A Grand Finale

(Spoilers Ahead)

We all know what to expect from an episode of It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia. The main characters make terrible decisions, learn nothing, and give us all a few good laughs in the process. Now in its thirteenth season, one would expect some deviation from that formula. However, for the first nine episodes, it was business as usual. Then came the season finale.

The tenth episode of season 13, Mac Finds His Pride, is a brilliant departure for the series. The first half of the episode lures in viewers with standard Always Sunny gags. However, the emotional growth that takes place for two of the main characters in the final act is as satisfying as it is unexpected. It is so unexpected, in fact, that it feels like another show entirely.

The gang is trying to exploit Mac’s homosexuality in order to increase profits at the bar. Frank tries convincing him to dance on a pride parade float in order to draw in more gay customers. In the process, Frank walks into a door and opens an old wound. He then tries to stop the bleeding by stuffing paper into his nostrils (more on that later).

Identity Crisis

Confused and anything but prideful about his sexual identity, Mac reluctantly agrees to let Frank help him find his pride. What follows is a pair of scenes that, on the surface, feel like standard Always Sunny.

Frank starts their search for Pride at a leather-filled BDSM club. Mac is immediately uncomfortable, telling Frank that he’s not interested in that subset of gay culture. Frank disposes of his newspaper nose plugs in the buffet chicken, and after stuffing some wax paper into his nostrils, the two of them are kicked out.

The pair then moves on to what Frank assumes is another venue that appeals to all gay men: a drag bar. Once again Mac reveals his lack of interest, Frank continues trying new materials to stop the flow of blood, and the two of them leave.

Daddy Issues

It should be noted that while Mac states that he has no interest in leather or drag queens, he also makes it clear that he doesn’t judge those who do. This is the first hint that this episode is something different. Normally, Always Sunny is unapologetic; no-one is safe, and none of the characters have any problem with throwing those who are different under the bus.

Frank then decides Mac needs to come out to his perpetually incarcerated father. Mac says that he’s been working on a way to show his father what he feels inside rather than tell him, but eventually gives in to Frank’s wishes. They get to the prison, and Mac’s father declares that he knows what his son is trying to tell him: he “knocked someone up.”

Unwilling to disappoint his father, and eager for a way out, Mac concedes that his father is correct. After bragging to the guard that he’s going to be a grandfather, Mac’s father walks away leaving a broken Mac calling “Dad…Dad…”

Let It Flow

The show then reverts back to its usual self, with Frank deciding that he needs to find a replacement dancer for Mac. His Choice? None other than Philly’s most exploited ex-priest: Cricket. The visual gags here fall somewhat flat. Cricket’s disfigured visage has been wheeled out countless times throughout the show’s history.

Frank convinces the rest of the gang that Cricket is an adequate replacement, and prepares to drive the float to the parade. At this point his head is hideously swollen, due to his efforts to stem the flow of blood by stuffing his nose. Just as he’s about to drive off, he catches a glimpse of his reflection in the rear-view mirror.

It’s at this point that a dramatic change in tone begins. Frank shows up at Mac’s apartment, his head returned to normal size, and nothing in his nostrils. He reveals that he’s had a revelation: you have to let the blood flow before the healing can begin.

Uncharacteristic Frank

When Frank tells Mac that he needs to let it all out, Mac all but agrees to dance on the float. In a normal episode of this show, things would’ve followed the standard formula. Frank would immediately jump at the chance to get what he wanted from the start: Mac dancing on the float to increase bar profits. Instead? He declines, and tells Mac he would be doing it for the wrong reasons.

This scene is where the episode slips into a parallel universe; one where the characters on Always Sunny prioritize the emotional welfare of one another over personal gain. Frank told Mac early in the episode, “I never really got you,” and yet he’s doing what’s right: trying to help his friend regardless of his own understanding.

This would have been a noteworthy episode if it simply concluded with Mac coming out to his father, with Frank’s support. Rather than settle for noteworthy, however, Rob Mcelhenny and Charlie Day created what is perhaps the most surprising and emotionally satisfying 10 minutes of television in 2018.

A Storm Rages

Remember Mac’s plans to show his father his feelings? Well, it turns out he’s been working on a dance performance with a female partner. Once this climactic scene starts, everything we think we know about Always Sunny is thrown out the window. Previous musical endeavors such as “Day Man” have always been about a joke. There is no joke here.

Beautiful choreography plays out on a dark stage in the prison while Mac’s father watches. Rob Mcelhenny and professional ballerina Kylie Shea give a stunning performance. A rain machine provides a not-so-subtle reminder of the storm that’s been raging inside of Mac. The haunting song “Varúð” by Sigur Rós perfectly accentuates the scene’s intensity.

Mac’s father walks out halfway through the performance, leading to tears of sadness…and relief. The dance ramps up to a visually stunning climax, and a beautifully simple line of dialogue from Kylie’s character to Mac as she cradles him in her arms: “It’s okay.”

He Gets It

Not to be upstaged, Danny Devito proves throughout this scene that dramatic acting is still firmly in his wheelhouse. Frank’s glances to Mac’s father throughout the dance give credence to the phrase “a picture is worth a thousand words.”

As the remaining audience in the prison erupts into thunderous applause, Frank stands and provides the final words of Always Sunny’s thirteenth season: “I get it.” Watching a character who has historically had no interest in learning about, let alone accepting different people, experience this “a-ha” moment is beyond satisfying.

With a fourteenth season confirmed, it begs the question: where will the show go from here? Will other characters be given the same emotionally compelling arc we saw for Mac and Frank? It’s hard to imagine a return to business as usual with two of the main characters suddenly feeling far more fleshed out than the others.

Whatever direction the show takes, Mac Finds His Pride is a modern-day classic. Those who routinely watch Always Sunny will be taken aback by the final act, as will those who don’t. This episode is worth watching again and again. It proves that even in the thirteenth season, a show that usually sticks to its guns can have a watershed moment.

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