If you want to prove that "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" is one of the most consistently strong sitcoms ever made, you can point to how its best-rated episode came as far into its run as season 10. "Charlie Work," directed by the same guy behind the new "Fantastic Four" movie
, is rated a 9.8 out of 10 on IMDb. This is the same rating as the beloved episode "Blink" from "Doctor Who," and a point above "The Suitcase" from "Mad Men."Those latter two episodes, the best of their respective shows,
notably take place in season 3 and 5, not too far into their series' run. Most shows don't even make it to season 10, and they're definitely not churning out all-time best episodes by the time they're there. The only exception is probably "South Park" or "Saturday Night Live," and neither of them are quite in the same genre as "Always Sunny."
So, what makes "Charlie Work" such a fan favorite? Well, there's the ambitious directing style, taking a cue from the then-recently-released "Birdman" and filming most of the story in one seemingly unbroken shot. (There's even the stress-inducing drum music in the background as Charlie walks from room to room.) While the "Always Sunny" episode wasn't actually filmed in one 20-minute take, the lack of breathing room helps the entire episode feel uniquely stressful. Watching a take go on without cutting feels like the show refusing to exhale, so when the episode concludes and Charlie's scheme works out, there's an overwhelming sense of relief. The long take is over; we can finally relax.
But although the one-take approach helped the episode stand out, the true appeal of "Charlie Work" is the insight it gives us into Charlie's character. He's often thought of as the most childlike and least intelligent member of the gang, but "Charlie Work" lets us see a whole new side to Charlie -- a side we'd love to see more often...
Read more: 14 Phrases & Sayings That Only Exist Because Of Seinfeld
Charlie's The Only Reason Paddy's Pub Is Still In Business
Charlie in "Charlie Work" is the smartest and most competent we've ever seen him, mainly because he's in his element. If Charlie knows how to do one thing, it's to keep the pub safe and relatively clean. For years the rest of the gang has looked down on Charlie for being the only one in the bar stuck doing all the unpleasant chores, like bashing the resident rats to death. The gang feels comfortable making Charlie do all this stuff because they see him as the slowest and easiest to control, not getting that the reason Charlie's on board with it is because only he understands the importance of a functioning bar.
"Charlie Work" shows that just because Charlie can't read, and just because he's addicted to huffing Elmer's school glue, doesn't mean he's not smart. He not only successfully juggles a dozen different obstacles at once here, but he's the only one in the gang with the maturity to understand the stakes of a surprise health inspection. The rest of the gang brushes off the situation because "we always get a passing grade," unaware that the only reason passing their inspection seems "easy" is because Charlie's there working overtime to get them through it.
If there's a problem with "Charlie Work," it's only that Charlie's a little too smart here. It's hard to believe that the guy who successfully pickpockets the inspector's keys, and then sneaks it back into her pocket without her ever knowing, is the same Charlie who put the "Closed" sign up outside the bar because he thought it said "Coors."
But even that isn't even a real flaw, because this episode's direction (keeping the camera focused on Charlie all throughout) leaves some ambiguity as to how much of this episode is filtered through Charlie's point of view. Is Charlie actually acting this smart or is this just how Charlie sees himself whenever inspection day comes along? It's not 100% clear, but that only makes "Charlie Work" more interesting.
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