It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia is pretty well known for the antics of its character. The gang never falls short when trying to find new ways to make money or just complicated shortcuts that end up putting them down the hole. It’s easy to not really feel any empathy for the characters because of the many horrible things they’ve done on screen in the name of their personal benefit. But underneath those despicable personalities, there’s a good bit of trauma responsible for it.
In this list, we’ll go over 10 of the saddest moments that really hit us throughout the show.
The Christmas Episode
Christmas is supposed to be fun for everyone, but unfotunately, some bad luck meets every member of the gang in a pretty sad fashion. Well, except for Frank who rolls up with a Lambo at the beginning of the show. It also shows that Frank hasn't gotten Dee and Dennis Christmas presents... again.
Charlie finds out about his mother’s promiscuous past, and it really gets to the guy, as he throws a fit in the mall and even fights a mall Santa out of anger. And then Mac learns that his family used to steal presents from other families as a child and that his parents never really cared about him at all.
The Great Recession
Frank is an interesting character. He came into the show a very depressed, but extremely successful, businessman. He looks to give up his rich lifestyle to get closer to his kids, Dennis and Dee. Little does he know that Charlie is also his kid, which is revealed later on in the show by Charlie's mom. In this episode, Frank tries to kill himself because he is still unable to find a way to be truly happy.
While attempting to hang himself, his weight forces the noose to snap, preventing him from going through with the deed. This moment really opened up the audience’s eyes into his mental state.
Dennis Rips Macs Letters
Mac’s desire to grow closer to his father is referenced somehow in almost every episode. Charlie and Mac even go as far to try and smuggle in drugs for Mac’s dad, and their failure to do so only makes the father and son rift grow wider. With the gang being locked up in the holding cell of a cruise ship after getting into trouble, the cell starts to fill up with water, and it doesn’t look good.
The gang began to disclose their secrets to each other, where Mac learns that Dennis has been ripping up his father’s letters to him. This understandably angers Mac with the fact that he lost numerous opportunities to grow closer.
Cricket Leaving The Priesthood
If you know just how bad Cricket gets it in this show, the moment he leaves the priesthood is a really sad one. He went from a clean-cut man of God to a street rat that sells himself out for hard drugs. He does this because of Dee, who consistently manipulates the man into doing what she wants. Their run-ins happen time and time again.
His slow descent into being a crack addict spans a few seasons, with the later ones showing him at his absolute worst. He gets the chance to clean up his act, and that too fails as a way out of the life he currently lives.
The Joke's On Dee
Dee is always the butt end of the jokes in the gang. Absolutely no one gets it as often or as bad as she does. When Dee starts to agree with the gang’s harsh words, they start to wonder if they went too far. Dee takes her self-pity back into a comedy club that she visits a few times a week and starts to slowly gain more fans from her routines.
She meets a promoter who offers to fly her out to do a big show and get her name out there with promises of being famous. She goes, being led blindfolded back to Paddy’s Pub, where the gang reveals it was another cruel joke.
Charlie And The Waitress
At the end of the infamous “Mac Bangs Dennis’ Mom,” The waitress admits she only slept with Frank to get back at Dennis. We know Frank will get his hands on anyone who will look at him long enough, and Dennis has always been the apple of The Waitress’ eye since the beginning, much like she was to Charlie.
What makes this episode hurt so much is Charlie’s tearful expression when hearing the news. He had spent multiple seasons at this point trying to win over her favor, and hearing her sleep around with his father to get back at his best friend, made us feel for him.
The Gang Goes To The Jersey Shore
The gang decides it would be a wise idea to live it up in New Jersey and get wasted in a new scene. Each member eventually gets into their own antics. Charlie spots The Waitress on the beach and for the first time in their relationship, she wasn’t disgusted to see him. The two end up having a pretty fun time on the beach picking up shells and getting to know each other better before falling asleep on the beach together.
When The Waitress wakes up, she tells Charlie she only hung out with him because she had taken ecstasy and tells him to never talk to her again.
Psycho Pete Returns
When the episode “The Gang Gets Analyzed” aired, it made a subtle nod to Danny Devito’s earlier work in One Flies Over The Cuckoo’s Nest. He tells the therapist he was in a mental home as a young boy and got really close to his deformed roommate, “Frog-Boy.”
Frank begins to break down and have a panic attack on the therapist's couch, and it’s continued when he sees an abandoned hotel in “Psycho Pete Returns.” What makes the episode sad is Frank’s determination to find his long lost friend and to see if he is actually okay. Talk about a gut-punching moment for the show.
Mac And Charlie Die
Mac and Charlie are definitely the gang’s whipping boys from time to time. Episodes like “Charlie Work” can show you just how much the gang takes each other for granted, and how easily dismissive they are about each other's problems and responsibilities. Mac and Charlie decide the only way to see if the gang really cares about them is to fake their death, and that’s exactly what they do.
The gang seems to not care at first before Charlie catches Frank alone in their apartment. He is found clutching a mannequin that is dressed in Charlie’s clothes and whispering “It’s okay, I like you too” over and over again.
Mac Finds His Pride
Mac’s sexuality has been joked about and referenced throughout every season of the show. In some cases, episodes revolve around it, and how far he goes to stay in the closet. He comes out but is often met with harsh criticism, specifically from Frank.
Mac decides the best way for everyone to understand how he feels is to put on a show, where he expresses himself through ballet. It worked as intended, leaving many of the people watching it in tears, including Frank. The last words spoken from the episode is Frank saying that “ I understand now.”