charlie

(S03E08) "We've been throwing rocks at cats for years Dennis." - Charlie

Well... this was funny, but it didn't quite do it for me after how good last night's earlier episode was. One thing I did like was how it took some hints from Curb Your Enthusiasm by introducing something early on in the show ("Diaper Time" on the public access station) and then brought it back right at the end of the episode for the punchline.

The theme for the majority of the installment was fame and how you achieve it. Obviously, that led to some disastrous results including just what the title says. Frank set Dee on fire. Twice, actually.

(S03E07) "Of course we sing! We're a gang!" - Frank

Wow. Brilliant. I'm honestly not sure where to begin because this episode was fantastic. Joel and myself have both talked about how It's Always Sunny... is trying some new things season and that trend continued in this episode with winning results.

Jumping on a theme that's just ripe for laughter, the episode tackled Corporate America. Throw in some Oldies music theme restaurants, a 1950s Doo-Wop biker group, helipads, and secret tunnels and you've got a bunch of things that don't have appear to have anything in common. Leave it to this show to tie that list together.

(S03E06) "I look like Lorenzo Lamas and woman find it irresistible." - Mac

OK, number one - I'm buying a duster. Number two - I got an answer to my question. Paddy's only ever makes money when there's a bar crawl. Now it all makes sense, why they can be open all the time yet never have more than one or two customers. There I go again again with being logical though. There's no time for that. The North Koreans are moving in on Paddy's turf.

What a great premise. One of the things this show does so well time and again is take the gang's problems and manifest them in such a way that they all think they're some sort of microcosm for the whole world's issues. Fighting off a Korean BBQ down the street is the same as trying to halt nuclear war... right?

(S03E05) "You're making my chair look like it was dipped in gold." - Frank

For a place that just got taken hostage and destroyed not a week ago by a clan of incestuous bathrobe enthusiasts, Paddy's Bar looked pretty good. Of course, for fans of It's Always Sunny... we all know that means nothing. The idea of a time-line, save for a few ongoing stories, doesn't really exist on this show. You can easily watch the episodes in any order you like and not find yourself even remotely confused.

It does make you wonder though. The bar was trashed. Broken bottles. Sledgehammers taken to the walls. How would they have paid for the renovations? When do you ever see more than one or two people drinking at that bar? Doesn't matter. When you consider the simple brilliance of this show, intelligent questions are a waste of breath.

Well it's about frickin' time. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is finally coming to DVD and the two-disc set will have every single minute of inappropriate humor from the first two seasons.

It'll be released on September 4th, right before the third season premieres. While hardcore fans like myself have taken advantage of the show being offered on iTunes, this still comes as great news. I think the one thing that bugs me is that it took this long.

First off, spectacular season finale. It was exciting, dramatic, gave us answers (and even more questions) and was just beautifully done all around. Easily the best season-ender in the short history of Lost, and one of the best season finales of any series, ever. Every character had something to do (loved Hurley in the van and Locke throwing the knife into Naomi), the editing was phenomenal, the music was just really well done (the ominous drums, the sad music with Charlie dying, etc), and Matthew Fox deserves an Emmy for this episode alone.

So, you've seen every single episode of Lost and you own all the DVDs and you consider yourself an expert. Check out these five questions and see if you really know as much as you think you do.

1. What is the name of the only hit song that Charlie's band Driveshaft had?

With the holiday shopping season being a mere 38 days away, it's time to sit down and think about what you want to give out as gifts this year? Elmo TMX? Nah, they'll probably be sold out of those until the middle of 2007. The new Sony Playstation? Well, it's going to be so expensive that all of your friends will probably need to share it. Lost action figures? Come on, they don't make action figures from your favorite show.

Wrong, Mr. (or Mrs.) holiday consumer! The truth is that they do exist and will be coming to a store (or website) near you this fall, courtesy of McFarlane Toys. According to the website figures.com the company will release six fan-favorite characters from the first season. These include characters such as Charlie (pictured here and in Anna's post from August), Jack, Kate and Hurley. Future releases will feature characters like Sawyer, Jin, Walk (with Vincent his dog) and Boone.

Well, you knew this was going to happen.

People are selling Apollo candy bars (the candy being handed out around the country as a promotion for ABC's Lost) on ebay. They are selling for up to $60 in some cases! (Type the words Apollo Candy into the search.)

I barely remember these things being on the show. I remember Kate finding a box of them when they got into the hatch (pic on the right), but I had no idea they'd become part of the show's mystery.

[via TV Tattle]

(S01E23) This is one of my favorite episodes of the show. It has so many great lines and exchanges that I really can't put all of them down here. It's the first season finale, and the way it ends, it almost seems like they weren't sure if the show was coming back and they wanted to end it in a very definite manner, with many plots tied up and the return of a beloved character.

Casey's son Charlie is coming to the studio, and he seems to have an odd relationship with his father. Meanwhile, Dana bought that camera she talked about endlessly in the last episode and wants to take a picture of the staff in their nice clothes to break in the camera, and Dan is still wondering if Rebecca will change her mind and come back to him.

(S02E09) Another instant classic. This is the only show on right now that I frequently pause while watching. Why? Because I'm laughing so hard. Tonight's episode focused on Charlie vs. Mac and Dennis. Charlie wanted a smoking ban in the bar and Dennis thought it was un-American. Charlie didn't buy it though. So he recruited Dee, put on a jean jacket, and decided to be a patriot who "goes America all over everybody's ass."

(S02E08) Once again, another impressive episode. I'm pretty convinced this show can do no wrong. Well... everything about it is wrong, but you know what I mean. Now that they're done exploiting religion, politics seemed like the next best target. Mac started complaining that liquor taxes were killing Paddy's profits and Dee suggested that the guys vote for lower taxes next time the polls are open. Vote?!? What a terrible idea. And politics? "One big ass-blast" according to Mac. But Frank points out that any lowlife can run for office, solicit bribes, and then take the money and run. Genius.