The Gang Solves the North Korea Situation

"The Gang Solves the North Korea Situation"
Information
Season	Three
Episode	Six
Writer(s)	Charlie Day & Scott Marder & Rob Rosell
Director(s)	Fred Savage
Air Date	September 27, 2007
Chronology
Preceded by	"The Aluminum Monster vs. Fatty Magoo"
Followed by	"The Gang Sells Out"

"The Gang Solves the North Korea Situation" is the sixth episode of the third season of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

Synopsis

The gang find themselves at odds with a more successful Korean pub owner who bears a striking resemblance to Kim Jong-il. Charlie also becomes involved with the owner's daughter.

Synopsis

4:00PM on a Monday

Dee is doing an impression of Christopher Walken, which the guys mistake for Rosie Perez, and it's revealed she's working on it for the talent show. While Dennis, Frank and Charlie mock her lack of talent in previous shows, Mac comes in wearing a badass duster, and after explaining how it's not a jacket, Mac tells some bad news: the Korean BBQ place down the street signed up for the pub crawl, where they will be the last stop. The Gang is outraged by this, since they're always the last stop on the pub crawl, which is the only time they make any money. Frank complains that its because the bar owners are North Korean, which is the "bad Korea." The gang gets even more upset when they hear the Korean BBQ has a famous microbrew as the gang claims they are the "microbrew guys" (although Dee points out their microbrew is just trash beer poured into a container and sold for $10 a glass.) Charlie becomes outraged over the fact the alleged North Koreans are trying to steal their way of life and decides to stop them.

Frank and Mac are at the bar to make their microbrew where Frank is putting almost lethal amounts of moonshine in. He then tries to add antifreeze and Mac stops him, saying they don't want to kill anyone. Dee arrives and complains that she has to see numerous auditions for her talent show and will not allow the guys to "steamroll her" like they always do. She asks where Charlie and Dennis are, and Mac states they are gathering intel and that they can't fail because of a "secret weapon" (the Duster). Dennis and Charlie enter the Korean BBQ with Dennis sporting the Duster confidently, though Charlie claims he would have worn it better despite it being too big for him. The two unhappily see how popular the bar is and are horrified at how delicious the microbrew is. They also see that the BBQ is hosting a karaoke contest, with a prize of $500 and that numerous people have signed up. They try to break down a door labeled "private" but are stopped by the bar's owner, Mr. Kim, a man who looks very much like Kim Jong-Il. He throws them out into the alley before confronting a worker, Sun Li, taking a break, telling her to go back to work. Charlie and the worker talk about how awful Mr. Kim is, as he treats his workers like slave and doesn't let Sun Li drink beer. Charlie invites her over to Paddy's before she is summoned by Mr. Kim, and gives the two a romantic look. Charlie and Dennis begin arguing over who she gave the look to.

Back at the bar Mac and Frank have taken over Dee's talent show to make it better than the karaoke contest, much to Dee's dismay. Mac, Frank, and a very drunk Dee are hosting auditions for Dee's talent show impersonating Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, and Paula Abdul, respectively. Mac and Frank question why Dee got drunk and she says its because they stole her talent show and steamrolled her like always. Charlie goes back to his apartment and realizes Sun Li followed him home because she likes him, despite seeing him eat out of the trash. The two hang out in Charlie's apartment where Charlie makes a victorious call to Dennis about how Sun Li chose him but becomes upset when Dennis says he's coming over to win her over.

At the Korean BBQ a drunk Dee arrives impersonating a health inspector, "Rita Fires," and orders Mr.Kim to give her the recipe for the microbrew. Mr. Kim sees through Dee's flimsy acting and throws her out. Dee offers to sleep with him for the recipe but he refuses. A greasy toothless Grizzled Busman offers to give Dee the recipe in exchange for sex, and she reluctantly agrees. Dennis arrives at Charlie's apartment where Charlie gloats he and Sun Li are perfect for each other. Dennis confidently pops his shirt off expecting to win Sun Li over with his body, but she and Charlie burst out laughing and a humiliated Dennis leaves. Dee meanwhile wakes up after banging the busboy in a very sweatshop-esque sleeping room, complete with photos of Mr. Kim on the wall and Korean propaganda slogans.

Back at the bar, many people have come to Paddy's for the Pub Crawl but Mac is concerned about hearing rumors that they'll leave for Mr. Kim's. Dennis arrives wearing the duster with no shirt on still humiliated and angry at Charlie and Sun Li, but Mac is more concerned that Dennis has on his duster shirtless. Dennis fails at making Mac understand wearing the duster shirtless is for sex appeal. Frank shuffles back carrying a very large hose and explains they're going to do a wet t-shirt contest. Dennis loves the idea, however, Mac expresses concern because they never actually got any contestants for their talent show in the first place. Frank brushes him off and says they'll just use the girls that are currently in the bar but, still pushing back, Mac says if Frank just sprays people all their customers will leave. Frank suggests they lock the door. To derail him, Mac asks Frank to get his gun and go convince Mr. Kim's to close for the day.

Charlie and Sun Li push through the crowd and excitedly announce they're engaged. Dennis is appalled but takes note that Sun Li is wearing a white tank top and comes up with a plan to get Charlie to enter her in the wet t-shirt contest. He gloats he will destroy any hope for Charlie to be happy, which a very disturbed Mac thinks is a little evil. Frank goes to Mr. Kim's to shut it down forcefully as a contingency plan. Dee arrives at the bar and triumphantly states she has the recipe, but Mac points out its only in Korean. When they take it to Sun Li to translate, they find its a mocking note from the busboy calling Dee a "bony American whore."

Frank arrives at Mr. Kim's and threatens him at gunpoint, but Mr. Kim states he is shutting down until he can find his daughter, Sun Li. Frank states she's probably fine and just met a guy, but a disgusted Mr. Kim states she is only twelve years old. Frank is horrified and runs back to the bar to stop the wet t-shirt contest. Just as Mac and Dennis are about to spray Sun Li, Frank dives in the way and announces she is twelve, which shocks and disgusts the assembled crowd. The bar patrons all leave while Dee points out Charlie is a pedophile for sleeping with a twelve year old while all she did was bang a greasy Korean busboy. Charlie reveals that he and Sun Li did nothing together (also backed up by the fact that they find kissing gross), and the gang mocks Dee for sleeping with the busboy. Mocked, fooled, put down, and utterly humiliated, Dee can only meekly say "goddamn those North Koreans" to express her shame over how she's hit rock bottom. Dee just can't catch a break.

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

• Takayo Fischer as Mr. Kim
• Tania Gunadi as Sun-Li

Co-Starring

• Maxie J. Santillan Jr. as Grizzled Busman
• Donna Pieroni as Martha

Trivia

• In this episode it is discovered that Dee's breath smells like vomit.
• This episode marks the first appearance of The Duster.
• In the opening scene of this episode, Dee is desperately trying to make a parody of Christopher Walken's role from Tarantino's Pulp Fiction - neither Dennis nor Frank recognize her impression. Danny DeVito was a producer of the cult movie. When Dee was imitating Walken, Dennis said that "It sounded like Rosie Perez or something". At 07:47 Dee tries to make a parody of Rosie Perez's character from Do the Right Thing.
• The scene with the talent show at Paddy's is a parody of American Idol - Mac is Simon, Dee is Paula and Frank is Randy. In case you need to be reminded: Mac is imitating Simon Cowell's penchant for being the most biting and critical of the judges, Frank is repeating Randy Jackson's habit of referring to contestants as "dog", and Dee is drunk, as Paula Abdul was alleged to be during some episodes of the show. Like Paula, she's also the one going easiest on the contestant. They also have Coca-Cola glasses in prominent positions, just as is done on the show.
• The owner of the Korean pub looks strikingly similar to the late dictator Kim Jong-Il, who died four years after the episode aired. There are other references to tension with North Korea: Dennis and Charlie say that the beer at the Korean BBQ tastes like it's been "enriched" (a reference to North Korea enriching uranium to make nuclear weapons), and Dee posing as an inspector, and her being kicked out of the Korean BBQ (references North Korea refusing to allow UN weapons inspectors into the country). Also, Charlie mentions to Dennis that he has defeated him "in this little game of hearts and minds."
• Mr. Kim is played by a female actress.
• Frank and Mac's argument about whether a yellow alert or an orange alert is worse is a reference to the much maligned Homeland Security Advisory System, a color-coded alert system created by the United States Department of Homeland Security to alert the public about the possibility of a terrorist attack after 9/11. For the record, Frank is right: an Orange alert means "High risk of terrorist attack", whereas a Yellow alert simply means "Significant risk of terrorist attack." How could anyone possibly find that confusing? (The system was used from 1983 to 2011.
• Tania Gunadi, the actress who played Sun-Li, was in fact 24 years old when this episode was released.
• It is hinted earlier on that Sun-Li is a child -- she complains that her mother won't let her drink the beer, and thinks that kissing is gross.
• The cartoons that Sun-Li and Charlie are watching in his apartment when Dennis comes over are the same cartoons that Dee and Little Kev watch in ^{[Sweet Dee's Dating a Retarded Person]}​
• Charlie's illiteracy is on display when he reads "private" as "pirate."
• The song Sun-Li sings is based on actual propaganda songs praising the Kim regime that North Korean children are taught to sing, indicating that she is, in fact, from North Korea. Here's a real example of such a song.

Quotes

Charlie: Ohhhhhhhh shit! Look at that door, dude. See that door there? The one marked "Pirate"? You think a pirate lives in there?

Dennis: I see a door marked "Private." Is that the door you're talking about?

Charlie: Nah, I was talking abou...I didn't say...did you...what did you hear?

Dennis: I heard you say "There was a door marked pirate living in there."

Charlie: Well are we gonna talk about pirates all day or are we gonna see what's living in there?

Dennis: You're the one that... Jesus Christ man, shit.

---

Charlie: It's locked! All right, let me try this out.

Dennis: What is that, your apartment key? That's not gonna work!

Charlie: Why not?

Dennis: We're not at your apartment, shithead!

Charlie: Well how many possible lock combinations can there be?

Dennis: Oh, so many, dude, like hundreds of millions.

Charlie: Well eventually they're gonna overlap--

Dennis: They're not ever gonna--

Charlie: You know what, you're right, it's not working.

Dennis: Oh, no shit.

Charlie: Well it was worth a try!

Dennis: It was not worth a try.

---

Charlie: OH MY GOD. Oh my god, you scared me. What are you doing?

Sun-Li: I run away!

Charlie: Okay. Good… uh. What are you doing here?

Sun-Li: I follow you home! Because… I like you.

Charlie: Nice! Good! I- 'Cause I knew- I knew that- Right on! Okay! WAIT. All the way home?

Sun-Li: Yes.

Charlie: So you saw me eat that Hot Pocket I found in the garbage?

Sun-Li: Yes.

Charlie: …Any thoughts on that?

Sun-Li: No!

Charlie: Oh man, I like you. Come on in.

Sun-Li: I like you!

Charlie: Yeah... !