"Dennis and Dee Go on Welfare" is chronologically the fourth episode of the second season of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. The episode was broadcast as the third episode, and is listed as such on most major streaming platforms.
Synopsis[]
Dennis and Dee quit their jobs to pursue their dreams, but when Mac reminds them that unemployment runs out eventually, Dennis and Dee get hooked on crack cocaine so they can apply for welfare. Meanwhile, Frank hires two new workers under the "Work for Welfare" program and Charlie and Mac go on a spending spree with the money in Frank's secret bank account.
Plot[]
4:30 PM On a Wednesday
Frank has become increasingly bossy as the new owner of Paddy's Pub and earns the ire of Dennis and Dee, who declare they quit working for the bar to pursue their life's dreams. Frank calls their bluff and retort that he can run the bar just fine with Mac and Charlie.
Dee signs herself and Dennis up for unemployment benefits after walking out of the bar. Dennis at first balks at the idea, but changes his mind when unemployment pays better than what they earned at the bar. They both swear they will continue pursuing their dreams while enjoying unemployment benefits.
Meanwhile, Frank shifts his bossiness to Mac and Charlie by making them do all the physical labor. When Charlie and Mac complain, Frank insists they need him as a father figure in their lives telling them what to do. Mac then sets out to find Dennis and Dee to tell them to come back to the bar to help handle Frank, but he finds them drinking during the day and refusing to come back. Dennis and Dee mock Mac's struggles and states they're on their way to achieving their dreams while on unemployment: Dennis wants to become a veterinarian while Dee wants to become a Broadway actress. Mac warns them unemployment benefits are only temporary, but they ignore him.
Back at the bar, Frank has Charlie sign some papers to transfer Frank's funds under Charlie's name as a temporary measure to keep his wife from getting any of it during their divorce. Frank promises to give Charlie a small reward if he is able to hold the money without spending any of it. Mac comes back to the bar to announce that he has discovered the "Work for Welfare" government program that subsidizes the wages for potential welfare recipients if a business is willing to hire them. Mac believes this will get him and Charlie from having to do any work at the bar while not having to pay new workers, and Frank agrees to the proposition by stating, "Go get us some slaves."
Mac and Charlie visit the government offices to apply for Work for Welfare, and run into Dennis and Dee on their way out since Dennis and Dee are applying for welfare due to unemployment benefits running out. Dennis and Dee scheme to receive welfare by pretending to have a cocaine addiction and having mental disabilities respectively, but the clerk reveals they must provide blood work to prove a cocaine addiction and a physician's note proving a mental disability to qualify. Angered that the clerk would not accept their claims by statement alone, Dennis and Dee vow to actually take cocaine to back up their charade.
When Mac and Charlie eventually gets two Work for Welfare recipients, Maria and Tony, to work at the bar, they are pleased with themselves and Frank is delighted. Although Mac and Charlie just wants to slack off on their own, Frank wants to tag along by playing video games with them and "throw the pigskin around" playing football. Daunted by Frank wanting to actually become a father figure to them, Mac and Charlie make excuses to get away from Frank. When Mac wishes that they could celebrate their Work for Welfare accomplishment with each other but have no money, Charlie reveals he has the funds from Frank hiding his money. When they promise to each other to only spend a little of Frank's money to "have a quiet night out," the scene cuts to the two of them throwing an extravagant party in fancy clothes with multiple hookers, throwing bills around while drinking champagne.
Dennis and Dee call a doctor to set up a time for blood work while buying cocaine in a rough neighborhood. They nervously meet and pay a drug dealer $200 for "one rock of crack." When they eventually use the cocaine, the two of them wake up experiencing the effects of withdrawal, and realizing they missed their doctor's appointment. Dee panics and makes a phone call to set up another "appointment," which turns out to be them visiting the drug dealer again instead of seeing a doctor, as they have become genuinely addicted to cocaine. When they end up strung out on the streets, Mac and Charlie pass them by, now in a limo with their hookers. When Dennis and Dee beg for money while Mac and Charlie realize they have an addiction, they simply laugh at Dennis and Dee, and drive off.
Frank has now injured one of the workers, Tony, by attempting to play football with him due to Mac and Charlie being absent. He then gets a call from the bank alerting him to suspicious activity with his money on Charlie's account. When Frank swiftly freezes his assets, Mac and Charlie realizes they can no longer pay their hookers. When the hookers demand payment, Mac and Charlie run away back to the bar. They run into Dennis and Dee in the alley behind the bar and argue among each other since they all want their jobs back to pay for their problems. Frank finds them and intervenes, while also revealing he got rid of the Work for Welfare hires since they do not drink and he did not find them entertaining. Frank then declares that Dennis and Dee will now do all the work Charlie used to do, while promoting Charlie to management since Frank was impressed at Charlie having the balls to steal his money. Mac gets nothing for "being a follower", and when Frank is questioned by Dennis and Dee about their unfair treatment, Frank simply responds, "Because you are crackheads, children."
Cast[]
Starring[]
- Charlie Day as Charlie Kelly
- Glenn Howerton as Dennis Reynolds
- Rob McElhenney as Mac McDonald
- Kaitlin Olson as Dee Reynolds
- Danny DeVito as Frank Reynolds
Guest Starring[]
- Joanna Sanchez as Maria
- Eddie Pepitone as Tony
- Aisha Hinds as Caseworker
Co-Starring[]
- Keith Bullard as Drug Dealer
- Zoe Bournelis as Hooker #1
- Rachael Platt as Hooker #2
Trivia[]
- The song that Dennis and Dee listen to on their stoop is "Just a Friend" by Biz Markie.
- The video game being played by Mac and Charlie is a multiplayer racing game found exclusively on Robots DVD discs.[1]
- The Drug Dealer that sells Dennis crack later returns in Season 9's "Gun Fever Too: Still Hot" to sell Dennis an assault rifle.
- Unemployment benefits in Philadelphia expire after two weeks unless the recipient can prove they are actively looking for work, which explains why Dennis and Dee move from unemployment to welfare so quickly.
Notes and References[]
References[]
Notes[]
- ↑ This wiki prefers DVD order over broadcast order. Please refer to the Season 2 Notes for more information.
| < Season 1 |
Season 2 | Season > 3 |
| 1. "Charlie Gets Crippled" 2. "The Gang Goes Jihad" 3. "The Gang Gives Back" 4. "Dennis and Dee Go on Welfare" 5. "Mac Bangs Dennis' Mom" 6. "The Gang Runs for Office" 7. "Hundred Dollar Baby" 8. "Charlie Goes America All Over Everybody's Ass" 9. "The Gang Exploits a Miracle" 10. "Dennis and Dee Get a New Dad" |