I ended up re-watching this season from beginning to end while working on other stuff, and I have to say… I have no idea why I wasn’t a big fan of it the first time around. Re: my first review, I don’t agree with myself at all anymore, actually: It’s actually a super-interesting, multi-layered season that does potent social criticism throughout (esp “Time’s Up for the Gang”) but always, always puts the laughs first. There’s a two-parter need the end (“Charlie’s Home Alone”) that I found interminable this time around, but overall it’s terrific.
Amidst an ocean of strange, off-kilter but hilarious seasons, this thirteenth season of FX’s long-running sitcom is easily its most baffling one. While the show has managed to provide social commentary in subtle ways before (in particular in episodes like “The Gang Turns Black”), it’s never been as abstract with its politicizing as it here. In episodes like “The Gang Makes Paddy’s Great Again” and “Time’s Up for the Gang,” there’s plenty of room for the clever, vulgar, and irreverent jokes that have defined the show up until now, but there’s also something of a split here: The jokes are mostly dependent on their overall context this time around, and while it’s an interesting way to keep things fresh after more than a decade it also feels strained and forced. Much has been made of Rob McElhenney’s dramatic body transformation, but same as with his weight gain in Season 7…
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