It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 16, episode 2 recap: “Frank Shoots Every Member of the Gang”

In It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 16 episode 2, Dee and Dennis Reynolds take Frank Reynolds out to a restaurant, hoping to get some more money out of him. Being his usual unhinged self, Frank has his own can of anchovies that he’s trying to open with his handgun.

Unfortunately, the gun goes off mid-conversation and Dennis and Dee get “nicked” in the face with his bullet. (Sure, one wonders how Frank could get away with this happening in the middle of the restaurant, but the gang has a history of being like Teflon against criminal charges, apparently.)

They return to the bar to tell Ronald “Mac” McDonald about the near tragedy, but Mac dismisses it saying that getting shot in the face and surviving is pretty cool. Being selfish, Dee and Dennis are less concerned about safety and more afraid that Frank might kill himself before rewriting them into his will.

After the subject of inheritance is raised, Charlie Kelly mentions that he’s supposed to inherit a “wealth” of family heirloom teeth when he turns 40. Charlie is informed that he’s over 40, prompting him to wonder how come he hasn’t inherited said teeth yet.

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 16, episode 2 recap — Charlie’s tooth inheritance / Introducing Donald McDonald

Seeking answers regarding his lack of family teeth, Charlie visits his mother, Bonnie Kelly (Lynne Marie Stewart). Mac tags along, especially when his mother, Mrs. Mac (Sandy Martin), still lives with Bonnie.

In her usual gruff manner, Mrs. Mac reveals the McDonald family has no inheritance of any value, aside from some World War II letters that belonged to Mac’s grandfather. Understandably, Mac wants to see them, and he is told that his uncle, Donald McDonald (Gregory Scott Cummins, who also plays Mac’s father), may have them.

Next, we see that Charlie’s mom attempted to pull out her teeth with pliers, hoping to make him happy in his quest for family chompers. Then Bonnie reveals she gave the teeth inheritance to Charlie’s sisters (Olivia Cohen as Bunny, Isabella Cohen as Candy).

Interestingly, these two characters have not appeared since the first season of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, where they briefly appeared and were played by different people. It also seems they are estranged from their family, having moved to New Jersey.

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 16, episode 2 recap — Frank’s life as a dog

Frank continues his reckless behavior, scratching his itches with his gun, then waving the gun around as Dennis drives. Still, Dennis and Dee are interested in being around Frank, ostensibly to stay in his will.

As Dennis explains, “You don’t tell a dog you’re taking him to the vet and put him down, you give him the best day of his life.” Then, as if to match that comparison, Frank steps outside and pees on a fire hydrant.

Meanwhile, on their own, separate excursion, Charlie’s mom is going 35 MPH while driving, afraid of other cars. We also learn a quirk regarding Mac’s mom: If she raises her index finger, it means she is annoyed by their talking and might burn them with the cigarette lighter.

Mac, Charlie, Mrs. Mac, and Mrs. Kelly then arrive at the home of Donald McDonald of Hamburg, New Jersey. (When we check back in on Dennis, Dee, and Frank, Dennis and Dee give Frank some hamburgers, as a weird story intersection, and they put a towel down in case he gets the runs, which is also a stereotype sometimes associated with “fast food”).

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 16, episode 2 recap — Mac rejects the better father figure of Uncle Donald

After a moment where Frank mistakes his gun for a French fry, dipping it in ketchup, then pees on another hydrant, It’s Always Sunny gets back to Mac and Charlie’s road trip. Uncle Donald, who appears to be somewhat lonely, and alienated from his family, says he had Mac’s grandfather’s letters as a family heirloom, as a connection with his dad.

It’s implied that Donald has some of the family dysfunction issues that Mac suffers from. However, Mac does not want to bond with Uncle Donald, even slightly.

Donald is therefore already a fairly interesting character. Mac rejects his football toss offer, or the offer of playing cards, or reading.

Basically, these are all things Mac would have loved to do with his father, who has disdain for Mac in general, who was constantly in and out of prison, and who rejects Mac for being gay. It’s not just that Mac is rejecting Donald, but he’s sort of exhibiting the same cold rejection his own father showed him; as if he is rejecting his father’s rejection.

In this case, it seems unfair to Donald, as it’s seemingly not implied Donald has ever done anything wrong to his nephew (unlike Charlie’s molester Uncle Jack, played by Andrew Friedman).

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 16, episode 2 recap — Frank’s “Old Yeller”/”Of Mice and Men” moment

Poor old, unhinged Frank is now at the beach shooting up the water at the New Jersey shore, and Dennis and Dee can’t help but see this as bizarre, even for him. Then a bit of a revelation: Frank thinks they plan to put him down like a dog, telling them they can even have his money.

However, when they reveal they are actually trying to retire his gun, he says he’s taking them out of the will. Now he doesn’t trust them, saying he fears they’ll shoot him in the back — despite previously, literally, offering to let them shoot him in the back!

Next, Charlie arrives to the surprisingly fancy house of his identical twin sisters, Bunny and Candy, to learn they have been using the teeth for ASMR videos, from which they’ve made plenty of money. Charlie does get the teeth; however, poor Mac learns that his mom has wiped her butt with Mac’s grandfather’s letters!

Later, after the gang has returned to the bar, Frank shoots Charlie’s family’s teeth. Frank grudgingly agrees to get rid of the gun, but slams it down on the bar and it ricochets and hits everyone, including Frank, hence this episode’s title.

Nice shootin’, Tex!

What did you think of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 16 episode 2? Let us know in the comments below!

You can watch It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia on Hulu.