‘The Gang Goes On Family Fight’ is where we see the fall of the ‘Golden God’; where we see him cower on the floor and cry like a small child. To say that Dennis (Glenn Howerton) has an ego would be an understatement of such stupendous majesty, that it would be like comparing the Earth to that of the Sun; and comparing the Sun to VY Canis Majoris. Such is the scale of his delusion, that I bet with certainty if this episode is ever again referenced by him, he would deny any blame, while shifting it to Dee (Kaitlin Olson) in the process. This is how he can maintain the ongoing contradiction that is his life.
This episode really is a commentary on how Dennis perceives himself to be and what he actually is. He claims to be God’s gift to women but he can never go beyond casual sex with them, and when he does; when he actually falls in love with a woman (such as in ‘The Storm of the Century’), that façade of coolness falls. He becomes what he actually is: a gibbering idiot. That “mask” (which is introduced as an idea in ‘The Gang Gets Successful’) extends into other aspects of his personality too, such as his need to be the de facto leader of the group and to control everything they do.
In a way the gang benefits from his leadership but in many instances, and in this one especially, he is the reason why they fail. He cannot control the group, though he manages to identify each of the gang’s weaknesses, and deep down I don’t think he wants to either. He just wants the illusion of power and the prestige that comes with it (‘Sweet Dee Gets Audited’).
The highlight of the episode comes in the form of Cricket (David Hornsby) and the fact that he was the only one they could get to do the video message. And even then he had to be paid $5. Quoting Charlie from an earlier episode, they “don’t have a deep bench”. Season 10 of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is now available on Netflix.
#Peace.Love.ItsAlwaysSunny
