It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 7 Review Part 1

After a mediocre season 6 that featured Dennis getting married and divorced, Dee being pregnant, and Charlie briefly leaving the gang to be come a janitor, the show needed to prove that it hadn't completely lost it's touch.  While Season 6 did have a few really good episodes, ("The Gang Buys a Boat","Who got Dee Pregnant", "The Gang Gets Stranded in The Woods", and "Dee Gives Birth") I was hoping for a substantial performance in Season 7 to affirm my faith in the show going forward.  Although Season 7 was not perfect, I found it to hit more than it missed.  I've taken a few notes on each episode after rewatching them all, and i've saved an episode by episode review for the season...

S7E1 "Frank's Pretty Woman" 7.5/10

I didn't really know what to expect coming into the season other than looking forward to how they deal with Mac's obesity.  There's no real way to put Fat Mac on exhibit other than addressing it head on and that's exactly what they did.  My favorite line from the episode was when Mac was taking his insulin shot and calling diabetes as diabettis.  *Like Jerome Bettis*  The main story line though involved Frank and the prostitute Roxy.  Throw in some blood capsules, a shopping trip with Dee and Roxy, and a dead hooker and you have the realization that they started off the season with a bang, and went back to their dark humor roots.  Bonus points for playing "Pretty Woman" during the outro.
EPISODE MVP: ROXY

S7E2 "The Gang Goes To The Jersey Shore" 8.5/10

This turned out to be the most shocking episode of the season.  Male homosexual hobo sex will kind of take the shock factor up in any light, but nonetheless it still was unexpected and really gross.  The gang ends up getting split up.  Charlie ends up on the beach with The Waitress, and they share a romantic night together.  Frank and Mac end up stranded at sea with RUMHAM, but are rescued by a cruise ship.  Dennis and Dee end up looking for a party and get trapped in a drug scandal that makes events on Breaking Bad look innocent.  I just liked how everything came together in total different directions.  The Waitress reveals that she was on Ecstasy, making her night with Charlie irrelevant, but then there's the montage with Frank and Fat Mac partying on the cruise ship Jersey Shore style and tearing into RUMHAM, all the while Dennis and Dee are with a group of crack addicts in a situation that keeps escalating quickly.  I love the Wilson from "Castaway" joke with RUMHAM. 
EPISODE MVP:  SWEET DEE

S7E3 "Frank Reynolds' Little Beauties" 4/10

This was an episode that was promoted heavily by the gang when they were out making the late night circuit.  It didn't pay off, at least for me.  I knew they were doing a "Toddlers and Tiaras" type episode, and from what I had seen from the actual show on The Soup, I was expecting an A+ episode.  Other than Frank's "Don't Diddle Kids" improv number and his over the top panic of not wanting to be a pedophile, I couldn't find a whole lot of laughs in this episode.
EPISODE MVP: FRANK

S7E4 "Sweet Dee Gets Audited" 6/10

At the end of this episode, Dennis makes a quote that shows that the gang has accepted the fact that they are bad people.  "This may be the darkest thing we've ever done."  He's referring to a fake dead baby funeral that they conduct in order to get the IRS off of Dee's back.  Dee is in tax trouble because of the baby she had for the tranny in Season 6.  Apparently Dee has also claimed the baby as her own, which is why she needs Charlie and Mac to get her a "short time baby."  Add a crucifix, some type of powder to put into Dee's eyes during the funeral, and another Wolf Cola reference and you have yourself a pretty decent episode.
EPISODE MVP: SWEET DEE

S7E5 "Frank's Brother" 1/10

The worst episode of the series.  I only had a slight laugh one time, and it was during the Shadynasty's/Shady Nasty's line.  A complete bottle episode, and i'm okay with a bottle episode here and there but this went absolutely nowhere and just wasn't funny.  I blame a lot of that on John Polito who was cast to play Frank's brother Gino.  This episode was written by David Hornsby (Rickety Cricket), and was the only episode he wrote or co-wrote in Season 7. 
EPISODE MVP: FRANK (by default)

S7E6 "The Storm of the Century" 7/10

This turned out to be a really strong rebound episode after the catastrophe that was "Frank's Brother".  Dennis is trying to get the news lady with the big jugs down to the bunker, furthermore conceding that he is a rapist. Dee freaking out pretty much the entire episode was hilarious, along with Cricket hanging out in the basement.  Let's not bury what was truly the most amazing part of this episode, and possibly season.  Dennis basically gets a case of cataplexy, as he turns into a nervous stalker when he fails to entice the juggy news anchor.  He's stumbling, gets dry mouth, and is shaking all the while the juggy news anchor calls him a creep.  I haven't made a formal list, but that may be my favorite Dennis moment ever, and definitely a top 5 moment of the season for me.
EPISODE MVP: DENNIS
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PART 2 OF THE SEASON 7 REVIEW COMING UP LATER TODAY

KT