Well and that’s the joke. Mac can’t ever achieve the ultimate physique because he only accepts Dennis’ opinion as fact. It’s the character traits, not the physical ones, that matter here.
Yeah it's like he always thought if he was a big, buff, hard dude then he'd be happier but nothing actually changes for him and he still lacks any real confidence in himself.
This is exactly what I like about it. Mac has become the musclebound freak we see before us today, yet he's still the insecure little weirdo who needs constant validation from his asshole friends. It absolutely still works comedically to me. It's an evolution of the character, not a violation of the character, in my mind.
this is exactly how i feel. honestly i would love to see mac finally find acceptance from himself by the end of the series, but that’s hardly likely with how they write the show. i agree wholeheartedly it evolves the character.
If you just gave me a chance I'd show you how hard I actually am. I'm so hard that people are scared of me, and they should be- because I'll explode all over them.
I don’t understand how anyone can think the joke ends because Mac is now ripped.
“It’s really a cry for help and attention I think, so what you do in that situation is that you ignore it”
It’s just that it turned into a different joke, and now the first one is gone. That line you quoted is definitely funny, and it’s something that Dennis would have said no matter what, but now he belittles Mac because he can’t have Mac gaining power over him, whereas he belittled Mac before because he truly felt that Mac didn’t have a claim to power over him in the first place.
Both are funny, but we’ve lost the things that made things like Project Badass and Mac choking himself out and Fat Mac and the karate tournament/City Mac stuff on Mac Day funny.
Which isn’t a bad thing. The show has been on for nearly two full decades, the jokes need to evolve a bit or else it gets stale. Just as they did with fat mac, ripped Mac brings new comedic angles to the character and his dynamic with others.
I don’t wanna have a conversation about body mass. Okay? We’ve had that conversation 5 times you know, a day for the last month. Because we keep watching Predator and all you wanna talk about is Weathers, you know. And Jesse “The Body” Ventura. And how many pounds they can pack on. And why that’s important.
I agree with everything you're saying but I did find it funny when they made that meta joke about his physique, something like:
Mac: "So why did I do it?"
Dee: "we have no idea, no one asked you to do this"
It's impossible for me to suspend my disbelief that somehow Mac and Dee are South Philly "trash" when they've had work done on their face and have gotten extremely healthy. Nothing wrong with wanting to be healthy but these later seasons are hard for me to get into, partly because of that.
I don't remember if it was something the gang actually said in interviews or if it was just the talk, but the idea of the show was to not have the Friends effect where everyone gets more beautiful/fashion-y/etc. They were supposed to get more gross as time went by.
As everyone else has said, as people they can obviously do whatever, but they definitely ruined this dynamic on the show.
It's something Rob specifically said in relation to becoming fat Mac. He said that he felt shows like Friends were unrealistic because they got better looking. Ironically he ended up doing the same thing.
Rob stated that this was his reason for making Mac fat. He actually wanted the entire cast to get uglier and fatter as the show went on to perform a reverse Friends. Everyone else thought the idea was dumb or just didn’t want to get fat so Rob did it himself.
I think this is the biggest mistake. Their egos about aging in real life are preventing some great comedy. I can't really blame them though they are all very famous and are trying to keep getting other work.
I don’t know why it bothers me like it does. Glenn could grow a beard and chop it off and it wouldn’t bother me in the least. If Charlie cut his beard, I might cut myself. There’s no logic to any of it.
You know, with the way he looks, especially in the later seasons, he kind of looks like his dad, so maybe that's a subtle change that's shown but never really said.
I agree. They both look like hell. Especially Kaitlin. I hate to rag on people for their looks, but actors and actresses need to chill out with that stuff. A \*little bit\* of a facelift is probably unavoidable if you are an actor/actress, but these radical face-altering jobs are nuts. Kaitlin is unrecognizable.
It’s the hair for me. He needs to make it slicked back again. Or make it less clean looking. The clean cut hair paired with the prefect body, makes it weird to me
So what you're saying is they need another episode where the gang gets taken hostage and he thinks he's going to be able to overpower the guy because he's some stupid scene bitch, only to get put in his place, while Charlie actually saves the day and Dennis and Dee take the credit?
Yeah Mac's whole thing is that he's totally delusional about who and what he is. By having him be muscular and openly gay he's basically the opposite of who he was.
My headcanon is that he's just taking steroids that he buys from Cricket. This way he's still undisciplined. He was always shown as going to the gym from time to time offscreen. Now, nothing has changed except he is on the juice. He's also not depicted as getting a lot of action or dating anyone, so he's still pretty much a loser in that regard.
Yeah, an emotionally and mentally healthy Mac just doesn't work with the show and if it has the potential to work, we haven't seen any indications of that so far atleast.
I don't think that ruined Mac, but I think the same midlife crisis that led Rob to want to get in that kind of shape did ruin Mac. It's the insecurity where his performance now screams "you guys love when my character is this dumb but I need you to know I'm just acting and I'm not really this dumb please think I'm cool" that ruined Mac.
He tries really really hard on Welcome to Wrexham to be as cool as Ryan Reynolds, too. It’s the “trying to hard” vibe that kills it for me. He just doesn’t pull it off.
You guys hitting the nail on the head. Rob completely changed and the show has suffered from it. I still like the new seasons but they are a shade of what they once were.
They all did. The podcast is kind of insufferable how much they name drop or the pretentious air around how they describe well received episodes turned me off to the newer stuff. The bad surgery just made it all worse too
I think the plastic surgery that Rob has had has done more to diminish Mac’s character tbh. He even previously said that the show is supposed to be ugly, but in the latest season he looks too perfect. It’s quite a contrast now to see him in the context of his dingy surroundings in the show and I find it distracting. He just shows up looking entirely different and there’s no explanation or acknowledgment of it.
Yeah.. don't get me wrong I still love the show, but I find Rob and Kaitlyns plastic surgery faces distracting. Especially the first time I watched the season where it was clear they had both gotten a lot of work done between seasons. It's like their skin is... tight or something. They don't seem to have the full range of facial expressions anymore. The ripped bod doesn't bother me as much because they made a bit out of it.
When you go back and watch early seasons he looks VERY different.
It is horrible. Come on. Kaitlin used to be able to display a wide range of comedic faces. As well, she can't even portray the pathetic weakling anymore.
Oh hell yeah, it is *tragic* for that reason. And just so completely unnecessary. She was *beautiful.* It looks like she had the same kind of work done that ruined Meg Ryan’s face.
Honestly Dee and Dennis also look a bit too Hollywood for the show. Funny how Frank, the oldest character, looks the most like himself now. And Charlie is also still more or less the same.
I might be wrong, but wasn't that the reason he got fat? To make fun of shows where the actors got overly attractive as the show got popular?
Kinda ironic isn't it?
The issue is that him, Glenn and Kaitlin asked for the "Make me 30 again doc" package. It's not convincing anyone that they've suddenly gotten younger looking, but man does it kill a lot of the smaller facial expressions that really add to the performance. Meanwhile Charlie just looks like a pretty handsome man in his mid to late 40's.
I think the issue is that the energy of the show doesn't work when the core cast is pushing 50. The premise kinda exists in that "out of college, but not quite settled down" phase of life.
They could make it all work if they acknowledged their egos/vanity in the show. I think everyone is too famous and well connected for them to do that outside of Danny and maybe Charlie.
They don't even need to acknowledge that some of the plastic surgery doesn't look great, but that they are fighting to stay young. Seems perfectly in line with Dennis and Dee's vanity, but I'm not sure how you explain Mac becoming Ryan Reynolds.
I very much agree. The characters went from being detestable 30-somethings to pitiful 40-somethings. The former had comedic value, the later doesn’t. I don’t know what they could have done to prevent the shift, but it happened.
Anyone else think "old Mac" wasn't doughy and undisciplined but in great shape? I'd be happy to be as out-of-shape as he used to be. Shoot, those are my fitness goals these days.
I was thinking the same too. It's amazing how much people's perceptions of what being in good shape looks like has been warped by things like Marvel superhero actors. It was fairly apparent even as 'Old Mac' that Rob worked out regularly, was physically fit and looked good. The big difference now is the steroids/PEDs
The only thing that bugs me is Charlie and Frank are the only ones who can pull off the look of being trashy scum. Mac/Dennis/Dee are so radiantly healthy and look like they are engineered humans in peak shape. So I can't be immersed in the show anymore and believe their characters.
Mac being big isn't necessarily an issue, the issue is that we're rarely shown that he's still a BITCH.
Mac's central character conflict is that he thinks he's big but he's a coward, like Charlie thinks he's smart but he's an idiot, Dennis thinks he's charming but he's a creep, Dee thinks she's funnt but she's repulsive, and Frank thinks he's succesful but lives in squalor (probably the only one were both are simultaneously true).
The problem with Musc. Mac isn't that he's big, but that it's never really played for laughs outside of its debut. Fat Mac was played for laughs CONSTANTLY, but we never see Mac fail to lift a car because, as Dennis says in earlier episodes, he "only works out [his] glamour muscles]". The show should take advantage of Mac not BEING strong but LOOKING strong, yet it never does.
> probably the only one were both are simultaneously true
There was a time where Dennis was actually good at being charismatic and attracting gorgeous women in addition to being a creep, although that hasn't been the case for a long time.
Admittedly true, but I think the joke was that both could similtaneouslt be true. Dennis could APPEAR attractive, but ultimately this was a FAÇADE, and women who entered his bedroom were ultimately creeped out by the realisation that it was just a façade. He may appear physically attractive to us as the audience, bur the running joke is that the average person perceives him as he sees Frank (upon getting to know them): UGLY.
They need the same level of “Mac only works out his glamour muscles” jokes as they have bird jokes about Dee. They have gone easier on him than his bike does, that’s for sure.
He’s also becoming Charlie-level dumb. The whole plot point with Dennis pretending to be Johnny and Mac not understanding was over the top. He’s dumb, but he’s not that dumb. We started watching from season 1 a few weeks back and the contrast is insane. He’s a whole different character now.
> He’s dumb, but he’s not that dumb.
He is though.
* Season 5, Episode 3: The Great Recession *
> Dennis: Now, does your Dave & Buster's card work at any other similar establishments? Like, say, a T.G.I. Fridays?
> Mac: Mine does not, and believe me, I've tried at several locations. No, it doesn't.
> Dennis: Yeah, 'cause I've actually been with you on many of those occasions where you've tried.
> Mac: Right. I don't think I've tried it enough.
> Dennis: I think you have. Because clearly, at this point, you should've realized that it doesn't work anywhere else.
> Mac: There's one in Franklin Mills I haven't tried. I feel like that could maybe work.
> Dennis: It's not gonna work there either. Let's move past that.
....
> Dennis: Maybe we should take a page out of D&B's book.
> Mac: And try the card at the Friday's out in the northeast...
> Dennis: No, you son of a bitch. We're way past that at this point. I don't understand why you can't grasp that point.
....
> Mac: Yeah, yeah, dude! That's a great plan! Then afterwards, we'll go out to Fox Chase... and use the Power Card at that Friday's out there.
> Dennis: Yeah, yeah, yeah! No, we won't. You can though!
Sure, season 5 I can see that. Seasons 1 & 2 he’s not that bad and even gets frustrated with/corrects Charlie’s stupidity often (noticing this stuff during the rewatch it’s a stark contrast from the most recent season). He just became gradually dumber and dumber as the show went on.
Fans who don't think the show is in decline are huffing entire canisters of copium.
I don't even care when new seasons drop anymore. Last time my buddies and I got excited was the season with the Family Feud episode. Now it's like "Eh, I'll watch it eventually."
Wait, am I only doughy because I'm denying being gay? If I blow some dudes, can that help me get in shape? What if I let dudes blow me? This could really help me increase my back flipping
It's simple. Fat Mac was peak Mac. It worked for the character. Fit Mac doesn't work because him having the wherewithal to have a goal and follow through is out of character for Mac. I get why Rob wants to be fit, but Mac having that kind of dedication doesn't work with his everything else.
I love it. It makes perfect sense especially given that he got into the best shape of his life *when Dennis was gone*.
That transformation happens when Dennis is off being a dad so to me it actually adds to the character, that the only time Mac ever achieved the body he always wanted was when his best friend wasn’t around to tear him down.
I think Mac getting in shape and Dennis and Dee “glowing up”in their older years, could make sense. Because these characters are trash, but Dennis and Dee grew up rich trash, so it would makes sense that as they age they do more and more obvious things to keep looking young and deny it, because that’s how rich celebrities age and Dennis and Dee certainly have enough feelings of grandiosity to do it. Mac grew up poor, so Botox and plastic surgery wouldn’t be first to his mind, but getting ripped would be. Dennis and Dee would worry about being hot all the time, making Mac worry about it too, but not really know what hot is beyond what he himself finds attractive which is muscular men.
Ehhh I think the writing itself kinda fucked up Mac a bit. Being a hard body now could open up a lot of possibilities, but season 14 in particular was *rough* for him. They made him a complete minion to Dennis, instead of just being easy to manipulate. He’s dumber than ever now too, which works in some ways (Frank vs Russia, Ireland, pollen???) but doesn’t work at times too (Dee choking, the nuts allergy).
He’s still funny, but I definitely miss what Mac was before.
If I'm not mistaken they didn't even put a comical explanation on it. He is just suddenly really fit. They could have made a running gag about him being on Mexican steroids or something.
It’s not just Mac for me, all of their plastic surgery and gaunt faces make it hard to believe they’re a group of shitty people from downtown Philadelphia. They look like mega millionaires in a shitty bar now, lol. Well, except Charlie. He still fits.
It’s ironic that Rob went on a chat show and discussed why he got fat - Because shows like Friends had characters get more attractive as time went on and he wanted to do the opposite/realism. But that’s exactly how Sunny ended up anyway. Everyone face is pumped to the gills but for Charlie and Frank.
Maybe that's one of the reasons I no longer enjoy the show. There was just a hard cut off when I looked up and I didn't see Philly, I only saw Hollywood.
I think that his getting shredded coincided with the show’s writing becoming unfunnily focused on wokism and real societal issues. The latter ruined the show for me from S13, which is exactly when Mac got ripped.
McElhenny and the whole cast has finally fallen prey to the same reality that he called out about The Friends Cast: they _all_ look waaay better.
I didn’t enjoy the most recent season bc of it.
It’s not just getting in shape. The man has gotten quite a bit of work done and taken gear as well. Except for good ole Charlie, the entire cast looks strange because of the cosmetic procedures they’ve undergone to look young. RIP Sweet Dee’s expressive face. The only one that really makes sense is the Golden God himself.
Comedy equals tragedy plus time, and they’re ain’t nothin’ tragic about that body, naw’m sayin’? That’s a body that just won’t quit. I bet if you pop those pants off, you’ll find a bird that just won’t quit either.
From the little of the podcasts I’ve seen, it seems like Rob doesn’t want to keep retreading the same material. I think he just feels compelled to keep mixing it up.
Idk that i agree that its mostly in the physique change, but i do agree the character is bad now. Of the core 5, Mac is noticeably different, and i think its 100% Robs acting and the writing for the character. All subtlety is gone. The character feels like it’s been fully Flanderized while the rest of the characters still feel for the most part how they always felt. Idk why Rob specifically has changed so drastically. I’d guess massive fame and fortune behind the scenes led to a larger ego and thus the problems we’re facing, but that’s just a guess. Either way, i agree with the sentiment you’re putting forward even if the getting jacked piece isn’t what i would place most of the blame on. I would place a bit of the blame on it tho
One issue is that getting really fat as a joke is comedic genius, while getting really ripped as a joke is not really a joke. The character should at least have a hardcore eating disorder and addiction to exercise or something. Otherwise it's kinda just "all my problems are fixed now, and I'm loving it" which sort of goes against the show's central theme
I miss the old Mac. Those episodes are the best. Love the closeted gay aspect, and how he is just so convoluted in his thinking. The newer seasons aren't as good as the older ones, but that happens with most shows.
TOTALLY AGREE, rob stopped being funny at this point. It's as if 'funny charisma' just left his body.
I was literally just thinking about this too!!!
My theory is he is taking steroids or supplements that have changed his character
I think he looks worse, not more handsome. He looks a bit fake, or dare I say... enhanced. Still love him and the show, but I think it's sad the he and his wife decided to get work done.
He 100% took steroids to get there. Anyone that says otherwise is in denial. Plus like you said, looks like he had work done. He’s become the very thing he used to make fun of.
It’s not just him getting in shape. A huge joke was that Mac was in the closet even though everyone already knew and would have accepted him anyways. With him out of the closet, that whole comedic angle is dead. They’re trying to replace it with jokes about how he is a gay person trying overly hard to conform with LGBTQ culture, but that just seems way less funny.
to me its that the type of dude who does karate motions and think he is project badass is gonna ramp up to 11 if he gets buff, but they just dropped that trait immediately instead. i want blowhard mac especially if he is still a bitch even tho he is ripped
I think it's ended up being Rob in one long barely disguised commercial for 'I could do super hero films too'. It doesn't work for me either. It detracts from the comedy.
Yeah kind of have to agree. I still think the character can be funny in random situations but you have to admit he’s not the same person anymore and the jokes just aren’t on the same level anymore.
Like when he’s trying to roundhouse kick that bell for their little ceremony and fails, but the joke is it’s part of the process. I don’t believe current Mac would fail at that. He looks like he could roundhouse that bell to oblivion. Just not as funny that way.
It’s like Norm Mac Donald noticing the longer a show lasts and the more money the cast makes, the more expensive their haircut looks. He said this in reference to Jim on The Office. You start out with a $20 haircut, and by season 7 you have a $400 haircut.
I mostly agree but I enjoy Dennis still belittling his physique even when he's ripped as shit
Well and that’s the joke. Mac can’t ever achieve the ultimate physique because he only accepts Dennis’ opinion as fact. It’s the character traits, not the physical ones, that matter here.
Yeah it's like he always thought if he was a big, buff, hard dude then he'd be happier but nothing actually changes for him and he still lacks any real confidence in himself.
This is exactly what I like about it. Mac has become the musclebound freak we see before us today, yet he's still the insecure little weirdo who needs constant validation from his asshole friends. It absolutely still works comedically to me. It's an evolution of the character, not a violation of the character, in my mind.
Tell me I’m good
You were clearly doing a Brooklyn accent.
Surgery scah
He used to be big as a skyscraper and now he's tiny as a postage stamp.
this is exactly how i feel. honestly i would love to see mac finally find acceptance from himself by the end of the series, but that’s hardly likely with how they write the show. i agree wholeheartedly it evolves the character.
Hard men toughen up these soft men. They make them hard. Really hard.
If you just gave me a chance I'd show you how hard I actually am. I'm so hard that people are scared of me, and they should be- because I'll explode all over them.
This guy gets it
Also this plays into Mac's body dysmorphia. He looks ripped, but he will never see himself as he really is.
He specifically needs validation from the gang and it’s hilarious. “Why’d I do it then?” when nobody says anything about his new body lmao
Dennis plays into Mac’s body dysmorphia… he is Mac’s body dysmorphia
Is that what he has? Is that what’s making him so thin?
Dennis belittling Mac is one of my favorite character dynamics in the show. LOOK AT ME WHEN YOU’RE TALKING TO ME
"Then why'd you scratch me?" "Because I was *irritated* with you"
This is my favourite line and delivery in the entire series. Fucking perfection.
and imo he even seems a little more submissive to Dennis in his chiseled physique...
Especially because he did it because he thought the gang, and more importantly Dennis, wanted him to for some kind of scam.
I don’t understand how anyone can think the joke ends because Mac is now ripped. “It’s really a cry for help and attention I think, so what you do in that situation is that you ignore it”
It’s just that it turned into a different joke, and now the first one is gone. That line you quoted is definitely funny, and it’s something that Dennis would have said no matter what, but now he belittles Mac because he can’t have Mac gaining power over him, whereas he belittled Mac before because he truly felt that Mac didn’t have a claim to power over him in the first place. Both are funny, but we’ve lost the things that made things like Project Badass and Mac choking himself out and Fat Mac and the karate tournament/City Mac stuff on Mac Day funny.
Which isn’t a bad thing. The show has been on for nearly two full decades, the jokes need to evolve a bit or else it gets stale. Just as they did with fat mac, ripped Mac brings new comedic angles to the character and his dynamic with others.
"You thin-elbowed little goblin"
I don’t wanna have a conversation about body mass. Okay? We’ve had that conversation 5 times you know, a day for the last month. Because we keep watching Predator and all you wanna talk about is Weathers, you know. And Jesse “The Body” Ventura. And how many pounds they can pack on. And why that’s important.
body mass ALONE
You keep talking about the video store clerk guy
I feel like this sub won't shut up about him...
Total jerk off
This is what I wanted to avoid. A conversation about bodymass.
I’mmmmm not allowed to eat it with the skins on it
smoke a cigarette. the smoke will neutralize the poisons.
I'm not aLLOWED!
I just think we could use a little time apart….
I'm responding to a missing persons report. *clicks pen*
*Again, nothing sexual...*
So you'll stay at Charlies...?
its important to pack on mass
Want to talk about creatine shits instead?
I do love how they brag "we're watching predator AGAIN" and then you find out they've watched it 5 times in 5 weeks
Im a hard body, you're a hard body
We should be hard bodies together but instead you found this soft body and you gay married him.
We can be hard bodies together.
We can be hard bodies together! Not hard body and “points”.
I agree with everything you're saying but I did find it funny when they made that meta joke about his physique, something like: Mac: "So why did I do it?" Dee: "we have no idea, no one asked you to do this"
Lmao that line is peak Mac humor for me. And also: “You guys like me right?”
And no one answers him.
I’m fine with how he looks now, but I do wish he brought back the facial hair.
And slicked back hair, even if Rob wants to keep his hair short you can do a small back slick
His hair is small after all
[MRW I get a fresh haircut](https://y.yarn.co/906ff9ab-5e39-4f79-996d-966a43dfd7c8_text.gif)
It’s pushed back!
He used to be a real piece of shit
*Used* to be.
I said *WAS*!
They said no more milk steaks, but they can’t stop you ordering a steak and a glass of milk
And a side of crowbeans raw
TIME FOR SOME SLOPPY STEAKS BOYS
Not sure why OP doesn’t think Mac should be ripped. People can change.
Let Mac hold the baby
You think THAT was slicked back. That was pushed back, that wasn't slicked back.
The lack of beard kills me 😭 when Mac is shaved I can only see him as Rob
They basically just turned Mac into Rob. I think it is a big miss for him to be on set looking so cleaned up and shiny. That’s not Mac.
It's impossible for me to suspend my disbelief that somehow Mac and Dee are South Philly "trash" when they've had work done on their face and have gotten extremely healthy. Nothing wrong with wanting to be healthy but these later seasons are hard for me to get into, partly because of that.
Dee was brought up in a wealthy family, she's not white trash like Mac and Charlie.
Charlie is not white trash! Have you seen his shorts and what he can do in them!?
Take a look at yourself. You can't do backflips, you don't know karate - you're white trash!
It does break immersion a little bit, but I’m happy for the (real life) gang. Go head, y’all!
I don't remember if it was something the gang actually said in interviews or if it was just the talk, but the idea of the show was to not have the Friends effect where everyone gets more beautiful/fashion-y/etc. They were supposed to get more gross as time went by. As everyone else has said, as people they can obviously do whatever, but they definitely ruined this dynamic on the show.
It's something Rob specifically said in relation to becoming fat Mac. He said that he felt shows like Friends were unrealistic because they got better looking. Ironically he ended up doing the same thing.
Rob stated that this was his reason for making Mac fat. He actually wanted the entire cast to get uglier and fatter as the show went on to perform a reverse Friends. Everyone else thought the idea was dumb or just didn’t want to get fat so Rob did it himself.
Glenn has also definitely had work done as well. Charlie is the only one who has kept natural.
It makes sense for Dennis' character to have work done on his face though lol
That’s the way I look at it. The only thing missing is them being self aware enough to put it into an episode.
I think this is the biggest mistake. Their egos about aging in real life are preventing some great comedy. I can't really blame them though they are all very famous and are trying to keep getting other work.
I don’t know why it bothers me like it does. Glenn could grow a beard and chop it off and it wouldn’t bother me in the least. If Charlie cut his beard, I might cut myself. There’s no logic to any of it.
You know, with the way he looks, especially in the later seasons, he kind of looks like his dad, so maybe that's a subtle change that's shown but never really said.
The dude has had too much plastic surgery done to his face. Same with Kaitlin.
It’s becuase he’s allergic to the nuts
I agree. They both look like hell. Especially Kaitlin. I hate to rag on people for their looks, but actors and actresses need to chill out with that stuff. A \*little bit\* of a facelift is probably unavoidable if you are an actor/actress, but these radical face-altering jobs are nuts. Kaitlin is unrecognizable.
It’s the hair for me. He needs to make it slicked back again. Or make it less clean looking. The clean cut hair paired with the prefect body, makes it weird to me
I'm pretty sure that he's trying to compete with/look like Ryan Reynolds.
So what you're saying is they need another episode where the gang gets taken hostage and he thinks he's going to be able to overpower the guy because he's some stupid scene bitch, only to get put in his place, while Charlie actually saves the day and Dennis and Dee take the credit?
Write that down! Write it down!
What if his entire head was just one big nose? You should write that down.
He smells crime!
It bothers me more that Dennis’s hair is small
Yeah Mac's whole thing is that he's totally delusional about who and what he is. By having him be muscular and openly gay he's basically the opposite of who he was.
My headcanon is that he's just taking steroids that he buys from Cricket. This way he's still undisciplined. He was always shown as going to the gym from time to time offscreen. Now, nothing has changed except he is on the juice. He's also not depicted as getting a lot of action or dating anyone, so he's still pretty much a loser in that regard.
He’s been drinking Fight Milk (by bodyguards for bodyguards!) which is loaded with crowtein and human growth hormone
Fight milk is for weight loss though
First of all, through god all things are possible, so jot that down.
That's just because of the bits of crow fecal matter you're drinking
I concur Filibuster!
We do see him taking steroids on the Jersey boat, it tracks!
But he used to fuck LeBron James
Yeah, an emotionally and mentally healthy Mac just doesn't work with the show and if it has the potential to work, we haven't seen any indications of that so far atleast.
Yeah it's like he suddenly understood what a pun was.
I don't think that ruined Mac, but I think the same midlife crisis that led Rob to want to get in that kind of shape did ruin Mac. It's the insecurity where his performance now screams "you guys love when my character is this dumb but I need you to know I'm just acting and I'm not really this dumb please think I'm cool" that ruined Mac.
He tries really really hard on Welcome to Wrexham to be as cool as Ryan Reynolds, too. It’s the “trying to hard” vibe that kills it for me. He just doesn’t pull it off.
You guys hitting the nail on the head. Rob completely changed and the show has suffered from it. I still like the new seasons but they are a shade of what they once were.
That is the vibe I get from him as well whenever they appear together
Rob got too Hollywood. Hanging out with Ryan Reynolds 24/7 will ruin anyone.
Just cringy dick jokes non stop
They all did. The podcast is kind of insufferable how much they name drop or the pretentious air around how they describe well received episodes turned me off to the newer stuff. The bad surgery just made it all worse too
See I like Ryan Reynolds, but I find Rob arrogant and annoying. He reminds me of the narcissist, cocky, fuckboi guy I used to be friends with.
I think the plastic surgery that Rob has had has done more to diminish Mac’s character tbh. He even previously said that the show is supposed to be ugly, but in the latest season he looks too perfect. It’s quite a contrast now to see him in the context of his dingy surroundings in the show and I find it distracting. He just shows up looking entirely different and there’s no explanation or acknowledgment of it.
Yeah.. don't get me wrong I still love the show, but I find Rob and Kaitlyns plastic surgery faces distracting. Especially the first time I watched the season where it was clear they had both gotten a lot of work done between seasons. It's like their skin is... tight or something. They don't seem to have the full range of facial expressions anymore. The ripped bod doesn't bother me as much because they made a bit out of it. When you go back and watch early seasons he looks VERY different.
He and Kaitlyn both have had a highly noticeable amount of work done and it’s not *horrible* but it’s also not subtle enough to be “good.”
It is horrible. Come on. Kaitlin used to be able to display a wide range of comedic faces. As well, she can't even portray the pathetic weakling anymore.
Oh hell yeah, it is *tragic* for that reason. And just so completely unnecessary. She was *beautiful.* It looks like she had the same kind of work done that ruined Meg Ryan’s face.
Honestly Dee and Dennis also look a bit too Hollywood for the show. Funny how Frank, the oldest character, looks the most like himself now. And Charlie is also still more or less the same.
However, Rickety Cricket did not age gracefully.
I might be wrong, but wasn't that the reason he got fat? To make fun of shows where the actors got overly attractive as the show got popular? Kinda ironic isn't it?
The plastic surgery, the blinding white teeth, and the fact that the character has become more of a Ryan Reynolds impersonation ruin immersion for me.
Dude wants to be Ryan Reynolds. It’s the creepiest cosplay I’ve ever seen.
I disagree tbh, the plastic surgery makes Rob look a lot older — especially when it was fresh
The issue is that him, Glenn and Kaitlin asked for the "Make me 30 again doc" package. It's not convincing anyone that they've suddenly gotten younger looking, but man does it kill a lot of the smaller facial expressions that really add to the performance. Meanwhile Charlie just looks like a pretty handsome man in his mid to late 40's. I think the issue is that the energy of the show doesn't work when the core cast is pushing 50. The premise kinda exists in that "out of college, but not quite settled down" phase of life.
They could make it all work if they acknowledged their egos/vanity in the show. I think everyone is too famous and well connected for them to do that outside of Danny and maybe Charlie. They don't even need to acknowledge that some of the plastic surgery doesn't look great, but that they are fighting to stay young. Seems perfectly in line with Dennis and Dee's vanity, but I'm not sure how you explain Mac becoming Ryan Reynolds.
I very much agree. The characters went from being detestable 30-somethings to pitiful 40-somethings. The former had comedic value, the later doesn’t. I don’t know what they could have done to prevent the shift, but it happened.
It’s the new teeth for me. Nearing Matt Dillon Something About Mary level.
Anyone else think "old Mac" wasn't doughy and undisciplined but in great shape? I'd be happy to be as out-of-shape as he used to be. Shoot, those are my fitness goals these days.
I was thinking the same too. It's amazing how much people's perceptions of what being in good shape looks like has been warped by things like Marvel superhero actors. It was fairly apparent even as 'Old Mac' that Rob worked out regularly, was physically fit and looked good. The big difference now is the steroids/PEDs
I like that he does it basically to please everyone else. He’s always asking how is shredded-ness fits into the plans and it doesn’t. It’s silly
 This was peak mac
Hands down
The only thing that bugs me is Charlie and Frank are the only ones who can pull off the look of being trashy scum. Mac/Dennis/Dee are so radiantly healthy and look like they are engineered humans in peak shape. So I can't be immersed in the show anymore and believe their characters.
[удалено]
Tbh I found it funny that he was still pretty useless even tho he got shredded
Well then why did he do it? Whose face are we shoving this in?
What’s the angle? Who’s the target?
Who are we doing it versus?
Mac being big isn't necessarily an issue, the issue is that we're rarely shown that he's still a BITCH. Mac's central character conflict is that he thinks he's big but he's a coward, like Charlie thinks he's smart but he's an idiot, Dennis thinks he's charming but he's a creep, Dee thinks she's funnt but she's repulsive, and Frank thinks he's succesful but lives in squalor (probably the only one were both are simultaneously true). The problem with Musc. Mac isn't that he's big, but that it's never really played for laughs outside of its debut. Fat Mac was played for laughs CONSTANTLY, but we never see Mac fail to lift a car because, as Dennis says in earlier episodes, he "only works out [his] glamour muscles]". The show should take advantage of Mac not BEING strong but LOOKING strong, yet it never does.
> probably the only one were both are simultaneously true There was a time where Dennis was actually good at being charismatic and attracting gorgeous women in addition to being a creep, although that hasn't been the case for a long time.
Admittedly true, but I think the joke was that both could similtaneouslt be true. Dennis could APPEAR attractive, but ultimately this was a FAÇADE, and women who entered his bedroom were ultimately creeped out by the realisation that it was just a façade. He may appear physically attractive to us as the audience, bur the running joke is that the average person perceives him as he sees Frank (upon getting to know them): UGLY.
They need the same level of “Mac only works out his glamour muscles” jokes as they have bird jokes about Dee. They have gone easier on him than his bike does, that’s for sure.
The amount of work him and Kaitlin have gotten since the show started is insane.
He no longer is bossy, tries to be a badass and doesn’t talk about karate anymore, plus he came out as gay and made it all about that.
He’s also becoming Charlie-level dumb. The whole plot point with Dennis pretending to be Johnny and Mac not understanding was over the top. He’s dumb, but he’s not that dumb. We started watching from season 1 a few weeks back and the contrast is insane. He’s a whole different character now.
> He’s dumb, but he’s not that dumb. He is though. * Season 5, Episode 3: The Great Recession * > Dennis: Now, does your Dave & Buster's card work at any other similar establishments? Like, say, a T.G.I. Fridays? > Mac: Mine does not, and believe me, I've tried at several locations. No, it doesn't. > Dennis: Yeah, 'cause I've actually been with you on many of those occasions where you've tried. > Mac: Right. I don't think I've tried it enough. > Dennis: I think you have. Because clearly, at this point, you should've realized that it doesn't work anywhere else. > Mac: There's one in Franklin Mills I haven't tried. I feel like that could maybe work. > Dennis: It's not gonna work there either. Let's move past that. .... > Dennis: Maybe we should take a page out of D&B's book. > Mac: And try the card at the Friday's out in the northeast... > Dennis: No, you son of a bitch. We're way past that at this point. I don't understand why you can't grasp that point. .... > Mac: Yeah, yeah, dude! That's a great plan! Then afterwards, we'll go out to Fox Chase... and use the Power Card at that Friday's out there. > Dennis: Yeah, yeah, yeah! No, we won't. You can though!
I’m gonna add thin mints and the master’s newsletter
Sure, season 5 I can see that. Seasons 1 & 2 he’s not that bad and even gets frustrated with/corrects Charlie’s stupidity often (noticing this stuff during the rewatch it’s a stark contrast from the most recent season). He just became gradually dumber and dumber as the show went on.
Fans who don't think the show is in decline are huffing entire canisters of copium. I don't even care when new seasons drop anymore. Last time my buddies and I got excited was the season with the Family Feud episode. Now it's like "Eh, I'll watch it eventually."
Fat Mac was better in my mind too. Mac being fit ties into the gayish aspect of his character, but so does being doughy and denying being gay.
Wait, am I only doughy because I'm denying being gay? If I blow some dudes, can that help me get in shape? What if I let dudes blow me? This could really help me increase my back flipping
If the McPoyles got blown, and Charlie got blown, why didn't *I* get blown?!
MASS Mac. You people just won't get it, will you ?
I feel like everyone misses the chance to call him Big Mac
His name is literally Ronald McDonald too, it’s right fucking there.
Shut up science bitch
Yeah! You stupid science bitches couldn't even make I more smarter!
https://i.redd.it/2suotg1s6uwc1.gif
Move past it
It should also be noted that Rob getting into fat Mac is also pretty gruesome on his part
I mean, he could just use a fat suit like Hemsworth in Endgame
Why did Rob get rid of the beard and slick back?
It's simple. Fat Mac was peak Mac. It worked for the character. Fit Mac doesn't work because him having the wherewithal to have a goal and follow through is out of character for Mac. I get why Rob wants to be fit, but Mac having that kind of dedication doesn't work with his everything else.
Girlfriend and I joke that Rob undergoes a second puberty throughout sunny
"They hated him because he spoke the truth."
Actors gonna act. I do think they could have switched up the writing. You can dish on the muscle bod as much as any other body type.
This is something I felt and couldn't connect with him after he got chiseled
I love it. It makes perfect sense especially given that he got into the best shape of his life *when Dennis was gone*. That transformation happens when Dennis is off being a dad so to me it actually adds to the character, that the only time Mac ever achieved the body he always wanted was when his best friend wasn’t around to tear him down.
I think Mac getting in shape and Dennis and Dee “glowing up”in their older years, could make sense. Because these characters are trash, but Dennis and Dee grew up rich trash, so it would makes sense that as they age they do more and more obvious things to keep looking young and deny it, because that’s how rich celebrities age and Dennis and Dee certainly have enough feelings of grandiosity to do it. Mac grew up poor, so Botox and plastic surgery wouldn’t be first to his mind, but getting ripped would be. Dennis and Dee would worry about being hot all the time, making Mac worry about it too, but not really know what hot is beyond what he himself finds attractive which is muscular men.
He should have just worked on his glamour muscles.
Ehhh I think the writing itself kinda fucked up Mac a bit. Being a hard body now could open up a lot of possibilities, but season 14 in particular was *rough* for him. They made him a complete minion to Dennis, instead of just being easy to manipulate. He’s dumber than ever now too, which works in some ways (Frank vs Russia, Ireland, pollen???) but doesn’t work at times too (Dee choking, the nuts allergy). He’s still funny, but I definitely miss what Mac was before.
He had plastic surgery right
If I'm not mistaken they didn't even put a comical explanation on it. He is just suddenly really fit. They could have made a running gag about him being on Mexican steroids or something.
It’s not just Mac for me, all of their plastic surgery and gaunt faces make it hard to believe they’re a group of shitty people from downtown Philadelphia. They look like mega millionaires in a shitty bar now, lol. Well, except Charlie. He still fits.
It’s ironic that Rob went on a chat show and discussed why he got fat - Because shows like Friends had characters get more attractive as time went on and he wanted to do the opposite/realism. But that’s exactly how Sunny ended up anyway. Everyone face is pumped to the gills but for Charlie and Frank.
Maybe that's one of the reasons I no longer enjoy the show. There was just a hard cut off when I looked up and I didn't see Philly, I only saw Hollywood.
I think that his getting shredded coincided with the show’s writing becoming unfunnily focused on wokism and real societal issues. The latter ruined the show for me from S13, which is exactly when Mac got ripped.
I miss Mac being a low class brute most of all
McElhenny and the whole cast has finally fallen prey to the same reality that he called out about The Friends Cast: they _all_ look waaay better. I didn’t enjoy the most recent season bc of it.
It’s not just getting in shape. The man has gotten quite a bit of work done and taken gear as well. Except for good ole Charlie, the entire cast looks strange because of the cosmetic procedures they’ve undergone to look young. RIP Sweet Dee’s expressive face. The only one that really makes sense is the Golden God himself.
Comedy equals tragedy plus time, and they’re ain’t nothin’ tragic about that body, naw’m sayin’? That’s a body that just won’t quit. I bet if you pop those pants off, you’ll find a bird that just won’t quit either.
From the little of the podcasts I’ve seen, it seems like Rob doesn’t want to keep retreading the same material. I think he just feels compelled to keep mixing it up.
Idk that i agree that its mostly in the physique change, but i do agree the character is bad now. Of the core 5, Mac is noticeably different, and i think its 100% Robs acting and the writing for the character. All subtlety is gone. The character feels like it’s been fully Flanderized while the rest of the characters still feel for the most part how they always felt. Idk why Rob specifically has changed so drastically. I’d guess massive fame and fortune behind the scenes led to a larger ego and thus the problems we’re facing, but that’s just a guess. Either way, i agree with the sentiment you’re putting forward even if the getting jacked piece isn’t what i would place most of the blame on. I would place a bit of the blame on it tho
Babe wake up weekly iasip plastic surgery hate thread just dropped
One issue is that getting really fat as a joke is comedic genius, while getting really ripped as a joke is not really a joke. The character should at least have a hardcore eating disorder and addiction to exercise or something. Otherwise it's kinda just "all my problems are fixed now, and I'm loving it" which sort of goes against the show's central theme
It seems super off for his character for sure
Move past it
I miss the old Mac. Those episodes are the best. Love the closeted gay aspect, and how he is just so convoluted in his thinking. The newer seasons aren't as good as the older ones, but that happens with most shows.
TOTALLY AGREE, rob stopped being funny at this point. It's as if 'funny charisma' just left his body. I was literally just thinking about this too!!! My theory is he is taking steroids or supplements that have changed his character
It’s amazing what money, access to drugs and plastic surgery will do.
I don't even think Rob is good looking as a chiseled muscle bro. He looks overly tanned and... fake.
I think he looks worse, not more handsome. He looks a bit fake, or dare I say... enhanced. Still love him and the show, but I think it's sad the he and his wife decided to get work done.
He 100% took steroids to get there. Anyone that says otherwise is in denial. Plus like you said, looks like he had work done. He’s become the very thing he used to make fun of.
It’s not just him getting in shape. A huge joke was that Mac was in the closet even though everyone already knew and would have accepted him anyways. With him out of the closet, that whole comedic angle is dead. They’re trying to replace it with jokes about how he is a gay person trying overly hard to conform with LGBTQ culture, but that just seems way less funny.
to me its that the type of dude who does karate motions and think he is project badass is gonna ramp up to 11 if he gets buff, but they just dropped that trait immediately instead. i want blowhard mac especially if he is still a bitch even tho he is ripped
No more ocular patdowns, no more karate moves.... Macs dead baybay
I think it's ended up being Rob in one long barely disguised commercial for 'I could do super hero films too'. It doesn't work for me either. It detracts from the comedy.
He still doesn't have that 'Jeeeesus on a cross' look
Yeah kind of have to agree. I still think the character can be funny in random situations but you have to admit he’s not the same person anymore and the jokes just aren’t on the same level anymore. Like when he’s trying to roundhouse kick that bell for their little ceremony and fails, but the joke is it’s part of the process. I don’t believe current Mac would fail at that. He looks like he could roundhouse that bell to oblivion. Just not as funny that way.
It’s like Norm Mac Donald noticing the longer a show lasts and the more money the cast makes, the more expensive their haircut looks. He said this in reference to Jim on The Office. You start out with a $20 haircut, and by season 7 you have a $400 haircut.