I cannot imagine what the world would be like if Danny DeVito never joined It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia for its second season. So many amazingly depraved Frank Reynolds moments wouldn't exist, fewer characters' lives would be ruined by the Gang (probably), and a plethora of broads would have gone un-banged. Perhaps the biggest loss of all? The jaw-droppingly hilarious scene where DeVito's greasy and stark-naked body oozes out of a couch in the special "It's A Very Sunny Christmas."
Initially released as a DVD exclusive in 2010, the Gang's take on Christmas remains one of the It's Always Sunny's best episodes, with Frank's arc being key to that placement. And fans aren't alone in having that opinion. When asked by EW to name a Frank-centric storyline that he still can't believe played out, DeVito's first instinct was to bring up the couch gag. (Not you, The Simpsons.) As he put it:
Well, taking your clothes off in front of your mates, the people you work with every day, is okay. When I came out of the couch naked, I forgot in the script that it was at a cocktail party, and the first time I walked in the room, I realized, I don’t know any of these people. These are all actors that do the background acting, and I have to come out of this couch like a greased halibut.
I love that he calls that scene "okay" in terms of its insanity factor. I'd say it goes just a bit beyond that. But then he had just mentioned the Season 18 premiere where he kissed and married a corpse, so I guess he couldn't just repeat that one.
Within the episode, Dennis and Dee take Frank to his former real estate office so that they can make him aware, in the vein of A Christmas Carol, that he has been a monstrous person in the past, by way of having him listen to his former coworkers complain about him. At least that was the plan. Instead, however, the only think Frank really learns is how uncomfortably hot it gets inside an in-use leather couch.
Frank bursting through the front of the couch, completely nude and with spit flying from his mouth, remains one of It's Always Sunny's most unexpected reveals, even knowing full well that he's in there. A big reason it works so well is because DeVito is a ball of heavy-breathing and oblivious energy as he maneuvers his way through a group of people that were total strangers to him. What a pro.
Speaking of, many actors would have balked at just doing that sequence once, but Danny DeVito filmed it at least twice, in part because co-star Kaitlin Olson was agog at the sight of it all and it took her out of the scene. As he put it:
And then of course Kaitlin didn’t say her line. It wasn’t her fault. I mean, I come out looking like a greased blob, my ass is out, and I say, ‘Hot, hot, hot, hot, hot,’ and she’s supposed to have a line, and she didn’t say her line, and I’m just going, ‘Hot, hot, hot, hot, hot.’ But she’s just staring at me. So we did it again. I didn’t mind going back into the couch and getting greased up by all the makeup artists.
"I come out looking like a greased blob" is such a funny observation. Because, with all due respect to the actor, it's a too-perfect encapsulation.
Honestly, even after 20+ years of this show, I still don't understand how the cast is able to finish filming any particular scene without being in constant hysterics. That scene where Uncle Jack introduces his dummy Sherman to Mac and Dennis would have been impossible for me to get through, much less witnessing a couch give birth to a former Taxi star.
For anyone who wants to rewatch the holiday hilarity in its entirety, the extended episode "It's A Very Sunny Christmas" can be streamed via Hulu subscription and Disney+ subscription, where it appears as the final entry for Season 6.
