running gags woven deep into the lore of the “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” gang, but one of the funniest is Frank’s (Danny DeVito) love of a good fake-out. In a move he learned from his scumbag business partner Eugene (David Huddleston), Frank loves to set people up to believe one thing only to reveal that it was all pretend to begin with. There’s usually no ulterior motive beyond Frank trying to teach someone a lesson, so it’s not quite like Charlie (Charlie Day) or his mom faking cancer. Still, Frank’s fake-outs can be just as emotionally devastating.
Fans first learned of the fake-out in the Frank-defining episode “A Very Sunny Christmas” when his assumed children, Dennis (Glenn Howerton) and Dee (Kaitlin Olson), shared a home video from a childhood Christmas where every present beneath the tree was actually just an empty box, with Frank gleefully yelling “Fake-out!” as they tore through the wrapping paper. Since then, Frank has planned and executed even more nefarious fake-outs, and in season 17, the show delivers possibly the very best (or worst, if you’re on the receiving end) Frank fake-out yet.
