It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 13 Epiosde 1
Thirteen seasons makes It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia the longest running live-action cable program of all-time. With a lifespan like that, it’s inevitable that the Sunny brain trust of Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day, Kaitlin Olson, and Glenn Howerton would aim to shake-up the status quo to see if new dynamics could bear fresh comedic fruit. Last season ended with Mac fully acknowledging his sexuality, Charlie finally landing the Waitress, and Dennis seemingly departing for North Dakota and a new life as a father. Howerton’s real-life commitment to network comedy A.P. Bio made it appear that his departure or a part-time status would be permanent, but the joke’s on us. Unfortunately, “The Gang Makes Paddy’s Great Again” wasted its best gag in the promos for the new season. If you’ve seen anything leading up to this new episode, then you likely have already seen the Dennis sex doll that Mac bought to “fill the Dennis sized-hole” in his life. The shock of seeing the sex doll would have likely made me gut laugh, but fully expecting it, the gag doesn’t land half as hard. However, the joke is aided by the Gang pretending to hear the sex doll say things that Dennis would say, like calling Dee a bird or criticizing Mac for being fat. The presence of the doll is a complete annoyance to the new member and de facto leader of the gang, Cindy, played by Mindy Kaling. As one of the most consistently hilarious and awful characters on The Office, Kaling fits like a glove in the Sunny ensemble and I’m sad that we likely won’t get to watch her occupy the Dennis space for a bit longer. Cindy is trying to pull a con on a neighboring bar using liberals and conservatives, giving the episode its played-out title, but luckily, the gang’s easily distracted nature and obsession with being lorded over by Dennis keep the politics at bay. The funniest moment in the episode is probably the most predictable. Charlie is getting annoyed by the Waitress, so he decides to use the Dennis sex doll to keep the Waitress company and keep her from calling while he hangs at Paddy’s with the gang. Naturally, when he returns to the apartment, the Waitress has had sex with the Dennis doll, saying that he tricked her into it. Like I said, you know the moment is coming before Charlie opens the door, but it’s still hilarious. The Dennis doll serving as this evil, manipulative presence is something that easily could have sustained itself for another few episodes, though I’m not opposed to having the genuine article back at the end of the episode, as smug and cold as ever. So, though none of the big changes stuck, “The Gang Makes Paddy’s Great Again” is a pleasant, if sort of safe reintroduction to our favorite cast of characters. Old jokes, like the duster, Mac’s famous Mac and Cheese, and our character’s established ticks and flaws are on display alongside some new, genuinely odd side-splitters, like Charlie playing the Dennis doll’s ass like a tuba and Cindy correctly detailing their sad, weird orgy the night before. All of the hoopla about Howerton’s exit and the show’s reinvention seems to be for naught. Sunny is back and as great as it has ever been.
