Posted in: Comics, Comics Publishers, DC Comics, FX, Opinion, TV, TV, YouTube | Tagged: always sunny, Batman, dc comics, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, Shush, youtube

The Always Sunny Gang Has Been After Shush Since 2011 (Sorry, Batman)

Could the Shush that Batman & Robin face this October be part of a network of "shushers" dating back to... It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia?

Okay, we all know what the deal is by now. FXX's Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, Kaitlin Olson & Danny DeVito-starring It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia recently wrapped its 16th season – with seasons ending already being a tough time to deal with, especially after a season as quality as the most recent one was. Because until the AMPTP back to the negotiating table to cut a good deal for SAG-AFTRA & WGA, S16E08: "Dennis Takes a Mental Health Day" will be the last we'll be seeing of The Gang for some time. And that includes the equally amazing The Always Sunny Podcast (with writer/director Megan Ganz), and the additional projects that The Gang is involved in (like McElhenney's Mythic Quest for Apple TV+ and Olson's Hacks for Max). That's why we promised to keep running "'Always Sunny' Strike Survival Guide" posts – to make sure the morale stays high until work gets back underway. The last time around, we took a look at how The Gang makes the transition from bloopers to what makes it to the screen – but for this go-round, we're going in a completely different direction. Just how different? We're talking Batman & Robin, people…

If you're a fan of comics, then you may have heard during San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) weekend that a new villain named Shush was going to be introduced in October's Batman and Robin #2 (written by Joshua Williamson, with art & cover by Simone DiMeo). While any connection to famed "big bad" Bruce Wayne-hater Tommy Elliot/Hush has yet to be revealed… we think you know where we're going with this… right? We're not in the position to offer The Dark Knight and his son/sidekick any advice, but let's just say that they might save themselves some time by comparing notes with Dennis Reynolds (Howerton) and Charlie Kelly (Day). Let's just say that know a thing or two about tracking down "Shushers"… since they've been doing it since 2011.

In S07E08: "The ANTI-Social Network" (directed by Matt Shakman and written by Day & Howerton), The Gang finds itself the victim of a "shushing" at a trendy bar – and they're not going to stand for it. But while Frank (DeVito), Dee (Olson), and Mac (McElhenney) end up going down their own respective "rabbit holes," it's Dennis & Charlie who maintain their dogged pursuit of (for lack of a better name) "The Shush." From bartenders with attitudes and police sketch artists to a pretty damn talented caricature artist, Dennis and Charlie end up with a pretty good lead – with a stumble or two along the way (see below). That is, until Dee & Mac make the case that trying to find him since no one online is who they say they are. Basically, the world is one big "catfish" – a sad, depressing note to end on. Then, The Gang is blessed with a rare bit of good luck – as "The Shush" found his way to their bar.

Now, we don't know what happened after Dennis asked for the door to be locked – but we're assuming "The Shush" came out on the losing end of it. But what if it didn't end there? It's starting to seem pretty clear that The Gang's "Shush" was just the beginning of a villainous network of "Shushers" that went underground after attempting to take on The Gang – at least until its numbers were strong enough to resurface. Maybe it was members of this pseudo-cult who were harassing Dennis on his phone? Maybe Batman & Robin are having to deal with the fallout from a case that Dennis and Charlie believed they had closed 12 years ago? It's starting to feel like the only way we can get satisfying answers to these questions is for Gotham's protectors to team up with The Paddy's Gang to take down a cabal of socially rude chaos agents before their "shushing" blows past a point of no return. Or… the SAG-AFTRA & WGA strikes end, and we get back some tiny pieces of our sanity.

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