"The Gang Goes to Ireland" is the fifth episode of the fifteenth season of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and the 159th episode of the series overall.
Synopsis[]
The Gang's in Dublin! Dennis longs for a charming, authentic European experience, but ends up helping Frank with some of his business's "dirty work." Mac and Charlie learn about their Irish heritage. Dee rushes to the set of an Irish soap opera, where she will play the role of "Obnoxious American MILF."
Plot[]
10:15 AM, On a Friday, ???????, ??
Picking up from the last episode, the gang has arrived in Ireland and is at a pub. They wake a bewildered Dee, who had apparently passed out from over-drinking and was secretly given sleeping pills so that she would stay unconscious as the rest of the gang refunded her first-class plane ticket to purchase coach tickets for the entire gang to travel to Ireland. They also warn Dee that her acting gig is set to start in fifteen minutes. In a panic, Dee runs out to the street to hail a taxi, but is hit by a van despite the gang's warning to look "the other way" since cars drive in the opposite direction in the UK.
The gang then drive Dee to the film set in their rental car, wherein Mac excitedly tells the gang his plans to trace his family lineage while claiming he is the most Irish out of the group. When Dee arrives late to the film set for her role as an "obnoxious, American MILF", Dee reveals she has a protruding hematoma in the middle of her forehead as a result of being struck by a van earlier. She quickly makes an excuse to the director to avoid losing her acting role, and runs off the set to treat her hematoma.
Meanwhile, Mac and Charlie are walking in a city trying to find the address of where Mac's dad grew up. While walking, the two argue about who has more Irish heritage, with Mac disparaging Charlie's supposed imaginary friend who has been a pen pal writing to him from Ireland since he was a child. They eventually reach their destination, where it is revealed to be a McDonald's fast food chain. Mac is confused, as Charlie sarcastically makes fun of him.
Dennis is confused as well when he and Frank arrive at a mostly empty office, as Frank promised to bring him to a distillery. Frank reveals the office is the official location of his shell corporation Frank's Fluids, LLC. Dee then arrives asking for help with her hematoma, wherein Dennis mentions he knows how to get rid of the hematoma due to his "experience covering up blunt-force trauma." Dennis takes a scrap piece of printer paper, puts it over Dee's hematoma, and spreads the hematoma out with his hands. His method miraculously works, but before Dee can return to the set, Frank tells the two they must help him shred all the documents in the office due to his company's affiliation with Jeffrey Epstein and reminded that both Dennis and Dee's names were listed under the company.
Mac and Charlie eventually seek more information on Mac's family at a local library containing books on family trees. Mac discovers that Charlie is actually able to successfully read Irish, as it was apparently the "gibberish" language that Charlie's pen pal Shelley wrote to him and taught him. Mac further learns the pen pal Shelley's last name is Kelly, and suspects the possibility that Shelley may be directly related to Charlie. The revelation that Charlie may have more legitimate Irish heritage than Mac makes Mac call his mom to ask for more information. Mac's mom then proceeds to reveal the address she gave to Mac was wrong, and that Mac is not Irish at all but is instead Dutch.
Dennis and Frank are now at a local bar, as Frank brings bags of the shredded documents as part of his "shred and spread" as he tries to burn them in fireplaces or throw them away in various hiding places. Dennis reveals he is excited at the prospect of smelling the hair of an authentic redhead in the form of the bar's bartender, claiming redheads have a distinct hair smell he likes. He introduces himself to the bartender, and forcibly grabs at her hair for a sudden smell, surprising and disturbing her. Dennis claims he could not smell anything from her, and further blames her for being a fake redhead. Asking if he is alright, the bartender proceeds to check his temperature with an infrared temperature gun as part of COVID-19 safety procedures and finds Dennis has a fever. They also notice now that Frank is attempting to dump shredded documents into the beer tanks. Dennis and Frank decide to leave as Charlie calls to ask to be picked up.
Dee returns to the set two hours late, and upon taking off her sunglasses, reveals the blood from the hematoma that Dennis helped spread away from her forehead have now pooled at the bags underneath Dee's eyes. As the director moves to dismiss Dee from the set altogether, Dee sees that her role has been instead given to The Waitress. The Waitress mentions she has been backpacking in Europe and was approached for the role about an hour ago. All of this causes Dee to break down and beg the director for any role at all, and the director reluctantly promises Dee the role of an "abused housewife" with a single line to be shot tomorrow. Dee is ecstatic as she leaves the set.
The rest of the gang are being driven by Dennis in their rental car, albeit driving on the side Americans drive since Dennis claims this is a more "charming experience." Dennis has since developed a cough that the rest of the gang notices, and when revealed by Frank that Dennis cannot seem to smell anything and has a fever, leads them all to suspect Dennis has the COVID-19 virus. Dennis denies this, and is also revealed later by Mac that Dennis was the only one to not receive a vaccine for the virus. Soon, however, Dee runs out to the street from her set, and despite checking for oncoming cars the way she was advised earlier by the gang, is hit by Dennis as he's driving from the wrong direction. The gang is annoyed by Dee's negligence to look both ways, and stows her unconscious body away in the car's trunk before Dennis claims they're "finally on vacation", and drives off.
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[]
- Mary Elizabeth Ellis as The Waitress
- Sandy Martin as Mrs. Mac
Co-Starring[]
- Sam Lucas Smith as Conor
- Kemma Filby as Bartender
Trivia[]
- Charlie has evidently patched the holes in his green jacket, which was shown to still be ripped up in the season premiere.
- The shamrock tattoo Mac tries to show off can be seen in Season One's "Charlie Got Molested" and Season Three's "The Gang Gets Held Hostage."
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