#The Gang Tends Bar

[riskerat]

Gay shit again.

[charmac]

Mac McDonald - "Gay"

[absolutely-not-my-main-blog]

Glenn Howerton: [...] and we talk about that all the time when we're writing Sunny, it's like this moment is like 'it's not funny enough,' and I'm like yes, but is it *entertaining,* is it interesting to watch? [...]

Sure, "it's funnier" if they don't, but...

[trophywifemac]

IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA ↳ S12E08 “The Gang Tends Bar”

[andromedism]

happy “the gang tends bar” day to all who celebrate!

[dennisboobs]

Can we talk about the fact the fact that the "one thing [Dennis] wanted more than anything else in the entire world" was not, in fact, the RPG. He doesn't care that there's no ammunition for it, or that he can't actually use it as-is, because what he really wanted was for someone to think of him on Valentines day. That was why he put the anthrax in the box. to stop the others from excluding him. Because even if they were being horrible to each other, he still wanted in on it.

For Dennis, the fact that he wasn't given gifts by the rest of the gang indicated that they didn't love him, and Mac giving him that RPG proved him wrong. He of course would never say it out loud, and still clearly works to suppress the full extent of his emotions even when he's just had an emotional outburst and is on the verge of tears, but Dennis craves this symbolic reassurance. Even as he actively pushes people away, shuts them out, pretends he's emotionless. He's upset that the others actually believe this mask of his, take it at face value and can't see past his lies. He wants to be seen and understood and he wants to be loved by his friends.

[egonkula]

and I have feelings!!! of course I have feelings!!! I have big feelings okay? !!! and it hurts!!!

[badnew2005]

THE GANG TENDS BAR - we’re always running outside, out into the world, looking for riches and treasures, when we’ve got everything we need right here.

[buthappysoverrated]

[neverainy]

Something something Mac’s first Valentine’s Day as an openly gay man he and he finally gives Dennis the gift of his dreams. He finally felt able to show his love for another man openly and Dennis loved it! Because he’s never gotten a true gift before. His were stolen from him by his father or probably some expensive nothing from his mother and extended family

[translesbianvampire]

very prominent "potential is infinite" sticker on this pillar of paddy's pub in the gang tends bar. the tragedy at the core of always sunny is these are the people least likely to realize it. and as they are on the lowest rungs of society, no one will help them either

16 seasons & 4 presidents later, they're still in the same place they started; a shitty dive bar in south philly

[charmac]

[manwhoredennis]

this is what actually happened rcg just accidentally cut this scene out, glenn told me

[good-realtor-bad-realtor-dynamic]

the anthrax being sugar all along is the key to dennis' whole character.

dudebros on r/iasip just see the anthrax (aka the façade) and accuse us of just seeing the sugar (aka the truth), but the thing of it is, when you see the sugar, you can also see the implication of anthrax, and that explains everything about the way the world works in dennis' mind.

[andromedism]

In 2017, I watched “The Gang Tends Bar” as it aired live, and it’s all kind of a blur but I remember three things very clearly:

Sunnyblr was POPPING. To this day, I still see TGTB posts floating around with 10k notes and they are all still so fucking good. My beautiful relics of an absolutely insane time.

Airing A Crickets Tale that very next week is probably one of the most chaotic things that was happening to Tumblr at that time. We were all like, “Mmm, thanks for whatever that was, RCG! So yummy! Now can we have another helping of repressed middle-aged gay men?” and they said, “Okay, sure! Here’s more of that but make it foreboding,” and aired “Dennis’ Double Life” the very next week after THAT.

I didn’t sleep the night TGTB aired. I was a freshman in college and I went to class the next day and just stared at nothing during my lecture because I was so blown away by it. At 18, it was one of the most formative experiences I’ve ever had with television. Raw, emotional moments have always been so much more impactful to me in comedic shows. I still consider it one of the most romantic episodes of any show I’ve ever seen. I’m 25 now, and I have never forgotten the way I felt the first time I saw this episode. My life is entirely different now from February of 2017, but my feelings about TGTB are exactly the same if not intensified.

Bonus Big Feelings:

Once you’ve watched “Dennis’ Double Life,” TGTB reads so differently—it hurts so much more. Because you know how it ends for them and you never get closure. YOU NEVER GET CLOSURE.

Something about Glenn’s hair being outstandingly hot in S12 really brought everything together, that year + heightened the pining. He would do something and we’d all be like “ok work!”

Season 16 is the closest I’ve felt to Season 12 levels of deranged. I think this makes sense since S16, stylistically, reminds me the most of classic Sunny and somehow, also, every macden fic I’ve ever read.

I never had a good reference point for whether other people outside of Sunnyblr read that episode as incredibly queer, or Just Guys Being Dudes, but most of my comms class watched this show, and we were all foaming at the mouth talking about it the next day. Everyone was like, “Oh my god! It’s getting gayer! We won!”

Reflecting on where I was in life when TGTB, and when this most recent season aired, I can’t help but wonder where we’ll all be if they touch noses. Season 24 is our seasons guys.

[hottest-gay-bar-in-philadelphia]

When Dennis said "You figured out the one thing I wanted more than anything else in the world and you got it for me." he wasn't talking about the RPG. All he wanted was a gift. He wanted to feel like his friends cared about him. He wanted to feel seen and he wanted to be acknowledged in the same way as the rest of the group. Mac figured it out and he got that for him. Dennis didn't care that he couldn't shoot the rpg because that's not what mattered. What mattered was that Mac got him something. Something thoughtful and nice that made him feel even just a little bit understood.