Are Glenn Howertons Tattoos Real

The new season delivers large in some means but holds dorsum in several others.

By  · Published on September 6th, 2018

Spoilers for 'Information technology's Ever Sunny in Philadelphia' Flavor 13 Episode 1 beneath.

After a year and a half hiatus, It'due south Ever Sunny in Philadelphia is finally back! And and then (and I held off publishing until at present so that I could say this) is Dennis!

Two months ago I wrote a piece on the Creeping Progressiveness of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, in which I posited that Glenn Howerton had left the prove in function because of the trickiness of continuing with the character in the time of the #MeToo motion. Well now that piece is obsolete, but I don't even mind. I'm only happy to have Dennis dorsum.

When I published that essay, I was surprised at the remarkably low amount of pushback I received. For the virtually part, it seems, fans of the prove are enlightened that it'southward a satire, and the creative forces behind it are nothing like the characters.

In that location was a certain amount of rumbling, however, nigh the current "SJW land of comedy," as there always will be. And this premiere seems to be a direct answer to that make of detractor fan.

The episode opens like one of these fans' worst nightmares — Dennis has been replaced by Mindy Kaling, who'due south in the middle of a lecture on how she, as a woman of color, finally feels welcome in Paddy's Pub. Some necessary changes have been fabricated, and now the bar is a more welcoming, more than liberal, safer space.

It's everything the critics of the bear witness's progressiveness could have feared.

It does feel a lilliputian too on the nose to exist true, however, and in the very next scene, it'due south revealed that the gang is milking their new liberal customers for all they're worth… until it turns out that the existent targets are the conservatives. Who does the prove really hate? Whose side is Mindy — pitiful, Cindy — on, anyway?

She's on the gang's side, that's who. Dee, Charlie, Mac, and Frank can't fifty-fifty keep track of what their political leanings are supposed to be, simply they practice know that with Cindy on board, they're doing better than ever. No matter who they're duping, the gang'due south increased variety (or maybe just having someone who can keep a program in their head) has led to untold success. It's a nice message to fans — Cindy isn't for or against everyone. She's merely good at what she does.

Merely success has never been the name of the game with E'er Sunny. Unless the show was planning on turning over several new leaves, this was destined never to last.

And, of grade, it doesn't.

Because Dennis manages to influence the gang even when he's not there, speaking to them through Mac'south horrifyingly uncanny new sex doll. Information technology's a squeamish touch that this downfall stems directly from Mac's new openness nearly his sexuality, 1 of last season's actual progressive steps forward. The war isn't but between progressiveness and a lack thereof — it's murkier than that.

But it's not that murky. While the prophylactic space of Cindy's opening monologue may be a ruse, in spirit it's a real place, and it's what'southward at pale in the gang's ability to move on from the fashion things in one case were. As soon as Sexual practice Doll Dennis gets in their heads, everything goes south. Mac thinks he'southward fat, Dee thinks she's ugly, the Waitress starts drinking, Charlie loses her, and Frank… well, Frank can't play the tuba. Frank's never had problems with conviction, so perhaps it's fair that he's the least afflicted by the modify in group dynamic.

In the end, the episode has one major thesis — the remaining gang has to choose between getting over Dennis past embracing a new way of life, and keeping things the way they are, fifty-fifty if it's not necessarily healthy.

The choice is more or less made for them.

Because later all that turmoil, Dennis is back, and we don't even know why. (Realistically, he'south probably back because he found a way to work around hisA.P. Biofilming schedule). Only inside the universe of the testify, his return looks like it'll be getting the aforementioned handling as Mac's season 7 weight gain — virtually unacknowledged and wordlessly incorporated until much later in the flavour. Considering in that location has to be an caption. The fact that it hasn't been addressed nonetheless leads me to believe it'll exist a good i, and possibly the subject of an entire episode.

For now, however, we're just back to the status quo. Or are nosotros?

At a TCA panel last month, Rob McElhenney said of the new season that "We wanted to try something, for lack of a ameliorate term, heartwarming." He may accept been speaking specifically about his character Mac'south newfound acceptance of his sexuality, merely there is a certain amount of unprecedented heart in the first iv episodes that accept been released to critics. Episode 2 in particular features a pocket-size tweak to Dennis' yard.o. that, while slight, softens his edges in a crucial way. It also sports a moment of happy esprit that I'thou non sure the bear witness has ever seen before.

In other words, the gang may not be reverting to their old ways completely. Dennis is back (and honestly, what wouldn't we have traded for that?), but in spirit, the show has taken a slight plough. Now in their 40s/70s, the characters are growing up just a little. Even McElhenney — and past extension, Mac — is getting rid of his iconic terrible tattoos.

Just as the trailer promised, this flavor seems to be taking a more caput-on arroyo to social issues. Always Sunny has never shied away from societal questions, and in its most recent seasons it's engaged much more than directly with them, devoting unabridged episodes to racism, gun command, hate spoken communication, and sexual misconduct. But this season'southward episodes, or at least its first iv, seem to be fifty-fifty more aware of their environment, with i eye on the hard-to-ignore social and political climate of 2018.

And honestly, it works. The weaker of the episodes are the kickoff ii, the ones that take the least social consciousness. The next two — an all-ladies reboot of the first-class season 10 episode "The Gang Beats Boggs," and a mandatory seminar on sexual misconduct — are very self-aware and agenda-driven, just they're also much more satisfying and amend put together.

It'southward the 4th episode that bolsters my hopes for the rest of the season.

Centered effectually a seminar for workplace sexual misconduct, it's the clear standout in terms of creativity, clarity, and humour. Information technology'south also, I believe, the most in the spirit of the show'southward particular way of satire — a positive message delivered accidentally past the worst people. It feels like a spiritual sequel to terminal year's first-class "Hero Or Detest Crime?," in which the testify calls the gang out for the problematic behavior upon which they've built their brand. Without getting into specifics, it'southward non hard to extrapolate some of the bug that might come up up, especially with Dennis back. The way it's handled, though, and the style it's ultimately resolved, is unexpected and unusual and in first-class keeping with the gang'south despicable nature, even every bit the bear witness takes steps forward. Information technology's proof that the gang isn't almost to grow up or learn too much, and it's a bit of a relief.

But is it just equally expert? That'south a catchy question. Last flavor saw its marked shift to outspoken progressivism with "The Gang Turns Black" and "Hero or Hate Crime?" — Two episodes that dealt with racism and linguistic communication in extraordinarily creative means. It besides boasted "The Gang Tends Bar," its warmest episode to engagement. In my ranking of the first twelve seasons' episodes, those three each earned a spot in the top ten. A certain corporeality of weight in that ranking came from the fact that these episodes were subtly changing the direction of the show while demonstrating remarkable ingenuity and vitality and, not unimportantly, humor. "The Gang Turns Black" in detail was a brazen and ambitious season 12 premiere that flew in the face of critics who thought the show might be losing steam.

Compared to that and its undeniably strong follow-up, "The Gang Goes to a H2o Park," season 13's early showings feel a little bit toothless.

But flavor 12 was not without its duds, either. Information technology has a couple of the lowest spots in my ranking, too. And and then does flavour 11. That's because equally the years have worn on, Always Sunny has gotten undeniably more experimental. It'south taken some dauntless swings, and non all of them have made contact. But it's hard not to respect the effort.

I'1000 a little worried virtually the first two episodes because I don't think they take any large risks. I'1000 heartened by the next two because they do. Always Sunny has been effectually for so long that it's earned itself a lot of creative license, and it'south amassed a wealth of history to reference as it does information technology. Possibly the third and fourth episodes are so much amend because they take advantage of both those things, on top of being more socially aware. Probably it's a combination of all those elements that simply make them feel more complex and fully formed.

On the whole, the season starts out slightly rocky, simply the payoff of Dennis' return ought to be enough to offset that in well-nigh fans' eyes. And the third and 4th episodes pick up considerable steam toward something that's both more recognizable as classic Ever Sunny and excitingly different. If you experience a slight letdown from the premier, I will encourage y'all to hang on. If you weren't let down, and so proceed to enjoy the ride, and rejoice in the fact that Dennis is back.

I, for one, am staying guardedly optimistic.

Related Topics: Comedy, FX, it'southward always sunny in philadelphia

Liz Baessler is a frequent contributor and infrequent columnist at Film School Rejects. She has an MA in English language and a lot of time on her hands. (She/Her)

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