Review: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, S7, E2 - "The Gang Goes to the Jersey Shore"

Air Date: Thursday, September 22, 2011, 10:00 pm ET/PT on FX

Rating: ★★★★★

After Dee (Kaitlin Olson) and Dennis (Glenn Howerton) discover Frank (Danny DeVito) burning pictures from their previous Jersey Shore vacations, they convince Mac (Rob McElhenny) and Charlie (Charlie Day) to go the shore. Right off, I find myself laughing at Mac’s reason for not wanting to go — he’s afraid it’s going to be like MTV’S Jersey Shore. “Come on, you’ve seen that TV show. It’s just a bunch of sweaty guidos getting hopped up on energy drinks and giving each other diseases.” The fun begins immediately when the gang arrives at their room at the All Star Inn and Dee and Dennis are drinking tequila from suntan lotion bottles and Dee has her hair braided á la Bo Derek in 10. You know disaster of the hysterically funny type is going to strike at any moment.

One of the things I love best about Sunny is how it surreptitiously covers hot topic headlines – either current or well after they’ve been publicized in the media. First up is toxic waste. Remember when hypodermic needles and medical waste were washing ashore back in the summer of 2009? That’s exactly what happens when Dee and Dennis see a large sign on a desolate beach announcing “Warning – Toxic Spill.” Follow that up with the perennially dumb Charlie (who has never seen the ocean before) asking why they have to leave the beach so early and I’m chuckling. “Aw, really? I feel like we’re just scratching the surface of all the cool shit out here…the sea specimens, the stray dogs, the stuff floating over from Europe.” And then there’s Frank, carrying a ham soaked in rum—which is supposed to replace the booze he was assigned to get—being jabbed in the thigh by a syringe when he sits down next to Mac on the beach.

Review: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, S7, E2 - "The Gang Goes to the Jersey Shore" 1

A happy Mac celebrates as Frank takes a bite out of the rescued 90-proof ham

There are three storylines in this episode: Mac and Frank being plucked out of the ocean by a yacht filled with guidos and guidettes; Dennis and Dee’s wild adventures with a bunch of crazy wacked-out petty thieves; and Charlie spending a romantic evening on the beach with Rose (Mary Elizabeth Ellis), the waitress he’s been obsessed with over the seasons. What happens and how these stories come together at the end of the episode is what makes me laugh so hard, I almost pee my pants! But my first laugh-out-loud moment happens when Dennis and Dee take Charlie under the boardwalk and see something so unexpected, they all run away. Cue one homeless guy getting it in the ass by another homeless dude, pants down, hairy ass exposed, pumping away for all he’s worth! This isn’t your father’s boardwalk anymore, Dennis!

I have to acknowledge the stray dogs. I’m an avid dog lover and these pooches couldn’t be cuter if they tried. How well trained they are to refrain from jumping all over Frank with that ham in his arms! My dogs would have knocked him down and gobbled that thing up without a second thought. To prevent that from happening, Frank and Mac get into a raft in the ocean to drink eat their 90-proof ham. Uh oh – you know they’re going to fall asleep out there. Which they do and then wake up in the middle of the ocean, shoreline unseen, and begin fighting over Frank’s “survival mode.”

Review: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, S7, E2 - "The Gang Goes to the Jersey Shore" 2

Mac gets a spray-on tan while Frank waits his turn

Everything comes together back at the room the next morning where the gang compares notes about who had the best evening. From Dennis and Dee excitedly explaining they all need to leave for home now, to Mac and Frank extolling the virtues of the guidos and guidettes, and Charlie trying to convince everyone he really did have a romantic evening with Rose, it is all a great deal of fun. Once again, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia doesn’t disappoint.

Favorite line just before Dee and Dennis run into the homeless guys:

Dee to Charlie about going under the boardwalk: “This is just gonna knock your socks off. You never know who you’re gonna run into, what they’re gonna be doing.”

Dennis: “Under the boardwalk is a magical place man. I have a special place in my heart because I had my first kiss down here…all kinds of romantic shit happens down here.”

Tune in to the incredibly funny It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Thursdays at 10:00 pm ET/PT only on FX.

LIKE Sunny on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/alwayssunny and follow the show on Twitter @FXNetworks using the hashtag #sunnyfx.

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Linda

Love TV, movies, and books--mostly mysteries, with a good love story thrown in every now and then. I have four adopted dogs who I adore. I love trying new recipes, and enjoy eating what I make. English language perfectionist. Reading in bed, Italian food, warm weather, the beach, all types of games = favs!