Warning: the following contains SPOILERS for It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia season 15, episode 2, “The Gang Makes Lethal Weapon 7,” isn’t just proof that the gang is still funny – it’s also a comprehensive and satirical examination of Hollywood hypocrisy and how fake wokeness affects actual victims of injustice and marginalization. As one of the longest-running live-action comedies on television, It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia’s crew of misfits – Frank (Danny DeVito), Dennis (Glenn Howerton), Charlie (Charlie Day), Mac (Rob McElhenney), and Dee (Kaitlin Olson) – has been breaking comedic barriers for years. From Mac coming out as gay to his father in prison in season 13’s “Mac Finds His Pride,” to exposing the personal struggles of former priest Cricket (David Hornsby) in season 12’s “Crickets Tale,” It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia always finds ways to use absurdist comedy in picking apart certain social issues.

The gang often does this through recurring jokes and concepts that they’ve developed throughout the series, such as the Lethal Weapon sequels. The gang’s take on the beloved action franchise first gained notoriety in 2010, after the release of It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia season 6, episode 9, “Dee Reynolds: Shaping America's Youth.” In this episode, both Mac and Dee don blackface while making Lethal Weapon 5, essentially as a criticism against mindless racism in modern times.

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It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia has since become notorious for this controversial move. In fact, the episode in question has been removed from platforms that stream the series. Even today, the Lethal Weapon blackface controversy continues to fuel the debate on how far satire can and should go. And more than a decade later, in It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia season 15, the gang not only revisits this controversy but also expands its discussions on race, women’s rights, and other social issues.

It’s Always Sunny Takes On Hollywood Hypocrisy And Fake Wokeness

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When the worst people in the world get together to make a movie, things are bound to get dark. During the production meeting for Lethal Weapon 7, the gang reminds viewers that the entertainment industry is still extremely unsafe for women. While Mac refers to the cases of Roman Polanski, Woody Allen, and Bill Cosby to falsely claim that mistakes aren’t tolerated in Hollywood, Frank keeps insisting on getting sexual favors for being both a producer and actor, which Frank also did in It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia season 9, episode 9, “The Gang Makes Lethal Weapon 6.” These are stark reminders that sexual violence is still deeply embedded in modern entertainment institutions – reinforced by fake wokeness in older generations, which is further explored in Dennis’ dating experiences.

In fact, even though Dennis and his dates talk about legitimate political points, everyone is too busy trying to appear ethical for any actual progress to be made in the conversations, which reflects the challenges faced by progressive liberal movements in Hollywood. In the end, only Dennis – the sexual predator – makes progress, which he does by simply repeating the talking points mentioned by his dates word for word – representing not just the echo chamber of liberal politics but also the dangers of giving fake wokeness a platform.

The Gang Not Only Revisits But Expands On Lethal Weapon 5’s Blackface Controversy

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The show takes another crack at fake wokeness when Mac pauses awkwardly in order to await applause for doing what’s right – not casting himself as Lethal Weapon’s Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) and avoiding donning blackface again – things that he never should’ve done in the first place. For the role of Murtaugh, the gang hires Pepperjack the pimp, who, much like the disgusting Frank Reynolds, also represents the realities of patriarchal abuse in entertainment. As Pepperjack is an actual pimp who manipulates and abuses women for both sex and money, Pepperjack speaks to Dee in a very dismissive and condescending manner, which makes Dee extremely uncomfortable on set.

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However, Charlie and Dennis look the other way while Mac fails to correct Pepperjack’s behavior. Despite all this, Pepperjack is never fired and is instead recast for a different role, echoing how abusive people and practices persist in entertainment institutions. While the gang avoids offending people of color, they continue to tolerate unsafe work situations for women, which can also be said of the mainstream movie industry.

It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia Mocks The Censorship Of Lethal Weapon 6

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The whole reason the gang makes Lethal Weapon 7 is because they find out that Lethal Weapon 5 and 6, their previous movies, were pulled from the library because of Mac being in blackface, mocking how these controversial episodes were censored and pulled from streaming platforms for being offensive. The gang then discusses how the movies should’ve never been in the library and then realizes how they shouldn’t have made those offensive movies at all, leading to their doomed decision to make a “politically correct” Lethal Weapon 7.

However, the gang focuses more on appearing ethical and not offending anyone rather than actually producing something worthwhile. Lethal Weapon 7 ends up becoming a pointless film with no real villain or direction. This criticism pointed at those who still don’t understand that It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia used blackface in Lethal Weapon 6 specifically to poke fun at racists who think donning blackface is okay.

It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia’s Lethal Weapon 7 Destroys The White Savior Trope

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In the finale of “The Gang Makes Lethal Weapon 7,” it’s revealed that “Don Cheadle,” the actor hired to play Mel Gibson’s Martin Riggs, used the production of Lethal Weapon 7 to expose It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia’s gang of miscreants in his own documentary film, White Savior. In White Savior, Don Cheadle explains that “Lethal Weapon 7 was destined to be an inferno of quasi-wokeness and good old-fashioned racism.” Apart from recapping the episode’s salient points, White Savior clarifies that the show’s goal is to depict the actions of the worst people in the world, possibly an appeal of understanding towards legitimate critics of contemporary comedy and satire.

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