It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 16 Episode 8 Review: Dennis Takes a Mental Health Day
This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the TV series being covered here wouldn’t exist.
Every once in a while, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia creates an episode that’s a bit experimental and highlights one of the actors. We saw this first with It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 10 Episode 4, “Charlie Work,” and then again in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 13 Episode 10, “Mac Finds His Pride.” It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 16 Episode 8, “Dennis Takes a Mental Health Day,” is Dennis and Glenn Howerton’s showcase episode.
The episode feels extremely personal and realistic. If you listen to the show’s podcast, then you can guess that the details here probably were inspired by real-life situations. Everything in the episode seems like stuff that would annoy Howerton.
You may also sympathize with Dennis, because the average American would find these things a nuisance. However, when he explains his issue to the customer service representative, they definitely come off as middle-class first-world problems.
The sympathy dies there.
“Dennis Takes a Mental Health Day” has a bit of a Ferris Bueller’s Day Off feel because Dennis is taken out of his comfort zone. He is placed among normal people. Is he the crazy person or is it the world?
It’s a little of both.
Dennis has some valid points because the systems are a problem. However, not to the level that causes Dennis so much rage.
This episode of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia may be one of the most relatable ones. It’s also one of the most disturbing episodes.
For most of it, you may agree and support Dennis because all that stuff is very annoying. Then, we get the tonal shift with Dennis pulling out and eating a man’s heart-turned-diamond.
It’s a beautifully shot scene. However, it becomes more disturbing as it continues. The tone change feels appropriate because Dennis is, at his core, a psycho.
We get yet another M. Night Shyamalan-level twist when none of it happened. Not just none of it happened with the heart and diamond scene, but nothing from the mental health day happened.
It’s all Dennis’s fantasy to calm himself down and lower his blood pressure.
This context makes everything funnier and slightly more disturbing. Only Dennis would fantasize about getting to a level of rage that causes him to rip out and eat a heart.
Episodes like “Dennis Takes a Mental Health Day” are hard to grade because as a comedy, should that be the most important part? Or should you grade on creativity?
This is another really creative episode that has funny moments but is nowhere near the level of comedy the show can achieve. However, this episode acts as a really fun way to highlight mental health and Dennis.
This episode proves that Dennis may be one of the saddest It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia characters. You can make an argument that the others could possibly live a normal happy life away from the gang, and if they had different childhoods.
A different group of friends could lead to different choices and maybe a well-adjusted life for each of them, except Dennis. He is so mentally unwell that normal life isn’t possible for him. He’s actually kind of lucky to find a group to accept him and depend on him.
“Dennis Takes a Mental Health Day” is a brilliant character study that also demonstrates just how annoying everyday life is.
“Dennis Takes a Mental Health Day” is written by Ross Maloney and directed by Heath Cullens.
Stray Thoughts
- “Listen To Your Heart” by Roxette is one of my favorite songs ever, so it’s great to hear it used in this insane way.
- Dennis has been my personal favorite character for a while, so I love seeing how unhinged he can go.
- We really do need fewer apps.
- The look of this episode feels more HD than normal.
- I really wish we got more episodes this season, but it’ll be interesting to rewatch them now and see how they work together as a cohesive season.
What did you think of the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 16 finale? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 16 is available to stream on Hulu.
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The 15 Best Episodes of ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ — Ranked!
Jerrica Tisdale
Jerrica Tisdale is your favorite neighborhood pop culture junkie. She will annoy you with random TV and film facts, while complaining about whatever is the hottest new book. She has been a TV fan all her life but writing about it for over a decade. You may find her work all over the internet especially reality TV rants. She is a senior writer at Tell-Tale TV.
13 comments
Delete this review- this episode is easily the seasons standpoint. It masterfully skewers the seemingly endless levels of esoteric experiences being created by the product managers that drive the user behavior we have now all been forced into by unnecessary and poorly thought through “features,” like needing an app to run a car (which is an obvious nod to the podcast episode about how Glenn got his Tesla stuck in a garage bc it was unable to receive internet access or satellite service). Clearly this reviewer was not attune to that, nor the fact that Glenn Howerton hates apps in real life. We are all laughing along with him as he is able to cathartically get back at “those responsible” for putting us in this modern life conundrum of never ending fake innovation that is literally causing the world to have high anxiety and therefore more stress. The episode was an absolute classic as well as an acting master-class. I repeat- delete this review.
Though I respect your difference of opinion, I am not sure why you hate my review so much. I thought the episode was very good and I discussed how podcast viewers will understand how Howerton connects with Dennis disdain for these things. I will not delete my review but thanks for offering your own commentary, I guess.
I’m a little confused as to why you didn’t mention the ending though, it’s a direct nod to ‘The Usual Suspects’ and not ‘M. Night Shyamalan’ as you suggest.
Ryan, you are going to need a mental health day. Why on earth would you ask the author to delete their review, or even believe for a second that they would. Are you doing a Dennis impression?
Excuse me, I read your comment as “delete my comment” not delete this review itself. I must confess father I am inebriated so please forsaken me and my kin for I have sinned. Just kidding, but am I? Are we? Hm.
Uhm, why should they delete it? Hmmmmm, odd. Seems legit enough to me, if they delete it then what would be the point in writing your comment in the first place? Hmmm the conflict is killing me. What would be the point in having a comment section then either if they delete your comment? What’s the actual point of anyting? Nothing. 😉
Great review. One additional element that i took away from this episode, was that this was the first time that the viewers are exposed to the idea that Dennis may actually be the “Golden God” he claims to be. The episode starts with his typical arrogant and self-absorbed notion that he is somehow different (and better) than everyone else. He claims to be able to literally control his own blood pressure by command. The episode drags you along to the usual trend of the series, showing that his self-image is far from reality; he is not the super human he believes himself to be. By the end of the episode however, he shows that he is in fact able to control his blood pressure by command. A medical marvel. The ending scene where he sinks a no-look shot to the garbage can confirms it… he is, in fact, the Golden God he always claimed to be. I left the episode feeling conflicted… in one sense it was a truly unique and interesting focus on Dennis. However, they also killed the long-standing joke that Dennis is an ego-maniac to a level that does not come close to reality.
That’s a really interesting take! Thanks for sharing!
Going outside the box here, but for whatever reason, I think that Dennis may have died or gone into a coma. The last episodes of the past few seasons have been rather heavy. I believe there was talk of Howerton leaving the show a few seasons back. I don’t think it’s impossible that Dennis had a major cardiac incident on the side of the road and the rest of the episode and final scene are his last thoughts or coma dream and of course highlighting his inflated view of himself through it all.
How the heck is being stuck on the road, while you try and reach customer service for hours because infuriatingly, you can’t get into your car because it’s programmed through an app – a middle-class first-world problem?! RIDICULOUS. I agree with the first guy.
Here here. That line about middle-class first-world-problems spoils the whole review. As if poor people don’t need to call customer support or are exempt apps taking over.
This is one of the worst episodes of the show to date, and for some reason the website doesn’t seem to let people add to the user review score.
The plot is an exercise in watching one character, based on the real man, demonstrate his own ineptitude with technology and fundamental lack in basic decency and emotional literacy blunder through the world making it worse as a direct result of his narcissistic actions. Where was the joke? Is it funny to talk to human beings the way he does? If you think so I want to do everything in my power to keep as far away from you as possible.
This show works when the cast has a chance to play off each other, and this episode is a prime example of how when that doesn’t happen, sometimes you end up watching a spoiled man child throw a tantrum for 20 minutes without a single attempt at a joke.
You’re offended on behalf of characters in a TV show where in the show none of the events actually happen? lol And he even prefaced every interaction by saying his frustration was not directed at them. Don’t worry about doing anything to keep people away from you that liked the episode, they don’t want to be anywhere near you.
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