Ballad of a Fifth Wheel
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - Seasons 1-4 (2005-2008)
rating: 2 out of 5 cravats
on DVD from the vaults
For Christmas, one of our gifts from Elizabeth’s mom was a four season set of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Friends of mine seemed to like the show; blogs I read agreed. But a sketch comedy approach to topical social issues (or anything, really) isn’t usually an easy sell for me. The second episode focuses on picking up women at an anti-abortion rally, and I tend to think that only political conservatives like Matt and Trey Parker really ever go for “both sides of the fence” like that. Time passed and the DVDs sat in a closet, seasons 2 through 4 still vacuum-sealed.
When I stopped watching Breaking Bad about a third of the way through Season 2 (too contrived to justify the longing I felt seeing Albuquerque on my television) I wanted something fast and funny and returned to It’s Always Sunny. If I’d gotten the first season from Netflix, I almost certainly would never have gone back to the well, but that’s the thing about being a TV hound and having unwatched television in the closet. I come around eventually.
The cast, I gather, is real-life pals. And the show works best when it’s sweetest. That takes a little background in relationship dynamics: Charlie’s the wild card; Dennis is the good-looking but sleazy rich kid; Mac’s the well-meaning but insecure tough; and Dee is the girl who never really got over getting treated badly in high school. You need a few episodes to see how those folks interact, who uses whom, who’s in charge. But once you know them, you can revel in the company they keep with one another.
For me, Charlie going shopping for clothes with Dee is more endearing than Frank holding a contest for a billboard model could ever be. As the seasons progress, the show's plots are increasingly contrived, but small moments of character development become more engaging. It waffles in time with my affection; there are episodes when I can't believe I've held on so long and minutes when I'm glad I did. Partly cloudy?
rating: 2 out of 5 cravats
on DVD from the vaults
For Christmas, one of our gifts from Elizabeth’s mom was a four season set of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Friends of mine seemed to like the show; blogs I read agreed. But a sketch comedy approach to topical social issues (or anything, really) isn’t usually an easy sell for me. The second episode focuses on picking up women at an anti-abortion rally, and I tend to think that only political conservatives like Matt and Trey Parker really ever go for “both sides of the fence” like that. Time passed and the DVDs sat in a closet, seasons 2 through 4 still vacuum-sealed.
When I stopped watching Breaking Bad about a third of the way through Season 2 (too contrived to justify the longing I felt seeing Albuquerque on my television) I wanted something fast and funny and returned to It’s Always Sunny. If I’d gotten the first season from Netflix, I almost certainly would never have gone back to the well, but that’s the thing about being a TV hound and having unwatched television in the closet. I come around eventually.
The cast, I gather, is real-life pals. And the show works best when it’s sweetest. That takes a little background in relationship dynamics: Charlie’s the wild card; Dennis is the good-looking but sleazy rich kid; Mac’s the well-meaning but insecure tough; and Dee is the girl who never really got over getting treated badly in high school. You need a few episodes to see how those folks interact, who uses whom, who’s in charge. But once you know them, you can revel in the company they keep with one another.
For me, Charlie going shopping for clothes with Dee is more endearing than Frank holding a contest for a billboard model could ever be. As the seasons progress, the show's plots are increasingly contrived, but small moments of character development become more engaging. It waffles in time with my affection; there are episodes when I can't believe I've held on so long and minutes when I'm glad I did. Partly cloudy?
posted by NPK at 6:41 AM
<< Home