The Gang Tries Desperately to Win an Award

"The Gang Tries Desperately to Win an Award" is the third episode of the ninth season of the American television sitcom It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. It is the 97th overall episode of the series, and was written by executive producer David Hornsby, and directed by Richie Keen. It originally aired on FXX on September 18, 2013. The episode is a commentary on how the series had not yet received a single Emmy nomination as of its initial airing, and features many meta references and parodies of other sitcoms.

The series follows "The Gang", a group of five misfit friends: twins Dennis and Deandra "(Sweet) Dee" Reynolds, their friends Charlie Kelly and Ronald "Mac" McDonald, and Frank Reynolds, Dennis' and Dee's legal father. The Gang runs the fictional Paddy's Pub, an unsuccessful Irish bar in South Philadelphia. In the episode, The Gang tries to make Paddy's Pub worthy of a Philly Best Bar Award.

Plot
Frank (Danny DeVito) brings the Restaurant and Bar Association's Best Bar Awards to the attention of Dennis (Glenn Howerton), Mac (Rob McElhenney), Charlie (Charlie Day) and Dee (Kaitlin Olson), and suggests that Paddy's Pub could get nominated. The Gang initially shoots down the idea, saying that they have never gotten nominated in the past, but then decides to give it a go. At the Restaurant and Bar Association's office, The Gang attempts to bribe a nominator (Roger Bart). They then drop Charlie off at Paddy's to write a song, and the rest of The Gang goes to visit the previous winner of the Best Bar Award, a bright and vibrantly lit bar where the bartenders (Ryan Gaul and Whitney Hoy) have a "will they, won't they" romantic subplot. Frank attempts to make relations the owner, and Dennis, Dee and Mac drink a "blue hole" cocktail, and comment on how they like the chemistry between the bartenders.

After seeing the success of the other bar, The Gang plans to make Paddy's more welcoming, with Dennis arranging for Dee and Mac to have their own "will they, won't they", and gives them one-liner quips to memorise. Charlie plays the song he wrote about Paddy's Pub on his keyboard, but The Gang hates it and they lock him in the basement. Paddy's then opens with their new makeover, inviting voters in the Restaurant and Bar industry to attend, where The Gang tries to be more like the winning bar. Mac misunderstands Dennis' instructions to refer to their cocktail as being "better than an orgasm", instead saying "it's better than busting a nut." Mac and Dee try to put on a fake "will they, won't they", but end up resulting to violence over a misunderstanding. Charlie escapes from the basement, and Dennis accidentally walks in on Frank and Artemis (Artemis Pebdani) having sex. Charlie starts playing a song about spiders and tells everyone to "go fuck yourselves." Charlie spits at the customers, and The Gang joins in, driving everyone out of the pub.

Production
The episode was directed by Richie Keen, and was written by executive producer David Hornsby and series creator Rob McElhenney, all of whom are main actors in the series. The episode features many meta references and parodies of other sitcoms, especially multi-camera shows.

Reception
The episode was watched by 521 thousand viewers on its ititial airing. The A.V. Club called it "one, long meta-textual joke" that is "smart, funny joke, but, ironically, it makes its case by shifting the show's focus away from what's most award-worthy about it", and "a hilariously mean-spirited "fuck you", giving it a B rating. IGN gave it an "amazing" 9.3/10, opening the review with "Excellent. Truly excellent." Paste Magazine rated the episode 8.9/10.