It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

[Reply #160 on:]

Yeah. The main reason I'm defending it is that it actually struck me how well written an opening it was for them to just jump into things and give the audience credit that we'd be able to keep up, as I watched it.

[Reply #161 on:]

After thinking about it, I've changed my mind about the opening. I actually think it worked well. Once again, my memory was failing me, but I can remember the beginning pretty well now.

[Reply #162 on:]

Yeah, it wouldn't have worked in the earlier years of the show, but given what the dynamic of the characters have become, it makes perfect sense in the current Always Sunny universe.

[Reply #163 on:]

"The Gang Saves the Day" was an interesting one.

It wasn't one of the best ever, but it was probably my third favourite, so far, this season, and helped to cement season 9 as very, very strong.

[Reply #164 on:]

I agree. It'll never penetrate my top 10 or anything, but as far as the show's more experimental episodes go, this was definitely one of their best attempts.

[Reply #165 on:]

It was an okay episode. It wasn't amazing, but it made a decent 100th episode.

[Reply #166 on:]

The ending cracked me up, but they definitely bookended the two best fantasies (though Frank's was amusing just for the sheer pointlessness of it).

[Reply #167 on:]

Frank's fantasy seemed kind of forced to me at first, but it retrospect, it was kind of funny.

[Reply #168 on:]

The ending cracked me up, but they definitely bookended the two best fantasies (though Frank's was amusing just for the sheer pointlessness of it).

You mean you thought Mac's and Charlie's were the best? I thought Mac's and Dennis' were the worst, personally. Dee's was funny in how much it just went off on a tangent, Frank's was great and Charlie's was probably the best - I'd agree there. The ending was good, too.

[Reply #169 on:]

Dee's was probably the weakest for me. Hers and Dennis' went on a bit too long. I thought Mac's was perfect though. Of course he pictures his life as an overblown action movie.

[Reply #170 on:]

Here's my opinion on the fantasies: Dee<Dennis<Mac<Frank<Charlie.

[Reply #171 on:]

Flip Mac and Frank around and I agree completely.

[Reply #172 on:]

Mac's was just a bit obvious for me.

That and I've seen that sort of parody done a million times before.

[Reply #173 on:]

8/10

"The Gang Gets Quarantined" seemed stupid to me at first, I was wrong. I thought the episode was hilarious and had a very good plot. I lost my shit when Frank was trying to "cleanse" the bar. This is definitely one of my favorite Season 9 episodes so far.

[Reply #174 on:]

I had high hopes for the episode as the title sounded like the perfect concept for them to use in an episode.

It wasn't bad, but it didn't strike me as anything special, once again.

7/10

"The Gang Tries Desperately to Win an Award" remains my favourite of season 9.

[Reply #175 on:]

I agree with LMP, this was one of my favourites this season. Lots of laughs the whole way through, namely the idea of an a cappella outfit consisting entirely of stuttering, religious southern army carnies (and Charlie's design for the "outfit"), the image of a completely bald Frank, and of course, the reveal that everyone was just having alcohol withdrawal.

Always Sunny is usually at its best when it focuses on the dynamic of the gang, and this one really felt like the show firing on all cylinders. Also, the whole "searching for minerals" thing. I LOVE how we continue to keep finding out these weird little rules about Night Crawlers. So long as they never actually show the game, it'll never stop being funny to me.

[Reply #176 on:]

"Flowers for Charlie" was pretty good. One of my favourites from this season.

I enjoyed the little Pacific Rim reunion, too.

[Reply #177 on:]

I'm gonna put my feet on the stool

[Reply #178 on:]

8/10

Having enjoyed Flowers for Algernon, I was looking forward to this episode. I enjoyed it, and was glad that they added the dynamic of Charlie having never been smart at all, rather than doing exactly what happened in the book. This is one of my favorite episodes from Season 9 so far (behind "Gun Fever Too" and "The Gang Tries Desparately to Win an Award").

[Reply #179 on:]

I thought Flowers for Charlie was pretty average. I saw the twist ending coming, purely because the story just didn't fit in with the reality of the show. Charlie was still acting far more intelligent than he had the capacity for, so it didn't really work for me. Probably the weakest of the season so far for me.

[Reply #180 on:]

I saw the twist coming, too, but I don't really watch this show to be surprised by the plot turns.

[Reply #181 on:]

Agreed with the above. Seeing the twist coming didn't make the episode any less funny.

That said, I also agree with Beamer that Charlie was clearly smarter than he normally is in a way that didn't make a lot of sense with the ending. I'm glad they explained away the biggest things, like his being able to speak Mandarin and all, but his increased vocabulary and ability to form larger ideas still wasn't explained.

But even so, I was able to suspend my disbelief for the joke, and the delivery of lines throughout the episode was hilarious enough to make up for it.

[Reply #182 on:]

This week's didn't do a huge deal for me.

I like the basic premise, but I've seen it done so much better before. "Threat Level Midnight" from The Office, for example. Hell, even the gang's Lethal Weapon 5 was much better.

[Reply #183 on:]

Yeah, this was much better the first time around. Having said that, there were still quite a few laughs (Mac's constant unnecessary exposition, Dee being switched out with the stripper, etc.) so I can't really put the episode down TOO much - this show is a comedy first and foremost, after all - but it still felt like "retreating ground already well tread" to me.

[Reply #184 on:]

I'm basically just repeating my post in the Parks and Recreation thread, but season 10 is off to a good start.

[Reply #185 on:]

So overall, this season was pretty decent. It wasn't quite as innovative or fun as last season, but I think it showed that these guys still have some tread on their tires. I can't think of any episodes that I thought were an outright waste of time and that didn't contain at least a few good laughs. All in all, it's downright impressive that they've managed to keep the show going this long without having it severely lapse in quality or seem too lazy, barring a handful of shaky episodes.

[Reply #186 on:]

I'm not quite sure about how I'd rank them, but the last three seasons (including this one) have been my favourites by a considerable amount. I feel like the show is going strength to strength.

[Reply #187 on:]

Really? I thought season 8 was fairly weak compared to earlier seasons. I guess I'd have to rewatch it though.

[Reply #188 on:]

The only recent episodes I haven't cared for have been the super meta ones

[Reply #189 on:]

Like The Gang Tries Desperately To Win An Award? Because that is probably in my top 5 episodes of the entire series.

[Reply #190 on:]

That one was ok, but I thought lethal weapon six really missed the mark

[Reply #191 on:]

How exactly was the Lethal Weapon 6 episode "meta?"

The only overtly meta episode I can recall absolutely hating was The Gang Recycles Their Trash, which had some decent ideas but was really poorly executed. And maybe Frank's scenes in Thunder Gun Express, if they count. But the other meta episodes have ranged from decent (The Gang Misses the Boat) to absolutely brilliant (The Gang Tries Desperately to Win an Award). And they generally only do one a season now.

I'd also agree with Josh that season 8 was quite weak. I'd probably rank it as the worst season of the show, as even its better episodes (Charlie and Dee Find Love, The Gang Dines Out and Reynolds vs. Reynolds: The Cereal Defense) weren't particularly memorable by the show's overall standards. Other weak seasons at least have a few episodes that rank among the all-time greats, but season 8 really just felt "off," for lack of a better way to phrase it.

I definitely think that seasons 9 and 10 have been excellent, though. These past 2 seasons have been among the show's best, which is utterly incredible for a live-action show that's been on the air for over a decade now.

Also, how about that season finale? Holy fuck, that was dark.

[Reply #192 on:]

I might just not be remembering very well - but certainly the last two seasons (9 and 10) are probably my favourites.

I feel like there's more stand-out episodes in the latter seasons, even if the overall consistency is less strong and I'd always choose a few extreme highs and lows over everything being good.

[Reply #193 on:]

Season 2 is probably still my favourite. It's pretty much a perfect season of television.

[Reply #194 on:]

Season 2 was really good, but I'd put three slightly ahead of it.

[Reply #195 on:]

Season 3's great but I think they escalated the extremity of the show too quickly (hell, there are multiple episodes in which the main characters are actively trying to get one another killed). It's probably quite noteworthy that they actually scaled that back in season 5 (which is also a very strong season overall).

Plus, every episode in season 2 feels like a series classic, whereas season 3 has a couple of installments that I could take or leave - like The Gang Gets Whacked, which was far from bad, but felt like a bit of a waste of a two parter.

[Reply #196 on:]

I got into this show some time last year, and I now currently watching season 16 since it was finally added to Disney+.

I have to say... it's one of the funniest shows I've ever seen. Easily. The characters are so fucking diabolical and obnoxious they make my brain short-circuit and they manage to loop back around into being fun. And it's one of the only shows I've seen that almost entirely focuses on the comedy; something like Community, Parks and Rec or Brooklyn 99 would balance the humour with a somewhat grounded story, and give the characters an arc. But Always Sunny? Nope. Absolute madness, all the way though. Dennis is a sociopathic creep. Mac is an air-headed asshole. Frank is... Frank. And that never changes!

I quite enjoy the various side characters that show up every now and then as well. Cricket is my favourite, with the way his life gets progressively more fucked up.

[Reply #197 on:]

I rewatched the series last year and I stand by original opinion that seasons 1-3 of the show aren't particularly great. They're fine, but the show only really gets cooking in season 4 and, even then, it's a while before it becomes consistently great.

Still, it's astonishing how good the show still is to say how long it's been going. There are no bad seasons as far as I'm concerned and they're still putting out interesting, good stuff even if it's perhaps more hit and miss than it used to be.

[Reply #198 on:]

I rewatched the series last year and I stand by original opinion that seasons 1-3 of the show aren't particularly great. They're fine, but the show only really gets cooking in season 4 and, even then, it's a while before it becomes consistently great.

I can't really agree with this. Okay, season 1 is definitely the weakest due to the lack of Danny DeVito but many of my favourite episodes are from seasons 2-4.

"Dennis and Dee Go on Welfare", "Mac Bangs Dennis' Mom", "The Gang Finds a Dumpster Baby", and "Mac and Dennis: Manhunters" are all top-ten episodes for me.

[Reply #199 on:]

None of the episodes hit the 8/10 mark for me until we get to "Mac and Dennis: Manhunters". Up until then, I like what they're doing but it often feels a bit tryhard. Season 4 is when it clicks into place and feels effortless.

I know this isn't a particularly popular opinion, but I find it really interesting that it's pretty much how the guys making the show seem to feel about things, too, based on their podcast.