It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Season 8, Episode 5: The Gang Gets Analyzed, Review

If you haven’t figured it out by now, this Gang is a bit off. The borderline insanity of the Paddy’s Pub clan has been on full display for more than eight seasons and tonight is another indication that they are still out of their minds. Surprisingly, despite all the quirky behavior, faulty logic and failure to interact like normal members of society, a medical professional has never psychoanalyzed the Gang.

We start off the episode with Dee finally talking to a shrink. She’s all worked up about having to clean the dishes from a dinner party and she brought in the boys to have her therapist settle the dispute.

The plot revolved around Dennis, who took psychology courses in college and thought he could do a better job than the therapist. He takes pride in thinking he’s the smartest one in the group and this is a way for him to show he knows the Gang more than the Gang knows themselves. One by one each member is individually analyzed and they reveal personal information like Mac’s speedy weight loss (Mac gained and lost 60 pounds in three months) and Charlie’s rage, all things that have little to do with the dinner party we hear about from the start. Frank went in a completely different direction when he entered the room and immediately had a breakdown while talking about some convoluted memory of a former lover. Dennis tries to be sly through the episode, barging into the therapist’s workspace, acting like he’s getting into some big picture scheme, when there isn’t one.

The episode was indicative of the Gang’s approach to life: pure chaos. It seemed like there was no rhyme or reason to anything we learned. It wasn’t an episode like “Who Pooped the Bed?” or even last week’s twist episode. We keep the idea in the back of our heads that a random dinner party we know little about and have no attachment to might have some bigger meaning but in the end we are left with Dee smashing dishes in her therapist’s office like a pissed off toddler. Yes, it is Sunny style indeed, but “The Gang Gets Analyzed” was not their best work by a long shot.

Sunny Moments:

“You put this pen here and people are supposed to think ‘that looks like a dick’” – Mac

Charlie revealing a dead pigeon and saying he “hugging him too hard.”

“She had no lips but her mouth was still very much in play” – Frank

Sunniest Moment:

It was the weakest episode of the season thus far, but I’ll give the top moment to Charlie: “I served you pigeon. Tell me I’m not crazy”