By Anders Douglas-Svensson
A wildcard is a character that cannot be controlled and who would want to cage such an uninhibited spirit? A wildcard must be incorrigible and loveable; you must find yourself rooting for them even during their most absurd plans. So leave it to It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia to create the greatest wildcard; fitting given it is the greatest television show of all time. The show is as subtle as an elephant playing the trombone yet somehow as graceful as a cheetah doing yoga.
A wildcard is a character that cannot be controlled and who would want to cage such an uninhibited spirit? A wildcard must be incorrigible and loveable; you must find yourself rooting for them even during their most absurd plans. So leave it to It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia to create the greatest wildcard; fitting given it is the greatest television show of all time. The show is as subtle as an elephant playing the trombone yet somehow as graceful as a cheetah doing yoga.
Image by Gage Skidmore
But all of that, all of their adventures, all of their guest stars, all of their loveable characters would not be the same without one shining star, Charlie Kelly. Portrayed by the impeccable Charlie Day, Charlie Kelly is a janitor in a bar he once part owned. He sold his share of the bar for a bite of a sandwich. For all you curious minds out there asking what makes him a great wildcard, well it is exactly this kind of thing. And now here are more reasons why Charlie Kelly is the zenith of wildcards.
Charlie is the self-proclaimed King of Rats. He scrounges in the sewers in the nude. He believes he survived an abortion. He named a sandwich after himself; it is a grilled cheese with peanut butter. He is in a one-way relationship of unrequited love with a woman simply known as the waitress. He fancies himself the old man from Up. He is the musical mastermind behind the play The Nightman Cometh; he also created the Spider in My Soul song as well as Paddy’s Song. He invented Kittens’ Mittens and a nighttime routine that involves eating cat food and huffing glue in order to sleep. He has a stunning green-man routine which seems to land him in physical confrontations. Finally, he also cut the brakes of the car he was in just because he felt his actions were becoming too predictable.
Charlie is so much more than these antics. He is a drummer that marches to the beat he drums. He possesses the same unadulterated naïveté as children and magical unicorns. He is the pinnacle of wildcards; he is madness and folly incarnate. The most important part of Charlie’s character is what you learn. You see that a person with such a despondent life can be so blissfuly happy; because happiness is not a product of what life does to you but how you choose to see it and deal with it. Most of us have to wait on sunny days to feel bright and warm, but Charlie is not waiting on a sunny day, because it is always sunny in Philadelphia!
Charlie is the self-proclaimed King of Rats. He scrounges in the sewers in the nude. He believes he survived an abortion. He named a sandwich after himself; it is a grilled cheese with peanut butter. He is in a one-way relationship of unrequited love with a woman simply known as the waitress. He fancies himself the old man from Up. He is the musical mastermind behind the play The Nightman Cometh; he also created the Spider in My Soul song as well as Paddy’s Song. He invented Kittens’ Mittens and a nighttime routine that involves eating cat food and huffing glue in order to sleep. He has a stunning green-man routine which seems to land him in physical confrontations. Finally, he also cut the brakes of the car he was in just because he felt his actions were becoming too predictable.
Charlie is so much more than these antics. He is a drummer that marches to the beat he drums. He possesses the same unadulterated naïveté as children and magical unicorns. He is the pinnacle of wildcards; he is madness and folly incarnate. The most important part of Charlie’s character is what you learn. You see that a person with such a despondent life can be so blissfuly happy; because happiness is not a product of what life does to you but how you choose to see it and deal with it. Most of us have to wait on sunny days to feel bright and warm, but Charlie is not waiting on a sunny day, because it is always sunny in Philadelphia!
