With a shantytown taking shape outside, Mac and Dennis try to keep Paddy's going in tough times. Meanwhile, Frank and Dee start a family business.
WAR
40
Wins Above Replacement
“The Great Recession” ranks #99 of 177 It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 78.1 — Elite. The episode packs 43 scored jokes at 1.5 per minute, averaging 6.9 on craft and 7.0 on impact, with Dennis landing the most laughs. Every joke is ranked below with its individual craft and impact scores.
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Top Jokes
Mac: That doesn't sound right, but I don't know enough about stars to dispute it.
Mac Reaction Beat Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Charlie: Well, I could put the trash into a landfill where it's gonna stay for millions of years, or I could burn it up and get a nice, smoky smell in here and let that smoke go into the sky where it turns into stars.
Charlie Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Charlie: Yeah, there's a pretty bad sewage runoff, but, you know, crabs is sewage-proof!
Charlie Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Dennis: Charlie, that sign does not say 'Coors.'... It says 'closed,' Charlie!
Dennis: Oh, I blacked out that night. Shit, dude! I've been following your lead!
Dennis Mac Escalation Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Callback All Jokes — 43 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Mac: Ever since the recession hit, waves of new people are suddenly broke. These people have no idea how to live without money. They're what's called 'new poor.' We're old poor.
Mac Observational Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Mac: Have some class if you're gonna be poor!
Mac Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Charlie: Well, you start putting plans under microscopes, nothing's gonna make sense, all right?
Charlie Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Frank: Dee! Sharpest item in the bar! I need it now! Let's go!
Frank Dark/Subversive Escalation Dee: His neck is so thick, I feel like he's just gonna swing and dangle around for a really long time.
Dee Dark/Subversive Observational ★ Rewatch Charlie: Frank, it's not gonna work for you. Your neck's too thick, buddy.
Charlie Dark/Subversive Deadpan/Understatement Mac: Maybe we should take this time to streamline Paddy's, make it run as efficiently as the government.
Mac Irony/Sarcasm Observational Dennis: Frank, don't be a moron. You start cutting bonuses, you're gonna lose your top guys.
Dennis Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Mac: No, we're chaff.
Dennis: No, we're not. We're- We're wheat.
Mac: Why would you want to be wheat?
Dennis: Why would you ever want to be chaff?
Dennis: We have no business sense? He's the one dangling from a noose 10 minutes ago.
Dennis Callback Irony/Sarcasm Callback Dennis: Dee, we don't know what it is that you do around here. You don't seem to do anything.
Dennis Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Dee: But the mountains, they've turned blue.
Dee Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Dee Escalation Reaction Beat Charlie: I am taking it to the furnace... This bar runs on trash.
Charlie Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Charlie: Well, I could put the trash into a landfill where it's gonna stay for millions of years, or I could burn it up and get a nice, smoky smell in here and let that smoke go into the sky where it turns into stars.
Charlie Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Mac: That doesn't sound right, but I don't know enough about stars to dispute it.
Mac Reaction Beat Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Dennis: Charlie, that sign does not say 'Coors.'... It says 'closed,' Charlie!
Charlie: So you're gonna throw all the trash in the furnace yourselves. And you're gonna filter the rainwater barrel all by yourselves... and siphon it from all around the neighborhood.
Charlie Escalation Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Charlie: We're gonna call a trash man, an electrician, and a plumber and not turn the closed sign on when the bar is open!
Dennis Escalation Reaction Beat Callback Dee: Honey, I'm home! Feast your eyes on the new headquarters of Reynolds and Reynolds.
Dee Visual Gag Irony/Sarcasm Charlie: Well, what the hell, dude? I don't know if I can live in a trailer, man.
Dee: You don't have to, Charlie. It's kinda tight in there already.
Dennis: We're not in the business of giving out handouts, Charlie. We're not the government.
Dennis Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Dee: That's a $200 shoe!
Frank: Look at that. Feast your eyes on your new business. Knives.
Dee: You want me to sell knives door-to-door?
Frank: No. You're selling vacuums.
Dennis: Mine does not, and believe me, I've tried at several locations...
Mac: There's one in Franklin Mills I haven't tried. I feel like that could maybe work.
Dennis: It doesn't work anywhere else. It's only gonna work here...
Mac: Then afterwards, we'll go out to Fox Chase and use the Power Card at that Friday's out there.
Dennis Mac Running Gag Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Charlie: What are you talking about? You don't make house payments. You own this house. You've owned it for years. Mom, that's crazy. You collect Social Security.
Uncle Jack: You know, you and me palling around, getting nuts, doing crazy, fun things... It's stuff that relatives do.
Uncle Jack: You ever seen wrestling on television?
Charlie: I am well aware of what wrestling is. It's just not what uncles do to their nephews.
Beth: Actually, I'm vegan.
Frank: Okay. Then pretend this shoe is whatever you people eat. Maybe it is a shoe.
Frank: Owww! Ohh! Is this part of the whole thing? Oh, I cut myself! Ohh! It's a deep cut! I see your bones!
Dee: Oh, shoot! Oh! Oh, I'm missing it! Hey! Oh, no!
Beth: You're doing that on purpose!
Dee Beth Physical/Slapstick Cringe/Discomfort Dennis: See, by transferring all of our cash into these Paddy's Dollars and then printing more of these babies than we ever had in cash, we've upped our value.
Dennis Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Frank: Good-bye, recession, hello, depression. You're very lucky that you're with somebody as resilient as Frank Reynolds.
Frank Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Dee: You've tried to off yourself two times in the last 24 hours, Frank!
Dee Callback Escalation Callback Charlie: These are crabs! Fresh, local Delaware runoff crabs...
Dee: Yeah, well- They look like sea scorpions.
Charlie: Yeah, there's a pretty bad sewage runoff, but, you know, crabs is sewage-proof!
Charlie Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Frank: We're crab people now. We'll live and die by the crab, Dee! We'll eat off the fat of the sea.
Frank Escalation Absurdist ★ Rewatch Dennis: How does this work, Mac? The money keeps moving in a circle. But- But we don't have any money. All we have is this.
Dennis: Oh, I blacked out that night. Shit, dude! I've been following your lead!
Dennis Mac Escalation Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Callback Mac: I don't understand how the U.S. economy works, much less some sort of a self-sustaining one.
Mac Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Frank: The government is reimbursing me all the money I lost! I love this country! Baby, I'm back!
Frank Escalation Irony/Sarcasm Top Episodes — It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
