This article includes mentions of self-harm.
After 19 years, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia has a dark follow-up episode to an all-time classic. It’s Always Sunny season 17 is already over halfway done, with “The Gang Goes to a Dog Track” airing on FX and Hulu this week. The episode immediately stands out as one of the season’s best, with the feeling of classic Sunny.
The episode sees Frank trick the It’s Always Sunny Gang into thinking they’re going to the Kentucky Derby, when they’re really going to a dog racetrack. Frank quickly gets Dennis and Dee addicted to gambling with a quick win, then tricks them into giving him their winnings in a quick game of Rock, Paper, Scissors.
Frank’s manipulation of his children gets out of hand fast, as it often does, as the gambling in the room becomes about convincing Dennis and Dee to do terrible, demeaning things. This ends in classic It’s Always Sunny fashion, as Dennis commits an unspeakable act involving a dog.
The secondary storyline sees Charlie and Dee interacting with a man named Sparky. Sparky lives in a trailer outside the dog tracks, doesn’t wear shoes, eats raw food off the ground, and spits in dog bowls to assert dominance over the dogs. Altogether, the episode is very reminiscent.
Frank’s Dark Human-Based Gambling Obsession In The Dog Track Episode Calls Back To “Charlie Goes America All Over Everybody’s A**”
This Isn’t The First Time Frank’s Association With Gambling Has Been Devious
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia has been written by the same people consistently for over twenty years, so it’s no surprise that episodes repeat themselves. Making these comparisons is entirely complimentary, especially when it comes to “Charlie Goes America All Over Everybody’s A**.”
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The latest release includes notable comparisons to this season 2 classic, primarily centered around the gambling elements. In that one, Dennis, Mac, and Frank decide to allow smoking in the bar, attracting a large crowd, while other Philly bars had banned it. However, Frank’s crew of Vietnamese gamblers disturbs the crowd.
While it’s not quite the same as betting on his own children, forcing them to publicly humiliate themselves for his amusement, it’s a fun callback to how Frank gambles. “Charlie Goes America All Over Everybody’s A**” saw Frank betting on Russian Roulette, which of course goes awry in an even worse way.
Both It’s Always Sunny Episodes End With Extremely Dark Deaths
Sparky Was This Episode’s Victim
Sparky, the aforementioned man who saw himself as one with the dogs, takes a rather dark turn in the episode. Charlie and Mac spend much of the runtime deciding whether they should look up to this man for his raw sense of wisdom or be disgusted by him for his behavior.
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At the end, Charlie and Mac accidentally tell Sparky devastating news: the racetrack is going to be shut down. The man retreats to the back room in his trailer and shuts the door, which is shortly followed by a gunshot. Sparky killed himself, feeling purposeless without the racetrack, and the moment petrifies Charlie and Mac.
As is often the case with Russian Roulette, Frank’s gambling in “Charlie Goes America All Over Everybody’s A**” ends in a tragic death as well. While both of these moments have vastly different meanings in their respective episodes, they’re still dark, even for It’s Always Sunny.
