TV Review: It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (10×02) – “The Gang Group Dates”

http://youtu.be/5CIjHWAFvoc

**Spoiler Alert** The content of this article contains spoilers for Season 10, Episode 2 of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. If you do not wish to learn plot information about the episode, do not continue reading.

“I’m a five-star man! I’m a five-star man!!!” Dennis screams with clenched fists, pounding the table as another woman loses interest in this week’s episode, “The Gang Group Dates.”

The setting is Paddy’s Pub and the scenario is group dating. The gang gets so involved in the dating aspect that nobody tends the bar and customers look around for service. I have been waiting for random customers to complain about the lack of service in the bar and although this is a minor part of the episode, I’m glad they put it in.

Most fans of the show have a favorite character. I, on the other hand, enjoy one or two characters more than the others depending on the episode. The character I enjoyed the most on “The Gang Group Dates” is Dennis and I will tell you why.

Dennis Reynolds, the author of the D.E.N.N.I.S. System, completely breaks down. Once a championed playboy, he becomes a babbling buffoon with no confidence. At first, he blames the group date setting and dismisses Charlie and Mac as his wingmen so he can work alone. Later, he learns that Dee is giving every man she dates a “one star” rating online because it gives her a sense of power. Even though he has been rating and taping women for years, Dennis does not believe such information should be made public. The fact that he has a one star rating for everybody to see pushes him over the edge in a big way.

I never thought I would see the day that Dennis smashes his cherished sex tapes, but that is exactly what happens. He becomes more paranoid that his dates are rating him every time they check their cell phones so he drives them even further away. Eventually, he sits down to dinner with the waitress to acknowledge how he has treated her and other women poorly. Could this be the start of a new Dennis? A man who is caring and puts the feelings of others before his own?

No.

After asking the waitress to give him a quality rating online to put his anxieties to rest, she tells him that she “doesn’t do online” or “the emails.” Dennis loses his mind in the restaurant, wondering how a person functions today without the use of the internet. While making his way out of the restaurant, he claims that he doesn’t need anybody and gives everyone a one star rating. “One star for you!” he exclaims to a woman enjoying her meal. “Are you rating me?!?! Is that what you’re doing?!” he asks another woman sending a text message.

While I believe Dennis is the most entertaining character to watch this episode, the other four members of the gang do not disappoint. Mac, Charlie and Frank team up for group dating and Frank blows a whistle every time they get into a sticky situation. The goal is to bail from a date every time one of them says something idiotic so the women don’t get a chance to know them well enough to rate. One example of this occurs when Frank’s cock ring slips off and makes a sound for everyone in the bar to hear.

*Whistle blow* “Abort!” Frank yells.

Dee hooks up with guy after guy, giving them each a one star rating. She presents herself as the most powerful woman in Philadelphia due to the bad ratings she gives and the desire of men to please her. Unbeknownst to Dee, her reputation is not as glamorous as she believes. At the end of the episode, there are three homely looking dudes, one of which resembles an amphibian, who each asks to bang her because they don’t care about the rating. Everyone’s world is shattered at this point and they come to the conclusion that each person’s reality is whatever they believe it to be in their own minds, regardless of how delusional they each can be.

After nine seasons of a comedy, it can be expected for characters to evolve or change to keep the show interesting. One of the brilliant things about Sunny is that each character remains true to their personalities that are funny for different reasons. All these five people need is a clever situation that allows their individualities to shine. The writers gave them plenty to work with in this episode and it makes for plenty of laughs.