Chardee MacDennis: An Always Sunny in Philadelphia Bottle Episode Analysis By Kiki Prager
Characters, Structure, Location, and Premise ● ● ●
The game consists of three levels and the objective of the game is to see which team completes them first. The winner of the game is rewarded by smashing the loser’s game pieces.
Location: Paddy’s Pub Characters: “The Gang”: Charlie, Mac, Dennis, Dee, and Frank Premise: The gang is bored on a Monday morning and after contemplating what to do, break out an old board game they invented called “Chardee MacDennis,” which is a mashup of their favorite aspects of various other board games plus lots of war dances and alcohol.
Pre-Game Wine and Cheese Reception Before the game commences, the tradition is to begin with a “ritual of sportsmanship,” a two-minute wine and cheese reception with the intention of giving the “illusion of respect” for the characters opponents. ●
The three-act structure of the episode is divided by the three levels, each act lasting about 6-7 minutes.
The Rules ★ ★ ★ ★
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If anyone asks a question during the game, their team must drink for five seconds. The exception to this rule is a two-minute break between each level in which questions can be asked. When one team successfully answers or fulfills the duty on a card, the other team must drink. If any team member spills a drink, his or her team must chug all the other team’s drinks. Cheating is completely tolerated and a big part of the game, but if a team is caught cheating while both teams are at the same level, the opposing team advances to the next level. If the team at a higher level is caught cheating, the losing team jumps to the leading team’s level. If a player draws the “Chance: Go to jail. Do not pass go, do not collect $200” card, that player is put in a dog kennel (or a closet, bathroom, basement, attic, etc.). The only way out is to eat the unbaked ingredients of a cake. If the timer goes off while the teams are tied, the Black Card must be drawn. The card reads, “In the event of a tie, a winner must be chosen. There can be only one, and so it comes to this. Flip a coin.” Between levels, the characters participate in a Maori war dance to “intimidate their rivals.”
Level 1(Act 1): Mind (Trivia, Puzzles, and Artistry) ● ● ●
Alcohol consumed: Hard Liquor The team flips a coin to determine who goes first A MIND card is drawn: either Trivia or Artistry card, or a puzzle. One of the “trivia questions” asks “Dennis is asshole. Why Charlie hate?” and the answer is “Because Dennis is a bastard man.” Most of the questions are based on pure memory from past drunken improvisations. For Artistry, the artist from the team must draw the clue from the card on their teammate’s back and the teammate must guess the clue solely on feel.
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Once a team collects 3 MIND cards, they can advance to level 2.
Level 2(Act 2): Body (Physical Challenge, Pain, and Endurance ● ● ●
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Alcohol consumed: Beer A rule is added at this level: No cursing is allowed or the cursing team must drink for 5 seconds. A BODY card is drawn: One instructs players to throw darts at a players hand. If the player flinches, the other team wins the card. In a display of his insane and almost sociopathic character traits, Dennis shows absolutely no reaction when Frank pegs him in the palm. Frank gets the jail card and sentenced to eating the ingredients of a cake and is placed in a dog cage. In a rendition of Charlie’s favorite board game, Hungry Hungry Hippos, the teams gobble grapes but Charlie messes up the game by eating the grapes before they’ve been counted.
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Once a team collects 2 BODY cards, they can advance to level 3
Level 3(Act 3): Spirit (Emotional Battery and Public Humiliation) ● ● ● ●
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Alcohol consumed: Hard Liquor A rule is added at this level: No cursing is allowed or the cursing team must drink for 5 seconds. Emotional battery ensues, such as berating Dee until she falls into a deep depression It is revealed that Dennis and Dee have been cheating. Frank, Charlie, and Mac jump to level three and celebrate. After the timer unexpectedly goes off, a mysterious black card is drawn and the tie is broken by a coin toss. Winners destroy the losers game pieces. Dee and Dennis win, and joyfully ruin Charlie and Mac’s figurines.
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The first team to collect 3 SPIRIT cards in level 3 wins the game.
Character Development ➔
Dee and Dennis: Through the
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Charlie remains optimistic throughout the game, tries
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Frank’s role in this
intimidation tactics, willingness to take
his best, and enjoys himself even though he fails
episode is
a dart through the hand and show no
miserably in his answers as we’re reminded of his
something an
sign of pain, and their mutual love of
illiteracy.
audience
Mac, a character who thinks he’s the best at
surrogate, having
we see these sibling characters unite
everything, constantly fails and shows immense
no prior knowledge
as a force to be reckoned with. In their
frustration. This is displayed through a gag where the
of the game or its
immense pride about their wins
gang glues the board to the bar, anticipating that Mac
rules.
displayed through an artistic team
will get angry and try to flip it, which he does. He also
photo of their faces, we further see
acts as the leader of the game, explaining to the other
their competitive nature.
characters how the rules shift at each level.
destroying Mac and Charlie’s spirits,
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Conclusion and Takeaways The bottle episode structure and primary location: ❏
Creates for an extended analysis of each character, all who have different motives and display their traits throughout the duration of the game and episode
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Displays the gang’s competitive nature and how every one of them will do anything it takes to win
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Undoubtedly brings out the combined mania of these eccentric characters
Things we can take from the bottle episode: ★
Putting characters all in one place is a good chance to further character development
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When used correctly, humor can keep an audience until the end