When you've just turned black
And you can't switch back
Well you gotta go and find out the rules!
And you can't switch back
Well you gotta go and find out the rules!
— Dennis
After a freak storm during movie night causes them all to get electrocuted, the gang find themselves inhabiting the bodies of a black family and try to figure out how to get back to normal while inexplicably breaking out into song.
This episode provides examples of the following tropes:
- Adam Westing: Scott Bakula of Quantum Leap fame appears as a washed-up version of himself working as a janitor in a nursing home.
- All Just a Dream: The ending reveals that the events of the episode were dreamed by Old Black Man after he fell asleep during the gang's movie night.
- And You Were There: Said verbatim by Old Black Man when he wakes up from his dream at the end of the episode.
- Arc Words: "What are the rules?"Charlie: ... of being black in America?
Dee: ... of leaping from your body?
Frank: Who can say the N-word?note - Bizarro Episode: It's a Magical Realism musical where the Gang are transformed into black people and must uncover how the magic that did this works so they can turn back. Even the characters are a little unsure what's going on.
- Black Comedy Burst: The ending qualifies, even by Always Sunny standards. See Mood Whiplash.
- The Cast Show Off: The episode's musical numbers were all penned by Charlie Day. In addition, the entire cast gets to show off their singing voices, which range from decent to genuinely impressive.
- Chekhov's Gun: The toy train that the social worker gives to Charlie at the police station. He takes it out in an attempt to befriend the police when the gang are about to be arrested again at the end of the episode, but they mistake it for a gun and shoot him.
- Continuity Nod:
- Old Black Man is still sleeping with Dee, Mac and Dennis after the three lost a bet with Frank in "Mac and Dennis Move To the Suburbs".
- Dennis hates hearing about people's dreams.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Even Charlie and Dennis are disturbed by the casually racist assumptions Mac makes about black people as he attempts to figure out the lesson the Gang is supposed to be learning.Charlie: Dude, you have to stop.
- Similarly, Dee is very unimpressed with Frank thinking he has N-Word Privileges now that he's black. He doesn't actually say it on screen, but he makes the intent clear.
- Foreshadowing: After the gang wakes up as black people, the first thing Dee asks is if they're all still dreaming.
- "Freaky Friday" Flip: Discussed, as the gang initially believe that they've switched bodies with a black family. Dennis even refers to their situation as a "Freaky Friday Thing."
- Gainax Ending: The Old Black Man walks in front of a mirror...with a reflection of Scott Bakula looking back at him.
- I Am Not Spock: Scott Bakula gets annoyed when Dee and Frank compare him to his character from Quantum Leap.
- Insistent Terminology: Dee tells Frank that he has to call Old Black Man "Old Man". However, a black guy later addresses him as Old Black Man.
- Jaded Washout: Scott Bakula has become this. He has been forced to take a job as a janitor to pay the bills, and his song has him asking "Ziggy" to return him to 1989 because "that was a better year."
- Lampshade Hanging: The gang spends most of the episode discussing (and singing) the various tropes associated with body swapping and trying to figure out the episode's lesson so they can 'learn' it and switch back to normal.
- Lightning Can Do Anything: A lightning bolt hitting the gang's VCR and electric blankets causes the body-swap.
- Medium Awareness: Dennis is the first to figure out they are stuck in a musical.
- The Mirror Shows Your True Self: The Gang realize they're now black people after looking into a mirror, which leads to Dee thinking that they must be working off of Quantum Leap rules. At the end of the episode Old Black Man looks into a mirror and sees Scott Bakula.Scott Bakula: Oh, boy. What are the rules?
- Mood Whiplash: Charlie getting graphically shot by the police - who perceive him as a preteen black boy - is a genuinely shocking moment... and then the gang, including Charlie, burst into song again.
- Musical Episode: The gang randomly burst into song and dance numbers throughout the episode after the body switch takes place.
- N-Word Privileges: Frank is excited to say the "n-word", but Dee tells him that he still can't say it as he's not really black and wonders why he's been looking for an excuse to say it in the first place.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: Old Black Man is addressed as such by every character except his own wife, who calls him by his real name (Carl).
- The Reveal: The gang's priority throughout the episode is figuring out which film/show their predicament follows the rules of so they can adapt and escape. By the end they've figured it out: It's The Wizard of Oz.
- Ripped from the Headlines: Underneath all the silliness, the episode is a commentary on racial tensions in America, in particular the recent spate of shootings of unarmed young black men by police.
- Shoot Him, He Has a Wallet!: Charlie is shot by cops when he holds what is clearly a toy train in the air.
- Shout-Out:
- The episode opens with the gang gathering to watch The Wiz for movie night.
- The gang rattles off a whole list of body-switching movies while trying to find an explanation for their current predicament, including The Hot Chick, Vice Versa, All of Me, Like Father, Like Son, 13 Going on 30 and Face/Off, as well as the series Quantum Leap.
- Frank is surprised when he finally meets Scott Bakula, because he was picturing Blacula.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome:
- Run around town yelling about body-swapping and randomly breaking into song, and everyone will think you're crazy.
- Dennis, Mac, and Charlie quickly discover that they can no longer simply talk their way out of trouble with the police now that they're black.
- The gang gets forced into the choreography of a musical, and ends up getting really tired.
