While Charlie Kelly (Charlie Day) may lack the steely-eyed charisma of Dennis (Glenn Howerton) or the boorish, bullying presence of Mac (Rob McElhenney), he has proven time and again that he really is the glue that holds the gang, and their bar, together. Going into the 11th season of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Charlie’s commonly referred to as “the foundation,” although it was more an assessment of where he belonged in their hierarchy, even though everything would — and does — fall apart without him. So, here are some of Charlie’s most encouraging, completely out-of-context quotes to mutter to yourself under your breath the next time you’re feeling unappreciated, even though you’re the one holding it all together.
“I can do it. Just give me the bat and I got game.”
A big aspect to holding it all together requires total commitment to your cause, however ridiculous it may be. Like when the gang sets out to beat Wade Boggs’ alleged drinking record aboard a cross-country flight. In the end, Charlie is the only one standing, albeit barely. Then, when Mac takes him out to complete the ordeal by batting at least a .300, Charlie knocks the first pitch out of the park. Which, all considering, makes it seem like anything’s possible, regardless of your position in life or your blood-alcohol level.
“Samantha gets to be mean!”
When Frank (Danny DeVito) finds himself suddenly in charge of a child beauty pageant, everyone starts using it to further their own agendas. Charlie, on the other hand, ends up coaching the contestants, helps to re-work “Yankee Doodle Dandy” into a more contemporary sound, and sings lead in the pageant’s opening number. Even though he may have had some help with the last two, he did it all without so much as being asked.
“Go f*ck yourself.”
A real testament to the durability of the creative spirit, after Charlie was locked up to prevent any potential customers from hearing his Paddy’s Pub theme song, he spends most of that time in isolation huffing paint fumes. After making his way out, he still has a song in his heart, albeit one that’s slightly less inviting than the original. Still, keeping it all together means never letting that fire go out, because you never know when singing about your fighting soul-spider will come in handy. Although, as far as the quote itself, you’re going to want to be aware of your surroundings before dropping this bomb.
“Will you help with the chickens, please?”
No other episode so perfectly captures the sheer chaos that is Charlie’s day-to-day life as season 10’s “Charlie Work,” as he spends it frantically scrambling his way into getting a passing grade for Paddy’s Pub from the the Health Inspector. Even though he gets the gang to cooperate in the moment, by the end he’s met with the same dismissive thanklessness that has come to define his role. Regardless, Charlie knows he’ll show back up to do it over and over again. No one ever said being the foundation came easily.
“Police Academy, which is a good movie, Frank!”
After Charlie grows increasingly isolated from the gang as the result of a scientific experiment, they prove incapable of handling his menial tasks in his absence. When the experiment is over, his return is first met with overwhelming joy, though it almost certainly turned to ridicule and scorn moments later. All of which proves that you really can go home again, although more than likely everyone just huffs gasoline when you’re not around. In the meantime, take time to celebrate life’s little pleasures: Mongolian BBQ and Police Academy sequels.
“I am going to smack everyone into tiny little pieces.”
There’s a real lesson here in focus and determination despite all oncoming obstacles. It starts when Charlie writes a musical with no ulterior motive of any kind, and before long, his role as director ends up getting challenged by everyone, eventually pushing him into caustic, red-faced rants. Nonetheless, he still manages to (mostly) maintain his creative control, and in the end pulls off a fully-formed, albeit entirely unusual, piece of musical theater.
