Dee Reynolds and Rickety Cricket
As the only female cast member of the FX comedy It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Dee Reynolds often acts as the voice of reason for the male gang at Paddy’s Pub. She alone of the group, which consists of brother Dennis, pals Charlie Kelly and Mac, and father figure Frank Reynolds, has a sense of political correctness or empathy towards the many unsuspecting victims of the various schemes undertaken by them. That does not mean, however, that she is any less selfish or self-centered as her male counterparts. Despite the different outlook she brings to the series, Dee Reynolds is just as guilty when it comes to deplorable actions. Arguably the best example of this narcissistic nature is her relationship with former fellow high school student Matthew Mara, nicknamed Rickety Cricket by the gang because he wore leg braces in his teens.
Apparently Matthew was in love with Dee at that young age but was constantly met with rejection by the object of his affection. Actually the word “rejection” isn’t strong enough for in reality she tortured the guy, making him do things with the promise of a kiss but then not delivering after he accomplished the task at hand. Years later, the two bump into each other in the season two episode of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, “The Gang Exploits a Miracle.”
At first Dee does not recognize Matthew. “We were in physical therapy together twice a week after school,” he offers unsuccessfully. “I was the only other person in physical therapy with you,” he then adds, but still no recognition on Dee’s part. “I wore the giant leg braces,” he elaborates further and this time she remembers. Matthew no longer wears any such items and appears perfectly normal from both a physical and psychological perspective. There is one additional thing, however—the former Rickety Cricket is now a priest.
And a priest is exactly what the gang needs as they are pawning off a water stain in their back office as a religious miracle because of a vague resemblance to the Virgin Mary. They thus send Dee to ask Matthew if he would bless the stain in order to add legitimacy to their claim. When he rejects the request outright, Dee takes a different approach.
“Forget I came by about the stain, I don’t even care about that anymore,” she tells Matthew. “I know you really liked me back then and I know I wasn’t very nice to you. And I think that’s just because I was too stupid to realize how wonderful you are. I’m sorry. For the record, I think that you grew up to be very handsome.”
She continues to flirt, asking if he wants to go for a drink, but Matthew the Priest resists her charms. Unfortunately for him, Dee does not give up and attends confession where she again elaborates on her sudden feelings for Matthew. “I’m in love with a man that I can’t have, Father,” she tells him in the confessional. “He used to love me too, but then I was really mean to him and now we’ll never know what could have been.”
Matthew again stands firm. “Well, it’s too late now,” he tells Dee. “He’s made a commitment that can never be broken.”
“I love you,” Dee finally confesses. “I could be your wife, and I could spend the rest of my days making you happy.”
Her words eventually hit the mark because by the end of the episode, Matthew Mara quits the priesthood and arrives at Paddy’s Pub to admit his still lingering feelings for Dee Reynolds. “Did you just say you left the priesthood?” she asks in response to his outpouring of emotions. “Wow, you should not have done that. You should go and undo that right now. I know what I said, I said a lot of things, and I meant all of them. I did. But the thing is, I didn’t know you were actually going to leave the church. Which is why I felt safe saying those things in the first place.”
Leaving the priesthood and being rejected (yet again) by Dee only causes Matthew’s life to spiral downhill. In the season three episode, “The Gang Gets Whacked: Part Two,” Charlie and Dee bump into Matthew when they attempt to sell drugs in order to pay off the mob. It turns out, however, that the former Rickety Cricket is now homeless and forced to beg for money on the streets of Philadelphia. “It’s one of the darkest times of my life,” he tells them, but Charlie and Dee merely see an opportunity to help with their drug pedaling.
“You could help us sell our cocaine,” Dee suggests when Matthew tells them he was attacked the night before by a group of addicts. “Do you bump into them? Do you guys hang out on certain corners? We would do it but we’re not street urchins, you know what I mean? But you, they would buy drugs from a street urchin like yourself.”
Obviously Matthew rejects their proposal but Charlie pulls him aside and makes a more private plea. “I’ll let you stay at Dee’s place,” he tells him. “Til you’re back up on your feet. You two, alone together, one thing could lead to another. You never know.”
With the promise of getting closer to the girl of his dreams, Matthew fully embraces his role as a drug dealer and makes a small fortune in the process for Charlie and Dee. Surprised by the success of their plan, the two in turn ask Matthew to sell even more drugs. Matthew says he is tired but Charlie gives him some cocaine in order to keep the homeless former priest’s energy at a high level. Instead of selling the second batch, however, Matthew becomes addicted to the drug. To make matters worse, the gang points the finger at Matthew Mara as the man the mob is looking for—a lone crack head against the full force of the local mafia.
The next time Matthew Mara is seen, he is wearing leg braces similar to when he was in high school and has in effect been reduced to becoming Rickety Cricket once again. Only now he is both homeless and an addict, his life in effect ruined because of Dee Reynolds.
It is a love story that could only happen on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
Anthony Letizia (December 3, 2010)
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