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Who Has to do the Dishes? Review: It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia – “The Gang Gets Analyzed”

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  • November 8, 2012

  • 7 mins to read

IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA: L-R: Rob McElhenney as Mac, Kaitlin Olson as Sweet Dee, Charlie Day as Charlie, Danny DeVito as Frank and Glenn Howerton as Dennis. CR: FX

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia – “The Gang Gets Analyzed”

Air Date: Thursday, November 8, 2012, 10:00 pm ET/PT on FX

Rating: ★★★★★

 

Everyone wants to know, who has to do the dishes?

Dee (Kaitin Olson) is in therapy and, at the suggestion of her therapist (Kerri Kenney-Silver), holds a “cooperative dinner” for the Gang in an effort to resolve some of their issues. The problem is no one was assigned to do the dishes, and of course, no one wants to. So how does Dee solve this problem? She drags Frank (Danny DeVito), Mac (Rob McElhenney), Dennis (Glenn Howerton), and Charlie (Charlie Day) to her shrink for a decision. You would think Dee is adult enough to make this determination on her own but if she were, we wouldn’t get this crazy, weird look into what makes everyone tick. In typical Sunny fashion, viewers are treated to a wonderful send-up of therapists, therapy sessions, and the Gang’s backgrounds. Or should I say…mental issues.

Dee

Dee loses it at the end of her therapy session.

Each member of the Gang takes turns with the therapist, and the funniest part of Dee’s session is her lying, pretending to have turned down the Rachael McAdams role in The Notebook. And then, there’s her imitation of a scene from Good Will Hunting—I love that the two ladies argue over whether Dee is doing a Boston or Brooklyn accent. Whichever—she does it well. And of course, there’s her reaction to the therapist’s decision about who should wash the dishes. I don’t want to spoil it for you, so let’s just say it’s something regular fans of Sunny will appreciate.

Mac 

Mac starts off his session with a little kickboxing action, which is funny since he tends to shy away from any sort of physical confrontation. But then, in the blink of an eye, he’s sitting on the sofa, kicking his legs, and shouting. McElhenney really does throw a perfect temper tantrum. The most interesting parts of Mac’s therapy session are what we learn about his recent weight gain and loss, how he feels about it, how Dennis is helping him, and what he thinks about female doctors. Really, Mac? She’s “one of the smart ones?”

Charlie

Charlie tries to make a point with Dennis and Mac.

Charlie starts off his session in usual Charlie style: banging his head against the wall, and screaming at the top of his lungs to try to get his point across. He’s weird, and he knows it. What I love most about Charlie’s session is how he brings up past storylines about himself. He really is one crazy dude! Just wait until you see the pigeon!

Frank

I don’t know how Kenney-Silver kept from laughing when Frank was spitting pumpkin seeds (or were they sunflower seeds?) at her while having a staring match over who is going to speak first. And then again, while Frank is telling an absurd story about his childhood and “being shanghaied upstate, to a nitwit school,” it almost appears as if she can’t keep a straight face. I don’t blame her—I don’t know how anyone could! DeVito does a wonderful job here, portraying a man who is experiencing the anguish of having old, painful wounds re-opened, or “unzipped,” as Frank says.

Dennis

Howerton absolutely shines in “The Gang Gets Analyzed.” As usual, Dennis thinks he has all the answers. He even tries to get the therapist to accept him as a “peer.” I love how he flaunts his Ivy-league degree, saying he’s more qualified to analyze the Gang than she is because she only went to LaSalle. Typical Dennis. What’s frightening is that he has dossiers on each member of the Gang. I don’t know if it’s how accurate his assessment of Mac is, or the fact that Dee’s dossier started when she was “in the second grade” that frightens me so much. And of course, Dennis can’t help but be the ladies’ man he believes himself to be. What ‘til you see the drawing he sketches of himself with the therapist. As if!

Memorable lines:

Mac to the therapist: “Oh, I get it. Cute. You leave this pen here and people are supposed to think…wait, that looks like a dick.”

**

Frank to the therapist: “Yeah, back then, science was real crude. They stuck us all together. My roommate was a frog kid.”

**

Dennis to the therapist: “Why don’t you think of me more as a peer, in the academic sense, of course. In terms of age, you’re decades older than me.”

**

Guest star Kenney-Silver knocks it out of the park with her portrayal of the therapist. She goes from understanding, to quizzical, and analyzing, all the while unable to believe her ears, and does it like a real therapist would. (I should know, I’ve been to one. But hey, this isn’t about me.)

It was fun watching “The Gang Gets Analyzed” because it reminds me of some of the arguments my sister and I used to have when we were younger. It’s funny how childish the Gang can be when they want to—which is pretty much all the time. If you’re not familiar with past seasons of Sunny, however, you might not understand how special this episode is. Sunny does a great job of delving deep into its archives, bringing up old storylines like Dee wanting to be an actress, Dennis being an Ivy League snob and God’s gift to women, and Charlie screaming to get his point across. But that’s what Sunny is good at—using a tried and true formula that obviously works since the show’s been around for eight seasons, with a ninth already scheduled. Hey, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

 

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

LIKE Sunny on Facebook, and follow the show on Twitter @FXNetworks, using the hashtag #sunnyfx. You can also follow Frank @DannyDeVito, Mac @Robmcelhenney, Dee @kaitlin_olson, and Dennis @Glenn_Howerton. You can also submit questions to The Gang via the Sunny mailbag @SunnyMailbag.

All photos courtesy of Patrick McElhenney / © 2012 FX Networks, LLC. All rights reserved.

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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!

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!