It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia finished its tenth season last night, putting an end to what has been one of the best overall seasons of the show so far. There wasn’t a single misstep this season, with each episode bringing something new and hilarious to the show. For a show to be around for this long, especially a show like It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia that is constantly pushing the boundaries, this is an amazing feat. We might have another long wait ahead of us before the next season airs, but they’ve proven that the long waits are worth it.
In the season finale, the idea of control was explored as Dennis, Dee, and Frank all used a cult that Dennis had made up to influence Mac, Charlie, and the rest of the cult to do what they want. Looking at the dynamic of the group over the course of the show, it isn’t surprising that Mac and Charlie were so willing to follow what ‘the master’ was telling them to do, even if it was obvious that they were being manipulated by the others. These two characters aren’t known for their brains and have proven time and time again that they lack common sense. If a cult is telling them to stop eating thin mints, to fix Mac and Dennis’ apartment, or even to commit suicide, it’s not a stretch to believe that they would do it.
At the same time, it wasn’t surprising to see Dee, Frank, and especially Dennis vie for control of the others. All these characters are self-centered and have no problem manipulating people to get what they want. In Dee’s case, this meant convincing the cult, which is centered around working out, to fix Dennis and Mac’s apartment so that they will move out of her place. Charlie and Mac wouldn’t have listened to her if they knew it was Dee demanding this (after all they have very little respect for her), but she was smart enough to use the cult’s bulletin to influence them.
Frank’s motivation for wanting control was much more simple but still fitting considering what we know about him. His main desires are getting girls and convincing people to do gross things. Naturally, this is what he manipulated the cult into doing, also using the bulletin to make them believe there needs to be girls in their cult. By the end, he had even managed to get one of the members to eat a poop sandwich, which was really his main goal all along.
Dennis is the member of the group who has always strived to have the most control. He views himself as the leader and takes great pleasure in being able to manipulate them for his own personal gain. The whole reason he made up this cult was because Mac had been eating his thin mints. Knowing that Mac has always had insecurities about his body and has been obsessed with building ‘mass,’ Dennis used that to his advantage in forming the cult.
When he felt threatened by Dee, who was also successfully manipulating everyone and taking away from what he was doing, he took drastic measures to prove that he has the most power over everyone. Dennis went so far as to convince JoJo, played by the hilarious Dax Shepard, to commit suicide. His need for power and control is so strong that he doesn’t even care what the consequences of his actions are. This combination of Mac and Charlie’s willingness to go along with anything and Dee, Frank, and Dennis’ battle for control led to a fantastic season finale, leaving us wanting more.
Favorite Moments:
-The reveal that the girls Mac and Charlie had recruited were their mothers.
-The reappearance of the flying turtle. JoJo is clearly in a better place now.
-“He’s going to put all the brains in my head. Sweet.”
[Photo via FXX]
