(Here's my top 10 and here's my first set of runner ups.)
The Gang Runs for Office (season 2, episode 8)
"You've gotta be a real low life piece of shit to get involved in politics!" And here we go. The premise of the episode is hilarious, and I've got to shout out Charlie's speech he wrote for Dennis. Fun fact: Glenn Howerton improvised this dyslexic speech: "The Democratic vote for me is right thing to do, Philadelphia, so do."
The Gang Gets Whacked, Parts I and II (season 3, episodes 12 & 13)
Gotta love how things spiral out of control so quickly in these two episodes, as they become drug dealers and Dennis becomes a prostitute. Rickety Cricket gets involved, and ultimately gets the comeuppance that the gang deserved. Plus, the mafia guys are hilarious in their track suits.
Paddy's Pub: The Worst Bar in Philadelphia (season 4, episode 8)
This is such a great "things spiraling out of control" episode as the gang kidnaps a journalist, his neighbor, and his cat. Of course, this doesn't help their bar get better reviews.
Sweet Dee Has a Heart Attack (season 4, episode 10)
The titular story line of the episode is funny enough as Dee and Dennis try to get in shape without actually working out. But what's even better is Mac and Charlie getting an office job. The interview scene is hilarious, and the Pepe Silvia scene is truly iconic.
The Great Recession (season 5, episode 3)
Always Sunny has taken advantage of current events to create episodes since the beginning. Frank not being rich would certainly put a wrench in the gang's ability to scheme freely. Luckily, after a brief stint as a door-to-door knife salesman and crab fisherman, he gets bailed out. Just in time, too, since Mac and Dennis prove to be really bad at economics.
The Maureen Ponderosa Wedding Massacre (season 8, episode 3)
This episode has a few genuinely creepy moments (the McPoyle girl crawling on the floor, limbs all twisted up... *shudders*), and I always love an episode told through flashbacks. Plus the scene at the beginning where Frank is bit by a bat and pays Dee to suck the venom out, but she swallows the blood and then tries to make herself throw up while Dennis yells at them -- if you needed to introduce someone to the gang in under a minute, this is the way to do it.
Flowers for Charlie (season 9, episode 8)
This episode is a great remake of Flowers for Algernon, but it turns out that Charlie's increased intelligence is simply the placebo effect. Also this episode was written by the writers of Game of Thrones. Huh.
The Gang Beats Boggs (season 10, episode 1)
I'm always a fan of any episode that gets the gang all together in the same place, doing the same thing. Here we have an airplane drinking competition, as they try to drink over 70 beers on a cross-country flight. That's really all you need to know.
Frank Falls Out the Window (season 11, episode 2)
This is a great nostalgia episode, 10 years after season 2, with tons of great fourth-wall-breaking humor. My two favorite moments: The nod to Mac's changed sexuality over the seasons ("Oh, yeah, it's 2006 and you're still into women"), and the return of Biz Markie's "Just a Friend".
The Gang Goes to Hell Parts I and II (season 11, episodes 9 & 10)
These are two great episodes, but I mostly just want to talk about Mac finally coming out as gay (only to retreat back into the closet, but still). This scene actually pulls at my heart strings, with Mac only able to accept himself as gay if there is no God. Then his father issues resurface, as it's revealed that Dennis has been hiding the letters from Mac's dad. But at least Mac has found love for musical theater.
No comments:
Post a Comment