It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 18 Episode 7 Review: Everything’s a Conspiracy Theory

The Gang has indulged in their fair share of conspiracy theories over the years, but this one might be their most outlandish one yet.

The latest episode of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia asks audiences to cast their minds back to the ’60s by parodying the sitcom Gilligan’s Island.

I was initially a skeptic of the Gang yet again tackling a niche topic (still sour about the Jamiroquai-centric Season 18 Episode 4).

The story stays cohesive by focusing solely on Mac and Charlie’s perspectives and navigates seamlessly between their active imaginations and reality. 

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 18 Episode 7, “Gilligan’s Island: A Conspiracy Theorist’s Paradise,” may lack the sitcom’s trademark social commentary substance, but it still stands on its own as an entertaining episode. 

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Far From Paradise

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 18 Episode 6 already featureda fun Mac and Charlie team-up, but this time around, they’re an undeniably unstoppable duo, feeding off each other’s chaotic energy. 

Even if they’re not always on the same page, Charlie’s ridiculous responses to Mac’s conspiratorial suggestions make their scenes fun to watch. 

The episode requires substantial set-up, particularly from viewers who aren’t familiar with Gilligan’s Island.

So, the writers forcefully cram in exposition about the sitcom, as well as Mac and Charlie’s task of boiling Frank’s documents into the first few minutes. 

But once the situation is established, the story is relatively smooth sailing from there, as Mac and Charlie slowly spiral deeper and deeper into the conspiracy of why Gilligan’s Island never reached 100 episodes. 

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It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia has done some stylistic parodies before, such as the black-and-white detective noir filming style of Season 14 Episode 6, “The Janitor Always Mops Twice.” 

But this time, the story cuts in and out of the Gilligan’s Island parody, shifting between Mac and Charlie imagining the Gang in an episode and back into the reality of Charlie’s apartment. 

The back-and-forth works thanks to Charlie and Mac’s meta-awareness that they’re wandering around in their own imagination.

The constant meta-references that the characters make about their role in the fictional sitcom remind me of Community and make me yearn for It’s Always Sunny to do more parody episodes.

I also appreciated that the set of Gilligan’s Island in Mac and Charlie’s imagination looks so visibly fake that it enters the territory of camp. 

The episode occasionally veers too far into being almost cartoonish, especially with the coconuts dropping on Dee’s head. But it manages to find its way back into being grounded in following the throughline of Mac and Charlie’s conspiracy theories. 

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Don’t Trust the Birds

When Charlie first freaks out about seeing a bird watching him take the papers out in the hallway, it’s easy to dismiss that moment as simple paranoia. 

But the larger conspiracy slowly but surely begins to unfold, as Charlie and Mac discover that the bird on the windowsill is actually a camera watching them.

The real mind-blowing moment for an unsuspecting viewer is when the duo finds out that the heavy rain outside their window is actually Cricket with a hose.

Mac and Charlie’s paranoia keeps building and building, to the point where Mac actually kicks a real bird. Yet, no matter how wild their theories sound, their actions never feel unjustified. 

What this episode does best is set up audience expectations, challenge those expectations, and reveal that the answer has been in plain sight the whole time. 

When Mac and Charlie arrive at the bar and find out that the Reynolds have actually been pitching an episode to Gilligan’s Island, it doesn’t feel too far-fetched from what has already been covered. 

The last few minutes feel rushed, as several rapid-fire reveals occur, including the fact that the man whom the Gang pitched the episode idea to is actually Sherwood Schwartz’s heir. 

But the overall pacing still fares better than some of the others from this season, even if it means that we get less screentime with the Reynolds family. 

“Gilligan’s Island: A Conspiracy Theorist’s Paradise” certainly qualifies as one of the better conspiracy theory episodes, especially for the later seasons.

But as Season 18 begins to wrap up, I’m hoping the next few episodes are some heavy hitters, especially since there’s still no news about whether It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia will score a renewal. 

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Paddy’s Pub Bulletin Board

• “Where was the color? Can you imagine being there when people became color?” has to be a contender for one of the top 10 Charlie quotes of all time.
• Another all-timer is Mac asking Charlie what else is white, and Charlie earnestly replying, “The white house!” 

• Dee’s outfit, once again, deserves praise. I know I keep saying it, but the costume designer has been crushing it, especially for her, this season.
• I was hopeful this season might address Mac’s gay identity with a little more tact, but given that he came out to his mom with a dummy, maybe I shouldn’t be surprised that all we’re getting this season is “Mac finds men hot.” 
• There’s too much Cricket this season. Can we bring back the Waitress? 
• I appreciated the use of the laugh track, boos, and other auditory gags. Very nostalgic and classic sitcom-esque. 

That’s all from me! What were your top moments from the latest episode of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia?

Don’t forget to vote in the poll below, and come back next week for our continued coverage of the Gang’s antics!

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It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia airs on Mondays at 9/8c on FXX, FX, and Hulu.

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