Dennis Reynolds and Women

The characters on the FX comedy It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia tend to be both selfish and self-centered. They are also lost in the world of the politically correct, displaying inappropriate behavior in regards to culturally sensitive subjects that borderline on the taboo. In essence, Dee Reynolds, her brother Dennis, Charlie Kelly, Mac and father figure Frank Reynolds represent the underbelly of society and act as a catalyst to examine topics that most television sitcoms purposely shy away from. One topic, however, that has been universally explored is that of the male psyche in relation to the opposite sex, and that “men behaving badly” component on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is most represented by Dennis Reynolds.

While all of the personas of the show display a level of delusional self-involvement, Dennis often takes that element to the highest levels. The self-proclaimed “pretty boy” of the series, Dennis’ ego is inflated to the point where he believes that any woman would willingly and eagerly fall into his arms and bed. In reality, however, he is often forced to use dubious methods to achieve the desired results.

Dennis also attempts to hit on women in the most inappropriate of situations. In the episode “Charlie Wants an Abortion,” for instance, he attends a pro-choice rally but decides to switch to the anti-abortion side of the fence because he believes that the women are easier to pick up there. When an older gentleman is found dead in the bar the gang owns in a later episode, meanwhile, he pretends to have been near and dear to him—despite having never met the guy—just to get close to his attractive granddaughter.

And that was just in the show’s first season.

Dennis’s ego obviously incorporates a vain streak as well. In the pilot episode of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the gang transforms the bar into a gay hotspot, and Dennis is not above playing to the all-male crowd just as much as he would to a predominately female clientele. The experience ends badly, however, when a tequila binge causes a blacked-out Dennis to awaken the next morning with not one but two members of the same sex sharing his bed.

Dennis’ egocentric nature also translates into many stereotypical elements of the “sexually superior” male in modern society. In the episode “Mac’s Banging the Waitress,” it is revealed that Dennis films all of his sexual conquests and keeps the multitude of tapes alphabetically filed in a small handful of drawers in his bedroom. Although the tapes can be indeed seen as a form of porn, in reality the obsession goes further as Dennis believes he is actually living the personification of a pornographic life.

In the season five episode, “Dennis Reynolds: An Erotic Life,” it is discovered that Dennis has written a memoir based on his sexual experiences. “I’ve been keeping track of all my sexual exploits and I was going to unleash them on the world in a fiery blaze of eroticism,” he tells the gang. “It’s more of a tale of redemption told through my erotic travels.”

Dennis then goes on to read passages from the book: “I removed my robe and stood before her. Taut, nubile, proud. She was much, much older than me but her breasts were awesome. I felt reborn, baptized in erotic majesty.”

While the gang enjoys—and even becomes aroused by—An Erotic Life, they are also doubtful of its accuracy. “Half the stories you just read us are total bullshit,” Mac tells Dennis. “You were never the personal sexual advisor to Jon Bon Jovi. And you never woke up in a rehab facility with the wounds of Christ miraculously appearing on your hands and feet.”

Dennis in turn gets defensive in the wake of such accusations. “Yeah, but I banged that girl in the fountain,” he replies. “That story was true. The hot dogs, the oatmeal, everything.”

In addition to his self-proclaimed lifestyle, Dennis Reynolds also believes that he has developed a fool-proof system to attract members of the opposite gender, use them solely for sexual purposes and then discard them in such a manner that they would willingly take him back if he ever had the need or desire. Appropriately named the “D.E.N.N.I.S System,” it was fleshed out in the season five episode of the same name and employs each letter of the character’s moniker as an acronym.

“My success with women does not solely stem from my good looks and my charm,” Dennis explains. “There is a careful, systemic approach that has allowed me to become the playboy that I am today.”

The first step in the D.E.N.N.I.S. approach is to “Demonstrate Your Value.” This basically translates into coming across as someone the woman in question would find emotionally appealing. Next is to “Engage Physically,” usually by going on a date. “I personally try to engage the girl physically without ever going on the date,” Dennis clarifies. “Which to me is really just a waste of time and money.”

Step three is “Nurturing Dependence.” According to Dennis, once a woman has had sex with someone, they inevitably begin to depend on the person. The idea, then, is to raise that level of dependence by such tactics as “have her car towed” and “slash her tires” or, even better, “create a fictional angry neighbor who is threatening her and tell her you’ll take care of him.”

The second “N” in D.E.N.N.I.S. stands for “Neglect Emotionally.” At this point, the woman in question will want to take the relationship to the next level but Dennis advocates doing the opposite and pulling away instead, in effect making her question her self-esteem. Next up is to “Inspire Hope” by telling her that he was wrong and that he actually both loves and needs her in his life. This then leads to sex.

“And this is the best bang of all because it’s very emotional for her,” Dennis elaborates. “See, she thinks she’s broken through my tough exterior and coerced affection from a man who is afraid to love. And then I slink out into the night never to talk to her again.”

Which is the final step in the system, “Separate Entirely.”

In the scope of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the term “men behaving badly” takes on a much exaggerated meaning as the show’s main characters find themselves in culturally sensitive situations and react in a very non-politically correct fashion. While all of the characters on the series demonstrate a severe inability to establish healthy relationships with the opposite sex, however, it is Dennis Reynolds who most embodies the traditional definition of the phrase. Although he is not above adding to the politically incorrect nature of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Dennis’ exploits in romance brings about just as many laughs and amusing situations as the storylines involving the more culturally taboo.

Even when they are tequila-fueled and involve two other men.

Anthony Letizia (November 22, 2010)

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