An April Fools Joke Reveals a Real Season 18 Script!

On April 1, Rob made the following Instagram post, alleging that he had decided to share an episode script prior to its airing:

The “link in bio” does take you to an upload of a Season 18 script, however, April 1st is April Fools Day, and the script is very heavily redacted, with the first six pages “leaking” the following text,

"Oh! Sun. Eee. fan this You should not read. I leave. joke. Good, Thank you. thank you. you read I’m hot words. They’ll be hidden son. The April fools. joke? for me is right thing! to do! PHILADELPHIA So, do"

very much purposefully mimicking Charlie Kelly's speech for Dennis in The Gang Runs for Office (which is fitting, given Charlie Day is allegedly the writer of this script!). 

But the script doesn't stop there, it continues for another 23 pages, and as it goes on, there's no more semblance of a prank. In fact, the redactions feel much more like they're hiding pertinent information to a real plot as opposed to acting to create Charlie Kelly-style nonsense blackout poetry. And if you've been keeping up with what we know about Season 18 so far, the un-redacted sections quickly begin to feel eerily familiar... 

When we get to the very end of Page 6, Rob stops redacting the character cues with (a fully-redacted line from) Dennis, and this continues to Page 7, where we see Uncle Jack and Dee are part of a conversation, and the sparse un-redacted lines between the three of them seem to be purposefully left to tease us with (mostly) unrevealing sections of dialogue. 

And when we get to the next scene, Ms. Mac and Mac and revealed to be in a scene together, and suddenly this script feels very, very real, because thanks to our very first leak from set, where a chunk of photos were shared by a fan who visited the set for Valentine's Day with her husband, we know Mrs. Mac and Uncle Jack are in at least one Season 18 episode, having seen both of them in the Kelly house:

Uncle Jack is blocked in this shot, however he is seated with the dummy, and Mac's hands are visible in front of Dennis.

This photo is interesting, however, because we can see the slate is clearly marked "108" which indicates Scene 8 of #1801, while the script Rob shared is labelled #1802. Even more perplexing, Scene 8 of the script Rob shared is also a scene with Uncle Jack and Dennis, but Dee is a part of the conversation, not Mac...

Given the reasoning behind Rob sharing the script was an April Fools joke, it might make sense to assume he did more than just redact lines, and also tampered with items that are visible, but a comment from Bryan Swarberg (a producer on Sunny and the VP of More Better) indicates otherwise:

Believing Bryan is telling the truth here (because he really has no reason to lie), nothing in this script is false, it just contains (many) omissions. So while we can't conclude these BTS photos belong to scenes in this redacted script, there are a few major things we can conclude:

1. The writers and director belonging to the script and the episode title are very much real. 
2. The scenes in the script are real, as are the un-redacted portions (of course, subject to change based on script revisions, improv and ad-libbing).
3. We have BTS photos (at least 2) that belong to the scripted episode sequentially right before this one.

Which means we can continue down this heavily-redacted script, reading the pieces of un-redacted character cues, scene headings, and dialogue and action cues to find out quite a bit about one of the first episodes of this Season, and we can use visuals from 1801 to help make even more sense of what we're able to read. (In addition to all of this, @Microclown on Tumblr was able to match the font size and spacing of the script text, filling in most of the redacted character cues and some locations/references! Check out her post on this, which includes a version of the 1802 script that "fills in blanks"!)

Beginning on Page 2, we get three lines over black before a scene location for Scene 1 is revealed, which is the most heavily-redacted portion of the script and therefore near-impossible to follow, but given it leads into the opening titles of "Dennis & Dee Don't Get Rich," it is probably safe to assume that this opening scene is between Dennis and Dee (with the spacing of the redacted character cues working out well to fit Dennis, Dee, and one other character's name, that is 9 characters long, in this scene).

We move to a different location following the titles on Page 3, and up until Page 6 it's another completely redacted section for the sake of the prank, until we get to Page 7 in which we discover Uncle Jack is part of this script (and this scene). It's likely he enters the scene at some point in a redacted action line, since the required spacing for his name (10 characters) doesn't fit with any character cue prior to his un-redacted name showing up (however it seems like there might be a scene change at some point on Page 6 or so, as otherwise the script jumps from Scene 2 to 4... but I'm willing to accept this is an error). 

From Page 7 through Page 8, we have Dennis and Dee with Uncle Jack, seemingly seeking advice from him (likely of the legal kind, given his profession and what they did last Season to the only other lawyer they know), and then we enter the previously-mentioned scene between Mac and his mom, in which there's a third redacted speaker (whose name is 6 characters long). The lines we see from Mrs. Mac are typical: "meh"'s and grunts, paired with an indifference toward her son, and then the third character (a man) exits the scene, and we go back to Dennis and Dee, indoors somewhere and once again interacting with a 9-letter named character. It's probably safe to assume that this is the same character Dennis and Dee were with in the first scene, and from what we can read, it looks like Dennis and Dee are trying to shift an accusation or blame off of themselves:

On Page 12, the twins exit, and then have another scene between the two of them in a different (but clearly continuous) location, discussing what had just been said:

Through Page 14, they continue discussing, until we get to the next scene and finally see an [un-redacted] Charlie cue. He and Frank are together and Frank shows him something "interesting" (which seems to involve "swatting" based on Page 16) right before Dennis and Dee enter whatever location the Gruesome Twosome are in. Charlie is interested in pulling the twins into whatever is interesting to him, but they're dismissive, distressed by their plot. Dennis and Dee then go back to Uncle Jack, but they're very obviously not happy with whatever he's telling them and instead come up with their own plan or conclusion:

The next scene takes us back to Mac and his mom, who are once again with a mystery third person who is coming and going from the room they're in. Suddenly, that person is revealed to be Donald, Mac's uncle we met in Season 16 (played by Gregory Scott Cummins, who also plays Mac's dad, Luther):

We can perhaps assume that Donald is the person who was with Mac and Mrs. Mac on Page 9, however this scene also introduces a fourth redacted character, whose character cue also seems to be 6 characters long, and given the extensive redactions, it's all but impossible for us to confidently figure out if Donald or the other 6-lettered character was the third party before and/or what is happening in this scene. What we can see, however, is that one character exits, and then Mac agrees with or agrees to do something after feeling conflicted by something the remaining 6-letter character had just said:

The next scene, on Page 21, shows Dennis and Dee returning to a 9-letter character (possibly the same as the prior two scenes with a mystery third party) at a very short-named location:

And just like how Rob waited until late in Mac's plot to reveal a character (I'd argue rewarding those of us who continued reading past "fun nonsense" and into "meaningless" dialogue nonsense), he does the same here, leaving the character cue "MOR" and then "MORTICIAN" un-redacted for two lines in this scene:

Presumably, this makes the 6-character long location "MORGUE," and reveals that Dennis and Dee have been dealing with a Mortician, and likely a dead body, throughout their plot of this episode. 

On Page 22, something to do with (or naming) Frank is revealed, and this dissolves whatever scheme Dennis and Dee were working on:

Seemingly defeated, they ditch the Mortician and head out to the street, where they have some encounter and a mystery character speaks to them. This person seems to show the twins something (something the writers felt the props team could use an example reference of), which results in Dennis and Dee re-sparking their pursuit and running to find Frank:

As Dennis and Dee look for Frank, Mac is out on the street at the same time, all but certainly with Mrs. Mac based on the number of characters in the redacted character cue, and he witnesses her crying:

Off this scene, Dennis and Dee find Charlie in the street, who is preoccupied (perhaps with whatever interesting, swattable thing Frank showed him earlier), and eventually Frank, who doesn't seem to be helpful:

And by Page 28, Mac's scene on the street seems to coincide with the rest of the Gang's scene on the street, but by the final page, it is not clear if he's actually interacted with any of them, and every character cue except for Mac's is redacted,  so it is impossible this to know if the two plots actually merge and Mac is speaking with Dennis (the only 6-letter character of the Gang) or if the plots never merge, but simply end in the same scene and Mac is with Donald or another prior scene 6-letter character.

So, while a lot is still unclear, I think a good chunk of things were able to be deduced, and understanding the possibilities of these redactions in conjunction with the definitives of the un-redacted portions makes for a lot of possible theories as to what the A and B (and C?) plots are here...! 

Not forgetting the fact that we have a few photos from #1801 which could connect somewhat loosely to #1802, my theory is that #1802 is the second episode of a two-parter premiere (if you've been watching for a few years now, you know FX has been airing two episodes as part of the premiere regardless of whether it makes sense to do so, so it's logical that RCG would decide to write into that reality), which follows the death of Samantha, Frank's pick from The Golden Bachelor. This would give room for #1801 to see her return (and potentially confirm a marriage between her and Frank, explaining those tuxes from #1801), but also wrap up her plot in the way it was originally intended to end in Season 17, and answer the question as to why the cold open of #1802 would take place with a mortician.

✖As I predict the A plot: Following Samantha's death at the end of #1801 (which may or may not result in a fall (one of the only un-redacted words from the first quarter of the script)... as we did see rooftop scenes being filmed for what we believe is #1801), Dennis and Dee seek to get rich off her death, knowing she had her "chicken money" and hoping they were either written into her will (Uncle Jack would make a lot of sense in this context) or that she died with something expensive on her (continuing to visit the mortician would make sense in this context). Of course, whatever Dennis and Dee thought they could get from the mortician, and then later Frank, is either worthless or Frank's property in the end. 

✖As to the B Plot, as far as the un-redacted portions can reveal, it seems almost disconnected to Dennis and Dee, but along the same theme as family/inheritance. I'd predict that we not only see the return of Donald, but Luther as well, and Mac is dealing with some family issue between his mom, father, and uncle... Honestly, this part is too heavily redacted for me to figure without any other outside information, however for heart-aches purpose, I am hoping it's Luther convincing Mac to ditch or fuck over Donald.

✖And the C plot seems to be between Charlie and Frank, back to enjoying life as the Gruesome Twosome and playing with some strange object (or maybe a return of hornets!) that's pulling them away from the attention Dennis and Dee keep demanding. 

I would love to hear any and all other theories people may have for what this plot is, because there's certainly plenty of possibilities! Please leave them in the comments (or feel free to send them to me anyway you know how), surely one of us will be correct and is due proof for bragging rights!

-From 4 in the morning 2 days later, Seth

 

A Wedding and/or a Funeral...

 My post Tuesday night might have jumped the gun a little on making a prediction as to what the puppet plot is about, because the next morning, quite a few more photos were discovered in connection with the LinkedIn user's visit to set, revealing quite a bit more about what she saw being filmed!

The contents of these photos (which you can view on Instagram here, or see below) likely reveals that I was way off in my initial prediction of what a puppet plot could be (but hey, we can store it away for another day) as these new photos reveal not only the puppet himself, but the Kelly House, AKA Charlie's Mom's House (RIP) as a significant filming location (along with what appears to be a roof set)! 

These photos, understandably, blew up on social media among fans of the show, and so many comments and ideas about what all this could be about popped up throughout the day, I thought it would be fun to collect and compile the general thoughts/theories fans have come up with due to these new photos:

Mostly everyone seems to be in agreement that this set is a rooftop. Considering the surrounding blue screen (likely to be the Philly skyline you just can't replicate somewhere on-location in LA), the structure behind Mac jutting up and holding outdoor lights and satellite dishes, and the below photo showing a descending ladder and an industrial fan (for the creation of wind?), this seems to be a pretty solid deduction. 

But where, exactly, are they? And what's going on up there? 

Well, as we can see, the characters (excluding Charlie, who is of the Day variant in that photo and not Kelly) are wearing slightly disheveled tuxes, just like those we saw in Rob's parallel post from the bar, and those tuxes are also being worn in two other photo around the Kelly dining table:

Dennis and Mac are sat around the table with Uncle Jack (and the infamous puppet) but, interestingly, Charlie Kelly isn't seen in these photos either. This has led many to believe that whatever is going on in these scenes excludes Charlie. While he was wearing a matching tux in Rob's post, the only photo we see of him in this batch of filming photos is one in which he is on the same rooftop Mac and Dennis were on in his all-black, beanie outfit we first saw from LinkedIn:

The biggest factor dividing the theories as to what's going on here hinges on the idea of what the tuxes are being worn for—a wedding or a funeral? (A tuxedo is considered perhaps the only type of formal wear not appropriate for a funeral, however this is the Gang we're talking about, so we can't really rule out anything based on universal appropriateness.) Season 17's finale gave us a case for both events occurring this year, as Frank proposed only seconds before an in-memoriam for Lynne Marie Stewart played. While it has yet to be confirmed whether or not Season 18 will follow through on Frank's proposal or translate Lynne's death via the death of her character, there have been hints RCG intend to make Season 18 continuous, so fans are almost universally speculating based on one of these ideas, with many betting on both not only happening, but intertwining:

As Twitter user Boygeniusmac pointed out, we saw a champagne bottle and glasses in an earlier photo at Mac and Dennis' apartment, as well as the boys in suits in the bar. The tuxes and the champagne indicates that there was a celebration of some kind (and let's not forget this Season's graphic, confetti!), but the change in location with Uncle Jack seems to indicate that they're called over to the Kelly House for something related to Bonnie's death. She theorized that if this has something to do with Bonnie's will, the resulting roof moments (and Charlie's attire) could be related to a heist kind of plot taking place at the Kelly house, where the guys are all looking to obtain something valuable that was revealed in the will reading, screwing each other over in pairs. 

Tumblr user badn3w similarly theorized that a Frank wedding (or Dee & Dennis Birthday) might overlap with Bonnie's passing, with the guys celebrating in the bar only to rush over to the Kelly House upon hearing the news of her passing. They pointed out that if the celebration event was for Frank's wedding, then the culminating news that Charlie has lost his mother would send him into a flurry, and the resulting plot might be more uplifting, with Mac and Dennis being there for Charlie as he deals with losing Frank and his mom. 

Or, a resulting moment that's not as uplifting, as Tumblr user Sunnykeysmash theorized, "I thiiink maybe they had such a bad day (probably for bonnie's funeral?) that they want to jump off that roof."

But what about the puppet? That is where this all started, after all.  Well, Twitter user benkenobilover theorized that the doll could be Uncle Jack's representation of Charlie, which would explain Charlie's absence in the house and the puppet's matching tuxedo. (I definitely could get on board with this idea, especially seeing Uncle Jack is the puppeteer. If Bonnie is gone and Charlie has no reason to come around, this could be Uncle Jack's creepy way of coping.) Others think the puppet could be an heirloom of some kind, left by Bonnie in her will, while Tumblr user badn3w pointed out that the puppet could simply be Uncle Jack's latest scheme to lure in children... which, yeah. Fair assumption. But my favorite puppet theory came from Twitter user charliedayliker:

"Bonnie Kelly has passed away, but Jack Kelly claims that her ghost has possessed that puppet. There is a dispute with Jack Kelly on who should continue to live in Charlie's childhood home, and Mac and Dennis are attempting to negotiate with him (and the puppet) about the future of the house/its residents. This attempt is unsuccessful, likely due to the objections of the puppet, and Mrs. Mac is forced to move out of the house. Mac immediately moves her in with him and Dennis, creating a situation Dennis finds untenable. It's possible this leads to the scene with Mac and Dennis on the roof--maybe an argument about Mrs. Mac staying with them? Dennis hatches a plan with Charlie to trick Uncle Jack into believing that he was either wrong about the ghost haunting the puppet (by creating a separate haunting) or that the haunted puppet has changed its mind about the house. (In my wildest dreams, this scheme results in Uncle Jack's death)."

This sounds like a very fun "coping with death" episode; I would love to see it. 

(And I think it probably goes without saying that many are speculating that the scene on the rooftop with Mac and Dennis alone could be a romantic confession of some kind.)

My thoughts? Well, while I had already become emotionally invested in my puppet show PBS commentary episode idea, these photos have me rethinking a lot, especially given how much we have to work with and the varying theories other people have provided. 

First things first, I believe very strongly that these set moments are all confined to one location — the Kelly House. While the brick facade and green door are certainly indicative of Paddy's, they're also traits belonging to the Kelly house: 

In addition, the rooftop of Paddy's has been seen across numerous episodes, and the surface area is much wider than the room they've given on this new set, as well as the fact that the satellite dish affixed to the exit really belongs to residential property:

And... interestingly enough, the actual house the show uses as the exterior B-roll was sold in 2022, and the listing photos are still visible, revealing an actual roof deck juts out of the attic: 

This looks pretty similar to the set built for this scene (with the exception of the door being blue, but based on the photos in the listing, the real owners repainted the front door from green to blue, something Ms. Kelly never did), down to the wooden railing on the rooftop. I initially thought the railing part of the set was just built for the actors’ safety (ok, it’s for sure in part for the actors’ safety), but seeing this photo of the IRL deck makes the Kelly house even more of a damning location for this rooftop set. 

And given their wardrobe, the scene of Mac and Dennis on the rooftop most likely occurs during the same visit as the scene in which they're around the table with Uncle Jack and the puppet. (Mac is clearly holding something in this scene, and while it could be a prop, I am inclined to believe this is actually Rob holding a script based on crew members being visible on the monitors:

(In fact, I think all of these BTS photos were taken before/after "cut" was called.) 

However, this doesn't have me ruling out the theory that the guys are there in connection with some kind of will reading or estate planning due to Bonnie's passing, pulled in from a separate event that would call for tuxes (like others, the leading theory being Frank's wedding). 

(Something benkenobilover pointed out as well is that Mac is wearing a different tie (bolo) than he was in the picture Rob shared (bow), which could indicate that the actors specifically altered their wardrobes to match their Underage Drinking selves for the parallel... So it might be a real possibility that Charlie Day put on the tux for the photo despite Charlie Kelly not wearing one in any scene. In which event, this leads even more toward the idea that two plots have merged, with Charlie dealing with his mom's death while Mac and Dennis are dealing with Frank's wedding (hence the champagne in their apartment), and their roles either swapping for a minute or merging.)

I theorize that, once at the Kelly house, Mac and Dennis meet with Uncle Jack, who is an attorney and most likely the executor for (in charge of) Bonnie's will (I mean, the Gang did jail the only other attorney they know). The two of them learn of something regarding Bonnie's estate (or come up with an idea) that calls for a sidebar, and they retreat to the roof to speak alone. (Potentially, the puppet is the "something" related to the will, but, yeah, seeing it connected to Uncle Jack, I am appropriately worried that it's actually just a creepy child lure.) Following this, we see Charlie and Dennis in what I originally assumed were puppeteer outfits, but could also pass for spy/burglar outfits, on the same rooftop set belonging to the Kelly house. Based on the lighting through the monitors, it's clear that the scene with the two of them is set at night:

I think it's conceivable, then, that the two of them have returned to the house to steal whatever the "something" is that Mac and Dennis learned of. 

And just as my prior puppet plot idea was biased, this one certainly is too, because The Gang Gets Trapped is one of my favorite episodes and I've been dying for another heist plot.

Thanks to everyone who contributed their thoughts/ideas for what this episode could be! We could be close, but I know for certain that we haven't managed to deduce close to the actual insanity RCG have cooked up here... (But look, I'm keeping all of the submissions, and if anyone was right on the money, I'll mail you a script of your choosing.)

-Seth

More than 8 for 18!?

 Most, if not all of us, have seen in by now (and it's all but confirmed by the WGA, which remains mysteriously blank), but Rob "revealed" in an Instagram comment that Season 18 will have more than the 8-episode standard we've come to accept these last few seasons:

Some are happy (more episodes gives us more of the Gang!), some are worried (could a change in the standard indicate the end?), but I'm...confused. By all accounts, Season 18 shouldn't be able to have more episodes, because 8 is all they have left. 

In a Podcast released in early 2022 (just after Season 15 aired), Charlie Day revealed that FX only wanted to order Sunny for 8 episodes, but if they wanted more, they could do 16 in a Season, and the network would split them up to air 8 at a time...and so RCG went for batches of 8. Three have passed by, leaving us with only 8 to go. 

Interestingly, there was quite a bit of emphasis from Charlie on the fact that the Network only wanted 8 episodes at a time (in one of the Ireland Live Shows in early 2023, they brought this up again, recalling how they tried to negotiate 10 episodes from FX, but FX wouldn't budge), so if there are more than 8 episodes this season, that means RCG must have gone back to FX to renegotiate (extend/renew) their deal with the Network. 

What does this all mean then? Well, we're not quite sure yet. We don't even know how many more we're getting. Is it back to 10? Back to 12? Or perhaps it's just one extra, for a double premiere (never before seen with Sunny) or a double finale (not seen since Season 11)? Or, perhaps, a secret 9th episode we (the general public, more like) won't be aware of until a week after the "fake" finale?

But I will say, even one more episode has me optimistic regarding the future beyond Season 18. Since we know historically FX (Disney) has been resistant to giving them more episodes, they must have some kind of leverage, or promise, to deliver that granted them a better deal than they were able to get six years ago... or the Network agreed a "secret" 9th episode would be funny.. either or. I'd accept the latter because it would be funny as shit.  

Filming Begins! (with a hint?)

Wednesday, February 11, 2026 marks the start of filming for Season 18 of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and Rob has finally decided to give us a peek into its existence with an Instagram post!

Kaitlin and Glenn are also tagged in the post

The post was made by Rob and is a "joint post" with Charlie, Glenn and Kaitlin, clearly taken in Mac and Dennis's kitchen (which could either be where they're shooting, or a location chosen for the caption). But the location of the slate is less interesting than the brand new Season 18 logo on it.

It's hard not to believe there's a hint in this design, because when Season 17 began shooting, we got a few glimpses of that logo, and it featured a golden rose. While we didn't know it at the time, speculation brought us close to the idea that the rose meant something, and perhaps could be a reference to a theme or episode. As we now know, it was indeed that, a direct reference to the Season finale, The Golden Bachelor Live. So it's almost impossible for us not to immediately begin speculating on what the confetti could mean. 

Some are worried this could indicate "final," but to me, confetti is good news. It's thrown when celebrating good, or new, things. The New Year. Birthdays. Parades. Even Weddings...

And, interestingly, another photo of a different slate (also with the confetti logo and also in Mac and Dennis' apartment, confirming they are actively filming there) revealed a bit more of the first scene's surroundings, including what looks to be the neck of a champagne bottle:

From John Tanzer, on Instagram

(There also look to be champagne flutes to the left side of the frame...) 

This seems to indicate that the first scene they're shooting is a scene that calls for champagne, traditionally brought out for a celebration and potentially related to the confetti logo. (I emphasize potentially because this logo is for the entire season, not just this first scene, so it's a stretch to say the champagne glasses are indeed connected to the confetti). (It's also important to note that they don't necessarily shoot in order or air in the order they shoot AND we don't have an episode number attached to either slate, so this could be the first scene of episode 1 or the first scene of episode 8")

BUT if we do want to go out on a limb here and say they're carrying on from that big Season 17 finale moment into the first scene of Season 18, it is certainly not a stretch to believe the confetti and champagne are associated with a wedding [reception] between Frank and Sam (or perhaps for this scene, given the location and Danny's IG not being tagged in Rob's post, an after party). A wedding would definitely be grand enough to call dibs on this Season's design, and it would make logical sense given how Season 17 left off. (It's also something very interesting to throw us into and see how the Gang's relationships shift with someone new.)

However, it's also Sunny and they don't necessarily need to pick up from the end of 17, a crazy line from Frank about how Sam "didn't work out" would be enough to tie a bow on that plot. (Of course, I still expect the dynamics are altered this Season based on all of those last two episodes of 17.) So if this is something brand new (i.e. unrelated to last season), and the confetti is hinting at a different big episode of the season, I am personally rooting for either a New Years episode (though a NYE episode would likely delay Season 18's airing until late fall/winter) or one of the Gang's (*cough* Dennis and Dee *cough*) 50th birthdays (Charlie just celebrated his this Monday, and Glenn will celebrate his toward the end of filming)! 

Hopefully with a little time the episode titles will reveal what this is all about (as I don't see RCG sharing too many spoilers during filming this year, given how quiet the writers room was)!

Anyone have any other wishes for the grand confetti plot?

Is It Frank?

On December 24, 2024, Imani Hakim, an actress mostly known around the Sunny-sphere for playing Dana in Mythic Quest, made an Instagram post surprising us with photos from the set of Season 17 of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

The very first photo she posted reveals that she’s directing an episode (and also reveals what we were most likely sure of: Dave & John Chernin are writing an episode):

Unfortunately she’s cropped out both the episode # (though that could always change prior to airing) and the Title of the episode.. so we’ll just have to wait a little longer for that reveal!

If the previous information I received about Dave & John Chernin directing an episode this season is correct, Imani now makes five different directors on this season (that we know of), with 4/5 directing an episode of Sunny for the first time. Five directors in a season isn’t unheard of (in fact, it was just done for Season 14, though it had two more episodes than 17 will), but this is definitely a first for this many freshman directors on one season of Sunny. (Not to mention the fact that we still don’t have confirmation on who’s directing three other episodes, one of which is the Abbott Crossover and many (myself included) are hopeful we’ll see Randall Einhorn back directing on Sunny). 

But moving on from the credits aspect of this reveal, what else can we deduce from Imani’s Instagram post? Quite a lot, it seems!

First, looking a little further at her photo of the script cover, we can also faintly see the top portion of the set list. It looks like, for the permanent sets, her episode will have scenes in Paddy’s, the hallway of Charlie & Frank’s Apartment, Charlie & Frank’s apartment, and another apartment (based on the layout and spacing, my money is on Dee’s). 

With these sets in mind, taking a look at the various other photos and videos Imani shared reveals a bit of what’s happening in her episode:

In a Paddy’s backroom, we see Imani is set up with Sunny’s three camera monitors, following along with a scene that takes place in the bar. The Gang (minus Frank) are gathered in their usual “facing the bar TV” position:

Dee is mid-sentence, perhaps with Dennis’ attention, while Charlie attempts to make sense of the paper (perhaps a flyer or portion of a newspaper?) in her hand as Mac looks on, probably at something on the TV. 

Unfortunately (though probably purposefully), no amount of enhancing is getting us a legible look at that script. However, thanks to our treasure trove of scripts, we do have a lot of familiarly with the formatting of Sunny’s scripts, and based on just the pagination and spacing of the blurry block of text in the top left corner of the script, we can pretty safely deduce that this is the cold open of the episode:

The illegible Chernins & Hakim script side-by-side with the first page of Frank’s Back in Business (another Chernin Brothers episode), which shows similar pagination.

Additionally, the blurry block in the bottom right hand corner of the page indicates a scene transition. This is either a "CUT TO:" MAIN TITLES or a “CUT TO:” another scene in the cold open. A one-page cold-open is pretty short (Celebrity Booze, with a similar set up as we see here, was a page and a half), but considering the way the Gang are poised, this very much could be a hard, fast NEWS! opening scene, connecting whatever Dee’s brought in on print to whatever Mac is looking at.

Imani also shared a few videos from set, and in addition to a 360 of Charlie’s apartment (stripped of any potential spoilers, it seems), we got a look at the camera crew setting up to shoot in an alley, in daylight and at night. While my initial thought was that they’re shooting behind Paddy’s (based on the red brick and green doors), cross referencing these videos with photos of Paddy’s alley (both in Charlie Work and The Janitor Always Mops Twice) the walls and background of the videos Imani shared don’t line up with the Paddy’s alley we’re familiar with… Of course, the Gang are no strangers to alleys, so it’s not unusual that we’re visiting one, but there’s not much to go off of here, as far as I can see. (Let me know if you've got any ideas!)

Though the alley shots certainly weren’t the extent of location sets Imani revealed for this episode. In what seems like a scouting photo, she shared a large, open complex space with wooden beams:

Based on a quick search, I’m fairly certain this space is Office #33 in Culver City. Used for a variety of productions, it remains to be seen as to how it will be used in the episode (if at all), as she provided no context or further photos which match this location.

What she did additionally share, however, is probably the most exciting photo the fandom got their hands on: another photo of the monitors for Sunny’s three cameras, this time in an unfamiliar space:

In the scene, the guys are in tuxes, bowties included. Charlie is on his cell phone, looking and pointing to Mac, while Dennis holds a drink tray in front of a bar (much fancier than the one at Paddy’s) in a room that looks to be a formal function. (Based on the walls, ceiling and chandeliers, and carpet in the room, my best guess is they’re in a ballroom/hotel event space.) We can also see behind the guys on the C Camera monitor that there are a few bartenders, likely event staff, dressed in vests, and on A Camera monitor, to the left, there are a few well dressed extras. There’s not much else we can gather from this photo, but knowing Sunny, if the boys are dressed nicely in a classy place, it’s surely related to some scheme.

Considering the elegance of the ballroom, and the upscale nature of Office #33, it’s probably not a huge reach to believe the two are connected, and therefore assume a portion of the plot takes place at an event of some nature. 

Now, if you went to take a look at Imani’s Instagram post today, it may seem like what I’ve covered is the extent of what she revealed from on-set, but, interestingly enough, she actually shared and then deleted one more behind the scenes look at this episode. In this photo we finally get a look at Frank, where the entire Gang are gathered in Charlie & Frank’s Apartment for a photo:

It’s hard to miss the smiles and Imani in the middle tipping off that this is a behind the scenes photo, but it’s even harder to miss the fact that their plates of cake are clearly cut from the “person” lying in the hospital bed..!? 

Donned in a hospital gown and still strapped up to monitors (that are hopefully monitoring nothing), the cake person lying in the bed, while jawless, seems to bear a striking resemblance to Frank…Considering what we can see of the hair, the fact that it’s Charlie and Frank’s Apartment in which the cake-body lies, and the fact that Danny is posed on his own side next to it, it’s hard to argue that it’s not supposed to be Frank. (The fact that this picture was deleted a few hours after it was shared and after the fandom had started speculating may only be further proof of this.)

Though it’s hard to tell exactly what Kaitlin is wearing in this photo, she’s clearly in black, and the boys are still wearing their tuxedos (though now bowtie-less). But can we assume Cake Frank and these wardrobes are directly connected through a scene and not just two parts that came together for a BTS photo? It may be possible that RCG moved into the room for the photo and don’t actually wear their tuxes in Charlie’s apartment…However we do know, based on a Facetime call that Rob made November 21, 2024, that the three of them were actively shooting in Charlie & Frank’s Hallway while wearing the tuxes (also bowtie-less, from what we can make out), so the likelihood of this behind-the-scenes moment also being an episode moment is higher than not. So…what is happening!?

We’ve got a cold open which features Dee bringing something (news!) to the guys that may or may not be related to what Mac is looking at on TV, but likely ends up connecting, fancy venues and the boys donning tuxes among other well-dressed guests and staff while they seem to be pulled by the other side of Charlie’s phone, that seemingly ends up with them, slightly disheveled, eating a cake version of Frank out of a hospital bed in the middle of his apartment (and, at some point, a random alley). 

There are quite a few angles here, and after a few days to mull this all over, I think it's very likely that this episode has the Gang ordering a realistic, life-sized cake version of Frank in order to fake his illness and/or death. The suits and the fancy venue, then, could be connected to some kind of fundraiser the guys are putting on, or maybe just a corporate event they're crashing in order to raise (or steal) money in an attempt to find a “cure” or to prevent what happened to Frank from happening to any others—the cold open being the four of them becoming aware of both some lucrative illness and the concept of realistic cakes (perhaps Mac is just watching “Is it Cake?”) and jamming the ideas together for a brand new scheme. Alternatively, instead of becoming aware of some illness, perhaps the Gang becomes aware of something going down with one of Frank's businesses and see a dying Frank as a way to get in...

Whatever ends up happening, I really hope the Gang eating Frank's cake face is actually part of the plot (the fact that there are only five plates, despite the fact that there are seven people in the photo, might be a tip off that it indeed is…). Maybe this is one of their few schemes that is successful, and they celebrate by eating Frank…or it’s a failure and they drown their lost profits in his cake head. 

This all sounds right up the Chernins alley, and I’m seated already. Anyone have any episode title guesses? Honestly, my title of this blog could hold strong...

- Seth