Season finale review: 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' - 'The High School Reunion 2: The Gang's Revenge': Ya got served!
The gang wraps up a terrific seventh season with a two-tiered dance number
Sweet Dee puts on her old back brace in the "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" season finale.
"It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" wrapped up its seventh season in style tonight, with the gang trying desperately to show up their tormentors at their high school reunion. The switch in perspective in the final scene was one of the biggest laughs the show gave me all year, and that's saying something, considering how strong this seventh season was. There was only one outright bad episode, "Frank's Brother," and even there I can respect that they were at least trying something different that didn't work. (That, or I can again note that Frank tends to be much more useful for generating stories than generating laughs.)
In fact, this may have been the best "Sunny" season since the second, which is a very tough accomplishment. You don't often see comedies get better this late into the run, particularly ones that are built around youthful stupidity and/or characters who behave horribly. But "Sunny" managed to incorporate the gang's advancing age very deftly this year, with various references to them being too old for this s--t, or to their moronic lifestyles taking a much heavier toll than it used to. (Dennis' diet and exercise regimen, for instance.) The reunion seemed the culmination of that: it was bad enough that they were freaks and weirdos as teenagers, but to be essentially unchanged in their mid-30s? That's sad, and yet somehow the show keeps mining comedy rather than pathos out of that.
What did everybody else think of the season? Favorite episodes or moments? Does this year fill you with confidence for the additional seasons we'll be getting after it?
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December 15, 2011 at 11:53PM EST Reply to CommentI'm currently rewatchimg the show from the beginning for a trivia night I'm quizmaster for, and can honestly say this is the most consistently funny season of the series. Like you said, Frank's Brother was the only full on dud, but the rest of the season was firing on all cylinders. Rob's weight gain was the gift that kept on giving, amplifying all that is great about Mac as a character.
Jordan
December 15, 2011 at 11:56PM EST Reply to CommentI used to like sunny the first 2-3 even the 4th season, but the past 3 seasons and especially the last two seasons have been terrible. With the exception of thunder gun express or whatever it was called, I think I laughed like twice this entire season. I like the characters and the plot line, the actors are great Danny, katlin and charlie are great and the latter are getting the work to prove it but in my opinion the show has become nearly unwatchable I don't know if it's the writing or what but sunny has moved to the bottom slot in my DVR and I dont think I'd care at all if it got canceled .
sam From the sound of it, maybe Sunny should stay at the bottom of your dvr. So you can keep up on such awesome shows such as Blue Bloods, Burn Notice, The Closer or even Bones or the Good Wife.
December 16, 2011 at 1:31PM ESTThank god for shows such as Sunny that break the norm of awful run of the mill shows. Not including HBO or SHO shows, if AMC or FX didn't have the shows they did, we'd all be stuck watching Prime Suspect...
KC I totally agree, Jordan. I haven't laughed much this season, with the exception of the Thunder Gun Express episode and, in this episode, the reveal Alan talks about. That was a great, perfectly It's Always Sunny moment.
December 20, 2011 at 9:47PM ESTI'm not sure why I haven't enjoyed this season. The show's so-wrong-they're-right storylines have always cracked me up, and I loved that the writers weren't afraid to make their characters unlikeable. But this season, they (Dennis especially) are insufferable. And there is a big difference between the two.
Josh
December 16, 2011 at 12:18AM EST Reply to CommentHard to pick a favorite but I think the 'anti-social network' was my favorite episode of the season. I am definitely looking forward to the next two seasons. And speaking of pathos, I was really surprised at how touching the interaction between Charlie and The Waitress was in the Jersey Shore episode. This is defenitely not a show you expect to get all warm and fuzzy, but I look forward to seeing *a little* more of this in future seasons(but not too much, or it would change the nature of the show).
michael_romero
December 16, 2011 at 12:26AM EST Reply to CommentI have to agree that this season has been great. It feels like the show has matured in a lot of ways even though it's still the same characters and material. I love how they have started referring to earlier escapades in some of these episodes (like the D.E.N.N.I.S. system tonight, or Frank's mention of The Dayman Cometh in the Thundergun episode). Overall, a great season that has been a lot of fun to watch.
Tyrone
December 16, 2011 at 12:34AM EST Reply to CommentThe dance scene switch-up was amazing. I'm not usually the laugh-out-loud type, but that got me.
Slim Charles Same here. And the best thing is - I was sure that was going to happen. And still I laughed :)
December 16, 2011 at 2:37PM ESTGreat season, for me best since season 3 [which was fantastic]. Only season that I didn't really love was season 4, all other, while having a bad episode or two, were great. I'm not really a comedy fan, there are maybe 3-4 comedies in last 10 years that I liked, and couple more that I can watch, but this one is the best for me :)
December 16, 2011 at 12:44AM EST Reply to CommentMac in line at the drive through of "the hamburger store" practicing to be a Swedish plumber while Dennis failed to follow his logic caused me to pause I was laughing so hard
dmstorm22
December 16, 2011 at 12:57AM EST Reply to CommentGreat season. Personally, I liked the 3rd the best (from Gang Gets Held Hostage to the end, I loved every single episode - especially the Gang Got Whacked 2-parter). Easily the best since then.
zzk
December 16, 2011 at 2:39AM EST Reply to CommentI did a double take when I read that this is the 7th season. I've seen them all, and I can't believe how consistently good the show has been. The characters are getting a little formulaic, and I would appreciate some advancement/permanent change between episodes, but I guess you shouldn't fix what ain't broke.
Nate
December 16, 2011 at 3:22AM EST Reply to CommentI can sum up the best story of the season with two simple words:
"RUM HAM!!!"
December 16, 2011 at 3:48AM ESTSo Cal
December 16, 2011 at 4:21AM EST Reply to CommentWas my top comedy overall for a long while, but think the last 2 seasons have been very uneven. Eps like "The Gang Goes To The Jersey Shore" were pantheon level, but there were quite a few that fell very flat.
Generally agree with Alan, but this show has slipped considerably
Chris
December 16, 2011 at 4:39AM EST Reply to CommentThat was my favourite series yet. I'm shocked at how few people seem to like "Frank's brother", as I thought it was actually pretty strong, especially on a second viewing. I really can't wait for the next two years.
I think my favourite this year was "CharDee macDennis: The Game of Games." It's amazing that they can have such a good episode this far in using only the set of the bar and the five main characters.
As for this week's, I loved the fact that Dennis wasn't popular in high school and that he merely thought he was. That fits in a lot better with his history than actually being popular ever would have. In fact, thinking about it Glenn Howerton was definitely the MVP this year. Everyone brought their best, and I have immense respect for Rob McEllenhy for gaining all that weight so that he could have an extra avenue of jokes, but Dennis was the funniest he's ever been.
Lee I agree. I think that "Frank's Brother" has been undeservedly dumped upon, probably because the rest of the gang really wasn't in it. How can you dislike an episode with such strong acting talents as Lance Reddick and Jon Polito going the comedy route? It was worth it just to see Reddick play against his usually ultra-serious character type on shows like "The Wire" and "Fringe."
December 19, 2011 at 4:30PM ESTBobman
December 16, 2011 at 8:32AM EST Reply to CommentCharDee MacDenis was definitely my favorite of the year, but I agree that they really stepped up their game after a not-so-great 6th season.
The entire dance sequence last night was gold.
AJ I also loved CharDee MacDenis. It reminded me of college where you would just invent games to get wasted, only taken to the Always Sunny level of insanity.
December 16, 2011 at 10:29AM ESTPaul
December 16, 2011 at 10:15AM EST Reply to CommentFavorite episode of the season was the one where they were in the house trying to get the vase back. Danny Devito with a bullwhip was classic
Paul every part of the episode was random enough to make it funny.
December 16, 2011 at 10:17AM ESTthehobbystudios
December 16, 2011 at 10:28AM EST Reply to CommentI saw "Frank's Brother" for the first time on an airplane. I watched it without sound, at first because I was caught off guard that it was on and then because it was so interesting to just look at. When I got home I pulled it up on the TiVo and was very disappointed. However, watching it for the first time w/o sound: Gold!
Bob
December 16, 2011 at 10:34AM EST Reply to CommentI thought last night's episode was "sad" up the dance scene. Seeing the character's in this context just didn't make me laugh.
Love the show. I laugh out loud and love where they take the humor, but the first 20 minutes of last night's episode just wasn't funny. And I've never thought that way watching an episode.
bmcmolo
December 16, 2011 at 11:25AM EST Reply to CommentI loved it. Agreed with the last twist - that was fantastic. (Although I absolutely loved 'Frank's Brother.' This season has been the best of the series so far - I agree, this late in its run, that's really something!
Lucas
December 16, 2011 at 11:35AM EST Reply to CommentI liked the Frank's Brother episode purely for the Shadynasty gag. Also...Dennis reached all new levels of creepiness last night.
Jonathan
December 16, 2011 at 11:36AM EST Reply to CommentWas anyone able to deduce what year reunion it was for them? It had to have been either 15 year (age 33) or 20 year (age 38). I guess 15 year?
Chris Probably best not to think about it too hard. 15 would make sense given their relative ages but I doubt the writers cared that much.
December 16, 2011 at 12:48PM ESTClassy Act They said they were going back to the "mid-90s," so 15 year (1996) would fit. 20 year (1991) wouldn't work because "Baby Got Back" came out in 1992. Meanwhile, the cast members are around 35.
December 19, 2011 at 11:36PM ESTAnyway, if they wanted it to be a specific year they could have easily had a "Class of 199-" in the background.
Ah, the internet. I love that we're discussing this as if it's Mad Men.
tag8833
December 16, 2011 at 12:41PM EST Reply to CommentWhat a great episode and a great season. Everything from Frank's speech foward was pure gold. I laughed out loud for a solid 15 minutes after the cut where we saw how pathetic the dance routine was. Ronald McDonald's shirtless yell will forever be etched in my memory as the sort of thing that I remember at odd times and chuckle to myself, only to have my coworkers look at me pondering my mental stability.
I think this season of Sunny tops this season of Community so far. It is just that good.
joelwhyrock
December 16, 2011 at 1:05PM EST Reply to Comment1. Chardee MacDennis: The Game of Games
2. The Gang Gets Trapped
3-T. The High School Reunion 1 & 2
5. Sweet Dee Gets Audited
Favorite moment was undoubtedly when Dennis and Dee joined the crazy people who robbed the liquor store and killed a guy.
christoff
December 16, 2011 at 2:54PM EST Reply to CommentAbsolutely loved this season. I didn't find the High School Reunion episodes hilarious end to end but they were a great way to finish the season up. In order for me this year:
1. CharDee MacDennis
2. Trapped in the House
3. Thundergun Express
4. Jersey Shore
Mike.G
December 16, 2011 at 4:42PM EST Reply to CommentI find it hard to judge "Sunny" on a season-by-season basis. With the exception of Season 6 and Dee's pregnancy, most of the show's episodes can really be viewed as stand alones, and not necessarily as a cohesive set piece.
That being said, while I don't think that this season was necessarily the best or one of the best of the show's run, I would agree that the show is aging very well. In part, this is because one of the main thrusts of the show is the idea that all of the characters are losers. On some shows, turning a character into a broad parody of a loser is clumsy at best. Ross on Friends is a good example of a character who turned into a one-dimensional loser as the show progressed. But on Sunny, most of the characters were losers to begin with and started out at the bottom (with the possible exception of the first season without DeVito). This show's genius is rooted in the fact that all of the characters are losers. I've often said that this show is Seinfeld with Five Georges. Another analogy I've used is that this show is Seinfeld meets Voltaire's Candide. These characters are great and the show works because they are the ugly mirror of our own worst vices and shortcomings. This show will age quite well as a result, since there really is no bottom as long as the writing stays strong.
PotatoSolution True, I tend to judge this particular show episode-by-episode. I wouldn't necessarily declare season 4 the best season, even though it has my two favorite all-time episodes, "Who Pooped The Bed?" and "The Nightman Cometh".
December 17, 2011 at 3:28PM ESTmikerwilson
December 17, 2011 at 12:43AM EST Reply to CommentRUM HAMMMMMMMMM!!!!
Adam
December 17, 2011 at 3:50AM EST Reply to CommentI couldn't agree with you more. This season of Sunny was amazing. Look at a great show like The Office (or really any great sitcom) and it's 7th season and it doesn't even come close to what Sunny was able to do. Amazing season by them and I too literally laughed at loud after that dance scene
Ben Kabak
December 20, 2011 at 11:38AM EST Reply to CommentFranks Brother was a hilarious episode
Dc1818
January 15, 2013 at 3:37AM EST Reply to CommentThis episode was horrible and tragic, not comic at all. You really liked it?
In fact, all of season 7 was pretty bad, standard sitcom fare instead of something witty or intelligent...