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Thursday, December 1, 2011

The League and It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia (2011)

FX and Hulu network logos
The FX Network is known for the slogan "FX has the movies." Well, if FX just ran their original shows, I'd be happy enough because tonight was great.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
The Always Sunny episode "Thunder Gun Express" was all about the gang trying to make the showtime of a new movie called Thunder Gun. Unfortunately, they are caught in a traffic jam and must go their separate ways to get there. Dennis gets left with the car, Charlie and Dee take advantage of Charlie's knowledge of the sewers, Mac attempts to use a motorcycle, and Frank steals a tour boat full of tourists.
Each segment is full of great moments, but I'd have to say my favorites were Frank telling tourists about some of the adventures he and the gang have been on (all from past episodes), Charlie's use of Thunder Gun as a verb, and the realization that Dennis is absolutely a sick man. I just have to expand on that for another minute. Dennis does have limits (no one under 18), but that's it. He is still clearly a rapist in nearly every sense of the word, except, strangely, the word itself. It just seems a little too far for comedy sometimes. In the end, the gang naturally gets screwed. What's surprising is how, and I didn't really catch it until I re-watched the episode. If you're looking for an episode that parodies 24, without actually parodying it, watch "Thunder Gun Express."

4/5 stars

The League
Now, I don't watch The League a lot, but I should. When it's on, I'll keep it on, and I have a firm enough grasp on the characters, definitely better than my grasp of football (outside of The Jets). In this episode, "The Out of Towner," the league decides to attend a cocktail party hosted by Andre, to welcome back one of their friends Chuck, Will Forte, who has recently decided to lead a life of sobriety. Before the day of the party Jenny and Kevin decide to spend the night in to get baked, Ruxin pulls his hamstring, and Taco faces eviction. All of these stories mesh perfectly and cause a lot of laughs in the process. My favorite moments include Ruxin stealing Andre's prescription pad to get stoned, and then acting as Taco's lawyer to handle his oncoming eviction. The only problem with the episode was I had to watch it twice because there were a lot of details I seemed to have missed the first time around. I think that's due to not watching this show a lot, but I won't be making that mistake again.

4.5/5 stars

It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia and The League are on FX at 10:00 and 10:30, respectively, on the east coast.

Update: And now with widespread streaming, they shouldn't be too hard to find. Try Hulu, to start.


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