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sunnykeysmash · 11 months

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the structure in mac and dennis break up

this is gonna be a short post tbh, I just rewatched the episode and I have a couple of thoughts.

if you need a refresher on what I think the structure is in general, I talk about it here.

I think Mac and Dennis Break Up shows us an example of Mac and Dennis (and Charlie and Frank) working properly in regards to the structure, let me explain why:

First... I don't think there's a need for me to describe the plot of the episode, we all know.

What I want to focus on, is that at one point Mac moves in with Frank and Charlie, and starts bringing his way of life to them.

At first, Frank is thrilled.

"I could use a little structure in my life here." he says.

This reminds me of dialogue from Carries a Corpse.

"Nobody admit this to Mac, but... I feel like he was carrying a ton of weight."

"That would be another one of his annoying identities... the man who could carry stuff."

He's been shown carrying Dennis, on top of generally being inclined to micromanage, take care of others so they're safe, and make decisions or at least demand to be consulted in them (like which movie to watch on movie night).

That's when Mac works best, so I assume that Mac generally brings structure (or is a man of action, as he describes it).

Later on, we see Mac take this too far, and Frank doesn't like it anymore. To me, this is because what this episode tells us is that Charlie and Frank don't work well with a set structure, the way that Mac provides. They're more free.

I think this reading is important because it shows me why The Gang Gets Romantic fundamentally fails in its objective (not as an episode god forbid, I mean in the narrative, especially for Mac and Dennis).

It applies the romcom structure to Charlie and Frank, while it doesn't to Mac and Dennis, when it should be the opposite. Throughout the episode we see that Mac and Dennis keep fitting the tropes to the romcom structure, but they refuse to follow it, and thus it crumbles. It can't work.

Here's another thing.

Dennis' back broke in the S15 finale.

That is funny, yes, but what does this mean when I say that Mac is the (his) structure, then?

Well... Carries a Corpse implies that Mac was carrying most of the weight of the corpse, and the corpse is meant to be the show... and most show meta is basically the same as Dennis meta (most meta lines seem to relate to him, whether the fact he left for north dakota and came back, or the fact he's a dad, being between life and death, breaking his back aka the structure, and so on), as I have discussed better in my other post.

Point being, Mac carries Dennis. That's what he's meant to do, and what he does best in their relationship.

This makes me think of another recent scene that I think is emblematic of their dynamic... but in an interesting way.

So, in 2020: a Year in Review, Mac and Dennis work together on a song.

They seem to be in harmony, but eventually start disagreeing and stop altogether to focus on something else. Why?

Because Dennis is working on the backup vocals, and Mac is working on the words. Which means their roles are reversed. Mac is supposed to be carrying the song, like the wind beneath his wings that he is, and Dennis, like the man of words that he is, should be responsible for the lyrics. They're doing each other's job, which means any harmony they reach is still bound to crack a bit the moment the song doesn't work for them.

Their seating position on their sofa reflects this.

Compare it to Mac and Dennis Break Up, which is supposed to be our ideal.

They're in each other's places, in 2020.

This isn't new, they've been sitting in each other's places ever since Break Up. Mac was sitting in Dennis' place in MFHP, Dennis was sitting in Mac's place in Gets Romantic.

So tl;dr... Mac and Dennis work well under structure, when Mac is the one to bring it and carry Dennis. They fit a proper couple structure after all. Charlie and Frank don't work as well under structure, since their relationship is more unique and doesn't quite abide by normal rules because of that.

This does bring me to one last consideration though...

They're back in their right spots, in season 16! Only problem is... couch is different. I would argue an inflatable couch doesn't offer the same amount of support (structure) that a normal one would...

Now that Dennis' structural essence broke, is he gonna feel what it's like when Mac is absent?

Perhaps this is why in Cursed we get Mac as the lucky one while the others as so unlucky they start to believe they're cursed (according to the synopsis...).

So the whole gang needs Mac?

Well...

In Goes To Hell pt2, when they build the human pyramid, it's both Mac and Dennis that end up at the bottom, as its structure.

So maybe... Dennis needs Mac as his structure, and the gang needs them to be in sync so they can both, together, support them (or shut the hell up about it, as both madbu and s15 would argue). Maybe this realization could be what brings the gang to work together in order to get them together. But that's getting into just speculation so imma end it here.

I like these thoughts though... Mac and Dennis being the foundation, the structure of the whole thing :)

#iasip #it's always sunny in philadelphia #s16 spoilers #always sunny #macdennis #macden #analysis #meta #this is as good as ''mac is the rat dennis is the cheese and together they're the trap of macdennis''#i do love building meta off of other meta that i pre-established... makes me feel like im citing my own research papers #if this only makes sense to me im so sorry my bad. it will happen again #this was born as a twitter thread while i rewatched madbu and things started making a bit too much sense so i had to write about it #i think if by the end of inflates they go back to their normal couch thats like golden sign that macden is going canon #cuz they maybe start experimenting different couches and none of them work for them. so they start blowing them all up #you know. like the stew!!! throwing it in the face instead of eating. using it wrong to get a thrill.#but by the end theyre like... no actually. our old one worked the best. for us. it worked. it supported us right #not flimsy like an inflatable couch is #so mark my words. if by the end of inflates we see macden sitting AT THEIR RIGHT SPOTS with THE RIGHT COUCH mirroring madbu...#then macdennis is gonna happen. period #dennis is gonna figure out that mac is his structure and theyre gonna go back. together. at the BOTTOM of the gang pyramid #getting pissed on together<3 like meerkats #dennis ''i aint goin down'' reynolds when hes destined to be part of the structural support and thus has to go down and stay down #dedicating this post to parker and joe they'll know what i mean #dennis reynolds #mac mcdonalds

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prettysymbiosis · 9 months

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risk e. rat’s pizza and amusement center

the awkwardly long name (read: it’s always sunny in philadelphia) - both character and show meta incoming and I feel like that’s the first hint of the latter

am I the only one who keeps thinking risk e. rat’s pizza is the pizza for you and me…

“they make kids feel like they’re the ones in charge” - so interesting coming from mac mcdonald. soon followed up by “they were the first set of boobs I ever saw since my mom’s” which ties right into the burgeoning mommy issue thread

at the end of the day it’s all part of the fun!

just the gang singin’ in the car :)

dennis “that’s not my name” reynolds

how have I just NEVER noticed that dee is left-handed???

the broken water fountain - does it mean anything? I’m too tired to figure it out I need my tumblr brain trust

maybe mac being clean-shaven this season is to make him seem more boyish? I have a new theory for this every episode

I think I saw someone else say this but I do think it’s fitting that charlie and dennis are together on the titties storyline because of their shared baggage around childhood sexuality, like no one else in the gang would really be able to relate to dennis here and if charlie is figuring his shit out with that then he'll definitely serve as a parallel for dennis having to figure it out too

I like how they represent three different eras of risk e.’s (frank, gang, present day) to really explore changing values and how things getting softer can be bad in some ways but good in others. this episode definitely feels in keeping with lethal weapon 7 as a very sunny way of critiquing sunny that feels satisfyingly self-aware but also fairly true to form which is a pretty fine line to walk, to give credit to rcg and the rest of the creators

also if you haven’t seen the john oliver piece on chuck e. cheese go watch it because it provides so much context and crazy true history of these types of places that was definitely in my mind while watching this episode

dee and frank paired up again, and in a childhood place, probably ties into the dee parent-issues thing I hope they’re building up to

each character really tells on themself about what fucked up stuff they’ve come to believe is acceptable or even enjoyable but should be questioned:

frank - violence and verbal abuse toward children and everyone; sexually harassing women with impunity; calling people the r-slur

dee - ethnic humor, not racist humor; making her explain how it’s funny and realizing it’s not; ecologically irresponsible plastic cheese that gets immediately thrown away; dimwit duck or whatever his name was; not understanding what satire really is!!! ← they really took one of their biggest critiques head on

here’s a question I have about dee’s character - she tries to justify her problematic sense of humor and every time frank points out the truth behind it, illustrating what’s really awful about it without really meaning to, and dee seems to genuinely recoil like she doesn’t like that. does she feel bad and react that way because she doesn’t want to do harmful things, or just because she doesn’t want to be perceived as being un-pc because that’s what’s uncool now? like remember when charlie said “I think I might’ve called an old lady a cunt this morning” and looked kind of aghast at himself? could dee be developing more of a conscience too and if so, what does that say about her? or is she just a vehicle for rcg to navel-gaze about the show? also remember in lw7 how mac was like “if you don’t praise me for being a good person then why am I doing it?” I lie awake at night wondering how much rcg want to be better people vs. how much they don’t want to be kicked even further down the hollywood totem pole for being yucky. please share thoughts if you have any

mac - simulating real-world violence to get it out of his system; shame - “if you got no shame, you’re never gonna hate yourself enough to stop being bad”

dennis and charlie - being unprotected growing up; that’s what the bone’s for! (there’s nothing like a glenn and charlie riff btw); is it wrong because she’s underage?

sunny is really amping up the inner child work for the gang, I mean arguably the gang have always been childish but this season I feel like they’re exploring it in a more comprehensive way like via the setting of this episode. and it ALSO works as a perfect commentary on the show and we love the layers

there’s no adults around…

“cause we need monster representation” we need some representation for those who are freaky and fucked up okay??

I wish I could remember who said it but someone suggested that the de-breastifying of justine has to do with dennis’ heteroness disappearing and that is a very fun take - I do think it says something that they’re fixated on a very abstracted version of sexuality via these almost disembodied tits that aren’t even human… like are we overcompensating for something gentlemen? can the characters and the show itself have any relationship to women that doesn’t objectify or otherwise dehumanize them?

I for one think sam is supposed to look like a young mac, I saw some people questioning why they cast that kid and this is my theory. this is important for both the inner child and possible child-rearing stuff they’re bringing in

“hey man, I’m a licensed psychotherapist–” “you’re a talking dog”

“guys I hate to admit it but this place sucks now”; “that’s crazy, this was like one of the best bars in town, man”; “they could redeem themselves in the show” all very meta

“you cannot call a place a website” hahaha

“so that these kids can have the same experience that we had when we were younger” fucked up childhoods, the cycle of trauma, but also the show being how it used to be

and of course, an attempted revival of all that leading to immediate disaster. let’s move forward, not backward :)

#man I've had a hell of a week. really not feeling emotionally ready for the finale lol #sunny #always sunny #iasip #it's always sunny in philadelphia #risk e. rat's pizza and amusement center #s16 #s16e6 #sunny meta #I didn't really like this one at first I felt like it didn't flow and was too self-conscious but it grew on me in the rewatch #still not a fave but it's both fun and has stuff to say so that's cool #I haven’t even watched bowling yet 😭 gonna go do that now god bless

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weighingthefoolsgold · 5 years

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10 things (I think) Charlie Kelly enjoys.

Have some Charlie Kelly loves.

Video Games: Charlie no doubt enjoys video games, we've seen him play. If he had the opportunity, he'd spend all day playing video games with Mac instead of being productive. He plays a lot of shooter games, getting blasted while he plays, ending up passed out in the middle of a level. But that's how he likes it.

Tom Petty: Not only does Charlie love music... He loves America! And what's more American than our Gator Boy, Tom, and our Rat Baby, Charlie. His favorite album by the Heartbreakers is Damn the Torpedoes and he regularly listens to it in his free time or on his walk to work.

Pet Stores: Charlie is an enthusiast of Cats, Rats, and other strange creatures. So whenever he gets the chance, he drags the gang into pet stores. He runs around (literally) back and forth between all the different areas of pets. He talks to birds for what seems like hours, plays with rats, offering them cheese, and hangs out with other strange creatures. He can even sometimes convince one of the others to buy him a strange little creature to play with, but eventually loses it. RIP.

Costumes: It's not unknown that he loves costumes and becoming other characters. From Green Man to a Hoss Bonaventure, he dresses up when a scheme calls for it (or even when it doesn't). He and Dee will willingly dress up and become someone else for the benefit of the gang, even when it may not go as they plan. That's when the two work best together.

Medieval Times: This is just another excuse for him to wear a costume. He and the gang thought it would be fun to go to the Medieval Times convention and dress up as the class they represent, Charlie being sort of a common man. He loves the costumes, the food, and the jousting. Even if he doesn't get to enjoy any dragon, he enjoys the event nonetheless.

Folklore: This goes hand in hand with Medieval Times. He loves stories about weird creatures or myths. He often hunts for goblins and ghouls and tries to study up on his legends, even though he can't read about them. He not only believes in folklore, he's also somewhat superstitious. Just be careful if you go hunting Bigfoot!

Board games: We know how well he did playing CharDee MacDennis and that his favorite game is Hungry, Hungry Hippos, but he also enjoys other games. He isn't very good at them. At all, really. But he stills loves playing them (especially when drinking is involved). Whenever they play games, he usually teams up with Mac. Mac helps him read and figure out the rules. The Gang once played Scrabble just to watch Charlie struggle. They then created 'Charlie's Dictionary', writing all his incoherent words down and making their own book.

Cooking: To be able to create masterpieces like Milk Steak or a Grilled Charlie, you have to have some kind of practice in the kitchen- errr... On the hotplate. When he's cooking for himself, he gets experimental with a variety of foods. You can imagine they don't taste incredible, but who knows, maybe Spaghetti with a side of cat food is good. The others avoid eating anything he makes simply to prevent themselves from catching some kind of parasite or food poisoning. But it's no biggie!

Sleep Overs: Charlie is the kind of guy who likes his free time but HATES being alone. He's rarely ever by himself. Before Frank moved in, he spent most of his time at the bar or at the others houses to be around someone. That's why he loves sleep overs so much. They all stay at Mac and Den's for the night. They rent a movie (usually of Mac's choosing) and get blasted on alcohol and pizza. The Gang ends up asleep in a giant pile of blankets and pillows, curled up with each other. And if you don't think they wake up holding one another, you are mistaken.

His friends: Finally... He loves his friends. Yes, he loves his dear close friends. Cat <3 Mac 4evr! Hi, I'm about to get cheesey. Charlie loves to come up with schemes so he can spend his time with the rest of the gang. His personality matches all of theirs so well that he won't get picky about who his partner is in the scheme. His life may not be too classy and he may not be rich, but he doesn't mind because he has his friends, even if Dennis is a bastard man.

So there you go. Here are just a few things I feel Charlie would without a doubt enjoy.

Now, I really enjoyed making this. Sooo, Please tell me to make more. For any of the gang. Im not a stickler.

#iasip #its always sunny in philadelphia #its always sunny #charlie kelly #charlie

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