"The eyes of the world are gonna be on Philadelphia, and I wanna show them that we are not just degenerates, okay?"
—Mac
Mac, Dee and Frank travel to Minnesota to support the Eagles in the Super Bowl, but the presence of several of the gang's hangers-on threatens to derail their plans.
This episode provides examples of the following tropes:
- Bait-and-Switch: When the bus breaks down, it looks like the episode will be all about the gang on a misadventure trying to get to the Super Bowl. It's even lampshaded by Mac with a rant about "this always happens!" Cue Frank just chartering a private plane to get there.
- Been There, Shaped History: The episode shows that Dee inadvertently helped the Eagles win the game. She rubbed her infected eye on a towel which was then sent to the field to be used by Tom Brady. Brady caught the infection himself and his impaired vision was what caused him to get strip sacked by Brandon Graham and help seal the game for the Eagles.
- Big Game: The episode revolves around the Philadelphia Eagles' triumph at the 2018 Super Bowl (LII).
- Breaking the Fourth Wall: The end credits feature the real life video of Rob McElhenney celebrating the Eagles' victory when he attended the game.
- Brick Joke: From the last episode as it turns out Cricket was the one who dressed up as Green Man to sneak on board the bus.
- The Bus Came Back: Ben the soldier and Rex reappear for the first time since seasons nine and ten, respectively.
- Call-Back:
- Uncle Jack tries to wear his fake giant hands to the game.
- Rex is now selling Invigaron berries.
- Ben is concerned when he gets engine grease on his jean shorts.
- Frank ties the waiter's shoelaces together, causing him to fall on his face.
- Cassandra Truth: Mac and Frank keep telling Dee she's suffering from pink eye, but she assumes they're just being assholes to her like usual and ignores them.
- Celebrity Paradox: Apparently, both Mac and Rob (and Dee and Kaitlin) were at Superbowl LII.
- Conspicuous Consumption: When the bus the group is taking to Minnesota breaks down, Mac panics and is convinced they won't make the game. Instead, Frank, being filthy rich, just charters a private plane to take them to Minnesota and they get to the game with no problems whatsoever.
- Continuity Nod: The waiter mentioned back in "The Gang Beats Boggs: Ladies Reboot" (which chronologically takes place after this episode) that he'd served the gang at the Superbowl.
- Despair Speech: Mac gives one when it looks like the Patriots are about to win.Mac: We blew it, man. Now Brady's got the ball, we're two and half minutes left, he's gonna take the ball down the field, he's gonna score, and he's gonna win the game. Because that's who he is, man. And you know who we are? We're losers. All of Philadelphia. We're angry, and we're mean, and we're cruel, and we act like jerks.
- Drives Like Crazy: The Waitress crashes Frank's party bus when she turns around to show off her Tom Brady shirt to the others.
- Everyone Has Standards: Mac is disgusted by Frank's invitees - including Rickety Cricket, Bill Ponderosa, Uncle Jack and Ben the soldier - and considers them the worst Philadelphia has to offer.
- Eye Scream: Dee is suffering from pinkeye, which gets progressively worse throughout the episode.
- The Friend Nobody Likes
- Lampshaded by Dee when Mac reacts with disgust to her eye.
Dee: Okay, I get it. I get it. It's "pick on Dee for no reason" day. Real original.- Nobody really cares that Charlie was left behind before they left the bus.
- Friendship Moment: After the Eagles win, Mac facetimes Charlie to tell him that his superstitions worked, and also hugs both Frank and Dee.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Charlie steps back into the bear trap to help the Eagles secure victory.
- Hidden Depths: Ben seems to have some skill as a mechanic, as he diagnoses the problem with the party bus after it crashes.
- Hypocritical Humor: The Waitress agrees with Mac about the others all being degenerates before spitting asparagus on the ground.
- Mr. Fanservice: This is the sole reason that Mac invited Rex along. Unfortunately for him, it turns out Rex has let himself go somewhat since his last appearance.
- Noodle Incident: Cricket mentions an incident with a horse as the reason for his nosebleeds.
- Only Sane Man: Mac tries to be this throughout the episode, attempting to distance himself from his Philadelphia scumbag roots until Frank shows him the error of his ways.
- Out of Focus: It's Charlie's turn to take a backseat this episode, while Dennis is once again nowhere to be seen.
- Pet the Dog: Frank treats everyone with a private bus (later a plane when the bus breaks down) and luxury suite tickets so they can all root for the Eagles in-person.
- The Reveal: Cricket is the one who stole Charlie's greenman suit in order to stow away on the bus.
- Rousing Speech: Frank gives one in response to Mac's Despair Speech above.Frank: No, no, Mac. You got it all wrong. Those guys are Philadelphia. They bust their ass every day just to get through, then on a Sunday, they put all their hopes into the Eagles. And year after year after year, their team lets 'em down. And they get angry, and that anger builds into a stone of fury, and if it could just be released, then we could feel something different.Mac: What?Frank: Then you, me, us - those guys - the whole city of Philadelphia could feel like champions.
- Running Gag: The gang once again don't remember ever being served by the waiter before.
- Everyone tries in vain to get Dee to know she has pink eye but Dee ignores both them and how her eye gets worse and worse every time it's shown.
- Selective Obliviousness: Dee refuses to acknowledge that she has pink eye.
- Special Edition Title: "The Eye of the Tiger" plays over the opening credits in place of the usual theme music.
- Spotting the Thread: Cricket's disguise begins to unravel when the others notice his nose is bleeding.
- "Stuck at the Airport" Plot: Subverted; it appears that the Waitress' poor driving might strand the Gang far short of the game... then Frank springs for a private jet.
- Toilet Humor: Frank's subplot involves him passing a kidney stone to help the Eagles win the game.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: In a rare positive example, it's implied that Dee wiping her eyes on a towel which was then given to Tom Brady gave him pinkeye and caused the Patriots to lose the game.
- Whole Episode Flashback: As with the previous episode, takes place sometime prior to the rest of the season.
