Hulu
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia – The Gang Buys a Roller Rink/The Gang Replaces Dee with a Monkey (15×03/15×04)
“The Gang Buys a Roller Rink” is an experimental episode of Always Sunny, flashing back to what basically amounts to an origin story for the gang. But does the gang really need an origin story?
Flashback origin stories (like prequels) are most successful when the information about the origin re-contextualizes something we know about the characters the story is exploring. An example where “The Gang Buys a Roller Rink” succeeds is in the reveal that Charlie actually paid for most of the bar, as it re-frames our knowledge on exactly how Charlie became the rat-killer of the joint. Dennis and Mac completely screwed Charlie over, and while this isn’t necessarily a surprising revelation, it does lend us a new perspective to the supposed early partnership between the three. If you want to take it deeper, you can even say it explains Charlie’s hard dedication to the bar that the others don’t seem to have, as evidenced in “Charlie Work.”
Unfortunately, I feel this is the only reveal in “The Gang Buys a Roller Rink” that really works. Dee truly earning her nickname as “Sweet Dee” in her younger years, only to be ruined by a bonk on the head doesn’t re-contextualize anything. We already know the gang played a huge role in turning Dee into who she is today through their constant mockery, so revealing that Charlie played a role into turning Dee into “Dee” doesn’t actually change the perspective much. Maybe one could argue that the point is to show how innocent mistakes can have drastic consequences, but in the context of this show, I don’t think that works.
And that’s the biggest issue with the episode. “The Gang Buys a Roller Rink” goes out of its way to clean up Charlie, Dee, and Dennis so that we can see the contrast between their 1998 incarnations with their present day selve, and tries to show us exactly what went wrong in their lives to lead them there; but based on the history of the show and the meticulous characterization each main player has been given, we already know there isn’t one thing that lead them to their horrible selves. It was decades of abuse, neglect, self-aggrandizement, brainwashing, and more, mixed in with their own base instincts, and their awfulness continues to perpetuate through the dysfunctional circle they’ve trapped themselves in. Giving a single day explanation to everything doesn’t just feel wrong – it goes against the themes and continuity of the show.
And yet, I’m not sure I even buy that this is canon. The gang are proven unreliable narrators based on other episodes that feature flashbacks. Even when they think they’re telling the truth, their memories often betray them because they were drunk or too caught up in their own egos to realize they weren’t the center of attention they believed they were. For a show that cares so much about its own continuity, I find it hard to believe the writers ever make a “mistake” when it comes to continuity, even if they choose to disregard a previous piece of canon, I believe in most cases that is a conscious choice by them.
So I can’t criticize “The Gang Buys a Roller Rink” for “ruining” the continuity of the series because I’m not sure I trust the memory we witness on screen. At the end of “2020: A Year in Review,” there was footage of the gang at the events they claimed to be part, which proved without a doubt that they were telling the truth in that episode. There are no such clarifying pieces of proof at the end of “The Gang Buys a Roller Rink,” so it’s definitely possible this episode is just an excuse to have some fun and experiment with these characters in a new way.
But if this is canon? I think it hurts the characters. I find it hard to believe the Dennis in this episode ever called himself a Golden God while in high school, or that Dee turned out as this sweet after being relentlessly bullied for her back brace (after all, we’ve already seen how much resentment she held onto from that time of her life). Those earlier details seem sort of meaningless if the gang only became the gang because of the singular night we witness here. I prefer some backstory to remain mysterious, even after 15 years, as the gang is infinitely more fascinating when they are the result of a million different things over the course of a lifetime and not a singular event that created them, because people are more complex than that, and frankly, so is Sunny.
I also didn’t find this episode too funny. Mac’s “mark my words” jokes don’t have a great payoff and are sort of easy jokes to plop in a flashback. Dennis watching Frank have sex issn’t anywhere near as funny as Dennis and Frank’s confusing conversation prior, and with Dennis’ view on Frank I find it hard to believe he would stay through the entire session. Mac dealing drugs might seem like it is in character, but his success with it really isn’t, as he’s always been a fake tough (even here with the broken gun!) and he definitely would have had his money stolen from him way earlier.
I did think it was fun to watch, though! Despite all my complaints, I enjoyed seeing this different spins on such recognizable characters, especially Charlie. It’s always fun to see him be competent.
“The Gang Replaces Dee with a Monkey,” presents such a perfect counter-example to “The Gang Buys a Roller Rink” regarding character consistency that I find it hard to believe they were written back to back, but maybe that was the point?
The monkey plot line is alright. The guys trying to pick a vacation destination is some pretty classic Sunny, where a simple task turns into a huge project. Unfortunately we don’t actually get to see them arrive at their destination, so I feel like that plot line didn’t quite pay off because we sort of skip to the reveal. I think an extra scene here with them building the words to write on the board would have helped, even if the words were kept a secret to keep the final reveal intact. The monkey is fun, though.
Dee, on the other hand, has an excellent story that is so completely in line with her character that it hurts to think she’s only this way because she bonked her head. She shows both progress and regression as a person in such a smooth way, which is exactly what I want out of this season of Sunny. After being brutally insulted by the casting director, I expected Dee to either lose her **** with him or spiral into a depression, but instead she listens and learns. Dee! Dee listens and learns!!! Even though she doesn’t grow as a person ethically, not internalizing the insult is a huge step forward for the self-loathing Dee. It suggests that for once, maybe Dee doesn’t care what someone else thinks of her.
This also allows her to recognize that the young actor in her class does care heavily about what others think of her, and Dee sees this as an opportunity for, I don’t know, retribution? Revenge? Catharsis? She finally has someone she can influence and control and, after years of suffering the same fate herself, she knows exactly how to do it. Dee is old enough, and dare I say wise enough, to recognize her flaws; after all, she must recognize her own flaws if she’s going to manipulate those same flaws in someone else.
Which makes her final reversal absolutely magnificent. After getting the call from the director, Dee returns to the Dee of years past, because guess what – she finally got approval. She’s validated, and that validation immediately blinds her again. It’s a perfect display of growth and regression and comes about naturally in a way that is true to life.
The key is that Dee’s character doesn’t change almost at all. She’s still crude, rude, and has no idea what she’s talking about regarding acting. Her small growth is only in her reaction to the insult of her acting ability and her horrific plan to exploit a young actor for her own sick comfort. This is, dare I say, near peak Sunny, and I’m excited to see what Ireland brings us.
Other Thoughts:
- The gang being so upset about the rink closing down before revealing they haven’t been there in over 20 years is very in character for them.
- If anyone has an explanation for how the characterization in “The Gang Buys a Roller Rink” fits in with the existing continuity of these characters younger years, please share it.
- I know the show isn’t medically accurate pretty much ever, but Dee hitting her head and shifting personalities is one of those things that has actually happened in real life, and yet still feels unrealistic within the show. Sometimes, just because it’s true to life, doesn’t mean it’s true to the show.
- Danny DeVito looked great in the flashback. Almost exactly like Season 2 Frank.
- I’m really excited to see what the show does with a bit of serialization. I know I wrote an article about needing more episodic TV, but a show 15 years into its run needs to experiment some and I think this is a good risk to take.
- I wonder how much influence the marketing strategy had on “The Gang Replaces Dee with a Monkey’s” final reveal. Ireland was so heavily promoted in the show’s ads and that final reveal was somewhat built on the audience awareness of what the destination was going to be. I actually think it sort of worked? At least on me. I didn’t put it together that their vacation destination would be Ireland, even though it seems so obvious in hindsight, except there was NOTHING in show to tell me that – me feeling Ireland was the obvious answer was solely built on the marketing. Interesting to note.
Paradise
‘Paradise’ Creator Announces Bittersweet Update on the Third and Final Season — And Fans Are Disappointed
Paradise creator Dan Fogelman shared a major, heartbreaking and exciting update ahead of the third season of the hit Hulu drama.
Sharing a photo of the cast of the Sterling K. Brown series, Fogelman announced that they officially wrapped production of the series, which also marks the final season.
“That’s it for Paradise in Los Angeles. Three years w this crew (and almost a decade for most of us between Paradise and This Is Us). I’m very proud of this dedicated, talented group… and incredibly grateful,” he wrote.
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Of course, the announcement is bittersweet because while fans are excited for yet another thrilling season, it also confirms that this is the end. Fogelman had a very specific plan laid out for Paradise, and no amount of fan requests will change his mind to continue the storyline beyond what was intended.
However, he did keep fans on their toes with a little tease, writing, “Until the next one…”
Given that he’s now responsible for two of our favorite dramas—This Is Us and Paradise—it seems safe to say that he likely has another emotional series in the works.
Susan Kalachi Watson, who played Brown’s This Is Us wife Beth, wrote, “Be still my heart🔥🔥🔥.”
The announcement left fans reeling and melting down in disappointment and sadness, as one questioned, “NO SEASON FOUR?!?!” and others chimed in, “Noooooooo 😭 there are only gonna be three seasons?” and “Last season of the show???? I’m sad now 🥹.”
Filming on the final season began in April 2026, a week after the second season wrapped up its run on March 30, leaving fans searching for answers amid a cliffhanger that changed everything and killed off a main character.
There’s currently no release date for Paradise Season 3, though a wrap on production means that we may get a new season in 2027!
And Fogelman already confirmed that two fan-favorite characters will be back from the dead—at least in flashbacks (or an alternate timeline, I suppose)—with James Marsden and Jon Beavers reprising their roles as President Cal Bradford and Billy Pace, respectively.
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Season 3 of Paradise will take us to the Denver facility as Xavier Collins is tasked with activating Alex, the AI that is supposed to help reverse or survive the apocalyptic climate event.
We’re already seated.
Paradise gave an exciting update about its third season.
Paradise Season 3 is officially in production at Hulu. In fact, creator Dan Fogelman (who also gave us This Is Us) revealed that filming has already begun on the highly-anticipated final season.
“S3. Let’s go,” he captioned a still from the set—a tease that gives fans insight into what’s next for the post-apocalyptic thriller.
The photo, which shows Sterling K Brown’s Xavier, with longer hair and a mustache, sitting at a wooden table in the kitchen as his wife, Teri (played by Enuka Okuma), walks over carrying two plates.
Written over the photo is the show’s theme song and tagline, “Another day in Paradise.”
We actually don’t know where in the timeline of the show the setting of the photo is, considering it could be months after the bunker exploded and Terri and Xavier reunited with their children.
Xavier does look a bit more rugged (kind of the same look he had at the end of season 2, honestly) as he mulls over some paperwork, and we have never seen this particular kitchen, which could indicate that this is their new life as they’ve started over after the events of the second season.
“This house does not look familiar. Bout to take us on another ride 😩,” one fan pointed out.
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However, with parallel dimensions and timelines also in play, this could be a different version of Xavier entirely—from the past or the future.
Is this Xavier who has already stopped the events that led to the climate crisis using Alex? Is this Xavier who has visited the second bunker in Denver that houses Alex after Sinatra’s death?
There are so many possibilities. What is Xavier working on? Is he trying to figure out how to stop Alex? Is he deciphering some kind of secret code?
The comment section was thrilled with the Paradise Season 3 update, as the excitement from the thrilling season 2—including the explosive finale–remains at an all-time high.
“sat,” Hulu commented, as many fans were delighted that filming has officially begun, with one noting, “thank you for not taking a year to start filming 👏🏻.”
Others took Teri’s presence as a sign that the couple, who traveled to the ends of the earth to find each other, are doing alright after the awkward run-in with Dr. Torabi, writing, “Is this before or after he tells her about the therapist??? inquiring minds wanna know” and “I’m assuming Teri got over the therapist thing since she’s fixing Xavier’s plate 😂.”
“could be a flashback .. or alternate universe. You never know w Paradise,” someone else reminded.
Many were extremely hopeful, joking, “So next week we have a new episode? 😍”
When Will Paradise Season 3 Premiere?
Well, we know Paradise Season 3 is happening, and the renewal wasn’t a surprise to anyone, but the when is a bigger question.
Paradise Season 1 ran from January through March of 2025, with Season 2 running from February to March 2026, so it’s likely we’ll get it at the beginning of 2027, if we’re following the pattern.
Or maybe we can use Alex to get the episodes now?
Just kidding… sort of.
And we’re finally seeing the light!
What we’ve already come to understand is that Paradise is not afraid to blow it all up. Season 2, specifically, the Paradise Season 2 finale, was proof of that.
In addition to the bunker imploding after Exodus—the evacuation protocol enacted during meltdown mode—the season finale also saw several key deaths and answered many of our burning questions, specifically, who is Alex?
And that’s just another day in Paradise.
Sinatra’s experiment proved that humanity is its own worst enemy, but when faced with yet another life-threatening event, it can also come together and fight back, emerging stronger than ever, even after some losses.
They were given a second-chance, they ruined it, and now, as everything around them came crumbling down, they had to work together for the greater good.
Who Is Alex?
We also learned about Alex—an AI-controlled quantum computer, smarter than any computer ever built, capable of predicting events that haven’t even happened yet.
Link played a significant role in building it, and Sinatra went to great lengths to protect it. And now, Alex identified User X, Xavier Collins, as the next person who can save the world. Sinatra tasked him with getting to Alex at the second bunker located 100 miles away under the Denver airport. Xavier made it out alive (thanks to his running speed, which honestly reminds me that I should probably start working on my running condition, just in case, you know!) Also, I love Paradise for giving us that full-circle moment—the first ever episode showed us Xavier running through paradise for exercise, but this time, he was running for his life. There was even a shot of the ducks, though the fact that they weren’t swimming underscored how dire things have gotten in a place that was always far from paradise, despite being “safe” and functioning amidst catastrophic climate events.
And we don’t even have to question whether he’ll do it because, as Sinatra said in her final moments, she knows he already has—likely alluding to the whole nose-bleeding situation whenever X and Link come in contact. Those memories aren’t ones these versions of themselves possess, but they are glimpses into their future.
Alex wants to manipulate time, and Dylan’s existence is proof that it’s succeeded.
Now, Alex has the power to stop all of this and possibly reverse all the deaths, including her own, all while solving the climate crisis. Maybe in this timeline—or maybe in another one? Or multiverses crossing? We don’t exactly know the mechanics of how Alex works, but Sinatra was clear that she must be protected at all costs.
Who Died on ‘Paradise’ Season 2 Finale?
It wasn’t just one person who died on the Paradise Season 2 finale.
Sinatra (Samantha Redmond)
The biggest death was obviously Sinatra’s. While seen as the show’s “villain,” her sacrifice was noble, as she went down with the ship. In order to prevent radiation from spraying out from the bunker and into the real world, leading to mass deaths, Sinatra stayed behind and locked the doors from inside.
She was at peace, however, as she walked around the world she created and built, knowing that her son, Dylan, was alive and that Alex was in good hands.
Sinatra’s death, in contrast with all the other ones in this series, was incredibly beautiful, as she found peace in reuniting with her little boy, as a young Dylan walked up and grabbed her hand, walking her to the other side.
In fact, Alex predicted Sinatra’s death the day of, knowing that she would have to sacrifice herself for the greater good. It chose for her, delivering a message to User X.
Big Papi/Geiger
Geiger’s death was an unfortunate one, and honestly, unnecessary. I know the stakes are high, and it’s unlikely that everyone will survive in this situation, but he went through all of that just to die minutes after infiltrating the bunker!
The man survived an extinction-level event in the world, above the bunker, and then spent years with his people trying to get to the bunker and find Alex, only to die in an explosion while the whole place was melting down.
How frustrating.
Anders
The architect responsible for building paradise was killed in an explosion that injured Mrs. Robinson. As everything started melting down, Anders tried to cool down the reactors but failed, and when they exploded, he was right in the line of the blast, meaning he didn’t survive.
Anders may not have played a huge role in the series, but he was integral to the neighborhood’s function and construction, meaning rebuilding a bunker of this scale will never be possible again.
It just shows how quickly things can go south when control is lost—and how quickly that took decades to build can be destroyed.
Who Came Close to Dying on the Paradise Season 2 Finale?
Others came close to dying, including Mrs. Robinson, though James rose to the occasion and became the man his father always knew he could be, and helped get her to safety. She’s definitely injured, but hopefully, she’ll heal soon enough. They weren’t able to grab anything from the bunker before being evacuated, which could’ve been helpful for humanity’s survival moving forward.
Link, who risked it all to get to Alex, came to the aid of Presley and Hadley, who were stuck in the elevator when the power went on the fritz in the bunker and meltdown mode was initiated. He and his men lent Sinatra and Xavier a hand, as they tried to help their daughters, pulling them to safety mere moments before the elevator in which they were trapped fell to the ground and exploded. In retrospect, Link was helping the man who was in possession of his daughter and his sister without even knowing it, proving that he’s truly a good guy. It’s just a shame his reunion with his mother was so short-lived. Though maybe it wasn’t as much of a goodbye as a “see you later.”
Paradise/Hulu
Is Jane Alive?
While Dr. Torabi told everyone that she took care of Jane, that one random scene about 40 minutes into the finale, right before the whole idyllic town that looks a lot like a WB backlot goes “boom,” says otherwise. The shot seems so strange, but it’s actually showing Dr. Torabi’s shower, where we know she left Jane after she stabbed her, but there’s no body in the shower. So, did she survive and escape?
Or did Alex successfully change Jane’s timeline/existence and stop her? After all, those messages were sent to stop the baby from becoming a killer. So is she not dead, no longer dead or never existed in this scenario in the first place because Alex succeeded and she had a totally different life?
What Happened to Annie’s Baby?
Xavier may have risked it all, but he also made sure Annie’s baby was safe, delivering on his promise to get the infant to her father.
When he crossed paths with Link, he informed him that he knew Annie and that she died giving birth to his daughter. It’s a good thing he had Link’s ID card that he gave Annie, as the physical proof was enough to convince Link that Xavier was telling the truth, stopped him from killing Sinatra (his mother), and got him to safety before the bunker imploded.
Link honored Annie by naming their daughter after her.
Maybe Alex will eventually give them all a redo and a happy ending? Only time will tell.
What did you think of Paradise Season 2? Was it better than season 1? Where do we go from here?
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