Mac isn’t exactly the brightest character in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. What are the funniest things that he has experienced on the sitcom?
As continue to wait for the highly-anticipated 16th season of the long-running sitcom, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, some are likely rewatching its humorous previous episodes. The gang is always up to some wild antics, which often result in disastrous mishaps that happen to characters like Mac.
The self-proclaimed bouncer of Paddy’s Pub has experienced his fair share of accidents and mistakes in the series. From floating away in Jersey Shore to misjudging his murderous dad, there’s no shortage of incidents that highlight Mac’s dim-wittedness and unique brand of humor.
A relaxing day on the beach along Jersey Shore turns into a dangerous situation when Mac and Frank indulge in too much “rum ham.” Their small inflatable boat soon floats too far away from the shoreline, but they don’t notice because they pass out for a few hours.
Mac is understandably terrified by their predicament, but his concerns mean nothing to Frank, who’s too busy crying over the rum ham that fell off the boat. It’s a great contrast between their reactions, which ironically shows Mac as being the more grounded character between the two.
In one of the best episodes that happen outside Paddy’s Pub, the gang decides to buy a boat to live out their very different fantasies of what it’s like to own one. Mac and Dennis are busy trying to live the “high life” by looking the part and crashing a party hosted by a fellow boat owner.
Mac makes the gut-busting mistake of asking a guest what kind of misadventures he went through to lose one of his hands, which is met with the deadpan response, “diabetes.” It’s far from what either of them was expecting, and Mac is particularly floored by the funny reply.
Any fan of the show is familiar with Mac’s long-term recording of “Project Badass,” which shows him performing stunts poorly to prove that he’s strong and impressive. The introduction of his cousin, Country Mac, complicates the image Mac is trying to build for himself, though, as his relative is clearly the more badass one.
This difference is further emphasized when Country Mac pushes through with a dangerous stunt that Mac himself would never accomplish. It’s a humiliating moment for the character who is even shunned by the rest of the gang in favor of his cooler cousin.
When the members of the group argue over who should get a lottery ticket that landed in Mac’s hands, the messy discussion soon turns into an argument about Mac’s gender identity. Everyone except him agrees that he should come out as gay because they all accept it already anyway.
Dennis challenges Mac to bring his exercise bike from the basement, and he happily obliges. What follows is obviously a tool not meant for exercising, and his vehement denial of it only makes the entire sequence absurdly hilarious.
In one of the most cringeworthy scenes in IASIP, Mac gets stuck in a water slide with Dee for hours, all thanks to his durable bracelet getting caught in a hook. The weight of the kids’ bodies going down the slide soon begin to pile up, making their situation more uncomfortable with every minute that passes.
It’s a comical scene that’s made even funnier by the fact that it’s Mac who was so vehement about safety and precaution while visiting the water park. He never would have expected that his laminated ticket would be the one to put him in an awkward but funny position.
There’s always in-fighting among the gang, especially when they get into a competitive mood. This is exactly what transpires during a celebratory dinner between Dennis and Mac at Guigino’s, which is soon interrupted by Frank and Charlie’s arrival. Mac is hesitant to do anything about the pair, but Dennis persuades him that they’re up to no good.
Dennis tries to convince Mac that they’re sabotaging their dinner, but Mac being the hilarious character he is, soon locks eyes with Charlie. The meme-worthy mistake results in even higher tensions between the groups, which is further complicated by Dee’s own night out.
The limits of Mac and Dennis’ friendship are tested when they accept a bet from Frank, who thinks they can’t last a full month in the suburbs together. The two of them foolishly believe that they can easily stand being alone for that long, out in the suburbs where the usual activities from the city are not available.
Mac soon takes on the humorous role of a stay-at-home partner, who’s growing tired of sitting around the house and preparing the same dinners for Dennis after work. His confidence that they’ll win the bet is soon proven to be misplaced, as he can’t stand the mundane daily routines and the grating dynamic between him and Dennis.
When Mac and Charlie realize that Mac’s dad could come after them, they make the drastic decision to fake their own deaths. Their elaborate scheme involves going to a pawn shop to find poppers and grenades, but Mac becomes obsessed with a sad wedding dress, which he wears for the rest of their plan.
There are numerous gut-busting errors that happen in the episode, with one of the biggest ones being Mac’s choice to drive a car into a wall. He expects it to explode (which it doesn’t), but he doesn’t jump off of it like he planned, which results in a concussion.
The gang’s eventful visit to a mental health professional provides comical insights into their self-perception and personalities. Mac’s turn is particularly fascinating, as when the therapist calls him out for the unhealthy rapid fluctuation of his weight, he spits out some of the best insults in IASIP.
Mac’s complete belief in himself is further bolstered by the religious aspect of his character. He makes sure that the therapist knows anything is possible with a higher being, which apparently includes his unbelievable physical transformations every few months.
After Mac’s dad is released from prison, Mac becomes suspicious of his visits to old friends. He soon comes to the conclusion (with Charlie’s help) that his dad is crossing off the names of the people he’s killing. He rats him out to the police, who soon arrest him for violating his parole.
This is one mishap that haunts him forever, as it turns out that Luther was just making amends with those he has previously hurt. He even bought tickets for Mac and Charlie to go to the “Baseball Hall of Fame,” which was meant to be a fun surprise. Their father-and-son relationship is forever ruined by Mac’s tendency to jump to conclusions and see the worst in Luther, however, which is a mistake he repeats in a later episode.
Saab is an editor and writer for Collider and Screen Rant. Before the two sites, she worked as an editor for a digital marketing company. She’s based out of Metro Manila, Philippines, where she lives with her partner, three fat cats, and two hundred houseplants. She’s passionate about all things pop culture and design. When she’s not typing, she’s tending to her indoor garden or watching true crime stories on Netflix.
It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia: 10 Funniest Things That Happened To Mac – Screen Rant
