"Dennis, our bar is in South Philly in a scary alley. Might as well call it Rape Bar." - Dee Reynolds (Kaitlin Olson) on why women don't frequent Paddy's Irish Pub
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Seasons 1 & 2 DVD Review
By A.J. Carson
I have to admit I don't know where FX is on my cable system. It's one of those flyover channels that I pass by on my way to something else. But after watching the promising sitcom It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Seasons 1 & 2 on DVD, I may have to slow down a little when channel surfing.
The series follows a group of pals in their late twenties who own Paddy's Irish Pub in Philadelphia. Fatherless Charlie Kelly (Charlie Day) has a crush on a waitress who works down the street (who won't even give him the time of day). Mac (Rob McElhenney) wears sleeveless t-shirts to show off his tattoos, a trait he may have picked up from his incarcerated father. Twins Dennis and Dee Reynolds (Glenn Howerton, Kaitlin Olson) are the pub's bartender and actress wannabe respectively. In season two, their rich father, Frank (Danny DeVito, Taxi), divorces their mother, swears off his fortune, and takes over the bar.
Each of the friends is vain, self-centered, egotistical, and not so bright. In "The Gang Gets Racist," a misconstrued remark cases the pals to prove they're not racist by hiring an African-American party promoter...who promptly turns Paddy's into the city's hottest gay bar. The friends are concerned about this turn of events until they realize how much they are making, so they decide to "go gay." Charlie wants nothing to do with the spiteful teen who may be his lovechild until he realizes he might be able to use the situation to score with the waitress. Simultaneously, Mac and Dennis take sides on the abortion debate based on which side is likely to have the best looking chicks ("Charlie Wants an Abortion"). The gang exploits an untapped market when they allow teens to drink at the bar ("Underage Drinking: A National Concern"). Charlie pretends to have cancer in order to gain sympathy ("Charlie Has Cancer"). The gang assumes that Charlie was abused by a former gym teacher, and Mac becomes jealous because he was in the same gym class and wasn't "chosen" ("Charlie Got Molested"). Dennis pretends to be a recovering crackhead and Dee his mentally retarded sister so that they can quit their jobs, get on welfare, and pursue their dreams. When this doesn't work, they decide to become actual crackheads ("Dennis and Dee Go On Welfare").
The characters' nihilistic attitudes and utter selfishness are quite funny, as are many of the moronic situations they get themselves into. The problem is that even though the series often delivers laughs, the individual episodes leave something to be desired. They coast on attitude with clever dialogue and funny anti-social ideas taking the place of well-plotted scripts. Yes, the show is funny, but it doesn't quite measure up to classic sitcoms. Still, the series is fun and unusual enough to warrant watching.
The seventeen episodes that make up It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Seasons 1 & 2 are divided onto three discs. The discs are housed in two slim, black keepcases, one of which holds a pair of discs. The front of each case features large cutouts of the cast's heads. The back of each case includes a listing of episode titles, plot synopses, and original airdates. The cases slide into a cardboard outer sleeve which also features the same cutouts of the cast's heads.
The static DVD menus are simple and functional. On the main menu, viewers can choose to play all episodes or pick an individual one. From the individual episode menus, viewers can play the episode, view the scene selection menu, and view the language selection menu.
