While I found it to be slightly funnier than the season premiere "Chardee Macdennis 2: Electric Boogaloo," "Frank Falls Out the Window" was still a mediocre episode of "Sunny," and one that made me harken back to the earlier, better days.
The episodes premise is fairly simple. Frank falls out of his apartment window because Charlie was making him sit on the sill so his farts would go outside instead of stinking up the apartment. Wacky hijinks ensue, like Charlie believing that Frank fell through a portal into 2006, and Dennis and Dee treating him like crap because they're taking advantage of his lost memory.
The episode was not without its fine moments. The reveal of Frank's gigantic gash was both shocking and uproarious, and Dennis and Dee pretending to have invented smartphones was particularly good. That whole dinner scene stuck with me, as I noticed that the writing (the script penned by veteran David Hornsby) was much sharper than last week's episode. The characters were more themselves, and the jokes came more organically and were more realistic (not to mention actually funny). Glenn Howerton's acting was hilariously on point (as it always is), especially in the kitchen conversation scene with Dee. It also showed us again how flawed these characters are, and that's always a good thing in my eyes. Dennis has dreams of being a vet (for the skins, but still), and Dee has failed aspirations of being a Broadway star. The kitchen scene was not only great for its funny moments, but also for bringing attention to how flawed, and ultimately human, these characters are, even when the show as a whole would suggest otherwise.
But I can't help but feel like "Sunny" is running out of ideas, and we're slowly watching the degradation of the show, its jokes, and its characters. There were many callbacks in this episode, like Frank's rum ham, and the show even introduced blatant flashbacks as Frank remembered past events from past episodes. It reminds me of "Thundergun Express," and not in a good way. In that episode, the show made room for a two minute Frank speech about the best moments of the show, and the flashbacks in this episode only served to remind me of funnier, better moments, not to mention better episodes. It's like in "Rocky IV" when Rocky was driving and remembering events from the first film. It only made me want to watch that instead of what I actually was.
Dennis and Dee rehash the same crack storyline they did way back in Season 2, including going to same welfare office (the welfare store, thanks Mac), talking to the same people, and even using the same jokes (Dee's helmet), and even Mac and Charlie showed up to do the same thing they did last time. While I understand that this is in line with the episode's idea, especially with Charlie believing it to be 2006 (Dennis and Dee Go On Welfare aired in July 2006), but that doesn't excuse the show from reusing plot lines, scenes, and jokes.
"Sunny" has now aired two episodes, back to back, with strong ties and influences to earlier episodes. I just wish that they would let the past go, as Dennis seems to suggest to Dee, and begin focusing on new, fresh, and ultimately funny material again.
6/10 (D)
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