Mac & Dennis Move to the Suburbs

            This week’s discussion about domesticity and suburbia reminded me of the episode “Mac & Dennis Move to the Suburbs” from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. The two decide to move to an affordable house in the suburbs that is more in their price range than their current rent-controlled apartment in the city. As the episode advances, the two take on traditional domestic roles, with Mac playing the housewife and Dennis the working husband. Over time, the two grow more and more hostile with each other, fed up with the monotonous routine (mac and cheese dinners every night) and the suburban life (overly friendly neighbors). Basically, they are growing more insane the longer they are isolated in the suburban house, which is an hour away from their friends/the bar in the city. Although the episode is dramatic in its portrayal of suburban life, I think it’s interesting that these “perfect” suburban homes are the stages for the less-than-perfect lives that go on within them. Suburbia is set up to be idyllic and the typical “dream house”, yet it’s parade of uniform cookie-cutter houses really makes you question the ideology of suburbia and the mentality/personality of those people who live in a house that looks the exact same as their next door neighbor. I also think this episode questions the traditional nuclear family and its relationship with suburbia, since Mac and Dennis, who cohabitated normally as two male roommates in the city are suddenly adopting more traditional nuclear family roles over their stay in suburbia.

beginning of their suburban experience

end of their suburban experience