Best episode of the whole show and solidified IASIP as one of my favourite sitcoms - genius
It's Always Sunny does Birdman. An instant classic!
Contrary to popular belief, the episode is not a tribute to Birdman, which had not come out when the episode was written and being shot, but rather "Who Goes There", the fourth episode of the first season of True Detective, which featured a similar seven-minute long shot. (Wikipedia)
Charlie's character is completely different in this episode
This was one hell of a ride ! Obviously one of my favs from the show now !! Really great rhythm !
not really sure how the rating for this episode isn't higher
They were “pretty inspired” by True Detective. AMAZING.
10 hearts for the giant, single-shot scene of the inspection. Like ballet.
decent but charlie was not like himself. it almost seemed like an ai generated episode (although it is an obvious spoof of birdman)
Probably the best IASIP episode
Amazing! It's rare for me to go to 9s on a sitcom but this joins esteemed company! Highly ambitious, full of little set-ups that pay dividends. This is as good as any episode of a modern sitcom that you will see.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2018-05-06T05:29:03Z
[9.5/10] Pretty damned amazing. This episode was part-Birdman (obviously) and part-“The Zeppo”, while still being infused with the insane spirit of this show. There were so many incredible little setups and payoffs to this one, from little bits like Frank painting himself black leading to the carbon monoxide fake out, to Mac moaning into the vents to scare off the health inspector from a particular toilet, to the setup for Dee’s stool to break apart. This was an absolutely clockwork episode, and it was orchestrated beautifully.
Even beyond the formal audaciousness of imitating Birdman’s style (which was masterful), I love that the story focus of this one was on Charlie being a savant, keeping the bar running, while, as usual, being taken for granted and demeaned by the rest of The Gang. It’d be too much to say that there’s hidden depths to Charlie, but in later seasons at least, we’ve gotten glimpses of some greater talents from him, and it’s amusing and entertaining to see them given the spotlight like this.
There’s a real sense of controlled chaos to this one, not just in how Charlie directs his various woebegotten bar-mates while working in his element, but also in the show itself managing to pull off this wild endeavor and keep everything moving in sync as needed through the episode. This is one hell of an achievement, and a particularly impressive and creative one for a show in the middle of its tenth season.
Overall, this is a tour-de-force, and easily the most ambitious thing IASIP has ever done.