One Of My Favorite Things About This Finale Was That It Confirmed Something Really Important To Me That

One of my favorite things about this finale was that it confirmed something really important to me that I’ve been low-key thinking for a long time: that Charlie is the ‘heart’ of the group and is a sort of emotional pit in the rotten fruit. Every person in this slimy gang has their important place in it obviously, both for us and in their universe, but Charlie has proven so many times to be a ‘wholesome’ adhesive that brings out the ‘better’ in otherwise unpleasant people. Charlie’s by no means a saint himself — we know his rap sheet, it’s extensive even if he’s usually more a passive chaotic entity — but I feel like I’ve seen so many situations where he’s been an emotional anchor or a voice of reason.

‘Charlie Work’ is the epitome of how he almost solely keeps the bar opened, but he also is the literal reason the bar even happens at all: he overhears the roller rink owner, he pushes for them to go into business for themselves, and he buys a majority of the bar with his savings. But on the other end, he’s also often a reason for members of the gang to be more compassionate or considerate of someone else (I especially notice it with Dennis in his interactions with Charlie, and if I listed every example I can think of this would be a real essay).

That’s not to say the gang are always totally kind to him, but you get that sense that he’s a less agreeable target for their laundry list of flaws; he’s someone they’re more willing to put aside their selfish tendencies for (Charlie Kelly: King of the Rats is a big blaring example). When Charlie drifts from Frank in Ireland, you can feel the loss Frank feels in that relationship, because Charlie has left a pretty profound impact on his development from the day he’d moved into that shitty apartment.

But I also wanted to bring up this image set ^ that I’ve put in, where they all quietly realize they can’t leave Charlie behind because they love him. They go back and they help him finish something that means a lot to him, with sincerity, and that’s a lot to ask of characters who are almost always unpleasant and unkind (if not downright diabolical). I just love the framing of that last few shots of them, with Charlie squarely in the middle of the group — and also being the one to reach out and put his hands around Dee and Frank. I also love Mac reaching over to put his hand on Charlie’s as they walk. 

Just. Ugh.

Anyway, tl;dr, Charlie Kelly isn’t just the wildcard, he’s the box that holds the deck together, thank you for coming to my oversentimental TEDtalk about a bunch of gross people and their gross janitor.