Why can't Charlie always read from it? The Abbott Elementary Crossover offered one theory

While it's widely accepted that none of the leads in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia are good people, it's also generally accepted that Charlie (Charlie Day) is the closest thing to a good person the group has. Charlie has a sweet, childlike personality; of course I will never forgive him how he treated Alexander Daddariobut it will always hurt to wonder what his life might have been like. If he had grown up with a better group of friends, and if Uncle Jack hadn't molested himand if he maybe stopped sniffing glue so often, there's a world of Charlie becoming a happier, better functioning person. We know from “Charlie's Work” (a wonderful episode of season 10) that Charlie is capable of great feats of competence, but as long as he hangs out at Paddy's Pub, he will never reach his full potential.

Nowhere does my heart cry for poor Charlie more than in the show's many, many jokes about how he can't read. He is illiterate and he denies being illiterate and all his friends just accept that part of him. The “It's Always Sunny” gang doesn't try to figure out the ways and causes of Charlie's illiteracy; they simply attribute it to Charlie's lack of intelligence.

So I'm pleased with the latest episode of “Abbott Elementary,” the first installment in a two-part crossover between its show and “Always Sunny.” (The second part will air as the Always Sunny episode later this year.) Abbott's teachers quickly learn that the gang is a bunch of criminals—even Janine turns on them when Dee decides to try to steal her man—but Charlie is the only one who avoids them. of contempt. Jacob figures out that Charlie can't read, so he, Barbara, and Melissa decide to help him.

The difference between the tone of “Always Sunny” and “Abbott Elementary” is evident in the scene where the teachers figure out the extent of Charlie's illiteracy. They don't mock him like a gang would, nor do they react with annoyance and try to sweep the issue under the rug; instead, the moment they realize what's wrong, they immediately get to work. There is hardly even a discussion about it; they just know they can't let this man leave school without at least trying to help him first.

Barbara even notes that adult illiteracy is on the rise— something sure seems trueeven if it might be hard to believe. The reasons for the trend are complex, but it appears that part of it has to do with the embarrassment older children and adults feel at admitting that reading is still a problem for them. In a social media-driven world where education is largely compulsory for children under 16, one would assume that illiteracy is a thing of the past, so shame on the people who are still struggling.

Literate adults also tend to forget that learning to read is difficult. Even when kids go to the best schools, it's still a year-long process of getting the words out and slowly expanding their vocabulary. Pin on very questionable methods Some schools use to teach kids to read and add to Charlie's wildly dysfunctional childhood, and it's no surprise that he struggles with it.

So the Abbott cast's approach to heartily cheering Charlie on and even getting the kids to root for him is long overdue. Charlie's illiteracy isn't resolved in this episode, but he finally admits he has a problem and by the time his week of community service ends, he's improving significantly. Court-mandated community service is supposed to make you a better person, and Charlie is the only member of the gang where it does.

Unfortunately, the gang's community service week at Abbott ends, which means Charlie leaves school, still unable to tell the “guest” from the “ghost” on the gym scoreboard. Charlie needs at least another week of reading help from the Abbott teachers, maybe more, but he's thrown back out into the world to figure out the rest on his own. Does Charlie want to keep working on it, keep improving his reading skills? Probably not, I'm sad to say; there's a good chance he'll still be struggling when “It's Always Sunny” Season 17 begins distinguish “private” from “pirate”.

We could blame Charlie for this lack of improvement, but Abbott Elementary largely blames Charlie's lack of education and his unsupportive group of friends. Charlie is a busy man with rats to kill and sewers to clean through; Learning to read was something he should have done and could have done when he was a child if only his community had given him a helping hand. I certainly hope that Charlie continues to improve his reading skills and that he puts in the work and really improves himself in Season 17 of Always Sunny (that would be fun). of course The tragedy of “Always Sunny” is that Charlie, like the rest of the gang, is doomed forever to a life of meanness and mediocrity.

Still, Abbott Elementary gave us a glimpse of what Charlie's life would have been like if he had grown up in better circumstances, and that glimpse was nice while it lasted. And sure, maybe Charlie won't be able to tell the difference between a “Coors” sign and a “Closed” sign.but at least he knows enough to tell the difference between “live laugh love” and “bathroom pass” so that's something. In a show as bleak as Always Sunny, it's good to take the small wins when you can get them.

A new episode of “Abbott Elementary” premieres Wednesdays at 8:30pm EST on ABC.