Always Sunny S12E9 Recap: Cricket’s Tale of Love and Life (on PCP)

It’s a day in the limelight for our old pal Rickety Cricket, and it seems his time with the Always Sunny gang has really led him astray.

One of the most pleasurable things about Always Sunny is its keen attention to the show’s 12-year continuity. We get to see the same faces, hear the same inside jokes, and laugh along to the slowing recognition of a perfectly timed callback. Not only are the jokes the same, but all the terrible things that this gang has pulled over the years also sticks with them. Take for example, their terrible treatment of Matthew Mara, or ‘Rickety Cricket.’ He gets his own moment in the sun in this week’s episode “A Cricket’s Tale,” which is one of life, love, loss, and no judgments over smoking PCP.

Rickety Rooting

Cricket (played by show writer David Hornsby) has been through a lot during his time knowing the gang. He went from being a respectable man of the cloth to a worthless, homeless street rat. The first shot of this week’s episode features him being chased through the streets of Philadelphia by an unknown man. He eventually escapes, using that Season 4 parkour skill he acquired, as we find out he stole a loaf of bread. Just like a certain Disney street rat.

Eventually and coincidentally, he runs into his father (Robert Pine) who says he’s retiring and wants Cricket to help take over the family business, which is more or less a generic Tommy Boy-esque company. Instead of agreeing, he heads to Paddy’s Pub to do some PCP in the bathroom. It’s also worth noting that this episode seems to run concurrent with Episode 7 “PTSDee.” Upon looking at his reflection in the mirror, seeing through all the gross burn scars and various flesh wounds, he decides not to smoke the PCP joint, and turn his life around. He throws it in the trash and a new man is born from the ashes.

We get a moment to root for a character that is just as abhorrent as the gang members, but whom we feel a shred of sorrow for. After all, had he never hooked back up with the gang, he’d be a harmless, happy Catholic priest, and not someone who will do nearly anything for a six-pack of beer.

Love and Puppies

In typical Always Sunny fashion,there’s a lot of parodies and exaggeration that drives the storylines forward. For example, Cricket’s brother is played by notable redhead Zack Ward, aka A Christmas Story bully Scut Farkus. He’s the typical older, aggressive brother, constantly ragging on him for his street rat persona, and for apparently stealing their father’s identity eight times.  (“At least I didn’t wet the bed until high school!” -Cricket). We’ve set up a down-on-his-luck character and gave him high stakes with his father’s company. What could be better?

Oh yes, a love interest. A beautiful young woman named Bell (Renée Felice Smith) who takes a quick interest in Cricket. Almost too quick. Still, they set up a date, and Cricket, short on cash, decides to take Charlie and Dennis up on an offer they made him over the phone. We also learn that they’ve been tracking him via pet GPS, just another example of this group’s dysfunctional dynamic. Whoever they ruin has to stick close by in their web, since they never know when their services may be needed again.

Cricket, who’s actually doing a good job at dad’s company, takes the $5 job as the erotic warm-up dancer for the gang’s sexy male strip show from “PTSDee.” Charlie and Dennis are even dressed up as Bad Daddy and Little Boy as they commission Cricket for his services. Later at the bar, Cricket is only paid in lemons (again) but it doesn’t matter when Bell happens upon him slurping at the sour fruits in an alley. They have an amazing, magical time together, dancing in the park and sharing spaghetti a’la Lady and the Tramp. Perhaps we’ll see a happy ending for one of these characters after all.

 Not Likely

With his love life set, all that’s left for Cricket is to get the job on track. He’s almost to the victory lap when he finds out he missed a really important meeting with a major client. His dad says he can still catch up to the investor, which he does by demonstrating those lovely parkour skills. However, it looks like the streets had more of an effect on Cricket than we ever could have thought, since he tells the client he’ll tear his heart out if he doesn’t invest. He even threatens him with a knife.

With that client on board, we get to see the Cricket resolution, which is looking to be a bright one for an Always Sunny character. His brother says he doesn’t see a junkie anymore, but instead he sees family. And after dad beams with pride, Bell shows up, telling Cricket she’s ready to take off on her own. But not before one final kiss.

But we can’t let anything too nice happen to the gang’s closest companions. That stunning young woman Cricket had his big damn kiss with? Turns out it’s his dad’s Golden Retriever dog. That’s right, Cricket was in love with a dog the entire time. Why? He never actually threw away that PCP joint. He smoked the hell out of it, hallucinating a girlfriend out of an adorable dog.

We end on a fizzled out note, where Cricket again enters Paddy’s Pub, asking the gang if he can do PCP in the bathroom. They gladly invite him to do so, under the guise of “no judgments.” That’s at least something positive we can end on. The gang really is good at keeping the judgments of others to a minimum, but only when it’s convenient for them.

Next: Always Sunny S12E8 Recap: A Valentine’s Day Trick

Headed for the Finale

Next week is the final episode of Season 12, and this one sounds like a doozy. “Dennis’ Double Life” will reveal that everyone’s favorite sociopath is actually a father, thanks to a tryst in North Dakota from Season 10’s episode “The Gang Beats Boggs.” You can’t beat that Always Sunny continuity. Catch the season finale next Wednesday, March 8th at 10:00 p.m. on FXX.