It’s always sunny in Philadelphia is rarely a show that has been ripped from the headlines. Sure, the gang has tackled inflation, recessions, and gas prices, but they’re more focused on the big picture than anything specific. Unless, of course, that particular thing is someone cheating at chess using anal beads, in which case the gang gets very specific.
In the show’s final episode “Frank vs. The Russians”, the fourth episode of Season 16, the gang decides to make Frank Reynolds (Danny DeVito) the chess champion the only way they know how: cheating. It begins with the gang giving Charlie Uncle Jack’s camera glasses and having him communicate with Frank through a restaurant buzzer. Once they reach the finals, things escalate and Charlie decides to aim for a vibrating device that’s a little more discreet (and hilarity ensues).
For the uninformed, this is all part of a very real(ish) discussion that took place in the world of international chess. Last year, chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen, the greatest chess player ever, lost a game to Hans Niemann, a player who according to Carlsen cheated. When Niemann volunteered to play Carlsen naked, the chess community responded by coming up with the most elaborate ways he could cheat naked – including anal beads that would vibrate and alert him to the optimal movement. In other words, this is the rare case of real life playing out as one Sunny episode before the show even had a chance to get to it. But thank goodness they went back, if only for Danny DeVito’s incredible facial expressions as he wins one for good old US of A.
The episode’s other plot is a reversal of one Always sunny classic: The DENNIS system. Dennis explains the male version of the system, which he calls the SINNED System, to Mac and Dee. It doesn’t quite reach the high-speed climax of the original DENNIS system episode, but coupled with Frank’s defeat of Russia makes for a fantastic Sunny episode. Dennis’ new system gets a whirlwind montage of Mac and Dee trying to put it into action and both failing in their own unique and hilarious ways, while Dennis tries to keep them on track by operating at the absolute peak of his barely tenacious… get-together-mania. Meanwhile, Frank and Charlie’s teaming up leads to some predictably hilarious jokes, including Charlie being completely baffled that he’s not allowed to bring beer to a chess tournament.
More importantly, it serves as a fantastic reminder that whether they’re taking a story straight from internet speculation about international sports, or playing their own greatest hits in reverse, the gang still has it, even 16 seasons later.