Dennis and Dee Get a New Dad

I watched season 1 of this show and quite liked it but didn't totally see what everyone else seemed to be seeing. I had been told how hilarious and clever this show was and had expected a bit more than I got even if I still enjoyed it. Season 2 hits the ground running though and lifts the bar to a standard that it hits consistently episode after episode for the whole season. The plots are essentially of the same ilk as season 1 but they are stronger than before and shored up by improved dialogue throughout. The politically incorrect plots involve political corruption, physical disabilities as a way of getting girls, exploitation of religious visions, steroid abuse, crack abuse, sexual relationships with parents, gambling on community work and other such things – all of which last for more or less one episode before the slate is wiped clean for the next one.

On paper it may seem a bit like Sarah Silverman's act in how it has people doing and saying morally outrageous things without a thought for others but it is better than that because this is not just about the shock value. The characters are too strong for that because every plot and every line of dialogue is informed by the uniformly morally bankrupt characters and their morally bankrupt motivations. It works because they are this way to the extent that it is funny rather than unpleasant and there is a narrative joy in seeing how far things go every time. This is the sweep of each episode but the show is filled with dialogue (either related direct to the plot or just throwaway) that is funny, hits the spot and is followed up quickly with more of the same. The improvement in this regard is immediately obvious in the first few episodes and it doesn't dip from there - indeed even the titles of the episodes are used as punchlines at the end of each opening scene.

The cast cannot be talked about without mentioning Danny Devito. He is a great addition to the cast as it not only alters the dynamic somewhat but has also clearly brought with it greater resources to the show as a whole. He delivers each line really well and has great comic timing. This is not to take anything away from the original cast though, all of whom nail their morally-broken and exploitative characters really well and make the best of the improved material with great timing and performances.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia has improved a lot moving into season 2. It has kept the rough edge and dark comedy that worked in the first season but the addition of Devito, the increased resources and the improved material all works to make each episode punchy, inventive and really very funny. Great season.

With the addition of Danny DeVito to the cast season two of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia". The always difficult, 'make it or break it' second season of any TV series (especially sitcoms) is a resounding success in this case, staying pretty spectacular from episode 1 through the season finale. Despite providing only one really classic episode in "The Gang Goes Jihad" the consistent quality of the season makes it really memorable. The writing is solid for the characters, developing them without descending to the schmaltzy, humorless 'character-based' scenes other sitcoms depend on a lot.

Average rating based on ratings for all episodes: 9.1/10

Season finales - especially those for comedies - are often cursed with having to tie up loose ends in the narrative, resulting in a noticeable shift in humor. However, although not quite as outrageously funny as some of the earlier episodes in the season, "Dennis and Dee Get a New Dad" was a lot funnier than I had expected. It manages to come full circle while still providing plenty of laughs, and it even provides an amusing twist at the end that I never saw coming.

The plot is a return to the more complex - after some rather straightforward episodes, this one is all over the map. It begins with Dee finding a man on MySpace.com who claims to be her real father. So Dee and Dennis ask their mother whether there's any truth to this - and she confirms that the man is being honest.

This causes Frank, who thought Dee and Dennis were his children, to question his entire life. He is so upset that he has a minor stroke and ends up swearing to seek revenge against the biological father of Dee and Dennis.

Meanwhile, Dennis and Dee meet up with their real father, who is played by Stephen Collins in a nice send-up of the role he is famous for in "7th Heaven." Dennis and Dee love their new father for a while, but soon his incredibly clean image and "nice guy" vibe starts to get on their nerves. And in the meantime, Mac and Charlie are lured into running heroin for Mac's father, who has been in jail for Mac's entire life. But before they can do this, they have to prove they are tough, so they tell Frank that they will beat up Dennis and Dee's father to earn themselves "street cred." The twist at the end is hilarious and a classic example of this show's sick sense of humor. To be honest I thought Charlie and Mac were kind of pushed aside for much of the duration of the episode, and usually the show is better at balancing multiple story lines, but in this case I think they just had a hard time fitting so much plot into one episode. Perhaps F/X should have granted them a one-hour time slot for the finale - the Charlie/Mac subplot could have been expanded a bit more, because I thought it was hilarious and this was the first time I really felt as if they didn't spend enough time on Charlie - who is usually a main character in every episode.

Regardless, considering they only had about 24 minutes the "Sunny" gang really did pull off an excellent finale here - it was funny, clever, brutal and entertaining. It leaves you hanging with its open ending, and I honestly can't wait for Season Three to begin.