'Abbott Elementary' Just Resolved One of 'It's Always Sunny's Longest-Running Gags in a Surprising Way

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It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Charlie Day, Jacob Perfetti, Sheryl Lee Ralph, and Lisa Ann Walter in the library

Editor's note: The below contains spoilers for Abbott Elementary Season 4 Episode 7.

After much anticipation, the first of two crossover episodes between Abbott Elementary and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia has officially aired, and it somehow managed to blow already-high expectations out of the water. The episode shows the teachers of Abbott Elementary School eager to get help from a group of volunteers sent by the district — that is, until they meet Mac (Rob McElhenney), Dennis (Glenn Howerton), Frank (Danny DeVito), Dee (Kaitlin Olson), and Charlie (Charlie Day).

To no It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia fan's surprise, the gang are only there because a judge has sentenced them to volunteer at Abbott Elementary for a week after an illegal combination of littering and destruction of property. While there, Dennis avoids the cameras at all costs, while Mac assists Ava (Janelle James) in the hopes of getting their time slip signed early due to good behavior. Dee and Janine (Quinta Brunson) get along particularly well... that is until Dee tries to get between Janine and Gregory (Tyler James Williams). The best storyline of the episode is Charlie's, though, which finally resolves one of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's longest-running gags.

Charlie Kelly Finally Learns to Read in the 'Abbott Elementary' / 'Always Sunny' Crossover

Barbara Howard and Charlie Kelly having a conversation in the crossover episode between Abbott Elementary and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Being the longest-running live-action sitcom of all time, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia has several running gags that have been around since the very beginning of the show. One of these is the fact that Charlie can't read. On the few occasions that he has written by hand, such as when he wrote the script for The Nightman Cometh, Charlie's writing is a strange combination of letters, symbols, and pictures. In Season 15, it was revealed that he only knew how to read and write in Gaelic, and had previously believed that he was writing in "gibberish."

While volunteering at Abbott Elementary, Charlie initially gets assigned to Jacob's (Chris Perfetti) classroom. When Jacob realizes that Charlie doesn't know how to read, he goes to Melissa (Lisa Ann Walter) for help. Melissa approaches this without judgment and initially suggests that Charlie might have dyslexia like she does. When she learns that Charlie really can't read, Melissa goes to Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph) for help. With the help of Barbara, Melissa, and Jacob, Charlie finally learns how to read.

The Cast of It's Always Sunny and Abbot Elementary

'Abbott Elementary' Gives This 'Always Sunny' Storyline a Surprisingly Touching Conclusion

In recent years, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia has excelled at giving emotional payoffs to long-running jokes, from Mac's sexuality to Charlie and Frank's weirdly close friendship. The show continues this streak with the conclusion to Charlie's struggle with literacy, with help from Abbott Elementary's staff. Charlie hides his inability to read as a secret throughout the episode, but when Barbara, Melissa, and Jacob find out, they meet him with acceptance and patience in an unexpected and lovely way.

Thanks to the Abbott Elementary teachers, Charlie finally learns to read in under a week. They ask him what he likes, and the show gives delightful It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia callbacks with his answers: beer, milk steak, and bird law. Using a picture book about birds, Barbara leads the effort in teaching Charlie how to read, and it actually works. One of the funniest moments of the episode shows Charlie reading out loud in the school library before the camera then cuts to Mac's stunned and mildly horrified face.

After Charlie learns to read, the teachers give him an incredibly sweet graduation ceremony, where he gets to walk the stage in a cap and gown. For what could have easily been a funny filler episode, Abbott Elementary and It's Always Philadelphia instead deliver a fantastic and emotional payoff to this long-running gag. Charlie's reading isn't perfect, and he still reads "guest" as "ghost" in the episode's final scene, but it is a vast improvement from where he was at before.

Both Abbott Elementary and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia are available to stream on Hulu.

Abbott Elementary Season 3 TV Series Poster

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A workplace comedy centered around a group of dedicated teachers - and an oblivious principal - in a Philadelphia public school where, despite the odds stacked against them, they are determined to help their students succeed in life.

Release Date December 7, 2021

Cast Quinta Brunson , Tyler James Williams , Sheryl Lee Ralph , Lisa Ann Walter , Chris Perfetti , Janelle James , William Stanford Davis , Zack Fox , Courtney Taylor , Nikea Gamby-Turner , Josh Segarra , Mason Renfro , Jerry Minor , Larry Owens , Nate' Jones , Lela Hoffmeister , Vince Staples , Kimia Behpoornia , Dillion Blake Allen , Reggie Conquest , Kate Peterman , Keyla Monterroso Mejia , Benjamin Norris , Aayden William , Ben Onyx Dowdy

Seasons 4

Story By Quinta Brunson

Network ABC

Streaming Service(s) Hulu , MAX

Main Genre Comedy

Where To Watch Hulu

WATCH ON HULU

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