Summary

• Charlie's occasional successes indicate his true potential outshines the Gang's expectations.
• Despite being underestimated, Charlie is adept at manipulation, music, and languages.
• His seemingly impulsive nature masks a self-awareness that could make him quite brilliant.

A clever It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia theory makes a good case for why characters in-universe and audiences in real life have been fundamentally wrong about Charlie for nearly two decades. In It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Charlie is often held up as the dumbest of the central cast. Although all five central characters have made plenty of blunders over the years, Charlie's stand out for their destructive nature and absurd perspective.

However, Charlie has also proven to be a surprisingly adept character at times. Even though the Gang has underestimated Charlie from the first season up to the It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia characters.

It's Always Sunny Theory Reveals Charlie Has Secretly Always Been The Gang's Smartest Member

A fan theory makes a compelling case for Charlie secretly being the smartest member of the gang in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. As explained on Paddy's Pub gets a ing grade from the Health Inspector. On top of successfully hiding the flaws with the bar from the government employee, Charlie predicts his friends' actions throughout the episode. This speaks to Charlie's comprehension and highlights how clever Charlie can be when properly focused on a task.

This carries over to other Charlie-heavy episodes, which often feature the Gang's supposedly dumbest member outwitting his friends. In season 2, episode 3, "Dennis and Dee Go on Welfare," Charlie impresses Frank with his initiative and lies. In season 8, episode 4, "Charlie and Dee Find Love," Charlie showcases an amazing aptitude for manipulation, convincing a woman to fall in love with him as part of a scheme to win over the Waitress. Season 8, episode 8, "Charlie Rules The World" reveals that Charlie can easily become a power player in digital landscapes like online gaming.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is now streaming on Hulu.

Charlie Is Amazingly Adept With Language & Music

One of the show's oldest gags about Charlie is his illiteracy, which the gang holds up as proof of Charlie's mental failings. However, multiple episodes have suggested that Charlie is more than capable of learning to read and write. He spent years writing in what he believed to be a made-up language to a pen-pal, only to discover in season 15, episode 6, "The Gang's Still in Ireland" that he'd been writing in Irish Gaelic. He also proves to be fluent in it, suggesting Charlie can learn languages, even if he still can't write or read in English.

Charlie has also been shown to be a gifted musician throughout the show. He wrote a musical in season 4, episode 13, "The Nightman Cometh," which Artemis was able to translate fairly accurately into English. Charlie wrote a surprisingly sweet song in season 9 episode 3, "The Gang Tries Desperately to Win an Award" and showcased his skills at the keyboard. This aptitude for music proves that Charlie has more going on behind the scenes than his oldest friends often give him credit for, and suggests that Charlie has a great aptitude for music.

Why Everyone Underestimates Charlie On It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia

Charlie is underestimated by everyone on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, including his closest friends. The numerous injuries and traumas that the character has suffered give him a bizarre outlook that plays into this. His illiteracy, bizarre diet, and impulsive nature don't help, suggesting he never thinks things through. However, he's shown a keen ability to work within and quickly adapt to the strange circumstances of his life, such as his apparent ability to travel through the sewers without a problem in season 7, episode 11 "Thunder Gun Express."

Season 8 episode 5, ""The Gang Gets Analyzed," highlights how Charlie is perhaps the most self-aware member of the Gang. While the rest of the gang ignores the therapist, Charlie acknowledges that he's a bizarre man. All of this plays into the show's underlying themes about the gang's inherent dysfunctional elements. With the right focus and space, Charlie could be quite brilliant. While It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is unlikely to ever keep Charlie from making dumb mistakes for the sake of comedy, it's nice to that the character is quietly smarter than anyone gives him credit for.

Source: Reddit