Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 587 (click to see context) from:
* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: Most episodes usually start with "The Gang..." (ex. "The Gang Dines Out") or have one or more members named (ex. "Mac and Dennis Break Up").
to:
* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: Most episodes Episode names are usually start excessively blunt in describing the plot of the episode, usually with "The Gang..." (ex. "The Gang Dines Out") or have one or more members named specifying the key character(s) in focus (ex. "Mac and Dennis Break Up"). This is often used as a joke, where the first act break will have a character say something related to the title, [[TitleDrop if not the actual title]], and then cut to the title card.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 286 (click to see context) from:
** In the first season, Dee is more often the voice of reason, while in later episodes she becomes just as deranged and pathetic as the guys. This was amended after Kaitlin Olson wanted to do more of "the fun stuff" the boys did and not just have her character boiled down to "Awww, you guyyyys...."
to:
** In the first season, Dee is more often the voice of morality and reason, while in later episodes at least suggesting the moral option and trying to be helpful and supportive. By the second season she becomes just as deranged and pathetic as the guys. This was amended after Kaitlin Olson wanted to do more of "the fun stuff" the boys did and not just have her character boiled down to "Awww, "[[WetBlanketWife Awww, you guyyyys...."]]"
** Especially in the first season Charlie seemed to have a SingleTargetSexuality with "[[NoNameGiven the Waitress]]" and was generally more of a sad sack. He gradually would be scheming to get laid as much as Mac and Dennis (the Waitress also became a less recurring character), as well as becoming more feisty and viewed as probably the craziest of the group.
Changed line(s) 399,400 (click to see context) from:
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The first season.
** Characterization wasn't set on the main characters: Charlie was more of an awkward loser than a semi-literate lunatic, Dee is the OnlySaneMan, Dennis is vain but not a borderline sexual offender, and Mac is unambiguously heterosexual.
** Characterization wasn't set on the main characters: Charlie was more of an awkward loser than a semi-literate lunatic, Dee is the OnlySaneMan, Dennis is vain but not a borderline sexual offender, and Mac is unambiguously heterosexual.
to:
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The first season.
EarlyInstallmentWeirdness:
**Characterization wasn't set on Early episodes had NoBudget, heavily using Paddy's and the main characters: back alley for most of the story as well as [[SpeechCentricWork relying a lot more on conversational humor]]. By the second season they were doing a lot more location work with large crowds of extras as well as visual gags with props and signs.
** Charlie was more of an awkward loser than a semi-literate lunatic, Dee is the OnlySaneMan, Dennis is vain but not a borderline sexual offender, and Mac is unambiguously heterosexual.
**
** Charlie was more of an awkward loser than a semi-literate lunatic, Dee is the OnlySaneMan, Dennis is vain but not a borderline sexual offender, and Mac is unambiguously heterosexual.
Changed line(s) 1126 (click to see context) from:
* UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist: All of them. When you feel sorry for the ''serial killer'' who crosses paths with the gang, your characters are bastards.
to:
* UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist: All of them. When you the main characters have SkewedPriorities to the extreme, and will go down wild tangents [[ItsAllAboutMe based on how it affects them]]. You feel sorry for the ''serial killer'' who crosses paths with the gang, your gang. The only positive side is that they are generally horrible to each other and [[ProtagonistCenteredMorality the mistreatment of innocent people is framed as horrible too]], and more often the main characters are bastards.end up the butt of the joke.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Added example(s)
Added DiffLines:
** Mac ''again'' in "The Gang Wrestles for the Troops". Notable in that Mac had a hand in creating every aspect of this situation--being a {{Face}} wrestler representing America against a {{Heel}} wrestler representing the Taliban in front of an audience of veterans--and [[MilesGloriosus he still announces that he is too afraid]].
--->'''Mac:''' It looks like, if I come in there, you're just gonna throw sand at me, so... I'm gonna run away.
--->'''Mac:''' It looks like, if I come in there, you're just gonna throw sand at me, so... I'm gonna run away.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Added example(s)
Added DiffLines:
* OneDialogueTwoConversations: Occasionally the show will get some mileage from a sustained misunderstanding that continues during a conversation and persists long after a conversation has concluded.
** In "The Gang Gets Racist", Terrell gets a whole monologue about an experience he had at a club, in which he met a Latino man who was giving "the crazy eyes", so Terrell "made the first move", took him to the back alley, and "tore his ass apart". The gangs walk away thinking that Terrell is a ScaryBlackMan, when really Terrell is just describing when he had [[GayBarReveal sex with a strange man in an alley]].
--->'''Terrell:''' Now, I don't know if this dude wants to freak me or fight me!
** In "The Gang Spies Like U.S.", Charlie knows neither that Mac and Dennis are stealing the Chinese fish factory's Wi-Fi, nor that "cream pie" is also a name for a sex act (and therefore a search term for pornography). He therefore comes to the conclusion that Mac and Dennis are planning on starting a bakery with the Chinese and asks them [[InnocentInnuendo why they haven't asked them to make cream pies with him instead]]. Then he starts talking about [[MistakenForPedophile feeding his cream pies to children]]...
** In "The Gang Gets Racist", Terrell gets a whole monologue about an experience he had at a club, in which he met a Latino man who was giving "the crazy eyes", so Terrell "made the first move", took him to the back alley, and "tore his ass apart". The gangs walk away thinking that Terrell is a ScaryBlackMan, when really Terrell is just describing when he had [[GayBarReveal sex with a strange man in an alley]].
--->'''Terrell:''' Now, I don't know if this dude wants to freak me or fight me!
** In "The Gang Spies Like U.S.", Charlie knows neither that Mac and Dennis are stealing the Chinese fish factory's Wi-Fi, nor that "cream pie" is also a name for a sex act (and therefore a search term for pornography). He therefore comes to the conclusion that Mac and Dennis are planning on starting a bakery with the Chinese and asks them [[InnocentInnuendo why they haven't asked them to make cream pies with him instead]]. Then he starts talking about [[MistakenForPedophile feeding his cream pies to children]]...
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Not really. I only recall one instance incest joke about them, where Dennis briefly and incorrectly thinks he might have fathered Dee's baby and can't stop throwing up. By contrast, the Mc Poyles are always laying their enthusiastic incest subtext on thick.
Deleted line(s) 582 (click to see context) :
** Part of the humor with Dennis and Dee’s disgust with the [=McPoyles=] is that they really have no room to talk when it comes to IncestSubtext.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 506,507 (click to see context) from:
* FunnyBackgroundEvent: Compared to the rest of The Gang, [[ConsummateLiar Dennis is by far the most believable in social situations where they inevitably have to lie to someone]]. Also inevitably, someone (usually Charlie) will screw things up by suddenly making a ridiculous comment, and Dennis can often be seen struggling to hide his frustration in his facial expression and/or body language.
* FunnyFlashbackHaircut: In a flashback to 40 years in the past the showrunners make no attempt to make Danny Devito look younger. Instead they just slap an unkempt toupet to cover his bald spots.
* FunnyFlashbackHaircut: In a flashback to 40 years in the past the showrunners make no attempt to make Danny Devito look younger. Instead they just slap an unkempt toupet to cover his bald spots.
to:
* FunnyBackgroundEvent: Compared to A subtle element of the rest show's style of The Gang, [[ConsummateLiar Dennis comedy is by far out-of-focus characters reacting to whatever insanity is occurring nearby; Charlie is frequently either the most believable subject of this or the one doing it (watch him whenever he's sitting in social situations where they inevitably have to lie to someone]]. Also inevitably, someone (usually Charlie) will screw things up by suddenly making a ridiculous comment, the background), and Dennis can is often be seen struggling the latter by dint of a foul temper that he's phenomenally poor at hiding whenever the others' behavior starts to hide his frustration in his facial expression and/or body language.
grate.
* FunnyFlashbackHaircut: Ina flashback flashbacks to 40 40+ years in the past past, the showrunners make no attempt to make Danny Devito look younger. Instead younger, nor cast anyone else as a younger Frank. Instead, they just slap on an obvious unkempt toupet toupee to cover his bald spots.baldness.
* FunnyFlashbackHaircut: In
Changed line(s) 599,600 (click to see context) from:
* ImprovisedBandage: Spoofed by Frank, who occasionally thinks he can fix various wounds by packing them with garbage (including his broken nose and cuts from his toe knife). It never works and usually makes things worse for obvious reasons.
* ImStandingRightHere: While in the waiting room at the hospital in "The Gang Goes to the Jersey Shore", Dennis and Dee construct a painstakingly detailed narrative involving a teenage part-time job giving way to a downward spiral of cocaine habits, studio apartments, single motherhood, and HIV infection based on a somewhat frumpy-looking woman sitting in there with them. She points out that she can hear everything, but admits that their assessment is not especially inaccurate.
* ImStandingRightHere: While in the waiting room at the hospital in "The Gang Goes to the Jersey Shore", Dennis and Dee construct a painstakingly detailed narrative involving a teenage part-time job giving way to a downward spiral of cocaine habits, studio apartments, single motherhood, and HIV infection based on a somewhat frumpy-looking woman sitting in there with them. She points out that she can hear everything, but admits that their assessment is not especially inaccurate.
to:
* ImprovisedBandage: Spoofed by Frank, who occasionally thinks he can fix various wounds by packing them with garbage (including his broken nose and cuts from his [[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext toe knife).knife]]). It never works and usually makes things worse for obvious reasons.
* ImStandingRightHere: While bored in the waiting room at the hospital in "The Gang Goes to the Jersey Shore", Dennis and Dee construct a painstakingly detailed narrative involving a teenage part-time job giving way to a downward spiral of cocaine habits, studio apartments, single motherhood, and HIV infection all based on a somewhat frumpy-looking woman sitting in there with them. She points out that she can hear everything, but admits that their assessmentis not especially isn't totally inaccurate.
* ImStandingRightHere: While bored in the waiting room at the hospital in "The Gang Goes to the Jersey Shore", Dennis and Dee construct a painstakingly detailed narrative involving a teenage part-time job giving way to a downward spiral of cocaine habits, studio apartments, single motherhood, and HIV infection all based on a somewhat frumpy-looking woman sitting in there with them. She points out that she can hear everything, but admits that their assessment
Changed line(s) 619 (click to see context) from:
** Rickety Cricket (real name Matthew) due to having loud rickety leg braces as a kid in school, the gang is the only people who still call him this.
to:
** Rickety Cricket (real name Matthew) "Rickety Cricket" came about due to his having loud had loud, rickety leg braces as a kid in school, kid; the gang is are naturally the only people who still call him this.this, to the total exclusion of his real name, Matthew Mara.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* HillbillyIncest: The [=McPoyle=] clan leans heavily into this trope. They are implied to be hillbillies due to their rural accents and the family meeting in a remote cabin in the woods. The whole family is very inbred. Siblings Liam, Ryan, and Margaret [=McPoyle=] are all overtly sexual toward one another.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* DysfunctionalFamily: It’s a frequent joke in fandom that the Reynolds are funhouse [[Series/{{Succession}} Roys]], right down to the respective children being doomed from birth. The book has Frank with an Oedipus complex, resenting a father that hit him and claiming his mother was his first love. Pop Pop was a NaziGrandpa who groped Dee. Barbara treated Dee as worse than the pet, and Dennis has a TraumaButton of older women in sexual situations partly because of her. Frank emotionally tortured both of his kids, and exploited them as adults. Dennis and Dee are both {{serial rapist}}s who are intensely codependent, with Dennis conditioning Dee to be his other half, and Dee mothering Dennis to keep power over him.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* AssShove: Both PlayedForLaughs and PlayedForDrama in “The Gang Gets Whacked”, as Dennis’s Janes are heavily implied to be pegging him and the joke is Frank telling him there can be rules while telling the Janes “he’ll do anything with the ass”. But he’s so low on the totem pole that they’re damaging him to the point of needing a doctor, and it contributes to his feeling of being raped.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* TheShameless: All of the main characters have a particular area in their lives where they lack the self-awareness required to have shame, but it ''is'' possible to shame Dee, Dennis, Mac, and Charlie into trying to conform to more normal forms of behavior (even if it's just for appearances) if you can target the one thing they each are deeply insecure about. This is not the case for Frank. Frank has [[AtLeastIAdmitIt no delusions]] about the fact that he's a mean, gross, bigoted {{Jerkass}}. He's a proud [[TheHedonist hedonist]] who doesn't really care what others think of him, likely because he's so [[ArbitrarilyLargeBankAccount independently wealthy]] that he doesn't need to.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 703 (click to see context) from:
* LongRunners: Its upcoming 15th season will make it the longest-running American scripted live-action comedy of all time, beating out ''Series/TheAdventuresOfOzzieAndHarriet''. It is currently renewed up to season 18. The cast members have stated that they'll do the show as long as they're allowed.
to:
* LongRunners: Its upcoming 15th season will make made it the longest-running American scripted live-action comedy of all time, beating out ''Series/TheAdventuresOfOzzieAndHarriet''. It is currently renewed up to season 18. The cast members have stated that they'll do the show as long as they're allowed.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
** Part of the humor with Dennis and Dee’s disgust with the [=McPoyles=] is that they really have no room to talk when it comes to IncestSubtext.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Per TRS.
* QuirkyWork: InUniverse, the [[InSeriesNickname Dancing Man]]'s public-access TV show, which is just a man dancing shirtless on green-screened backgrounds. [[GuiltyPleasure The gang finds it oddly fascinating.]]
Deleted line(s) 1150 (click to see context) :
* WidgetSeries: InUniverse, the [[InSeriesNickname Dancing Man]]'s public-access TV show, which is just a man dancing shirtless on green-screened backgrounds. [[GuiltyPleasure The gang finds it oddly fascinating.]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
** Dennis also tries to use it in "Old Lady House: A Situation Comedy" between Jack and Bonnie Kelly (the fact that they're [[BrotherSisterIncest siblings]] does not deter him). He tries to turn it into a LoveTriangle once Frank gets involved. Needless to say, Dennis seems to be a big fan of this trope.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
*** Coupling with ParentalIncest, “Make Paddy’s Great Again”, both Dee and Frank partake in an orgy (Frank eating out the asshole and Dee getting off by watching) with the Dennis sex doll to get out all their codependent psychosexual issues with him, and Dee both would rather her actual brother back than a nice woman, and gets distracted by the Cindy plan by being interested in the blowjob mouth.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Juggalo TRS cleanup, now a Useful Notes page.
Deleted line(s) 660 (click to see context) :
* {{Juggalo}}: Portrayed in "Dee Reynolds: Shaping America's Youth". [[{{Malaproper}} Charlie mistakenly refers to him as a "juggler"]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* DramaBombFinale: Since season eleven, the finale for each season tends to showcase the Gang’s tragic side. “The Gang Goes To Hell” with them all deciding to die together, “Dennis’s Double Life” with Dennis’s failed attempt at being a better father than Frank, “Mac Finds His Pride” with Mac’s dance, “Waiting For Big Mo” retaining the melancholy of Theatre/WaitingForGodot, “The Gang Carries A Corpse Up A Mountain” with Charlie crying and “Dennis Takes A Mental Health Day” with ContinuityPorn over Dennis’s systems and sexual trauma.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* VillainousIncest: A lot of people, both adult and assumption in high school, think Dennis and Dee are fucking. [[IncestSubtext Not that they help themselves in that regard.]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Deleted line(s) 1150 (click to see context) :
* WilliamTelling: Dee and Frank are stopped in the act in "The Gang Cracks the Liberty Bell". They were about to try to do it with a ''[[JugglingLoadedGuns blunderbuss]]''.
Added DiffLines:
* WilliamTelling: Dee and Frank are stopped in the act in "The Gang Cracks the Liberty Bell". They were about to try to do it with a ''[[JugglingLoadedGuns blunderbuss]]''.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* WillTheyOrWontThey:
** Dennis tries to invoke this trope between Mac and Dee in "The Gang Tries Desperately to Win An Award," in order to increase their chances of winning the Best Bar in Philadelphia award. [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] in that neither Mac nor Dee are particularly enthusiastic about enacting this trope, ultimately ending with them yelling at each other and Mac [[WouldHitAGirl nearly strangling Dee]] because she cracked a joke about his mother.
** Later seasons, however, seem to play this trope straight between Mac and Dennis, with Mac explicitly being in love with Dennis, and Dennis' feelings for Mac being relatively ambiguous.
** Dennis tries to invoke this trope between Mac and Dee in "The Gang Tries Desperately to Win An Award," in order to increase their chances of winning the Best Bar in Philadelphia award. [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] in that neither Mac nor Dee are particularly enthusiastic about enacting this trope, ultimately ending with them yelling at each other and Mac [[WouldHitAGirl nearly strangling Dee]] because she cracked a joke about his mother.
** Later seasons, however, seem to play this trope straight between Mac and Dennis, with Mac explicitly being in love with Dennis, and Dennis' feelings for Mac being relatively ambiguous.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
** As the series progresses, the main cast grows increasingly prone to say that they're "moving past" some topic or setback while charging heedlessly forward in defiance of any caution or reflection.
Changed line(s) 391 (click to see context) from:
** In "Reynolds v. Reynolds: The Cereal Defense", the topic shifts to the subject of creationism. Mac, TheFundamentalist, is generally framed as foolish for his refusal to believe in evolution, but he manages to make a cogent argument against Dennis, because he successfully proves that Dennis doesn't know how evolution actually works, so his "faith" in it is no more valid than his faith in Creationism -- especially since the scientists he believes in can be wrong. Dennis is unable to come up with a good answer because Mac has a point: Dennis has never thought about the topic beyond blindly trusting smart people, and said smart people can be wrong.
to:
** In "Reynolds v. Reynolds: The Cereal Defense", the topic shifts to the subject of creationism. Mac, TheFundamentalist, is generally framed as foolish for his refusal to believe in evolution, but he manages to make a cogent persuasive argument against Dennis, Dennis by arguing that because he successfully proves that Dennis doesn't personally know how evolution actually works, so his "faith" in it the work of scientists is no more valid than his Mac's faith in Creationism -- Creationism, especially since the scientists he believes in can be wrong. Mac's argument ''sounds'' cogent, and Dennis is unable at a loss to come up with a good answer because Mac has a point: Dennis has never thought about the topic beyond blindly trusting smart people, and said smart people can be wrong.refute it.
Added DiffLines:
* SamusIsAGirl: Many years after Mac's dog Poppins is introduced, he's revealed to be pregnant. Even after learning this fact and repeatedly being corrected, Mac continues to refer to Poppins as a male dog. [[spoiler:This is ultimately subverted: the pregnant female dog isn't Poppins and just looks like him. The real Poppins arrives and steals the blanket that the female dog is lying on]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
** In "Charlie Work", he manages to figure out the Gang's newest overly convoluted scheme just based on context clues and past experience with them, after which he manages to get a near-perfect score for the health inspection despite the state the bar is in thanks to the current scheme, help them accomplish their scheme, as well as give Dee payback for ruining the perfect score all at the same time.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
* FlorenceNightingaleEffect: Both Dennis and Dee use this one, with Dennis telling Charlie he should let the Waitress get stabbed so he can nurse her back to her health, and Dee teaching Mac how to get Dennis dependent on him.
** In the season fifteen finale, while Dennis partakes in the FriendshipMoment, he’s also apart from the walky group hug that the others do. “Dennis Takes A Mental Health Day” shows his fears that they’re family enough without him, but goes to be with them anyway.
* ForgivenButNotForgotten: How they operate. They’ve all done terrible things to each other, and that’s not forgotten as well as if there’s a chance for payback they’ll take it, but they will still happily hang out because genuine if warped love and nobody else wants them.
Changed line(s) 489 (click to see context) from:
** Dennis has a completely amoral father figure (Frank) and a mother who believed he could do no wrong and openly and heavily favored him to Dee. At the age of fourteen, the school's librarian raped him, and it's implied he started shoving down emotions after this. He's finally diagnosed with BPD after bragging for ages that he's a sociopath.
to:
** Dennis has a completely amoral father figure (Frank) and a mother who believed he could do no wrong and openly and heavily favored him to Dee. "Frank Vs Russia" heavily implies she groomed and isolated him. At the age of fourteen, the school's librarian raped him, and it's implied he started shoving down emotions after this. He's finally diagnosed with BPD after bragging for ages that he's a sociopath.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
* BelligerentSexualTension: Even Danny Devito pointed out how much sexual tension is between Dennis and Dee, and notably in season six, the squick about sleeping together turns into both treating him like he’s the father anyway.
Changed line(s) 154 (click to see context) from:
* BigScrewedUpFamily: Frank was a terrible father who relentlessly emotionally tortured Dennis and Dee, and successfully hooked up with his niece. Their mother was a heartless bitch to Dee. It's revealed that [[spoiler: Charlie is (probably) Frank's ''real'' son]], and [[spoiler: Dennis and Dee were actually bastard children born from an affair their mom had]]. Mac was their mother's lover in season 2.
to:
* BigScrewedUpFamily: Frank was a terrible father who relentlessly emotionally tortured Dennis and Dee, and successfully hooked up with his niece. Their mother was a heartless bitch to Dee.Dee, and is the root of Dennis's sex issues. It's revealed that [[spoiler: Charlie is (probably) Frank's ''real'' son]], and [[spoiler: Dennis and Dee were actually bastard children born from an affair their mom had]]. Mac was their mother's lover in season 2.
Changed line(s) 208 (click to see context) from:
*** Played with in the Night Man musical, which casts Dee and Dennis as lovers resulting in a kiss being modified into an erotically-charged hug. Dee's also quite concerned that it makes her look like a pedophile.
to:
*** Played with in the Night Man musical, which casts Dee and Dennis as lovers resulting in a kiss being modified into an erotically-charged hug. Dee's also quite concerned that it makes her look like a pedophile. Played for laughs in the live shows, as they either go in for the kiss before getting interrupted, or end up just groping each other. And even in the episode, Dennis really doesn’t want the song to be cut, and Dee’s main concern is looking like a child molester instead of it being an IntercourseWithYou song with her brother.
Added DiffLines:
*** In “The Gang Gets Quarantined”, Dennis somehow thinks detailing how he can go from flaccid to erect in front of people including his sister and stepdad will help prove he’s not sick, and Dee is staring stunned harder than anyone. In following episodes, she’s nearly always the one noticing when he has a boner.
*** Dennis is extremely possessive of Dee, claiming her hair is as much as his as well as hers and not letting her do anything innocently fun without him, and Dee finds it a turn on to emasculate or humiliate her brother and show how pathetic he really is, while also having sex fantasies of torturing him. They also seem to make it a point to TMI brag to each other about at best slutty exploits, or at worst, sexually extorting someone with the threat of violence or FalseRapeAccusation.
*** Both of them have NoSenseOfPersonalSpace with each other, whether it’s clinging out of distress, calming each other down or just because they feel like it. Their high school reunion also implies people thought they were fucking even back then.
*** The promos tend to go wild in this respect too, one where they’re chained together with her holding the chain, and the series nine promos (parodying ''Film/LesEnfantsTerribles'') with them being {{Mirror Character}}s, her holding a cigarette in his mouth, and him submissively putting his head on her hand. Funnily enough, both of these have the rest of the Gang hanging around and acting like this doesn't faze them anymore.
*** Dennis is extremely possessive of Dee, claiming her hair is as much as his as well as hers and not letting her do anything innocently fun without him, and Dee finds it a turn on to emasculate or humiliate her brother and show how pathetic he really is, while also having sex fantasies of torturing him. They also seem to make it a point to TMI brag to each other about at best slutty exploits, or at worst, sexually extorting someone with the threat of violence or FalseRapeAccusation.
*** Both of them have NoSenseOfPersonalSpace with each other, whether it’s clinging out of distress, calming each other down or just because they feel like it. Their high school reunion also implies people thought they were fucking even back then.
*** The promos tend to go wild in this respect too, one where they’re chained together with her holding the chain, and the series nine promos (parodying ''Film/LesEnfantsTerribles'') with them being {{Mirror Character}}s, her holding a cigarette in his mouth, and him submissively putting his head on her hand. Funnily enough, both of these have the rest of the Gang hanging around and acting like this doesn't faze them anymore.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* CerebusRetcon: Dennis getting pimped out by Frank was already a BlackComedyRape in-episode, but later seasons show it was a re-traumatising experience for him, having a fear of older women in sexual situations, making the stripper music as his bedroom prison music, and already being at least groomed by one parent.
-->'''Dennis''' [to Frank]: All your neglect and misdeeds have allowed me to harness the darkness inside me and unleash it without conscience.
-->'''Dennis''' [to Frank]: All your neglect and misdeeds have allowed me to harness the darkness inside me and unleash it without conscience.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* NotIfTheyEnjoyedItRationalisation: Dennis is a big proponent of it, as [[BlatantLies of course]] he would stop if anyone actually said “no” or the SafeWord, but despite making it impossible to say no with locks, contracts, forced phone texts, and coercion, nobody technically has so it’s not rape. This belief also applies to himself, as he tries multiple times and not very convincingly to say that he wasn’t raped by Mrs Klinsky and it was mutually a fun time.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* LonelyRichKid: {{Spoiled Brat}}s as well, but Dee and Dennis had a pretty shitty childhood despite being rich. Barbara kept humiliating Dee and crushing her dreams/telling her that she was a mistake while Dennis had it drilled into him that he was both a god and helpless, Frank emotionally terrorised them both, neither got help for decreasing mental health, Dee is clearly nervous claiming they had a normal childhood, and even when they’re adults and are deeply toxic to each other (and all but actively incestuous), they’ll still cling like little kids if they’re distressed. It’s telling that they both think the Jersey Shore vacations were the happiest days of their lives, and even then WordOfGod had their first kiss with each other..
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
** Of StatusQuoIsGod and NegativeContinuity. The status quo will be enforced no matter what, but the characters either can’t stand it or find some relief that they don’t have to try/be on their own, and the bad events aren’t actually forgotten. Cricket’s life gets worse and the Gang don’t take responsibility for it ever, Maureen and Bill get their own SanitySlippage after coming into contact with them, Dee is still suicidal even after season nine, the twofer of RapeAsBackstory revealed and nightmare with Mac in the suburbs makes Dennis dissociate more, Charlie increasingly resents his mom for smothering him while she ignores Uncle Jack’s creepiness, and Mac gets needier as he struggles with his sexuality and religion.
Added DiffLines:
* MirrorCharacter: Dennis and Dee. Even they see themselves as a complete set, there are multiple episodes where they have separate plotlines but do the same things/get punished the same way, they know how to dig in at each other in a way that nobody else can but will also only ever choose each other when there’s actual danger, she has her insinuation and he has his implication, he has his DENNIS system and she browbeats men until they sleep with her, she’s been institutionalised and he didn’t get diagnosed with BPD until late thirties, they’re both arrogant with god complexes but also deep insecurity and intense rage, even the Waitress really damn drunk mistakes Dee for Dennis, and the season nine promos lampshade that she’s his mirror.
* MiseryPoker: Played with in “[=PTSDee=]”, as neither Dennis or Charlie actually admit they’re traumatised from their respective RapeAsBackstory, but still complain that Mac, the stripper and Dee haven’t experienced “real trauma”.
* MiseryPoker: Played with in “[=PTSDee=]”, as neither Dennis or Charlie actually admit they’re traumatised from their respective RapeAsBackstory, but still complain that Mac, the stripper and Dee haven’t experienced “real trauma”.
Added DiffLines:
* OutlawCouple: Dee and Dennis have dressed up as serial killers to stalk the waitress (he wants to actually kill and she admits just stalking is not as fun), kidnapped, terrorised and robbed people (accidentally, but neither feel guilty about it) and have a few twisted {{Friendship Moment}}s about both being rapists.
Added DiffLines:
* ShownTheirWork: As awful and narcissistic and possibly psychotic as he is, Dennis has been praised for an accurate depiction of BPD: the hypersexuality, the feeling dead inside, dissociating, creators have said many times he’s probably the most fragile of the Gang, is the worst off when he’s alone and freaks out when he might get abandoned, constantly self harms and harms others with his awful views on sex coming from trauma when young, and is very impulsive and desperate for validation though he won’t admit it. It also helps that his terrible behavior isn’t due to his BPD, he’s just rape culture in a nutshell and knows he can get away with it.
Added DiffLines:
** The twins generally have a tendency to come up with the same predatory behaviour separately, whether it’s rapey implications, dominating their “friends”, abusive systems that they enjoy using on each other, or just pretending to have a dog that died to foster sympathy. This works to their benefit in “The Gang Escapes”, as Dee knows exactly how her brother’s brain works in his creepy rape dungeon, so gets out and lets the Gang technically win (and she’s delighted about getting praise).
Added DiffLines:
** Dennis is one big insult to pick-up artists and guys who cover up their abuse in “acceptable” language, showing how fucked up, pathetic and creepy they really are.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
*** On the whole, Dennis will go in for a lot of blondes with his sister’s hairstyle (including the filmed memoirs on the season four extras where he {{date rape}}s someone who looks like Dee, plus the similarities between her and Jackie) and Dee really likes skinny men who wear a lot of flannel and have brown wavy hair.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* {{Absurdism}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDSzFVdc_ko Glenn]] talked about approaching the show like it’s a drama, just with insane characters and insane situations, and that’s what brings the comedy.
