"The Gang Dines Out" is the ninth episode of the eighth season of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
Synopsis[]
Every member of The Gang has something to celebrate at Guigino's, Philly's finest eatery. But when Mac and Dennis' private dinner is interrupted by an unexpected sighting of Frank and Charlie, the in-fighting begins. Dee turns up at a table for one, and over the course of the night, the "one-ups-manship" soars to new heights.
Plot[]
8:17 PM On a Saturday, Philadelphia, PA
Dennis and Mac have what they reveal to be a monthly dinner at Guigino's to treat themselves out. Soon, however, they see Charlie and Frank enter the restaurant and sit at their own table to celebrate their anniversary of moving in together. Although both parties suspect they have noticed each other, both refuse to be the first to go over and say hello. Dee is revealed to have already been in the restaurant sitting by herself before both parties, but no one notices her.
Dennis grows increasingly irritated by inconveniences such as having to sit next to the kitchen door and having a wobbly chair, and is visibly insulted by Charlie and Frank's refusal to come over first despite repeatedly denying so to Mac. Mac tries to having meaningful conversations with Dennis but is constantly cut off by Dennis's complaining. Charlie and Mac have a similar experience, with Charlie constantly being curious about the other table while Frank tries reading Charlie a speech about their relationship. Both tables begin to one-up each other by having The Waiter deliver drinks to the other table as veiled insults. As Charlie becomes fed up with the competition, Frank convinces Charlie that Dennis and Mac have insulted Charlie for too long and he needs to take revenge on them. Mac almost leaves Dennis due to Dennis's narcissism, but is pulled back by the promise of Dennis having something important to say to Mac.
Meanwhile, Dee is desperate for a dinner companion and drags her feet on ordering food. She solicits the Waiter to have dinner with her, as well as attempting to trick another restaurant diner to sit with her by pretending she is being stalked and needing protection. Her attempts fail.
The two parties' one-ups-manship elevate to using a large dinner party with a military veteran. Charlie and Frank interrupt what Dennis was about to say to Mac by announcing a toast to the military veteran with the whole restaurant, having bought everyone a shot of sambuca liqueur except Dennis and Mac and calling attention to their disrespect by not having one. As everyone toasts, Dee sits at the military veteran's table and attempts to establish herself before being told to return to her seat by the Waiter. Dennis retaliates by using a microphone to pay an ambiguous tribute that is used to make the restaurant believe it is aimed at the military veteran but is actually making up for the compliments he wanted to pay to Mac, and at the same time insult Charlie and Frank while complimenting himself.
The final escalation is made by Charlie and Frank requesting that the air conditioning be turned up high, as Dennis and Mac are sitting directly underneath the vent. Realizing this, Mac grabs a glass vase and Dennis grabs a fire extinguisher. As they approach Charlie and Frank, Charlie arms himself with a bowl of hot soup while Frank grabs a sharp lobster claw. The Waiter notices the two parties ready to fight and attempt to stop them, but instead trips and runs into another waiter delivering two plates of spaghetti that splatter on his chest as he falls to the ground. Both parties erupt in laughter at the Waiter's misfortune and their tensions dissolve. Frank notices the Waiter's shoelaces have been tied together that resulted in him tripping, and Dee slyly admits to being the culprit. Dennis happily calls Dee over to have dinner together with the gang as the episode ends.
Cast[]
Starring[]
- Charlie Day as Charlie Kelly
- Glenn Howerton as Dennis Reynolds
- Rob McElhenney as Mac
- Kaitlin Olson as Dee Reynolds
- Danny DeVito as Frank Reynolds
Guest Starring[]
Co-Starring[]
- Nicole Sienna as Hostess
- Ken Sagoes as Carl
- Jack Guzman as Young Veteran
Trivia[]
- Initially, "The Gang Dines Out" was just a working title.
- Guigino's Italian Restaurant was first seen in "Gun Fever".
- Nicole Sienna ("Hostess") tweeted this photo August 7th: "Frank's wig".
- Danny DeVito tweeted this photo August 7th, too: "Trollfoot!!".
- Glenn Howerton was talking about this episode on Season 8 premiere party (October 9th): he said it will delve further into the bizarre, codependent relationship between Mac and Dennis, and that the "routine Dennis and Mac have" involves a monthly fancy dinner we haven't seen before.
- The last time Frank was seen wearing his wig in Season Four. [4x9]
- Between the initial $100 tip, dinner, an expensive bottle of Chilean White Wine, approximately 40 shots of Sambuca, and an extra tip to blast the air conditioning, Frank spent roughly $650 to one-up Mac and Dennis.
- Guigino's waiter reappears in several episodes: "The Gang Group Dates", "The Gang Spies Like U.S", "The Gang Beats Boggs: Ladies Reboot", "The Gang Wins the Big Game" (where Frank ties his shoelaces together once again) and "The Gang Chokes". They usually have no recollection of him. The actor Michael Naughton also appeared in the episode "Sweet Dee Has a Heart Attack" as an HR Director.
- The scene in which Mac gets up and asks Dennis to say something nice to him references a similar scene in "As Good as It Gets" when Carol Connelly asks Melvin Udall to pay her a compliment after threatening to leave a restaurant.
- The entire episode takes place in the restaurant with just the main cast plus the waiter and hostess having major speaking roles. This episode could be considered a bottle episode.
- Dee tells the Young Veteran that she once dated a soldier who had a “thing for jean shorts” - this is a reference to Ben the Soldier.
Images[]
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