TVSquad

(S03E08) "We've been throwing rocks at cats for years Dennis." - Charlie

Well... this was funny, but it didn't quite do it for me after how good last night's earlier episode was. One thing I did like was how it took some hints from Curb Your Enthusiasm by introducing something early on in the show ("Diaper Time" on the public access station) and then brought it back right at the end of the episode for the punchline.

The theme for the majority of the installment was fame and how you achieve it. Obviously, that led to some disastrous results including just what the title says. Frank set Dee on fire. Twice, actually.

Sometimes, I do wonder how these stories develop. It's not that everything didn't make sense, but this episode just felt a little disconnected to me. I can deal with that though because It's Always Sunny... is still better than most sitcoms on TV right now.

OK, so first up, can you imagine having to be a casting associate for this show? I thought about it after the scene when Charlie, Mac, and Frank interviewed people at the nursing home. Imagine coming into work and finding out that you need to find an actress to play a jovial grandmother who just happens to be racist. Then, say... you find someone. Picture having to explain that role to some 75 year old woman. I'm laughing as I type, but in reality, that must be hell.

Anyway, how do you become famous? Ask Dennis and he'd tell you to grab your glow-sticks, pop some E, and hit up the club scene. Ask Mac and he'd tell you to become a newscaster that fabricates all his stories. Ask Frank and he'd tell you to light something on fire. That seems to be his answer to everything.

The episode was peppered with great moments, but it just wasn't as consistent as I would have liked. Dennis dancing in the club was funny the first time, but repetitive the second. Same goes for setting Dee on fire a second time at the well. It didn't add any more impact since we'd already seen it happen to her once.

What was funny? The old guy accusing the old woman of stealing grapes was a riot. I loved when the "news crew" went to Chinatown too. The part where they thought they were walking into a kung-fu fight that turned out to be a Nintendo Wii tennis tournament was hilarious. Charlie forgetting to put a tape into the camera was to be expected but his rant about Kurt Russell and Big Trouble in Little China made up for it.

There are some things I'd like answers to. This isn't the first time that Frank has been obsessed with setting fires. What's his deal with that? I'd also like to know how Dee slept in the trash all night and nothing happened to her. That'd be funny if something developed from that in a later episode. I realize I'm asking a lot from this show and that stuff will realistically never be addressed, but it's still fun to wonder.

Gallery: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - Season Three