Written by Charlie Johnson
For the first time in a long time, Philly left us with a cliffhanger. Every consumer of television dread the three words “To Be Continued”. But the TBC did its job for me. The whole week I was mulling, stewing, contemplating on what was going to happen this week. After the huge event of Charlie being stuck in the beartrap, where would the story go? The answer is to the Superbowl.
Let me preface the article by saying this: As an Australian, I have no idea what a big deal the Superbowl is. I know it is huge, but I haven’t experienced it, so I don’t claim to know. However, I have been to an AFL final (Australian Football League) and rode the emotional rollercoaster with 90,000 other passionate people. With this in mind, on with the show.
The Other Story
While last week we had a Charlie centric story, this week we follow Mac and his struggle to make the Superbowl and support his beloved Eagles. The episode starts with the exact same scene as last week and only deviates when the gang get outside. Charlie can’t find his Greenman costume, Mac berates Frank for inviting a heap of lowlifes to the corporate box with them, and then everyone gets on the party bus that Frank has ordered. Our passengers are as follows: Mac, Frank, Dee, Bill Ponderosa, Ben the Soldier, Uncle Jack, Rex, The Waitress, and finally, Greenman. Once the bus is underway, Greenman’s nose starts to bleed. It turns out that Rickety Cricket stole Charlie’s morph suit in order to sneak into the bus. Off to a good start. The opening credits roll to Eye of the Tiger.
Trouble on the Road
The Waitress is the only Patriots fan on the bus. As she is gloating to the rest of the gang (instead of driving) she hits a big pothole. The bus is pulled over. Frank is experiencing some hardcore gastrointestinal pain and Rex tries to sell him some “Invigiron” berry shakes from the pyramid scheme he’s involved in. Meanwhile Dee, who was scratching her earlier, has gotten worse but doesn’t seem to notice her vision deteriorating. Ben climbs out from below the bus with good and bad news. The bad news is that the axle is broken. The good news is that there is a Walmart nearby where he can buy new jean shorts after creasing his current pair. It’s all too much for Mac and he brings up one of the fundamental laws of the show. Every single time The Gang has an opportunity to be winners, “it all turns to shit!” He’s had enough and it’s time to be better. So, Frank charters a private jet and flies everyone to Minnesota in time for the first play.
Let’s Just Stay in the Box
Everyone has arrived and is now super keen to get among the crowd and soak up the big day. Mac pleads for everyone to stay in the box and be well-behaved and not boo anyone. He wants them to be a model group of Philadelphia citizens. He picked the wrong group for that! Dee takes of her sunglasses to reveal some horrid pink eye. In attempt to prove she is fine, she rubs her hand on the infection and then on her other eye. Yuck. Now, Bill ate too many hotdogs and threw them up into the bowl. He called the service in to clean it up. For anyone that doesn’t recognise the man who came to clean up, he is a server who The Gang constantly harass from job to job. Every time he quits, The Gang find him again without trying. Now they find him in Minnesota of all places. The very first time they meet him, someone ties up his shoes, he trips and lands face first in a pile of spaghetti. This time Frank ties up his shoes as he tries to leave with the bowl of regurgitated hotdogs. We get the same result.
No Stone Unpassed
Mac takes Frank to the bathroom who is cursing and sweating the whole time. It turns out the pothole broke of a piece of kidney stone and now it’s tearing him up inside. They get back and find out that the Eagles scored without them. Meanwhile Dee is planning to go down to the stadium with Ben the Soldier and use him to get closer to the field. Disgusted by her pink eye, Mac covers her Eagles jumper with an extra apron, so she can’t be identified. Things aren’t going well for Mac. Every time he needs to do something, The Eagles score. Then it dawns on him. Frank needs to pee for the rest of the game for the Eagles to win. The next scene is Frank at the urinal with Mac watching the game on his phone next to him. If it works, it works I guess.
Meanwhile, half blind and wearing the stadium uniform, Dee is wandering around under the stadium causing havoc the way only a wayward blind person can. She finds her way to the laundry and wipes her face on a towel. We then follow the towel on its journey up to the field and to Patriot’s Quarterback Tom Brady. While Frank is struggling with the stone we can hear the game commentary. Tom Brady is really rubbing off sweat with a towel. He’s going to town. They find on Snapchat that the rest of the crew has left the box and are mingling in the crowd. Mac complains about how un-philly their group is and how it’s gonna lose them the game. Frank tears up and launches an impassioned speech about how this bunch of screwups are the most Philly thing going around. Downtrodden, mean, looking for a chance to get better, this is the Eagles spirit.
What follows is one of the most uncomfortable montages I’ve ever seen. Footage from the game is cut with Frank’s face contorted in pain as he tries to pass the stone. Tink. The stone is out, and the Eagles intercept the Brady pass. The commentators mention something being wrong with his eye.
Do a Superstition, Quick!
When they return to the box after scoring, the ball is turned over to Brady again with 58 seconds left on the clock. With Frank all out of pee they only have one option. They call Charlie and beg him to do a superstition. As Brady launches the final hail Mary, Charlie throws his legs back into the beartrap. It snaps shut. The pass is incomplete. Eagles Win! Pain and Joy at the same time. The rest of the episode is filled with video of actual Eagles fans watching the game in what is a touching moment. Post credits we see footage of Rob Mcelhenney at the game celebrating with his partner. A sweet touch.
Conclusion
It was an unusually emotional episode of Philly. The positive messaging was unusual for the show but didn’t feel out of place. As a fellow lover of sport, I loved the atmosphere of the sets and the ability to create tension through the clock instead of character driven tension. It was different yet still wholly unique Philly story. I’m looking forward to seeing how they tie up the season next week with the finale.
