Review: It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (Season 8, Episode 2)

The Gang Recycles Their Trash

Given how much I enjoyed the season premiere, I had high expectations for this episode and I am pleased to say I was not disappointed. The appropriately titled, The Gang Recycles Their Trash, featured the cast recycling schemes, characters, and lines from past episodes.

The episode opens with Dennis, Mac, and Dee walking through piles of trash toward the bar and discussing the how the trash men have gone on strike. Dennis remarks, "It's a sad, throwaway culture we're living in" (The Gang Finds a Dead Guy: Season 1, Episode 6). Mac agrees and throws his drink in the alley (The Gang Finds A Dumpster Baby: Season 3, Episode 1). Dee says she feels like they've done something like that before to which Mac responds, "Shut up, bird!" (Who Got Dee Pregnant: Season 6, Episode 7).

The gang muses about the strike, recreating the political "ass blasting" conversation (The Gang Runs for Office: Season 2, Episode 8). Frank suggests they take over, claiming "the trash business is a goldmine"(The Gang Exploits a Miracle: Season 2, Episode 7). Mac had one of the most hilarious scenes, saying they should "oil up a couple asses and do a little plowing of [their] own". Followed by him enthusiastically thrusting his fist up in the air. The gang looks at him strangely until he explains, "We're gonna solve the trash crisis" (The Gang Solves the Gas Crisis: Season 4, Episode 2).

Frank comes up with a plan for the guys to pick up their trash from wealthy neighborhoods for a fee and transport it to a dump in New Jersey. Charlie objects, "We've gone door to door in a van before and that didn't work out for us" (The Gang Solves the Gas Crisis: Season 4, Episode 2). Dennis, Mac, and Charlie discuss their new roles within the group dynamic and the fact that they no longer want Charlie to be the "Wild Card". (The Gang Solves the Gas Crisis: Season 4, Episode 2). They also decide to use a limo instead of a van.

Dee rejects Frank's idea to dress her up as a whore in order to bribe an official (The Gang Runs for Office: Season 2, Episode 8) and gain the trash contract. Instead, she  decides to wear a bright yellow suit (The Gang Gives Back: Season 2, Episode 6) in order to look like a businesswoman. Richard Ruccolo (Two Guys, A Girl, and a Pizza Place) returns as the homosexual corporate executive who wanted to buy Patty's Pub turn it into an Oldies Rock Cafe (The Gang Sells Out: Season 3, Episode 7). He is now the city official in charge of handling the waste management contract. Dee turns the tables, suggesting that Frank should seduce him instead. They bicker and begin ripping at each other's clothes until the city official yells for them to stop. Frank turns, now shirtless, and begins to dance with his sing-song "I still got the moves" (Mac Bangs Dennis' Mom: Season 2, Episode 4).

Mac and Charlie want to use accents, as they have each done before (The Gang Gets Trapped: Season 7, Episode 9) (The Gang Solves the Gas Crisis: Season 4, Episode 2), but Dennis insists they all refrain from any "wild card" behavior.

Frank and Dee bring the city official to a male strip club, having already made the mistake of taking him to a female strip club where he revealed he was gay (The Gang Sells Out: Season 3, Episode 7). Frank and Dee begin openly questioning his role in the gay community, as the gang did the last time. He simply left during the last discussion about his preferences, leading the viewer to believe he would again. This time, however, Frank was holding a gun on him so he stayed.

There is a short sequence of Dennis, Mac, and Charlie riding around in the limousine throwing money while music is playing (Dennis and Dee go on Welfare: Season 2, Episode 3). Although the trash business has paid off, the guys decide to quit and go back to selling gas door to door. They head to a poor neighborhood to dump the trash off, since they do not want to drive all the way to New Jersey and their rationale is that poor people "don't mind living in their own filth". You can't argue with that logic. They have a little "The Boys Are Back in Town" moment (Dennis Gets Divorced: Season 6, Episode 2) before heading out.

Frank and Dee show up at the waste management plant rally to disrupt the finalization of the negotiations. Frank unsuccessfully attempts to dissuade the workers from listening to the union representative. Dee steps in as Martina Martinez (America's Next Top Patty's Billboard Model Contest: Season 4, Episode 3) to spread some racial tension. Dennis, Mac, and Charlie show up near the rally to dump the trash and Dee unwittingly sends the angry mob after the guys.

The gang meets up back at Patty's and they all sit drinking beer together quietly at the bar (Chardee MacDennis: The Game of Games: Season 7, Episode 7). They decide to get back into the trash business using a van this time.

When asked what he did to contribute, Charlie tells Mac to try the brakes. Mac asks if he cut the brakes again and Dennis asks Charlie why he would do that. Charlie says that's just what he does, dons a cowboy hat, and screams "WILD CARD, BITCHES!" before jumping out of the back of the van (The Gang Solves the Gas Crisis: Season 4, Episode 2). The scene was almost an exact replica, including the Ghostbusters theme playing. As it turns out, Mac had the good sense to check the brakes this time before they headed out so they continued on to collect the trash. Unfortunately, it seems the strike ended and the trash men are back in business. For the final reference, Mac suggests getting a billboard (America's Next Top Patty's Billboard Model Contest: Season 4, Episode 3).

In conclusion, it was a wonderful walk down memory lane with the Sunny gang.