This episode is a journey into the psyche of Dennis, played by Glenn Howerton, and the lengths he will go to to be seen as a 5 star man. It starts with the gang doing the opposite of what they usually do: paying attention to Dee, played by Kaitlin Olson, and the self destruction of Dennis and his self-named system.
It also continues the season’s trend of referencing earlier episodes, and recognizing how it is their personality problems that sabotages their plans. For example, as Charlie, played by Charlie Day, is nervous so he brings cheese with him along to the date (referencing ‘The Waitress is Getting Married’ Season 5 Episode 5) probably removed from the rat traps he is in charge of.
Dennis, sick of his antics, throws it away. He must be seen as the one in charge, the one in control of everything. He self-destructs, of course, when he can’t get over his own rating of one star; even destroying his sex tapes that also have a rating on them. This is very much an episode of his anger, his own inflated sense of self worth. It is his own narcissism that is his worst enemy.
The highlight of this episode is at the end (spoilers) when we discover that Dee is not in fact destroying the men she has a one night stand with and rating them zero stars, they just see her as an “easy lay”. Even a “troll-person” thinks he has a chance with her, and in a way questions what men and women want in a relationship. If Dee was a man, what she was doing would be seen in an entirely different light.
While I think that the first episode was stronger in terms of actual laughs, this is still a strong episode. It seems to be that this season is a series of character studies, and I can’t wait to see who they focus on next. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 10 is available now on Netflix.
#Peace.Love.ItsAlwaysSunny
