"Thunder Gun 4: Maximum Cool" is the second episode of the fourteenth season of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and the 146th episode of the series overall.
Synopsis[]
The Gang finds themselves in the middle of a focus group after a screening of Thunder Gun 4: Maximum Cool. They are determined to restore glory and traditional American values back into the franchise, even if it involves sabotage.
Plot[]
The gang volunteers to take part in a focus group and screen a film in exchange for gift cards to Red Lobster. They meet the moderator who'll be taking their feedback, and she reveals the film they'll be seeing is ThunderGun 4: Maximum Cool, which causes them to burst with excitement. However, after watching the movie, the gang is left baffled, claiming it was bad. The moderator takes them to a meeting room to discuss their thoughts.
The gang expresses their distaste with the film's strong female character, the supposed lack of a clear villain, and the midpoint twist of Thundergun having a son. They also take heavy issue with the lack of erotic sex scenes where Thundergun "hangs dong" a staple of the Thundergun movies, which the moderator explains is because the film is rated PG-13 instead of R, which shocks them. They walk out, disgusted by the new rating and believe the franchise is dead, but Dennis inspires them to stand up and fight for the soul of ThunderGun.
They walk back into the room, where Dennis delivers a speech about the importance of eroticism in Hollywood, and how PC culture is destroying movies. However, the moderator tells them that they made the movie PG-13 to appeal to an audience that's still going to see movies in theaters, as R rated movies are being pirated and streamed online for free, which is also how the gang have been watching Thundergun, making them part of the issue. She also mentions that they are rebooting the franchise for a younger demographic, showing them the scene where Thundergun passes the torch to his son, Max. The gang takes offense to this and demand re-shoots, but the moderator becomes frustrated with them and ends the meeting.
The gang leaves in utter disappointment, believing their hero is gone for good. However, Frank reveals he recorded the screening, and the gang decides to leak the footage online. The film receives a ton of backlash and the studios decide to return the franchise to its original roots. Sometime later, a new Thundergun movie is released, but the gang resorts to watching it online instead of in the theater.
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[]
- Dolph Lundgren as John ThunderGun
- Jessy Hodges as Moderator
- Emily C. Chang as Dr. Ling
- Carlin James as Max
Co-Starring[]
- Kirk Bovill as Colonel Washington
- Alex Sanborn as Peasant Man
- Katrina Braxton as Peasant Woman
- Eric Kaldor as Old Peasant Man
Trivia[]
- Dolph Lundgren was mentioned as the possible star of the movie that Mac and Charlie attempted to write in the 5th season episode "Mac and Charlie Write a Movie."
- This is the eighth episode where the word "fuck" is not censored in the original airing
- The original Thunder Gun movie was mentioned in the 7th season episode "Thunder Gun Express." It was mentioned again in the 9th season finale "The Gang Squashes Their Beefs", and the 12th season episode "The Gang Goes to a Water Park".
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