12x02 The Gang Goes to a Water Park

[7.3/10] This is a really hard episode to grade, because there are three stories in it, and two of them are meh-to-bad, but the third is utterly transcendent.

Let’s work our way up from the bottom. The “Dee and Mac” get stuck in a water slide” bit is just the pits. For one thing Simpsons did it, and did it with more visual flair and better humor. I can appreciate some good physical comedy, but IASIP took a single decent gag and tried to stretch it out to an entire subplot. Throw in generic toilet humor and the same “Mac is closeted” jokes that I am so exhausted by at this point with the pool drains, and you have a completely DOA subplot.

The bit with Frank and Charlie pretending that Franks had AIDS in order to cut line at the water park isn’t much better. It’s transgressive without being clever, and had the same sort of “this is edgy because it’s gross” qualities that the Mac and Dee storyline has. That said, Frank and Charlie’s joy at riding the various water slides with abandon is fun and buys the subplot a bit of goodwill.

But man, the clear winner in this one is the story where Dennis teaches a young girl named Abby how to be a con artist. I would 100% watch that show, and seeing the two of them run various scams while Dennis mentors his new young protege was a treat. It brings out a different side of Dennis that is enjoyable beyond his normal sociopathy, and having the student become the teacher at the end is a fantastic twist. The montage which shows off their antics and pulls everything together is the best thing in this.

Overall, this episode is two-thirds dreck and one-third brilliance, but that one-third alone makes it worth the while.