I’d like to clarify because many comments somehow have not understood this: THIS IS NOT A REAL THEORY!! I do not believe the gang is actually in hell- Rather, that fake theory is just a funny framework through which to talk about the show. I have gotten so many comments like “This theory is dumb!” - Yeah it is, and I reference that IN THE VIDEO. Anyway, not every video is supposed to be that deep. Enjoy.
That's part of what I love about IASIP, it takes the character archetypes from shows like Friends and deconstructs them to the most extreme degree possible.
I just watched the series “Kevin Can F**k Himself.” It really explores this type of concept in a unique and interesting way. Just watch a trailer for it and you’ll see what I mean.
Theres a video essay by Quinton Reviews that almost suggests this theory, only instead of the literal hell, it’s the hell of being trapped in the status quo of a sitcom world: in an interview, one of the cast members of Cheers said there could never be a Cheers revival, because it would be really sad if after a 20-30 year time skip, they were all still at the same bar. The Gang is that concept taken to the extreme.
Yeah, also, the whole hell episode is kind of made as a cheeky way to make fun of the usual “____ takes place in hell” theory that is said about most episodic shows
... is it really sad though? Then again these are snobby actors, so why am I so surprised. Around here places become institutions in a community, gathering places not only to drink but to hear the local gossip and news. The bar for Cheers was amazing looking, and the only reasons I can imagine the location changing is due to the lease being blown out of control or some kind of disaster. But otherwise? The idea of the same people, drinking at the same bar after 20... 30, 50 or more years? That's perfectly normal.
Really? To me it feels way more likely that the gang is not in prison yet because - either they are way too foolish and incompetent to be treated as serious criminals (see The Gang Runs For Office for an example when Mac is pulled over by cops who only troll him for attempting bribery), or because I slowly began to realize that the truly ironic appeal of IASIP is a grown-up equivalent of Cartoon Network's Ed, Edd n Eddy's shtick. Both shows focus on three boys whose comedy stems from them pulling scams that almost constantly fail and get themselves in more trouble than they initially caused for other people, occasionally facing unwanted cruelty from enemies who are worse than they already are, and the solidarity of their fellowship that still remains strong after all the times that the Eds or the Gang have back stabbed one another. November 25, 2024, 12:50am
Its neccesary to point out that charlie CAN read and write but from a young age it was only in Gaelic. English is essentially his second language and never bothered to really learn it. Voukd be why he beleives in leprachauns and ghouls. Im sure his fathers irish folklore worked its way into some conversations
Glenn Howerton's performance as Dennis Reynolds is why he is my favorite character in the show. I don't love Dennis as a character because I want to be him, I love him because of how entertaining and well acted the character is.
You ever see Ray Donovan? lol trick question, nobody has but if you did you might know what I am talking about. I swear the guy who played the role of a narcissist role modeled his character after Dennis Reynolds. Seriously man, it took me out of the series because I kept expecting a punchline like "...because of the implications" or "TOOLS. I NEED MY TOOLS".
@@notavailable4596 He was the life coach guru with a sick beach house and the pretty blonde actress wife. The actor's name Eion Francis Hamilton Bailey, and the character was Steve Knight. You might recognize him from Fight Club, but he reminded me of a store brand version of Dennis.
My pet theory is that Mac has Pet Semetary'd everyone. It started with Poppins his dog, but throughout the unexplored backstory, he has Pet Semetary'd all of them, and thus they are basically immortal zombie peoples. I think that several of the characters have died on screen, my favorite example being right after Charlie eats the rat when he's trapped in the pub during the super bowl, also Dee getting hit by several cars like it's nothing.
the only critique i have for this video is: you dont have to be dead to be in hell. "hell is not a place but a game you play, where you suffer every move you make."
Especially when this show takes place in a city where the residents are so degenerate they have to grease up phone and light poles if the eagles ever make it to the super bowl. Win or lose the city gets destroyed.
My personal theory is that the gang are actually demigods who have been banished to earth as punishment (a la Dogma). If we take The Gang Cracks the Liberty Bell at face value, the gang is sentenced to live life after life with one another, but since they’re still demigods, they have enough power to make sure that they’re never in too much trouble, all while making life miserable for anyone who gets involved with them. I also think Cricket got wound up into the punishment, probably for trying to help the gang, so the gods gave him an even worse fate.
Fun fact about the character of Dennis: Glenn Howerton chose to be the only member of the series creators to not use his real name for his character because Dennis is such a depraved sociopath.
I've always considered if they were dead, the death would logically have been at the end of Charlie Gets Crippled, S2E1. Frank's first episode and before all the characters truly go off the map into cartoonish behavior. Dennis and Mac are driving drunkly to a strip club and drive into all the other gang members. It's logically where they'd all die, marks Frank coming into their lives, and is the hinge moment for when their lives become significantly more UNhinged
I would 100% recommend the videos "Diagnosing Dee" and "Diagnosing Dennis" by Tropic Mephisto, I think they do a really good job of explaining why Dee is the way she is with Dennis being the "golden child" who could do no wrong and Dee being the scapegoat that always got blamed.
I am like a huge always sunny fan and when I was talking about it to one of my friends they were like "Oh funny story when I was younger I saw an ad for iasip that had the gang's faces on tombstones and for some reason my young mind interpreted that as the show being about people who were dead and in hell, with the joke being that hell is a bar in Philadelphia filled with people you hate" and I was like "weirdly you could probably watch the entire show thinking that and not be completely proven wrong"
i love this theory. the one thing that stops me is that the gang has those rare times when they seem to genuinely care for each other. they agree to die together, they let Dee bite the steak first, they got charlie all the things from his dream journal....wait so that makes it even more like the good place and reaffirms your theory. they improve but then forget the lesson (or are made to forget by the architect) immediately so it repeats for a few billion Jeremy Bearimys or until theyre sent to the real bad place
wait no because, this would explain why they’re always running into the same lawyer, the waitress, the same waiter, the mcpoyles, etc. because they’re all in hell too!! and dealing with the gang is part of their own hell
I think Being Frank shows his punishment the best. Rather than pain and torture, hell is most often described as a complete lack of peace (endless rage, unquenchable lust, shame without remorse, etc. Frank's entire existence is simply winging it while being barely cognizant of what is even going on. He may be having fun, but that episode shows a man suffering through a living hell.
I disagree about Dee and Dennis. Dee is just as bad (tried to kill a roommate and SAs multiple men), and Dennis is also motivated by deep-rooted insecurities (starved himself to exhaustion just because he was told his face looked fat).
Fantastic. ❤ I haven't watched Sunny in YEARS now but I used to really like this show. When I realized, way back around when the first 3 seasons first aired, how awful all of these characters are I did wonder: "What is it about this show that keeps me coming back?" This video reminded me: It is because I had a morbid fascination with their development as characters, over the course of (mostly) self-inflicted traumatic events, while being drip-fed their lore and psychological analysis. A train wreck I couldn't look away from. 😅 Great job.
My in world theory of why they don't experience serious legal consequences is that because of their dealings with the lawyer and the court have made them just not even wanna bother prosecuting them plus the fact that most of their crimes would require their victims to press charges and testify and they're either scared of the gang or again just don't want to deal with them anymore.
I knew this was gonna be about suffering in Hell before even clicking. No, not because of the thumbnail or title, but because the title of the show itself blatantly states that it’s all gonna be in Hell
I think the reason they all stick together is because each person thinks they are the most important member of the group, and being with the gang makes them feel superior to the other members. But also because each member of the gang is insane and "normal" non-insane people simply cannot keep up, and instead of feeling like the leader of the pack they start feeling like the odd one out. They crave each other because you can't be the odd one out if everyone in the room is odd
Great video, but also, part of the point of the hell episode is to satirize this common theory of “_____ takes place in hell” or “the characters are all dead”. So, they’re not literally in hell, but they’re in a hell, a meta hell, that being the fact that they’re characters in a sitcom. Forced to suffer and succeed over and over and over again with no changes to the status quo due to their very medium. A thematic punishment, but not them being in actual hell
okay you are officially my favorite youtuber now you’ve covered almost all of my special interests and you talk about such interesting ideas i don’t think the gang is in hell but loved it regardless
I have the feeling you've never actually been to Philadelphia. Calling it Hell isn't that far from accurate, but the question of "why hasn't anyone in The Gang been arrested" isn't really a question once you look at who actually gets arrested in Philly.
Every December I say "The War on Christmas is like a Sitcom; you don't want that kinds of drama in your life, but it makes great television". This show is proof of the latter.
I always assumed that the reason why the gang stick with each other and never look for new friends is because they are so depraved, appalling, chaotic and toxic that no one on Earth wants to deal with them. 😅 So, they are stuck with each other, indefinitely. 😂😂😂
MY HUSBAND AND I WERE QUOTING ITS ALWAYS SUNNY THIS WHOLE VIDEO!!! 😂 Goals💯my husband has "Fatty Magoo" tattooed on his arm because that was the nickname for our infant daughter who passed away 😓❤🩹she would giggle her ass off when we would do the "magooo magooo maagoooo" at her..its a fond memory i cherish from the short time she was with us..😪
The only problem with this theory is that when Charlie thinks he's caught a leprechaun, Mac wishes he could live forever, implying that they are still very much alive in the real world.
10:50 I disagree with this, you make it sound like the show was anti-gay, what Sunny did was act bad and hold up a light to it, that's why the first episode is about racism.
Dennis threatened to murder them if they ever leave him before the series starts. Dee instantly sides with him and threatens murder too, Mac and Charlie are the victims who are suffering stockholm syndrome which gets worse as the series progresses, with Dee slowly losing her nerve to kill and becoming a victim then developing stockholm syndrome too, and Mac falls completely in love with Dennis, even going so far as to change his sexual preference. edit: I completely forgot Frank somehow. He would probably be ignorant/in denial of the entire thing
Cheers Connor. This ties in nicely with a piece I'm writing on 'The Worst Bar in Philadelphia' for the 200 Seconds Sunny series. I'm giving you a shout-out and I'll be sure to drop a link when its out in a few months.
tbh every person the gang interact they tend to bring out the very worse character traits, honestly I would find it very funny if they meet a character who embodies every worse trait of them and is the definition of evil, yet somehow there interaction with the gang made them into a better person and they leave with things on a great conclusion, and the gang very much cant do anything about it and are just left completly perplex on "HOW THE HELL DID THIS WORM MADE IT OUT FINE?"
Like an inverted Rickety Cricket. It's happened on at least two occasions; once with Ben and then Carmen. Carmen's life was made infinitely better by Dee being her surrogate mother. That's one genuinely good deed she's done in the show.
This is such a good video! I HIGHLY doubt they will wind up pulling a Seinfeld in their absolute last episode ever, but dang if this video doesn't make it seem possible
Binged the first couple seasons as bg noise, and pretty sure they died at the start of Season 2. A few signs are the addition of Frank, as you mentioned, but also the scale of their schemes and shenanigans as compared to Season 1 and the first episode of Season 2. That difference being everything before the second episode of season 2 feels like a real situation someone could be involved in and get away with the little consequences the gang does. Dealing with racism in a friend group, wondering how to protect your business from being robbed, pretending to have cancer/been molested for the attention, getting suckered into helping with a kid that isn't yours, or faking disability for the benefits of it are all fairly grounded things that happen in the real world. I come from Greensburg, PA and will tell you that YES, there are bars who will let teens secretly drink and gets away with it because neither of them rat each other out, so even that has a realm of possibility to it imho. The Gang gets away with these things with really nothing more than judgemental looks. Season 2 Episode 2, on the other hand, shows the Gang plotting to run a new business owner out of the neighborhood, and ends with them accidentally blowing up a building. Which is a serious crime. The episode ends with the reveal that investigators found the "jihad tape" the Gang made. THIS makes a very easy argument for the prosecution to label their crime as an "act of terrorism", which would be a MAJOR offense. And yet, what happens? We later learn the gang gets community service. Practically a slap on the wrist. How in the hell is that possible? Well, because they're in Hell now. If they were still in the real world, their crime would've sent someone to jail, and broke up the gang, probably put the bar out of business. In Hell, however, the gang receives a slap on the wrist, and set off to stay together and let their eternal torture commence. Like Dee said, Hell is being there and together. And throughout the course of the series, from S2E2 and onward, their craziness only continues to escalate to the point they no longer look like friends drinking together, but just maniacs screaming at each other as loud as they can. Frank falls out of the window, a fall that had to have been two, three floors at the least, and yet ALL he suffers is a gash in the back of his head and memory loss. He gets back up, he's moving just fine, he's speaking just fine, his memory of life and history up to his current state of mind are accurate. Frank simply should NOT be as functional as he is after a fall from the height he was at onto the concrete below. How is Frank not in the hospital? Well, that would have a member of the gang missing. And at that point of the show, Charlie was not going to accept not being with Frank, which would have left two members of the gang missing. They wouldn't be together, and therefore they couldn't be tortured by being forced to be together. Dennis tries leaving the gang for a while to go live with a secret family, and what happens? He eventually ends up just coming back, and things resume as normally scheduled. The Gang even seems to try and fill the void Dennis left with other new characters we're introduced to. But without the whole gang together, things seem like they're just kind of puttering by and waiting for Dennis to return. Which he does, and eventually the formula for the gangs personal eternal torture is finally back to classic recipe, not that weird Zero crap. Coke Zero is garbage, GARBAGE I SAY ............ Anyway, my point is, the gang continues to be caught in situations and commiting offences both blatant and accidental that they keep walking away from in a way that always allows them to resume being together and allowing the antics to continue. It's never-ending torture in their own personal Hell. There, together And it's all because Dennis fell asleep drunk at the wheel
Some have said that sitcoms are like purgatory or a form of hell.since everything resets to what it was or at least not as significant as itd be irl. And I like that theory. I like this better than them being alive cause we all know too many people like these are up and around despite everything saying they shouldn't be.
They dont leave each other because they form their own tightnit if toxic culture thats all that is familiar to them. They dont treat outsiders as people but people to use and at least they expect as much from each other. Remember they also have fun togeather in their arguments and scams. This is not so different from real world group dynamics from some families and long duration friend circles.
this amazing video essay about one of my favorite shows made me think about the play No Exit by Sartre. Like literally, in this show Hell IS other people
25:00 Dante's Inferno. The devil is a three faced being frozen in a lake at the center of Hell force fed sinners against his will for eternity. He is punished using those who are being punished using him as the punishment.
Kinda makes you wonder about another show Danny Deviti worked on: Reno 911! So, you know how no matter what the main character cops do, or hiw theyre held accountable, they always seem to keep coming back to being cops and get wrapped up in their own shenanigans time and time again? Quite similar to Always Sunny imho
Part of the reason I love iasip is because the creators want you to know these are horrible people and all the bad things that happen to them are their own fault. So many shows have characters do bad things but had writers try to justify it because ‘they’re the main characters so it’s quirky/funny.’ I love how iasip takes a sitcom trope and do the opposite like instead of having a loving tight knit group theirs is toxic and controlling. Instead of the main female being a love interest for a male everyone hates Dee and it’s actually Mac that’s in love with Dennis. I definitely think the series should have won an Emmy by now but also the fact that it hasn’t seems very fitting
I enjoy the fact that even the normies in this universe just kind of TREAT each other like normies while pretty much being as fucked up as the main people.
I love that you’ve tapped into the one part of the show it seems gets overlooked a bit too much lmfao. Of course they acknowledge the people “suck ass” but they fail to realize the hypocrisy in not accepting that these are still human beings unfortunately lol
They partially have, though. They've delved into their childhoods and basically said, "yeah, their childhood was shit, but they're grown-ass adults who should know better".
I saw this before going to bed and said "eh, what the hell I know I'm going to watch it anyways, might as well watch it now" I've only ever consumed one other piece of content for it's always Sunny which was a RUclips video about the trans episodes (as a trans person myself who has seen it portrayed on a lot of things, it was.. interesting). Overall, love love love the video as always and just like Wendigoon and other intresting channels out there, I will usually watch a video even if i know nothing about what its falking about because I know you'll make it interesting (if you know what i mean, like it could be on anything and it would still be interesting becusse of who's making it)
I think Its Always Sunny's perfect ending would them being stuck in a holding cell, caught having each committed a particular crime (theft, some cowbrained scheme, creeping, etc) and just arguing (maybe even brawling) as they wait to be judged. It would be a good homage to Seinfeld and a fitting punishment.
It's speculated that Always Sunny will end the same way; with The Gang being taken to court for their various wrongdoings. It would not only justify why each episode begins with a date, time, and location, as The Gang are giving their testimonials, but it'd be a perfect shout-out to Seinfeld; It's Always Sunny's primary inspiration and a show it's referenced before.
I love this show so much and I still call Dee’s actor sweet dee 💜 Beautiful explanation! Omg I remember when Charlie and dee lived together 😂 that was 😂😂😂
I’d like to clarify because many comments somehow have not understood this: THIS IS NOT A REAL THEORY!! I do not believe the gang is actually in hell- Rather, that fake theory is just a funny framework through which to talk about the show.
I have gotten so many comments like “This theory is dumb!” - Yeah it is, and I reference that IN THE VIDEO.
Anyway, not every video is supposed to be that deep. Enjoy.
Always worth noting that if you remove the laugh track, everyone on Friends comes off as a complete sociopath.
That's part of what I love about IASIP, it takes the character archetypes from shows like Friends and deconstructs them to the most extreme degree possible.
yeah if i didn’t know this was about iasip, i would have guessed Friends at first
I just watched the series “Kevin Can F**k Himself.”
It really explores this type of concept in a unique and interesting way. Just watch a trailer for it and you’ll see what I mean.
"I like that there is laughter, because it tells me it's funny."
- Charlie Kelly
*live studio audience not laugh track. there's a big difference lol
The gang isn't dead or in hell. That's just the average Philly experience.
@@Geebees93 Go Birds.
☝️ Can confirm.
#FlyEaglesFly
Hell pales in comparison to Philly
Unlike hell Philly is unfortunately real 😂
So Philly is hell?
One theory on the reason the gang always escapes consequences is that Rickety Cricket is their own Portrait of Dorian Grey
That's a wild theory and I love it
Never heard that, but I really like that concept. It makes so much sense.
oh WOW that’s really something
Holy crap....that's good.
Damn, I came here to say that! I've been theorizing that for years but I 've never heard anyone else talk about it.
Theres a video essay by Quinton Reviews that almost suggests this theory, only instead of the literal hell, it’s the hell of being trapped in the status quo of a sitcom world: in an interview, one of the cast members of Cheers said there could never be a Cheers revival, because it would be really sad if after a 20-30 year time skip, they were all still at the same bar. The Gang is that concept taken to the extreme.
Yeah, also, the whole hell episode is kind of made as a cheeky way to make fun of the usual “____ takes place in hell” theory that is said about most episodic shows
@@TheRogueCommand omg Quinton reviews mentioned 🗣🗣🗣
Quinton is a Coward.
... is it really sad though? Then again these are snobby actors, so why am I so surprised. Around here places become institutions in a community, gathering places not only to drink but to hear the local gossip and news. The bar for Cheers was amazing looking, and the only reasons I can imagine the location changing is due to the lease being blown out of control or some kind of disaster. But otherwise? The idea of the same people, drinking at the same bar after 20... 30, 50 or more years? That's perfectly normal.
maybe the true horror was the friends we made along the way
With friends like these, who needs demonic tormentors?
My theory for why gang aren't in prison is because frank just pays off the cops.
But, they never die when the absolute WORST accidents happen......
It's Philly, gotta love it
Crooked cops!
Charlie tried to expose them but Frank obviously tipped them off.
Really? To me it feels way more likely that the gang is not in prison yet because - either they are way too foolish and incompetent to be treated as serious criminals (see The Gang Runs For Office for an example when Mac is pulled over by cops who only troll him for attempting bribery), or because I slowly began to realize that the truly ironic appeal of IASIP is a grown-up equivalent of Cartoon Network's Ed, Edd n Eddy's shtick. Both shows focus on three boys whose comedy stems from them pulling scams that almost constantly fail and get themselves in more trouble than they initially caused for other people, occasionally facing unwanted cruelty from enemies who are worse than they already are, and the solidarity of their fellowship that still remains strong after all the times that the Eds or the Gang have back stabbed one another. November 25, 2024, 12:50am
Its neccesary to point out that charlie CAN read and write but from a young age it was only in Gaelic.
English is essentially his second language and never bothered to really learn it.
Voukd be why he beleives in leprachauns and ghouls. Im sure his fathers irish folklore worked its way into some conversations
Valuable info!
Little green ghouls!
it's even worse than you describe. Charlie drops the rich girl when the waitress says fine he can stalk her again
Glenn Howerton's performance as Dennis Reynolds is why he is my favorite character in the show. I don't love Dennis as a character because I want to be him, I love him because of how entertaining and well acted the character is.
You ever see Ray Donovan? lol trick question, nobody has but if you did you might know what I am talking about.
I swear the guy who played the role of a narcissist role modeled his character after Dennis Reynolds. Seriously man, it took me out of the series because I kept expecting a punchline like "...because of the implications" or "TOOLS. I NEED MY TOOLS".
@@notsocrates9529 Which one played the narcissist?
And I've seen all the seasons. It's a great show.
@@notavailable4596 He was the life coach guru with a sick beach house and the pretty blonde actress wife.
The actor's name Eion Francis Hamilton Bailey, and the character was Steve Knight.
You might recognize him from Fight Club, but he reminded me of a store brand version of Dennis.
@@notsocrates9529 Oh from the first season. Good call. Very similar.
"Hell is other people" - Jean-Paul Sartre
came here to mention "No Exit"
@@marinamaddox6285 thank you
As someone who has dealt with other people, I can confirm this.
“The Earth is merely Hell’s clothing.”
-Me
All his friends were French tho
My pet theory is that Mac has Pet Semetary'd everyone.
It started with Poppins his dog, but throughout the unexplored backstory, he has Pet Semetary'd all of them, and thus they are basically immortal zombie peoples.
I think that several of the characters have died on screen, my favorite example being right after Charlie eats the rat when he's trapped in the pub during the super bowl, also Dee getting hit by several cars like it's nothing.
the only critique i have for this video is: you dont have to be dead to be in hell. "hell is not a place but a game you play, where you suffer every move you make."
"In Hell there is relief in utter helplessness. Here our actions have consequences for ourselves and others... Truly, it is worse."
~Burialgoods
Especially when this show takes place in a city where the residents are so degenerate they have to grease up phone and light poles if the eagles ever make it to the super bowl. Win or lose the city gets destroyed.
So do the good place and its always sunny happen in the same universe?
NO WAY I HADNT EVEN REACHED THE PART ABOUT THE GOOD PLACE. This is the best essay ever
@@Abbyrogers3214 No theyre actually all in a coma
Kevin Can F**k Himself is somewhere on the border of that universe as well.....trapped between Hell and The Matrix
Doesn't hold water; Always Sunny is funny.
@@zacbrown3797 They're all in the imagination of a little boy staring into a snow globe.
My personal theory is that the gang are actually demigods who have been banished to earth as punishment (a la Dogma). If we take The Gang Cracks the Liberty Bell at face value, the gang is sentenced to live life after life with one another, but since they’re still demigods, they have enough power to make sure that they’re never in too much trouble, all while making life miserable for anyone who gets involved with them. I also think Cricket got wound up into the punishment, probably for trying to help the gang, so the gods gave him an even worse fate.
I love this theory. Never thought of the gang as banished DemiGods. 😅
Fun fact about the character of Dennis: Glenn Howerton chose to be the only member of the series creators to not use his real name for his character because Dennis is such a depraved sociopath.
I've always considered if they were dead, the death would logically have been at the end of Charlie Gets Crippled, S2E1. Frank's first episode and before all the characters truly go off the map into cartoonish behavior. Dennis and Mac are driving drunkly to a strip club and drive into all the other gang members. It's logically where they'd all die, marks Frank coming into their lives, and is the hinge moment for when their lives become significantly more UNhinged
I think this makes a lot of sense!
I would 100% recommend the videos "Diagnosing Dee" and "Diagnosing Dennis" by Tropic Mephisto, I think they do a really good job of explaining why Dee is the way she is with Dennis being the "golden child" who could do no wrong and Dee being the scapegoat that always got blamed.
I am like a huge always sunny fan and when I was talking about it to one of my friends they were like "Oh funny story when I was younger I saw an ad for iasip that had the gang's faces on tombstones and for some reason my young mind interpreted that as the show being about people who were dead and in hell, with the joke being that hell is a bar in Philadelphia filled with people you hate" and I was like "weirdly you could probably watch the entire show thinking that and not be completely proven wrong"
i love this theory. the one thing that stops me is that the gang has those rare times when they seem to genuinely care for each other. they agree to die together, they let Dee bite the steak first, they got charlie all the things from his dream journal....wait so that makes it even more like the good place and reaffirms your theory. they improve but then forget the lesson (or are made to forget by the architect) immediately so it repeats for a few billion Jeremy Bearimys or until theyre sent to the real bad place
wait no because, this would explain why they’re always running into the same lawyer, the waitress, the same waiter, the mcpoyles, etc. because they’re all in hell too!! and dealing with the gang is part of their own hell
I think Being Frank shows his punishment the best. Rather than pain and torture, hell is most often described as a complete lack of peace (endless rage, unquenchable lust, shame without remorse, etc. Frank's entire existence is simply winging it while being barely cognizant of what is even going on. He may be having fun, but that episode shows a man suffering through a living hell.
"Paddy's Pub. That's our hell. It's an Irish bar where it's St. Patrick's Day every day forever"
Who you are in Sunny is a massive form of self admission and potentially the start to a successful string of therapy sessions.
We're all a mix of 2....it's which 2 that determines your therapy bill 😂
@@amandaszymczak388I just watch the therapy episode and I’m cured of all flaws
@@amandaszymczak388 I know one half of me is charlie. I am afraid to find out the other one.
I'd say I'm a Mac/Dee mix
i’m definitely partially dee, just not quite sure who else
straight from little nightmares to it’s always sunny ohhh it’s so peak
2 of my biggest Interests of all time weeee
Little green nightmares, buddy!
I disagree about Dee and Dennis. Dee is just as bad (tried to kill a roommate and SAs multiple men), and Dennis is also motivated by deep-rooted insecurities (starved himself to exhaustion just because he was told his face looked fat).
Watching a half hour video about a show I've never watched.
Get watchin', bucko
@@BokmohThe gabagool
Fantastic. ❤ I haven't watched Sunny in YEARS now but I used to really like this show. When I realized, way back around when the first 3 seasons first aired, how awful all of these characters are I did wonder: "What is it about this show that keeps me coming back?" This video reminded me: It is because I had a morbid fascination with their development as characters, over the course of (mostly) self-inflicted traumatic events, while being drip-fed their lore and psychological analysis. A train wreck I couldn't look away from. 😅 Great job.
They were never alive during the show. Theyve been dead the whole time because charlie fills the bar with carbon monoxide to kill the rats.
My in world theory of why they don't experience serious legal consequences is that because of their dealings with the lawyer and the court have made them just not even wanna bother prosecuting them plus the fact that most of their crimes would require their victims to press charges and testify and they're either scared of the gang or again just don't want to deal with them anymore.
I knew this was gonna be about suffering in Hell before even clicking. No, not because of the thumbnail or title, but because the title of the show itself blatantly states that it’s all gonna be in Hell
this cliche and tired "theory" can be applied to literally any work of fiction - and at this point it pretty much has
But ASIP would be a personal hell to some, unlike Friends.
I think the reason they all stick together is because each person thinks they are the most important member of the group, and being with the gang makes them feel superior to the other members. But also because each member of the gang is insane and "normal" non-insane people simply cannot keep up, and instead of feeling like the leader of the pack they start feeling like the odd one out. They crave each other because you can't be the odd one out if everyone in the room is odd
Color me astounded, I just opened RUclips randomly and saw this 42 seconds after it was posted
Great video, but also, part of the point of the hell episode is to satirize this common theory of “_____ takes place in hell” or “the characters are all dead”. So, they’re not literally in hell, but they’re in a hell, a meta hell, that being the fact that they’re characters in a sitcom. Forced to suffer and succeed over and over and over again with no changes to the status quo due to their very medium. A thematic punishment, but not them being in actual hell
"Hell is other people!" - Jean-Paul Sartre
okay you are officially my favorite youtuber now you’ve covered almost all of my special interests and you talk about such interesting ideas
i don’t think the gang is in hell but loved it regardless
Welcome to Philadelphia, as a Philadelphian, that's how most of our relationships are
I have the feeling you've never actually been to Philadelphia. Calling it Hell isn't that far from accurate, but the question of "why hasn't anyone in The Gang been arrested" isn't really a question once you look at who actually gets arrested in Philly.
Philly just is hell.
This reminds me a lot of the play No Exit. I won’t spoil why, but let’s just say the tagline says it all.
Jean-Paul Sartre in “No Exit”: hell is other people
Every December I say "The War on Christmas is like a Sitcom; you don't want that kinds of drama in your life, but it makes great television". This show is proof of the latter.
Yess
I always assumed that the reason why the gang stick with each other and never look for new friends is because they are so depraved, appalling, chaotic and toxic that no one on Earth wants to deal with them. 😅 So, they are stuck with each other, indefinitely. 😂😂😂
Frank isn't a gremlin, he's a warthog.
So what you're saying is the Gang Actually died in Charlie gets Crippled
Hell is other people. It’s a reference to no exit by Jean-Paul Sartre
MY HUSBAND AND I WERE QUOTING ITS ALWAYS SUNNY THIS WHOLE VIDEO!!! 😂 Goals💯my husband has "Fatty Magoo" tattooed on his arm because that was the nickname for our infant daughter who passed away 😓❤🩹she would giggle her ass off when we would do the "magooo magooo maagoooo" at her..its a fond memory i cherish from the short time she was with us..😪
The only problem with this theory is that when Charlie thinks he's caught a leprechaun, Mac wishes he could live forever, implying that they are still very much alive in the real world.
i would LOVE more always sunny videos from you!!
@1:00 fictional bar? Paddys is a real bar..
I don't think the gang is in hell, I think the gang is in the waiting room waiting for judgement day. and then they will be in hell.
10:50 I disagree with this, you make it sound like the show was anti-gay, what Sunny did was act bad and hold up a light to it, that's why the first episode is about racism.
Agrees
Dennis threatened to murder them if they ever leave him before the series starts. Dee instantly sides with him and threatens murder too, Mac and Charlie are the victims who are suffering stockholm syndrome which gets worse as the series progresses, with Dee slowly losing her nerve to kill and becoming a victim then developing stockholm syndrome too, and Mac falls completely in love with Dennis, even going so far as to change his sexual preference.
edit: I completely forgot Frank somehow. He would probably be ignorant/in denial of the entire thing
Sunny used to be my fave show, but havent watched in a few seasons. Youve reignited my passion an love on this day! ❤😂
Cheers Connor. This ties in nicely with a piece I'm writing on 'The Worst Bar in Philadelphia' for the 200 Seconds Sunny series. I'm giving you a shout-out and I'll be sure to drop a link when its out in a few months.
tbh every person the gang interact they tend to bring out the very worse character traits, honestly I would find it very funny if they meet a character who embodies every worse trait of them and is the definition of evil, yet somehow there interaction with the gang made them into a better person and they leave with things on a great conclusion, and the gang very much cant do anything about it and are just left completly perplex on "HOW THE HELL DID THIS WORM MADE IT OUT FINE?"
Like an inverted Rickety Cricket. It's happened on at least two occasions; once with Ben and then Carmen. Carmen's life was made infinitely better by Dee being her surrogate mother. That's one genuinely good deed she's done in the show.
This is such a good video! I HIGHLY doubt they will wind up pulling a Seinfeld in their absolute last episode ever, but dang if this video doesn't make it seem possible
Dennis is one of the greatest comedy characters of all time imo
Binged the first couple seasons as bg noise, and pretty sure they died at the start of Season 2. A few signs are the addition of Frank, as you mentioned, but also the scale of their schemes and shenanigans as compared to Season 1 and the first episode of Season 2. That difference being everything before the second episode of season 2 feels like a real situation someone could be involved in and get away with the little consequences the gang does. Dealing with racism in a friend group, wondering how to protect your business from being robbed, pretending to have cancer/been molested for the attention, getting suckered into helping with a kid that isn't yours, or faking disability for the benefits of it are all fairly grounded things that happen in the real world. I come from Greensburg, PA and will tell you that YES, there are bars who will let teens secretly drink and gets away with it because neither of them rat each other out, so even that has a realm of possibility to it imho. The Gang gets away with these things with really nothing more than judgemental looks. Season 2 Episode 2, on the other hand, shows the Gang plotting to run a new business owner out of the neighborhood, and ends with them accidentally blowing up a building. Which is a serious crime. The episode ends with the reveal that investigators found the "jihad tape" the Gang made. THIS makes a very easy argument for the prosecution to label their crime as an "act of terrorism", which would be a MAJOR offense. And yet, what happens? We later learn the gang gets community service. Practically a slap on the wrist. How in the hell is that possible? Well, because they're in Hell now. If they were still in the real world, their crime would've sent someone to jail, and broke up the gang, probably put the bar out of business. In Hell, however, the gang receives a slap on the wrist, and set off to stay together and let their eternal torture commence. Like Dee said, Hell is being there and together. And throughout the course of the series, from S2E2 and onward, their craziness only continues to escalate to the point they no longer look like friends drinking together, but just maniacs screaming at each other as loud as they can. Frank falls out of the window, a fall that had to have been two, three floors at the least, and yet ALL he suffers is a gash in the back of his head and memory loss. He gets back up, he's moving just fine, he's speaking just fine, his memory of life and history up to his current state of mind are accurate. Frank simply should NOT be as functional as he is after a fall from the height he was at onto the concrete below. How is Frank not in the hospital? Well, that would have a member of the gang missing. And at that point of the show, Charlie was not going to accept not being with Frank, which would have left two members of the gang missing. They wouldn't be together, and therefore they couldn't be tortured by being forced to be together. Dennis tries leaving the gang for a while to go live with a secret family, and what happens? He eventually ends up just coming back, and things resume as normally scheduled. The Gang even seems to try and fill the void Dennis left with other new characters we're introduced to. But without the whole gang together, things seem like they're just kind of puttering by and waiting for Dennis to return. Which he does, and eventually the formula for the gangs personal eternal torture is finally back to classic recipe, not that weird Zero crap. Coke Zero is garbage, GARBAGE I SAY
............ Anyway, my point is, the gang continues to be caught in situations and commiting offences both blatant and accidental that they keep walking away from in a way that always allows them to resume being together and allowing the antics to continue. It's never-ending torture in their own personal Hell. There, together
And it's all because Dennis fell asleep drunk at the wheel
Some have said that sitcoms are like purgatory or a form of hell.since everything resets to what it was or at least not as significant as itd be irl. And I like that theory. I like this better than them being alive cause we all know too many people like these are up and around despite everything saying they shouldn't be.
Based on your whole theory I was honestly expecting you to bring up the play "No Exit" somewhere.
I didn't know it was possible to have a parasocial relationship with a show 😂
2 minutes in and you earned yourself a subscriber good sir! I look forward to enjoying this video as I smoke this bowl
they’re not dead, or in hell, but they are indeed hell on earth
They dont leave each other because they form their own tightnit if toxic culture thats all that is familiar to them. They dont treat outsiders as people but people to use and at least they expect as much from each other. Remember they also have fun togeather in their arguments and scams. This is not so different from real world group dynamics from some families and long duration friend circles.
I love the magnus archives and Doctor Who oh and your content 😊
this amazing video essay about one of my favorite shows made me think about the play No Exit by Sartre. Like literally, in this show Hell IS other people
Can't decide if I'm impressed or disappointed that you made this whole video without once referencing Sartre's "No Exit"
Don’t worry, this comment section definitely made the connection!
25:00 Dante's Inferno. The devil is a three faced being frozen in a lake at the center of Hell force fed sinners against his will for eternity. He is punished using those who are being punished using him as the punishment.
The call back episode where they change the memories of what happened and have to figure out whose head they are in had me questioning this
Kinda makes you wonder about another show Danny Deviti worked on: Reno 911!
So, you know how no matter what the main character cops do, or hiw theyre held accountable, they always seem to keep coming back to being cops and get wrapped up in their own shenanigans time and time again? Quite similar to Always Sunny imho
this was a great theory and a real treat to watch. I will definitely think about it next time I'm watching Sunny!
This is great. Subbed
Part of the reason I love iasip is because the creators want you to know these are horrible people and all the bad things that happen to them are their own fault. So many shows have characters do bad things but had writers try to justify it because ‘they’re the main characters so it’s quirky/funny.’ I love how iasip takes a sitcom trope and do the opposite like instead of having a loving tight knit group theirs is toxic and controlling. Instead of the main female being a love interest for a male everyone hates Dee and it’s actually Mac that’s in love with Dennis. I definitely think the series should have won an Emmy by now but also the fact that it hasn’t seems very fitting
I don’t have anything to add just wanted to say amazing video
Idk about them being dead but it’s worth noting that DeVito voices the devil in a cartoon
Whenever I pitch this show to my friends, I tell them to picture Seinfeld if it were written for HBO. 😂
I enjoy the fact that even the normies in this universe just kind of TREAT each other like normies while pretty much being as fucked up as the main people.
Missed out on saying "Hell is other people"
This would make little demon canon to the sunny universe
"some disgusting and terrible fictional city called Philadelphia" go birds
It got so lame when you brought religion in it
While "rationa"l isn't the term I'd use to sum up this supernatural take, I do like it
I never got into this show. But since I feel like I could be a character on there I should probably watch it.
when ur friend group small but yall crazy
So in a way, the lawyer is a righteous punishment
Frank saved Pondy's life (only for pondy to get his ass beat) man Pondy's the coolest
Commenting for ubiquity
Dennis is all 7 of the deadly sins. not sure why you went there.
I love that you’ve tapped into the one part of the show it seems gets overlooked a bit too much lmfao.
Of course they acknowledge the people “suck ass” but they fail to realize the hypocrisy in not accepting that these are still human beings unfortunately lol
They partially have, though. They've delved into their childhoods and basically said, "yeah, their childhood was shit, but they're grown-ass adults who should know better".
I have no mouth and I must scream.
Solid reference.
I saw this before going to bed and said "eh, what the hell I know I'm going to watch it anyways, might as well watch it now" I've only ever consumed one other piece of content for it's always Sunny which was a RUclips video about the trans episodes (as a trans person myself who has seen it portrayed on a lot of things, it was.. interesting). Overall, love love love the video as always and just like Wendigoon and other intresting channels out there, I will usually watch a video even if i know nothing about what its falking about because I know you'll make it interesting (if you know what i mean, like it could be on anything and it would still be interesting becusse of who's making it)
How'd they die? Well it's cannon that there's a gas leak in the bar's basement, so Imma say that the beginning of season 2 is when they died.
I think Its Always Sunny's perfect ending would them being stuck in a holding cell, caught having each committed a particular crime (theft, some cowbrained scheme, creeping, etc) and just arguing (maybe even brawling) as they wait to be judged. It would be a good homage to Seinfeld and a fitting punishment.
It's speculated that Always Sunny will end the same way; with The Gang being taken to court for their various wrongdoings. It would not only justify why each episode begins with a date, time, and location, as The Gang are giving their testimonials, but it'd be a perfect shout-out to Seinfeld; It's Always Sunny's primary inspiration and a show it's referenced before.
Sunny is the epitome of what comedy should be in my opinion.
"Hell is other people."
I love this show so much and I still call Dee’s actor sweet dee 💜
Beautiful explanation!
Omg I remember when Charlie and dee lived together 😂 that was 😂😂😂
Charlie was dressed like Gilligan, who was also suggested to be part of a dead crew, tho... As I recall, he represented Satan
Comparing Frank to an SCP got me good.
Love that No Exit type shit