#at most he gets Obsessed or fixated on ppl but doesn't rlly fall in love

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omg unironically would love to hear u expand on this

ABSOLUTELY!!! im gonna go ahead n put all this under the cut cuz i have a feeling it'll get long lol

so overall i think that its clearly established by this point that mac and dennis are the will-they-won't-they (i know i know) relationship ... but dee and charlie, while they are framed as such As A Joke every now and then, are definitely not lol. i am really fascinated by their dynamic though because i think it is loaded with commentary on both media and society and how all these expectations can culminate in this fucked up web of a relationship that dee and charlie have spun.

like to me.. dee and charlie have shown time and time again that the introduction of any romantic/sexual aspects into their dynamic fucks it up and not even in that classic rom-com way... like in a way that's genuinely weird and off-putting when it goes there LOL. (so it does a great job at pointing out weak spots in the typical sitcom/romcom het relationship tropes) whereas with mac/dennis it's the opposite! the lack of action on the romantic/sexual tension between them is what actively sabotages that relationship and makes things difficult between them n makes their dynamic frustrating to watch esp in more recent seasons. at this point, i think the writers are aware that they have made all the points/commentary they could possibly make by pitting these two dynamics against one another, so i do hope they're going in a direction where they're breaking out from that (it seems that way at least). but anyway... so that's the interpretation i have of the two dynamics as a whole!

and i basically have two key chardee/macdennis comparisons that i use to support my interpretations here... the first is with Gets Held Hostage and the contrast between how charlie talks to dee after the team switch versus how mac and dennis handle it...

that interaction between mac/dennis from the start shows us that they are in sync and on a similar wavelength which puts them at ease even in this very intense situation. and the framing of this scene supports that subtext very well! the shot is close up and we have both of them in the frame holding steady eye contact the entire time.. this is an honest and strong line of communication they've got between them. even when mac says "i love you" and it goes unreciprocated, i personally think it's weirdly sweet that he doesn't let dennis just stand there n expect him to react a certain way so he just sorta sends dennis off when it's clear dennis is thrown off.

then there's charlie/dee's interaction, which right off the bat is vastly different. the framing of their interaction does not give off that same openness. instead of one shot with the both of them facing one another where we can see both their faces, we get entirely over the shoulder shots between the two of them... this indicates that there is not really the same honesty here that's happening between mac and dennis (which is then paid off when we see charlie just used the 'back office plan' to ditch dee lol) ... framing aside, charlie is speaking in a rushed way that gives dee no time to think or breathe.. this is intentional because he doesn't WANT her to take any time to think! so he overloads her with as much information and stimulus as possible (kissing her then slapping her ..) with basically zero chances for her to explain herself or take any agency in this situation.

then with Dines Out vs Rules the World...

in Rules the World, charlie very quickly begins treating dee like a servant... this, to me, speaks to his deeper issues with women in general. it makes perfect sense considering how he saw his mom treated growing up for him to have this expectation from women, that they should be there to serve and it's not good enough for them just to exist if they're not doing anything. charlie says all his frustration is coming from all the pressure on him... but the thing is he doesn't HAVE to be doing all the shit he's doing. it's a video game. and frankly, he could be including dee in the whole thing more, and having some communication there would have likely prevented dee "betraying" him at the end... but he tells us directly WHY he never thinks to include her because he thinks she is incapable of being anything more than a "stupid kept housewife"... when charlie said he could get dee her mink coat... it's not because he wants to serve HER needs (dee's need with the coat being to feel that she is special and that she is someone to be respected because she is missing this from her relationship with charlie right from the start) but rather to serve his own needs, if he keeps Dee happy (on the barest minimum level possible) then she will continue to do as he asks without complaint, which is how he prefers her to be.

even in Misses the Boat, over time the sorta 'wholesomeness' that came off from Chardee's interactions the first time around wear off fast... like Charlie REALLY isn't that supportive of dee and her dreams or ambitions. to me, it seems like he's sorta testing the waters for how little work he has to do in order to get what he wants from her. he's checking out how low her bar is, and it's pretty low.

compare this to Dines Out and mac and dennis' thing about the karaoke machine and singing... that whole conflict is something that dennis could've easily not brought up again because clearly mac had already forgotten about the whole thing by the time dennis was giving the speech LMAO. but dennis still felt it was important to make that heartfelt moment up to mac... again, it doesn't really serve any self-interest of Dennis to do so... if anything it takes away from his own spotlight, but he did it anyway! (so yeah the bar isn't Much Higher for mac than it is for dee, but the difference in intention between charlie/dennis matter here to me!)

and speaking of the macdennis singing thing... i believe starting with episode one of season fifteen this trend only continues based on the blocking/framing of the scenes with charlie and dee compared to mac and dennis as well!

for example.. in most of the shots with charlie/dee, they are often on different levels (ex: charlie standing while dee sits) or overall not showing that theyre in sync (not giving us much of a "visual harmony" if u will..) like charlie constantly moving around to get beer or the fireworks while dee is basically sat listening the entire time... the two of them are basically only in frame together when they Have to be. its all show!

compare this to mac and dennis who are in sync the entire time, sans the scene where dennis is explaining briefly how 2020 affected the bar to Gary... but after that its p much.. when dennis sits, mac sits. when dennis stands, mac stands. their fuckin guitars are even lined up perfectly in the shot of them off in the corner looking at dennis' phone... like. that shot itself of the two of em choosing to still be joined at the hip when theyre not even in the frame speaks volumes to me of where their relationship was at that point.

#frankly i dont.. think charlie rlly Loves anyone on a romantic level #at most he gets Obsessed or fixated on ppl but doesn't rlly fall in love #pls know i have no fuckin clue what I'm talking abt I don't do serious PhD level analysis I didn't go to school for that #i do have so much fun w this stuff tho LMAO.. this is all . cathartic again after having to deal w ppl like this my whole life #its fun to just be on like. a spectator perspective rather than stuck in the middle #i have to stop myself from going on tangents every time cuz there's just... phew so much to unpack #i hate the way i phrase this shit cuz i truly don't think dennis is an innocent victim but I DO think he's extremely gullible n stupid bc #like dennis litrlly signed on to be a scapegoat cuz frank just used a diff word like this guy is a fuckin idiot fodgnrkjn #hes so desperate for approval n i think both frank n charlie n dee know how to tap into that for whatever they need #benefits the ecosystem n all that #doesnt make him any less harmful for the shit he has done tho lol #saved this for 1 am cuz i told u i get annoying abt it oi