As good as Frank, the Lawyer, and Cricket were in this episode, its strength was certainly Mac and Charlie. Whenever that duo is paired together, off on a quest of their own, an extremely funny episode is inevitable, and tonight was no exception. All of the show’s funniest moments came from these two.
At the beginning of the episode Charlie is extremely excited that Mac has new goggles to assist him in his ocular pat-downs. Of course Charlie thinks the goggles are so no one can see Mac’s fear, which Mac insists isn’t the idea. That was the first of much wardrobe humor, as Charlie eventually dons the goggles, checking Cricket after they’ve already been talking for a good amount of time, and Mac brings back the beloved duster that the show has gotten so much mileage out of.
Once the pair hears of Pop-Pop’s hidden treasure, Charlie recalls a painting of a German Shepherd that was included in Pop-Pop’s box of Nazi memorabilia. Naturally, Mac makes the connection that the painting was done by Adolf Hitler himself. Their search for the painting eventually leads them to a dentist’s office which is covered in paintings of German Shepherds. At this point, they make the logical assumption that Hitler’s evil all derived from the loss of his pet German Shepherd as a boy.
In his excitement, Mac decides that a movie will be made about their discovery. While he is busy figuring out which attractive actor will star as him, Charlie decides he’ll play Hitler in the movie, which becomes a complex time-travel tale. Some of the best moments in the show come from Charlie being on a way different page from the rest of the gang. The Gang Solves the Gas Crisis and Mac and Charlie Write a Movie have some of the best scenes firmly based on this principle. Add tonight’s episode to that list.
Dennis and Dee are certainly the most morally screwed up of the Gang. Where the other three members at least have some shreds of dignity, Dennis and Dee have proven countless times that they are egotistical and arrogant beyond measure. This episode exemplified their horrible qualities.
With great power comes great responsibility, so naturally, the whole episode is built around the least responsible people ever having the responsibility of someone’s life. At one point Dennis acknowledges that pulling the plug is a big decision and Dee asks “How so?” Do I really need to elaborate past that?
Unfortunately, what could have been a hilarious episode for these two feel very short. Other than a few stray lines, I felt like their scenes were very weak. Yes, it was the basis of the episode, but the humor just wasn’t there. As much as I love when Mac and Charlie pair up, I dread when Dennis and Dee are together. Occasionally we get some humorous sibling banter, but usually it’s a pretty big letdown.
The last few seasons have started fairly slowly. For two years I’ve been extremely disappointed through episode 3 or 4, until the show begins to pick back up to its usual standards.
Tonight’s episode was a decent premiere. Although not the funniest episode we’ve seen, it did have some great Charlie and Mac scenes, and brought back two of my favorite guests, Cricket and the Lawyer, as well as some other references to the show’s past such as the Nazi uniform, the duster, and the toe-knife. Fans will be thankful that there has been zero growth out of any of the characters, and we’re in for another season of the lunatics we all know and love.
Other Random Notes
- Mac’s obsession with Ryan Gosling was great, but I kept waiting for him to mention Haley Joel Osment.
- Charlie and Mac eating the soup together shows Mac’s been spending much too much time with his disgusting friend. “It’s terrible soup, but we gotta stick with our decision.”
- Charlie’s illiteracy is back! Not that it ever went away, but I would seriously never get sick of their illiteracy jokes. “Brett De Lawyer. A denial correlation.” “Pretty good. That’s close. It’s Brett DeLawter, a dental corporation.”
- The footage of Dennis and Dee as child Nazis was great. Who knows what other suppressed memories they have.
- The fact Charlie had a painting he liked and decided to paint over it, is something that wouldn’t be acceptable for any other character on TV except Charlie Kelly.
