Charlie + Chopsticks

mac x air quotes

people talking about macdennis' toxicity as if that isn't the appeal

The Mcdonalds' Love Language of Gift Giving

Luther and Mrs Mac hate Mac– this is undeniable. But it wasn't always that way.

Did they have to do this? Not necessarily. Breaking into a house and stealing other people's christmas gifts were extra risky with Mac being there. Mac gets excited and screams when he sees his gift, and they were probably aware of this, which is why he was the last to open his gift.

And yet they chose to bring Mac each time, even though they could've instead stolen the gifts to bring home, pretending like it came from them. I can think of a few reasons why they don't, but the one I'd like to believe is that while they couldn't afford decorating their home, they still wanted little Mac to experience unboxing his gifts the way most kids would– surrounded by a christmas tree and bright lights.

When Luther got out of prison, he showed indifference and even hostility to Mac the entire time, which was why Mac believed that Luther was going to kill him (and Charlie). But it turned out that Luther had listened to Mac when he said he always wanted to go to Cooperstown with his dad, and so Luther bought a ticket for them. When asked why he kept it a secret, Luther said that he just wanted it to be a surprise. For someone who didn't show much emotions, Luther wanted to express his apology by giving Mac what he wanted.

Mac does the same– he listens.

One of Mac's biggest romantic gesture in the show is buying the RPG for Dennis. He was even busying himself the whole day trying to figure out how to surprise Dennis with this. When he finally gave the RPG to Dennis, Dennis asked him, and how did you know I wanted a RPG? And Mac told him that it was because he knew Dennis... and that Dennis had mentioned it a lot of times. Giving a gift was Mac's way of showing Dennis that he cared, and Mac was all smiles after realising that his gift had an effect on Dennis.

Mac was also the one who immediately suggested buying a rat stick for Charlie's 'birthday'. And sure, this could be seen as manipulative, since Charlie wanted to quit rat bashing but I honestly think he knew that if Charlie didn't bash rats, he would still find some other animal to bash. That's because they've known each other since forever, and Charlie had a bashing stick when he was a kid too. And Charlie appreciated the gift, getting super emotional out of happiness.

(In the same episode, Mac bought Dennis a shirt too, but Dennis returned the actual shirt Mac bought for a nicer one. I think this was when Mac realised that he only enjoys giving gifts if the person receiving it actually likes the gift, which led him to listen to Dennis' wishes more and buy the RPG)

Okayyyy, the last. This is minor but Mac's insistence on buying a pear for Charlie when he found out Charlie had never eaten one. And now in the cook book, he has "Pear tart for Charlie" in his section, with a note of thanks because he thinks Charlie is going to like it. Super cute stuff

Oh, good! You got my signal.

i watch it's always sunny 4 the plot

In all honestly, my ideal ending for iasip is a simple one. The gang would play Chardee Macdennis one last time, bringing back a beloved concept with lots of references to the show brought up in the trivia portion. It'd be fun and light. It'd give us one last glimpse into these characters' dynamics, playing a game they invented in their 20s now in their 50s. Still a gang, still together, in the bar of Paddy's on a slow day, passing the time with a game they invented out of boredom.

Maybe they'd invite some old friends to form new teams. Maybe we'd see Cricket, the Lawyer, the Waitress, the Waiter, the McPoyles, Artemis, Ponderosa, and Gail the Snail all join in on the fun. Surprisingly, everyone shows, probably because they have nothing better to do. Maybe Frank and Pondy would form a team. The Waitress, Artemis, and Gail would group up, bringing the Fridge-It Bitches back. Maybe we would finally learn the Waitress' name. We'd get to see each member of the gang at their best, deranged, manipulative, and evil as always. Charlie would probably fail a task because the Waitress made him nervous. Cricket would join forces with the McPoyles because they're the only ones not disgusted by Cricket. Their group would be really good at the pain and endurance portion. The Lawyer and the Waiter would form a team, bonding over the years of strife the gang had caused them. They would grow very frustrated at not understanding the rules of the game. They're the only group that is normal enough to find the whole thing preposterous, but for some reason they see it through.

The episode would wrap with Mac and Charlie finally beating Dennis and Dee after losing to them for 30 years. We'd close on the pair stomping on Dennis and Dee's dolls, victorious at last. Dennis and Dee would be sore losers, complaining that Mac and Charlie must have cheated. Frank would be celebrating with Mac and Charlie, telling them he was proud of them. Mac and Charlie would realize that perhaps Frank really had become a father figure to them. They would allow Frank to smash Dennis and Dee's dolls with them and Frank would be over the moon. We would pan out, through the front door of Paddy's, still able to hear the gang rejoicing and bickering, only now from a distance. The last thing we would see is Paddy's sign, old and decrepit as ever, never to change, as the gang's arguing begins to fade out, transitioning into the final end credit theme.

he is never beating the babygirl allegations

they're on a date

Thinking about the way Mac misremembers Dennis leaving. In his own mind, he wishes he left with Dennis, but in reality he didn't. He let Dennis walk away and out of his life. He didn't chase after Dennis, but he wishes he did.

A theory for why Dennis acts different towards Mac after returning from North Dakota is that Dennis is resentful towards Mac for this very reason. Mac let him walk away. He had always thought Mac would be there by his side, to catch him when he faltered, but Mac had failed him. Dennis was waiting for someone to chase him, and it should have been Mac, but Mac didn't. Mac didn't even bat an eye. Mac let Dennis slip away, and this is something he will never forget.

When Dennis was away, he never checked in with Mac. We know he gave Mac a fake number, so Mac couldn't contact him, but Dennis has Mac's number memorized. He could've called Mac, but he never did. Maybe he was avoiding Mac. Maybe he didn't want to show that he cared for Mac when, in his mind, Mac didn't care about him.

I wonder if Mac is aware of this. I wonder if this is why Mac wishes he had chased after Dennis. I wonder if Mac remembers that night this way because it's what he so badly wishes had happened. He wishes he had followed Dennis, but he didn't.

Maybe he thinks Dennis would love him if he had.

they have tension