One of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia‘s many, many strengths is its ability to toss a curveball at the audience within just the first few minutes. It’s Sunny, so we know the Gang of Paddy’s Pub is bound for a misadventure within the next 22 minutes and they’re going to be real jerks about everything, but we don’t know what that misadventure is. What follows are the best examples of how the show has revealed just what that misadventure is going to be. Typically, the episode opens with the five core members arguing about something either unrelated or only tangentially related to what is about to transpire before, bam, title card.
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Just missing the cut were “Mac and Dennis Buy a Timeshare,” “The Nightman Cometh,” “The Gang Misses the Boat,” and “The Gang Exploits a Miracle.” But let’s kick things off with a Season 2 episode.
1) “Dennis and Dee Go on Welfare” (Season 2, Episode 3)
One of the best episodes of Always Sunny ever made, “Dennis and Dee Go on Welfare” was the episode that introduced the recurring joke of the two title characters getting hooked on crack cocaine. But they certainly start the episode out with high hopes of becoming, respectively, a veterinarian and actress.
Dennis and Dee prepare to leave Paddy’s for good now that Frank has wormed his way into the Gang. They just won’t tolerate so they head for the door. Mac relays to them that the bar is all they have to which the duo reply “Don’t worry about us, Mac, we’ll be just fine.” Cut to title card.
2) “The Gang Finds a Dumpster Baby” (Season 3, Episode 1)
A great episode for Dennis Reynolds fans, “The Gang Finds a Dumpster Baby” is really the earliest display of just how vain and petty he is. It also shows how he thinks he’s better than everyone else, even his friends, and that starts at the very beginning.
Dennis, Dee, and Mac exist Paddy’s discussing An Inconvenient Truth, of which Dennis is a fan. With a dumpster about 20 feet away, Mac throws his drink against the wall of the next door building. Dennis takes issue with this and the other two ride him for all of a sudden being environmental. Dennis says with a faux superiority, “Oh, I’m sorry Dee, maybe I’d like to do some good in this world. Maybe I’d like to make a difference.” Dee says “You wanna do good? You’re not good at that.”
Dennis replies that he can do good to which Mac points out Dennis solely does things for his own benefit. Dennis says “You guys are gonna be so angry when you look back and you see that the world looks at Dennis and says ‘Dennis, you are a good person, you are making a diff–”. He cuts himself off as he opens the lid to throw away Mac’s trash and says “Holy s**t.” Mac asks “What?” and Dennis looks up at them with a cold look and says, “There’s a baby in this dumpster.”
3) “Dennis and Dee’s Mom Is Dead” (Season 3, Episode 3)
This episode opens with Charlie showing off some throwing knives he’s purchased from a magician. Dennis, Mac, and Charlie then proceed to nearly throw those knives at Dee.
Frank interrupts by bursting into Paddy’s in a chipper mood. He yells out “I got news! Your mother…is dead!” It’s not the first time he’s told Dennis and Dee this, but the big smile on his face indicates it’s true this time. He tells the Gang that she had a “botched neck lift” and she’s “dead as disco.” The remainder of the Gang looks taken aback, Frank reaches below the bar, yells out “Who wants champagne?!” and pops the cork. It’s perfect.
4) “The Gang Dances Their Asses Off” (Season 3, Episode 15)
“The Gang Dances Their Asses Off” makes great use of a pair of Always Sunny‘s best supporting characters, but it gives the Gang plenty of opportunities to bounce off one another in house, too. Frank has taken to ranking the Gang, and while none of them particularly like Frank, they still want to be ranked number one.
Charlie’s chances are hurt considerably after he puts Paddy’s up as the prize in a dance marathon, having misread “Prize” as “Pride.” In danger of losing what amounts to their entire lives, the Gang looks to Frank about what the next step should be to which he replies “We’re gonna dance our asses off!”
5) “Dennis Gets Divorced” (Season 6, Episode 2)
It didn’t take Dennis long to grow tired of Maureen Ponderosa. That we could see coming. What we couldn’t see coming was her transitioning into a feline later on and, ultimately, “falling” off a building (Dennis totally pushed her).
At the beginning of “Dennis Gets Divorced,” Maureen is in bed and Dennis is leaving their now-shared bedroom to head off to Paddy’s. He’s left her money on the nightstand, which confuses her considering they’re married. With sincerity she tells him he loves her and, with much less sincerity, he replies the same then pantomimes choking the life out of her. She plays along and rests her head back on the pillow but a growing dimness consumes his eyes. Cut to “Dennis Gets Divorced.”
6) “Mac’s Mom Burns Her House Down” (Season 6, Episode 6)
Season 6’s “Mac’s Mom Burns Her House Down” kicks off with Dennis and Mac inquiring as to why Dee is trying to get rid of her cold fast. She says she’s preparing for a Josh Groban concert, which is a name the other two confuse with Charles Grodin, which leads to a few threats and some screaming. She leaves the bar with Frank chasing her off with a pool cue so he doesn’t catch her germs.
Charlie then enters Paddy’s, yelling at his mom (the late Lynne Marie Stewart) on the phone over her ridiculous requests. Mac chastises him for not taking his mother more seriously at which point Charlie defends himself, calling her requests “crazy s**t.” The Paddy’s phone starts ringing but Charlie doesn’t want to answer it, thinking it’s his mother again. Mac tells him to anyway and Charlie says “It’s not anything serious, Mac.” He answers the phone and says “Oh, well that is a serious thing. Uh, Mac, your mom burned her house down.”
7) “Sweet Dee Gets Audited” (Season 7, Episode 4)
The running thread in Season 6 is Dee’s surrogate pregnancy (coinciding with Kaitlin Olson’s real-life pregnancy). Season 7’s “Sweet Dee Gets Audited” has her ride into Paddy’s on a moped with a big smile on her face. It seems she’s finally gotten the $30,000 from her surrogacy gig.
The guys suddenly claim to have done a lot to help out with her whole “baby scheme” (they didn’t do anything). Dee very confidently says “Okay, I made all the contacts. I pushed that little monkey out, and now I’m going to be claiming him as a dependent and getting tax breaks for the next 18 years. So you talk about a scheme? How’s that for a long-term scheme, bi**hes? Uh, you guys all better eat a d**k, ’cause Sweet Dee beat the system.” She points to herself with her thumb and does a side-to-side head wriggle with a big, goofy grin. Cue Heinz Kiessling’s Temptation Sensation and the title card.
8) “How Mac Got Fat” (Season 7, Episode 10)
Easily one of the best Mac-focused episodes, “How Mac Got Fat” very nearly didn’t happen at all. All of the flashback “avatar” scenes are from an un-aired Season 6 episode called “The Gang Gets Successful,” which didn’t air for unknown reasons (likely there wasn’t enough footage and then Olson went on maternity leave so they couldn’t flesh it out).
Instead the footage was repurposed for a Season 7 episode and quite well at that. Mac goes to see a priest to discuss how it’s his friends fault for him becoming overweight. The reason for his being in the confessional is answered when Mac says simply “I’m fat.”
9) “The Gang Tries Desperately to Win an Award” (Season 9, Episode 3)
“The Gang Tries Desperately to Win an Award” opens on Dennis, Dee, and Mac yelling at Charlie to wear gloves while he cleans the bathrooms. Frank enters and tells them the Restaurant and Bar Association’s Best Bar Award is nearing.
The remainder of the Gang makes it clear they don’t care for such a thing, though they do find it odd it’s never been nominated for the award (AKA the Emmy). After discussing how ridiculous it is to strive for awards and to kiss butt, Dennis says with an eyeroll “All right, let’s play the game. But I want to be very clear about something. This literally means nothing to me.”
10) “Mac Kills His Dad” (Season 10, Episode 7)
Mac’s dad, Luther McDonald, is in custody for allegedly beheading a state’s witness with a stop sign. Luther is facing the death penalty.
Mac is outraged and asks the Gang if they can possibly believe what the report is saying. They fully do. Mac believes his father is innocent and tells the gang “I’m gonna save my dad’s life.” Cut to the title card “Mac Kills His Dad.”
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