S10.E09: Frank Retires

[Galileo908]

Frank decides to retire, the foursome begin to plot and plan ways for each of them to take control of the bar.

 

 

[Galileo908]

"There it is, 'Trundle' written in blood."

 

Looks like we have a Game of Thrones parody to see who gets the "throne" of owning Paddy's Pub. Blood and betrayals and bastard children and everything. I actually liked that they brought up that Dennis and Dee weren't Frank's real kids and that Charlie might be. Wow, and here I thought Franquito was real, it was just a really really long con by Dennis. I loved how for once the whole gang was shocked at how devious that was.

 

I really love how the gang were actually concerned with building a literal throne.

 

This was just a disgusting episode. Mac cutting his hand on Frank's toe knife and then on a lime knife? Ick. And the whole bucket of blood? And then the plastic bag full of blood and pickles? Also ick.

[JayKay]

The music that was playing when Franquito was revealed to half dead, anemic albino!Frank creeped me the f*ck out. I was genuinely unsettled. I wanted to turn away. That part freaked me out way more than the blood. I can't even explain it.

 

The pointless bloodshed must have been a send up of the gratuitous violence of a certain non-television network that airs Game of Thrones. Mac's utter incompetence at everything this episode was hilarious. It's like the time he kept explaining the plot when they made the Lethal Weapon sequel. Just utterly hopeless at comprehending his own stupidity. I loved it.

 

Charlie asking Frank if he was his dad and trying to downplay how much knowing meant to him was a little heart-breaking. Poor guy. I'm going to have to watch "Charlie and Dee Find Love" again to chase away the feels. I'm relieved that it wasn't revealed whether Frank's the dad or not. I don't want too much resolution to happen for these people or it'll start feeling like the end is looming.

 

I can't handle people talking about bad smells on tv. It becomes some kind of "phantom smell" to my brain. I know that objectively, I can't smell Frank's butt. But I still held my breath when they were describing it as if I could. Gross. Funny, but gross.

[larapu2000]

That was gruesome! In a good way. Lol. Charlie and Dee are always my favorite pairing.

"Well, it IS a blood bucket."

[hincandenza]

Wow, I haven't laughed like that in ages, this episode killed me. The fantastic GoT parody, the brilliant meta-conversations about their various scheming, the 4th wall metaphors about television and distraction, and the fact that this of all shows- as much as Game of Thrones- wouldn't surprise me if they actually killed off Frank, just for a joke. Halfway through, I was starting to wonder if I'd missed some news about DeVito leaving the show.

And he again deserves major props for his total commitment to his role as a hideous character. Outside of Andy Kaufman, I can't think of any comic actor so willing to shed their dignity and debase their own body in service to their craft.

The music that was playing when Franquito was revealed to half dead, anemic albino!Frank creeped me the f*ck out. I was genuinely unsettled. I wanted to turn away. That part freaked me out way more than the blood. I can't even explain it.

The pointless bloodshed must have been a send up of the gratuitous violence of a certain non-television network that airs Game of Thrones. Mac's utter incompetence at everything this episode was hilarious. It's like the time he kept explaining the plot when they made the Lethal Weapon sequel. Just utterly hopeless at comprehending his own stupidity. I loved it.

The musical cues were absolutely amazing, such as the frequent use of the Hitchcock theme, but while I recognize that ethereal falling strings arrangement when Frank met Frankito, I couldn't name it. What was the source, does anyone know? I assume it had some thematic connection to that scene and Frank's monologue, so I'm curious about the reference.

Mac's constant Ned Stark-style honest scheming was the cherry on top of it all. The total inability to grasp the very concept of devious plotting, or the utter failure of his own transparency, culminating in the moment when he actually choked himself out... my god. It was the Great Sept of Baelor re-enacted on the floor of Paddy's Pub.

Edited March 12, 2015 by hincandenza

[Ubiquitous]

Great ep! Was the man who conducted the blood test the pussy who refused to analyze their poop?

I howled laughing at that scene and Frank meeting Frankiquito.

[Trick Question]

A fantastic episode, all-around.  This is a hall-of-fame Mac episode....eagerly telling everyone that he's playing both sides, then not being able to understand why it's a bad idea to be so open about it.

[Lorna Mae]

The musical cues were absolutely amazing, such as the frequent use of the Hitchcock theme, but while I recognize that ethereal falling strings arrangement when Frank met Frankito, I couldn't name it. What was the source, does anyone know? I assume it had some thematic connection to that scene and Frank's monologue, so I'm curious about the reference.

It's the Aquarium movement from Carnival of the Animals, by Saint-Saens. I don't think there's any symbolism; it's a piece that gets used a lot just because it sounds otherworldly.

Edited March 12, 2015 by Lorna Mae

[hincandenza]

It's the Aquarium movement from Carnival of the Animals, by Saint-Saens. I don't think there's any symbolism; it's a piece that gets used a lot just because it sounds otherworldly.

Ah, thanks for the answer. I checked the Wiki but none of the TV/movie references they list looked familiar. I associate it with Tim Burton, with fantastical themes, or with someone like John Hurt narrating, "... faraway, in a distant and magical forest...". I figured it was an allusion to a specific source given how Frank then monologued about health and longevity and family and legacy.

Also, going with the GoT theme, we could tie the gang to specific characters:

Dennis: Littlefinger, especially with his 7-year Frankito scam

Mac: Ned Stark

Dee: Cersei

Frank: GRRM himself?

Can't think of anyone for Charlie... thoughts?

Edited March 12, 2015 by hincandenza

[JayKay]

I'm not an avid GoT watcher but could Charlie be Jon Snow? Frank as GRRM is hysterical. I bet Dee is the only one who actually watches GoT.

[Lantern7]

I don't watch GoT, so a lot probably went over my head. I still found the episode -- and Franquito -- to be funny, though. Even with the long con, Dennis wasn't a total sociopath this week. That's rare, right? Also, I was cringing something fierce watching Mac slice himself silly.

[DrSpaceman]

That was one of the most disgustingly funny episodes I have seen in awhile. 

 

 

Ah, thanks for the answer. I checked the Wiki but none of the TV/movie references they list looked familiar. I associate it with Tim Burton, with fantastical themes, or with someone like John Hurt narrating, "... faraway, in a distant and magical forest...". I figured it was an allusion to a specific source given how Frank then monologued about health and longevity and family and legacy.

Also, going with the GoT theme, we could tie the gang to specific characters:
Dennis: Littlefinger, especially with his 7-year Frankito scam
Mac: Ned Stark
Dee: Cersei
Frank: GRRM himself?

Can't think of anyone for Charlie... thoughts?

 

I forget his name, but there is a legitimate son of former king robert who Ned tracked down before he got his head cut off,  he is a blacksmith,  is shipped around the country between various characters as they figure out who he is and his significance.  That would be Charlie, I think

 

Mac as a stupid Littlefinger was hilarious

 

Much like the show where the gang tries to win an award, I think we as fans probably read more into these comparisons than they actually think about when they are writing it.  I don't think they explicity thinkg Mac = so and so, Charlie is this person, etc, its more of a spoof of all power hungry fights over control, but this one does compare well and best currently to GOTs. 

[Amarsir]

The music that was playing when Franquito was revealed to half dead, anemic albino!Frank creeped me the f*ck out. I was genuinely unsettled. I wanted to turn away. That part freaked me out way more than the blood. I can't even explain it.

 

 

The musical cues were absolutely amazing, such as the frequent use of the Hitchcock theme, but while I recognize that ethereal falling strings arrangement when Frank met Frankito, I couldn't name it. What was the source, does anyone know? I assume it had some thematic connection to that scene and Frank's monologue, so I'm curious about the reference.

It's the Penguin music!

 

Danny DeVito's role in Batman Returns (1992). (And yes, it is a Tim Burton movie.) In it he had pale skin, black teeth, and wild hair. They recreated all that and then had the same musical cue. I loved it.

[JayKay]

It's the Penguin music!

 

Danny DeVito's role in Batman Returns (1992). (And yes, it is a Tim Burton movie.) In it he had pale skin, black teeth, and wild hair. They recreated all that and then had the same musical cue. I loved it.

You just blew my mind. I love that movie now, but holy moly Penguin and Catwoman terrified me as a child. Makes sense now haha. Somewhere deep inside, a miniature version of me was screaming and crying all over again Wednesday night. Wow, was the music on point this episode.

[hincandenza]

It's the Penguin music!

 

Danny DeVito's role in Batman Returns (1992). (And yes, it is a Tim Burton movie.) In it he had pale skin, black teeth, and wild hair. They recreated all that and then had the same musical cue. I loved it.

 

That has to be it, I knew there would be some meaningful allusion, and it fits too perfectly.  Great ear, Amarsir!

 

I can't find a source for that specifically to confirm, but I did find that Tim Burton/Danny Elfman used that track in "Edward Scissorhands", so I wouldn't be surprised if it, or something very close to it, was used in Batman Returns.  Heh, heh, the music really was on point.

[Matt K]

All I know is that for some reason the scenes with them bleeding Frank and Mac's cutting is hand was hilarious.  Not sure if something's wrong but I just couldn't stop laughing (especially the second time for both).

[Unclejosh]

Been binge watching the series and I caught Charlie Day breaking when Mac was trying to lift Charlie up.  Love little moments like this!

[Lantern7]

Vice, right? Viceland? Whatever . . . I have too many IASIP episodes on the DVR from Comedy Central as it is.

[Unclejosh]

No Hulu.  I never watched the show before 3 weeks ago.

[cynicat]

On 1/24/2018 at 5:44 PM, Unclejosh said:

No Hulu.  I never watched the show before 3 weeks ago.

You are in for a treat!

[DanaMB]

On 1/26/2018 at 7:19 AM, cynicat said:

You are in for a treat!

I’ve been binging it this week and I love it. Can’t believe I was missing out all this time.