Lightning doesn’t always strike twice, but when Abbott Elementary took off into the stratosphere a few years ago, television fans across the country were very aware that it wasn’t the first comedy powerhouse to lean into its roots in the City of Brotherly Love.
Yes, long before Quinta Brunson and the Abbott team welcomed Jalen Hurts into the halls of their public elementary school, our favorite gang of jabronis over at Paddy’s Pub were hanging out with the likes of Philadelphia sports stars Chase Utley and Jason Kelce on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
Fortunately for fans of both shows, Brunson and Always Sunny co-creator Rob McElhenney also saw the connection. It started as a playful joke – game recognizing game – but it didn’t take long for that joke to become a reality. While there was good reason to be skeptical about how two shows with very different tones (and TV Parental Guidelines ratings) could come together, the showrunners managed to land the plane with Abbott Elementary’s latest episode: Season 4, Episode 9: “Volunteers.”
If you haven’t watched the episode yet, pause here and check it out! This review spoils the episode early and often.
At the top of the episode, Principal Ava Coleman (Janelle James) announces a community program to welcome volunteers into the school. As the faculty daydream about all of the much-needed support they might receive, viewers at home are already wondering what fresh hell the Paddy’s Gang is about to unleash on the beloved educators at Abbott and the innocent children under their care. Charlie Kelly (Charlie Day) quickly sums up the mismatch with some tasteful understatement: “We don’t do schools, usually.” They really don’t.
In short order, Dennis Reynolds (Glen Howerton) refuses to appear before documentary cameras and Melissa Schememnti (Lisa Ann Walter) breaks the ice with some playful banter about brawling at Philadelphia Eagles games. Then, the Paddy’s Gang pair up with their Abbott counterparts. Insanity ensues, and along the way we realize that the “criminals” from Paddy’s Pub are not volunteering at the school out of kindness, but in response to a court order. Abbott’s finest teachers then go back and forth wondering whether or not it’s appropriate to allow these miscreants into the school; they certainly have their hands full. Of course, it’s not all fun and games for the Always Sunny crew either.
“Mac” McDonald (Rob McElhenney) spends his time at Abbott just trying to get out of his time at Abbott. Mac has never proven to be an effective schemer, but his attempts to schmooze Ava and get an early release from his service prove to be even more futile than he ever could have imagined. Sadly for Mac, he has paired with perhaps the only person in the Abbott-verse whose narcissistic, scheming impulses are strong enough to hang with the notoriously selfish crew from Paddy’s Pub. Little does he know, the more he bribes and sucks up to Ava, the longer she is going to keep him around. In fact, he can’t get Ava to hand over his community service signature until he makes the mistake of writing thank you letters to the teachers. She believes her employees “run on insults” and no longer wants Mac around to poison the well. That’s cold – even to these TV-MA volunteers. Still, at the end of the day, the Paddy’s gang prove to be the ultimate agents of chaos.
Frank Reynolds (Danny DeVito) turns out to be the perfect tormentor for Gregory Eddie (Tyler James Williams) when he starts “composting” in Gregory’s beloved school garden. A lesser person might call this littering, but Frank makes it clear that the “rare earth metals” in his spent batteries will help the plants grow. Fortunately, Mr. Johnson (William Stanford Davis) rides in to match eccentric wits with Frank and they manage to defuse one another after debating how best to deter the raccoons that have been disrupting the garden. Despite the attempted compromise, Frank shows his true colors when he finds himself locked in a raccoon trap, wrapped in urine-soaked pelts, and eating compost. Enough said.
Meanwhile, Dee Reynolds (Kaitlin Olson) endears herself to Janine Teagues (Quinta Brunson) by digging into their shared roots at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) and taking down the Christmas decorations that were too high for the vertically-challenged Janine to reach. Of course, it doesn’t take long for Dee to show her true colors when she moves in on Janine’s boyfriend, manipulates the students into supporting her romantic pursuit, and makes a point of approaching the only white student in class as her confidante. Yikes. It’s textbook Dee, and a great deployment of Always Sunny pacing within the wholesome halls of Abbott. We know that the transformation is complete when Janine is finally pushed to her breaking point and lashes out, calling Dee a “bird-ass bird.” It’s the greatest Always Sunny Easter egg of the episode.
Fortunately, this episode also has a heart. Charlie is able to use his experience with maintenance and ducts (ducks?) to help Jacob Hill (Chris Perfetti) in the history department; unfortunately, Charlie mistakes the class for a fashion course and warns the students of Abbott that ironing is a myth. Still, he endears himself to Jacob with his apparent illiteracy and Barabara Howard (Sheryl Lee Ralph) steps in to offer her wisdom and support. She is able to break through Charlie’s denial and get him excited about reading. It’s a genuinely touching direction for this story; Abbott is able to take the high road with Charlie’s illiteracy rather than playing it for humor like the Always Sunny crew has done for the last couple of decades. As Barbara lovingly helps Charlie take his first steps on the road to literacy by looking for high-interest reading material, we get some more Always Sunny Easter eggs. Charlie shares his love for “milksteak” and his expertise in the art of “bird law.”
Not only does Charlie learn to read (at a kindergarten level!) and enjoy a cute graduation ceremony, but all of his reading aloud about protected birds inspires Ava to engage in a little “bird law” of her own when she blackmails the shady golf course construction company that has been wreaking havoc throughout season four. In exchange for a new gymnasium scoreboard, she will keep quiet about the (fabricated) story that the construction crew has disrupted the habitat of the Loggerhead Shrike. It seems Ava has claimed the title of “best goddamn bird lawyer in the world.”
Overall, this crossover experiment is a success. While it would have been fun no matter what, the decision to instill Charlie’s story with a sense of hope and positivity is a master stroke; the Abbott creative team has done it again. They’ve crafted a world in which the insanity of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia exists alongside the heart of Abbott Elementary. As Jacob puts it in the closing moments of the episode:
“We live in the City of Brotherly Love, brother! It’s always sunny in-”
