In the past, we’ve seen the gang try desperately to win an award, a commentary on how It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is always left out during awards season. That isn’t likely to change anytime soon, no matter how deserving the show is of being recognized for the ambitious and brilliant episodes they continue to produce. Despite being in its tenth season, last night’s episode was one of the best the series has ever produced, and I truly believe that Charlie Day deserves an award for his stellar performance.
“Charlie work” is a topic that the show has often visited throughout its run, alluding to the many odd jobs that Charlie does around the bar. This ranges from killing rats to unclogging toilets–essentially all the jobs that no one in their right mind would want to do. I was a little hesitant going into this episode, thinking that they were simply going to revisit that plotline without adding anything new to it. I should know by now to never underestimate It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
Last night’s episode took the idea of Charlie work to the next level, as it showed how hard Charlie actually works to make the bar presentable. When a surprise health inspection presented itself, Charlie took the reins and ensured that everything was in order, something that we discover he takes a great deal of pride in. He manages to not only get the best grade possible in the inspection, but also succeeds in completing the “chicken and air mile steak” scam that the rest of the gang was so focused on.
Of course, because the whole gang is so self-absorbed, they refuse to see how hard Charlie works to keep the bar running. Even at the end of the episode, they brush off his excitement at his success, claiming that Charlie work isn’t all that important. From their point of view, the bar always passes these inspections without anyone having to try, because they don’t see how hard Charlie actually does work. It is impossible for any member of the gang to see outside of their own narrow view of the world.
Instead, they’re more focused on their own ideas, this time having to do with the success of their scam. A fun running gag throughout the episode centered around each member of the gang wanting credit for coming up with and implementing the idea. They all want so badly to be recognized for their ideas that they even go so far as to have regular arbitration sessions to determine who came up with various ideas. At the end of the episode, they don’t even acknowledge that it was Charlie who made their scam work. Each person truly believes that they deserve the credit.
The ambitious part of this episode had to do with how it was shot, giving the impression that the whole inspection was just one long, continuous take. The camera followed Charlie around as he gave various orders to the gang, which only served to highlight Charlie Day’s performance. This style of shooting allowed us to fully see Charlie’s enthusiasm and determination for his work, taking the episode to the next level. Shot in any different style, this episode still would have been great, but with this particular style, the episode became one of the best that It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia has ever made.
Favorite Moments:
-Dennis’ Matthew McConaughey impression.
-Dee taking her job as a waitress so seriously.
-Frank trying to paint on shoes and a shirt, after flushing both down the toilet.
[Photo via FX]
You forgot to mention that the continuous shot was a spoof of Birdman, including the overlain drum track during the scene.
I have yet to see Birdman, but I think it was said that True Detective’s tracking shot was the inspiration. The music was added probably after they saw Birdman.
I was wrong! It turns out it was all by chance. The drum track was added before Birdman came out. But once you watch it, you will see how closely they match up.