues left the episode with tepid parody watering down some good Sunny humor. Not a bad episode, but the standard is so high on this show. Just having a few really good laughs makes it subpar Sunny.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: The Gang Hits the Slopes (2016)
Too High Concept for a Sunny Episode
I think it's interesting to compare this episode to other "high concept" episodes like "Charlie Wants an Abortion." Those episodes work because the structure defies our expectations of the high concept when the characters follow their own agendas.
The seriousness of abortion serves to underline the characters' depravity, and the comedy comes from the superficial and self-serving drives of the Sunny characters that drive the plot along lines that have nothing to do with abortion. Normal people's concerns only create opportunities for exploitation.
In this episode, the characters adhere to the high concept of the Ski Movie parody. They follow along with the structure and expectations of said genre. Although they make jokes or meta observations about the genre, structurally they don't depart from the expectations we have about the genre and how the story will develop within it.
Ultimately, I felt like there were a few laughs, but I found myself disappointed and underwhelmed by the end of the episode. It would have made more sense if the guest characters were trying to drive the Ski story forward and the Sunny regulars were derailing that storyline with their own BS.