What show is this?

Excited for the Charlie episode because he's DEFINITELY nuerodivergent (wether it's flat out Autism or a combo of age regression, mental stunting, adhd, and just being not that sharp) and there's a clear devolution of his motor skills and critical thinking the more he ingests hazardous chemicals throughout the show, and Mac is noticeably dumber as a result of the untreated concussion he got from crashing the car into the wall.

Caitlin Olson is such a funny talented actress, she plays dee so well

gary having all the time and opportunity in the world to kill dee and simply choosing not to because like the gang he too thinks she doesn't fit the description is by far the funniest explanation to his case

Man the actress who plays Dee and Denis’ mom is so good. I wish they kept her in the show longer.

didn't finish the video yet, but the way you describe what happens in each episode makes the show sound like a cartoonish sad drama

I fear the day you have to tackle the enigmas that are Charlie and Frank

This video legit made me so sad for Dee. To know that her trauma debitilates her to the point that she is riddled with insecurities that keep her from letting go of the mask that she created to protect herself in her childhood is so SAD. These characters are like Shakespearean tragedies once you really sit down to analyze them. Anyway, i love your videos! I can't wait to see Charlie's diagnosis (hell yeah autism)

Gary deep dive was unexpected but welcome

Kaitlyn Olsen got the part by auditioning for Dennis's lines? That's amazing! I love her!

I don't want to spoil it, but anyone who liked the little backstory of Gary taking out Dee's competition should probably watch The Butterfly Effect 3. And the importance of Josh Grobin is paramount. He's a famous name they threw out that Dee would idolize, but never meet, and then the show got so big that Josh came on, married her in her fantasy and wrote that song, then she dumped him minutes later. Nothing is ever enough for Dee, her mother made a machine desperate to always strive for more. Josh is the capstone of that, even in her idealized world.

Sweet Dee was the original concept- a normal, nice girl. But Kaitlyn insisted it was funnier for her to be more like the guys, and they agreed!

The bit about Gary had me DYING

even though i know the difference in dee's character can be attributed to her not being written in until later, i always like to attribute it to a subtle devolution or even corruption caused by continuous interaction with the rest of the gang as well as her unstable home life coming back into her regular life. in season one there is an effort on her heart to do the right thing even if it can be a little bit superficial. when frank comes back into her life i can see her latching onto and mimicking the rest of the gang's antics out of fear of being ostracised like she was growing up. in a way i think she begins to seek their validation by copying many of their behaviours, finding her way into the gang even when they have no desire to include her. obviously this is just reading into a writing hiccup but idk i think it adds to this reading of her

CPTSD is kind of a precursor to a lot of these personality disorders because personality disorders are post traumatic conditions

I think you cannot talk about dee diagnoses without talking about sexism, it has a big role on the way she behaves. Always wanting to fit in, be accepted, thinking her only worth is in what she represents physically ( a young blond girl), also seeking aproval from a man's group , never being really accepted in it. Not having a real friendship, always be in competition with other women and just wanting to prove her worth. Never been taken seriously. Delusion of thinking she's better than she is , shows a lack of agknowledgement of her worth from others. And so she feels the need to do it by her self. Im not gonna lists and explains all the things its too long, but for me the trauma doesnt come only from her mother but also from the sexism of her life and the group of people she lives with. because its really common traits that i relate to a lot and see in a lot of girls and i or they didnt have an abusive mother !! I'm sorry english is not my first language obvisously ,I really dont know if what im saying is understandable, but I saw no one talking about that in the comments and i feel that it's obvious in the show that its related to that, so i dont understand why no body talks about thaat ?

Personality Disorders often overlap and that's why it's often difficult to diagnose them with certainty. They also carry a tremendous amount of stigma and this creates either a hesitancy to diagnose them or a refusal to treat them. Not to mention there are so many mental health diagnosis that are cooccurring and narrowing them down to just one can be incredibly difficult. As a Mental Health Professional as well as someone who struggles with BPD, CPTSD and Major Depression, I think you did a really good job here. I think you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who suffers from a Personality Disorder, CPTSD or Major Depression who doesn't mask. Masking is certainly not exclusive to people who have an ASD. I'd agree that Dee suffers from BPD but I'm not willing to discount HPD completely. I would say she has BPD with Histrionic features. I'd also say that CPTSD and BPD most often go hand in hand and it's almost impossible to find someone who suffers from either who doesn't also experience anxiety and depression whether intermittently or consistently. Overall, I'd say you did a great job here. My diagnosis would be BPD with Histrionic features and CPTSD with underlying depression and anxiety. As with most people who suffer from mental health issues, the root cause is 95% of the time trauma related. We don't have to be beaten, sexually abused or a veteran to experience trauma and the way we experience traumatic events can be significantly different. For instance, I was emotionally and physically abused by a former partner. This was no doubt a traumatic event but my CPTSD in no way stems from that experience. In reality my CPSD and BPD are undeniably a result of the abandonment issues that stem from early childhood events. As for the head trauma, I'm going to agree with you in that it didn't physiologically alter Dee's personality but it may have been the catalyst for her "sudden change in personality". I'd also like to add on generational trauma for all of the gang. Dee, Dennis, Charlie and Mac are all obviously products of their time. Everything about them screams Gen X and that's partly why they are so dysfunctional and traumatized as well as being hilarious and to be honest, straight up A$$HOLES 😂. And I say this as a Gen X'er through and through. Overall, this was an insightful and intelligent take on Dee. Fantastic job!!!!

Its been 3 years since your last one, so glad you made another. Would love to watch these about the other members of the gang too. As well as characters like Cricket!

As a person with BPD I totally agree lol ever since I started watching sunny I realized it felt too real that dee has a horrible relationship with her mother and without her validation through all her life it feels real that she’d seek out attention and validation from people that she considers peers, there’s much that I could say that feels relatable to her actions but overall it does seem like something like that could totally be the case lol

Whats even worse about the DnD episode of Community being removed for alleged blackface is that the episode where Chevy Chase's character literally wears actual blackface is still available,granted it was a plot important episode but c'mon its the episode that had REAL blackface.

I love your Dee's neighbor serial killer theory/story makes perfect sense to me

So depression and anxiety are common co-occuring conditions with so many others. As someone CPTSD I wanted to point out some things you missed about it. A fawning response when she was younger make sense as someone desperate for validation in an inescapable situation like a mother daughter relationship. Also she is still in an ongoing toxic/abusive environment with her own twin and her friends constantly manipulating and degrading her. This is common for CPTSD situations and is a huge part of why the C is there. Irrational impulsive self destructive actions are often seen, especially actions that seem related to her own trauma. She can also have a neurodivergent condition like BPD or ASD that layers on masking and and socially weird behaviors. Additionally being targeted by sexual predators/abusive partners such as an older professor is more common for girls like her who have a need for external validation, poor self esteem, never able to truly explore themselves. They are easier do manipulate and control. It can also result in trauma based self destructive actions like sexual agression of their own trying to feel in control of their sexuality. I think your conclusion otherwise was strong. I think she is a bundle of traumas.

Man disappeared for years to make a sequel i always wanted. Absolute legend

48:49 personally I don’t think this is out of character at all. Charlie is now what she would define as “successful” because he is powerful in this new hyperfixation. In the past, she hasn’t been shy to sucking up if it means feeling superior and better to others. She’s just not above Charlie, who is the only one that disrespects her as directly (Dennis and Mac aren’t as involved and their insults are usually in passing) and so tries to usurp him

I look at the roller rink episode as the moment her true self came out. Charlie not tightening her wheels sending her to calamity was the straw lol. She comes across as someone who is thinly veiled nice and the guys seem more scared and worried about setting her off. The whole episode makes me wonder even more about the enigma that is Deandra Reynolds lol

Haven't finished the video yet but my guess is Histrionic Personality Disorder - unstable emotions, distorted self image, seductive and provocative behavior, suggestibility/easily influenced by others, and most importantly an overwhelming desire to get attention. edit: hmm.. I have BPD and some of her symptoms are relatable.. like the extreme anger and the very severe depressive episode and her "splitting" with partners (army dude). I did use to lie to my therapists but because I didn't want to be sent to the hospital. but I personally think HPD fits her very well. Some personality disorders start to show symptoms by early adulthood but also it's not necessarily required. Symptoms can also worsen as you grow older if not treated. Drug use probably made it worse as well. C-PTSD is usually combined with personality disorders too. I have both C-PTSD and BPD. I also have bad days but I have good days where I'm able to control my symptoms better. I think the therapist had the wrong approach. I did CPT and currently CBT and am getting better.

1:08:11 with this i love to believe her traumatic history was all internalized with the pretty common people pleaser coping mechanism. but hitting her head messed up her impulse control / frontal lobe and all that anger fear insecurity instead of being held in/held back was externalized instead. a very pseudoscientific theory on my part but definitely sorta similar to how these things can work !

The roller rink episode could just be the gang being unreliable narrators.

I wish that netflix/hulu would instead do what disney and WB does and just add a disclaimer that warns the viewer of the content. With that said I think with a lot of these shows including with Sunny, the show runners themselves request the removal of certain episodes and I think the creators should have a right to make that call.

as a neurodivergent person who has struggled with mental health for as long as i can remember and used (and still uses) sunny as a comfort show, i love this series so fucking much. charlie is my favourite character (my name is charlie as well, how convenient!) and dee is my mom’s favourite character. my mom can relate to dee a lot, and yeah, this diagnosis matches.

I really appreciate all of this medical advice. I intend to rely on it with many many life decisions. Thanks for the medical advice, doc!

something you missed thats worth noting: does she have people she fixates on that she puts on a pedestal? for bpd this is called a “favorite person” and they usually get the brunt of the splitting and fears of abandonment. i dont remember anyone being mentioned, but contact with an fp is pretty consistent, sometimes characterized as “clingy” or “needy.” this is a big difference between cptsd and bpd; cptsd doesnt have the favorite person phenomenon. also, amazing job! i appreciated you using a trauma-informed lens and exploring the history of histrionic personality disorder cause honestly it does feel super outdated/sexist and not describing at any underlying issues, just behaviors

the gang did Lil Kev so dirty, bruh. Dude was chill, had a good relationship with his mom, enjoyed popcorn and movies.

I do agree that C-PTSD is fitting for Dee. It's important to consider "fleas" when regarding Dee's narcissistic tendencies. Victims of narcissism will often display narcissistic behaviours because that's what they consider to be normal behaviour. "If you lie with dogs, you'll get fleas." I am also fascinated to see your take on Frank, because I think he is the most complicated of all the gang. You've covered Dee and Dennis very well. I believe Mac has Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder because he seems to form strong attachments to others, think in very black or white terms, models his personality off the people around him and lacks a strong sense of identity. Charlie is the most innocent of the group (although that isn't to say he's a good person!) I agree with the theory that he may have Autism Spectrum Disorder because a lot of his more problematic behaviours seem to stem from a genuine lack of understanding of boundaries (stalking the Waitress etc). Frank is the most unusual case for me. He shows genuine compassion in some moments, while in other moments does some of the most heinous crap out of the entire cast. He bonds with Charlie as a surrogate son but he treats the two children he raised like crap. He's an enigma 😂

Damn I loved the video!! I wish more had been said about dee’s dependence on having someone tell her what to do who, in most cases, is Dennis and how Dennis is codependent on having someone do what he wants too!! It’s the thing that interests me most about their dynamic and I feel like it’s why they “hate” each other so much but would never want the other out of their life. I’m so obsessed with Dennis few vulnerable moments towards dee and dees willingness to go with Dennis plans without a second thought! Her ‘yes and’ing with him is always so hilarious to watch but also it feels to me like she needs someone who tells her what to do just so she can blame them if/when something goes wrong so it’s not “her” failure; the circumstances made her fail

histrionic personality disorder is often used as a temporary diagnosis for children because BPD is something that can only be diagnosed in adulthood. as someone with BPD and CPTSD (also Bipolar 2), I think she meets both criteria. many people have more than 1 diagnosis, which is why 1 disorder usually doesn't cover every base. CPTSD can cause borderline, as well as borderline can be inherited, which would make sense bc of her mom. borderline can also mimic the symptoms of ADHD, and masking is a symptom os borderline. this would also explain why she filters herself to her therapist and why she's sporadic in her behavior. as far as the head injury, sometimes mental illness can be triggered or exacerbated by head injuries. Dee is kind of like what I imagine I could've ended up like if I hadn't recognized a problem and addressed it in high school.

I'm not a pro either but I wanna note that CPTSD can definitely be comorbid with NPD. She was raised by malignant narcissists and is likely a vulnerable narcissist. There's a difference because the latter has a malleable ego. I believe I saw a Dr Patrick Teahan video on it ❤ love him and Dr Grande's dry humor is great. Fun video

Please please keep making these! Love Sunny! Love psychology! Love seeing them combined!

The missing episodes for shows annoys me. I'm an adult. I am capable of deciding for myself if a joke goes too far or is actively discriminatory. Such excessive censorship is a massive red flag. The worst part is, the gag where Mac is in the shower and the make up starts coming off is one of the funniest scenes ever written.

Finally someone is talking about Gary. My favorite character in the show.

I love this breakdown and I wish Dee were written as well as this breakdown.

Watched the Dennis video recently and now magically 3 years later a Dee video?? What a good day

Only 20 minutes in, but the deep dive on the serial killer gets a like from me. 😄👌

Mayhaps "Deconstructing" might be a word choice of consideration in the future to sidestep the more negative connotations that "Diagnosing" would predispose some to coming into the videos? Just a thought. I enjoy your videos!!!! :D glad to see this pop up in my feed :-)

This was an absolutely brilliant video, thank you for taking the time to make such a good script. On a completely different note, Im only now realizing through these clips just how much Dee's appearance changed throughout the seasons, I literally was asking myself if they recast her around season 5

THANK YOU for bringing up gary so in-depth

A one of these for Charlie is ESSENTIAL

BANGER!!!!!! awesome video thank you so much for posting. love these guys

I like how these videos go through so much valid emotional trauma for these fictional characters and just because bro doesn’t have any credentials end with “eh she’s probably just a weirdo”

Criminy, your videos are works of art. I’m only 6 minutes into this and I’m wanting to send it to people who haven’t even seen the show; this psychological analysis is spot on and beautiful. I love Dee; so nice to see her fleshed out. Thanks for doing that. Resisted watching Sunny for YEARS - not quite sure why. Was obsessed with Arrested Development and the humor in both shows is equally brilliant. Anyway - I’m binging your videos. I have to leave this comment on everything Sunny wherever I go: I went to performing arts HS with Glenn! Totally unassuming, nice dude - probably typical military brat. I was a juvenile delinquent back then and we never woulda hung 😢

I am so glad you are back with the analysis.

man I have never heard a more thoughtful and well articulated disclaimer at the start of any piece of content I've ever watched, you should be proud of that

Damn dude. Wonderfully written. Get this man a typewriter and a book/movie deal, he's got something to say and he knows how to say it.

I think there's a case to be made that both she and Dennis have different expressions of NPD. Dee has a lot of the hallmarks of NPD, albeit one who's constantly receiving ego blows from the rest of the group. Delusions of grandeur, obsession with her appearance, constantly overestimating personal skill thresholds, predictable ego-rage reactions when dealing with shame, pathological lying, little to no self reflection, prone to extreme jealousy, can be placated with positive affirmation - even when it's hollow compliments, etc. The show also gets a bit more literal with the shared traits between Dee and Dennis as the series goes on and it all kind of loops back in on the differences in the way Barbra raised them. Showering Dennis in affirmation and shaming Dee for merely existing, it's a fun little series long commentary on the nurture vs nature debate with them being twins imo. My read on it is Dennis has grandiose narcissism and is likely comorbid with ASPD. And Dee has vulnerable narcissism and is likely comorbid with BPD. It's easy to get lost in the weeds with the way the DSM talks about differential diagnosis, so it's easy to forget that it's possible for people to be suffering from multiple disorders at the same time. Particularly when it comes to narcissism.

saw an analysis a while back of the roller rink ep, & how essentially the direction for "young dee" was a metaphor for kaitlyn landing the role, with other easter eggs about sunny's early production sprinkled throughout. so, essentially a non-canon fourth wall break meta ep, which totally makes more sense to me. great essay!

In my decade plus of watching Sunny, the hundreds of times ive rewatched every season, and the therapy episode being one of my favorites, i had no idea the therapist was given a name until watching this video. How have i never noticed?

Such interesting content for IASIP fans!!! Thanks for the insight. These characters are just messes, extreme examples of disorders and toxicity that people experience IRL, and the disastrous results when all these issues come together in a “friend group”.

this gary monologue is the most insane thing Ive seen in a long time 10/10

got an hour through this video before i saw you have less than 10k subscribers. that's wild, you have the quality and writing skills of a multi million subs channel. well now you have one more lol and you'll keep getting more till you reach a mil. good luck, and as someone with multiple mental illnesses, thanks for making this. it's really interesting to see someone 'diagnosing' fictional characters, and it's nice to hear you make it clear that you don't hold any stigma against us. the way you handled this topic is really special, in a good way.

Holy shit! I've watched the Dennis video more times than I could count. So excited to watch this!!

Damn three years in the making. Love to see it. Im excited for the other character diagnoses

WOAH! Another video to have on in the background while I do my physics Homework! Thanks Tropic!

Found your channel, maybe 2 hours, and then I see a fresh upload! Best timing

Dee is the funniest character in the show. We need to give Kaitlin Olson her flowers.

I HAVE NO RESPECT FOR MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS!!!!! TROPIC MEPHISTO IS MY THERAPY ❤

I'm so happy ur back I loved ur diagnosing Dennis video

Oh, cool! I rewatched your Dennis video yesterday! Love these videos.

I literally just watched the Dennis video the other day and I was sad you hadn’t posted since, so this is a cool surprise! I hope you continue to make these types of videos :)

The Gary Serial Killer tirade forced me to subscribe lol the slow zoom and the way you strained your voice towards the end my god that was hilarious

before even clicking the video, the thumbnail cracked me up. this was actually a very detailed analysis.

this is actually kind of a great case study on the flaws within the DSM and personality disorder diagnoses in general and why so many professionals and people with symptoms are trying to move away from them now

This video popped in my reccomendations. I saw the thumbnail, then the title, then literally laughed out loud when I saw that it's over an hour and a half long 😂 I just wanted to say that before watching the whole video.

"I'm not an aeronautical engineer, but I'm going to analyse the engineering of the plane from Snakes on a Plane"

i feel honoured to finding this video so early

I LOVE THIS!!!!!!! PLEASE MAKE MORE OR ANYTHING, I’LL WATCH ANYTHING YOU MAKE!!!!!!!!

i'm so violently excited to see this video

brother your videos are way to good to come out once in a blue moon

Tasty disclaimer at the beginning, very appreciated

Who else is just now realizing Chang dying first in advanced D&D was also a joke lmao Oh and Dee definitely wanted to get off

I really love your channel. Super underrated

Brilliant show

I know you said you’re fat from a therapist, but your dedication and introspective devotion into analyzing Dee was frankly spectacular! At the very least in was highly thought provoking of her character and really well done. Fun to look at as someone who wishes to go to college for psychological after graduating.

I was planning to watch a movie to pass the time but this is even better.

Oh hey another video! Love your videos btw discovered your dennis video then binged your others

This was great 👏🏾👏🏾

I never see people genuinely seeking to analyze Dee's character so its neat to see an entire video tackling this topic.

Three years and the king has returned!!!

Quick nitpick, but I’m 100% sure Sweet Dee as a character existed before Kaitlyn Olsen got the part. In the unaired pilots, Dee is played by someone else (Rob McElhenny’s ex-girlfriend). Her character was meant to be, at the time, a dedicated straight man and a source of good morals, and you can see remnants of this in S1, before Kaitlyn insisted that Dee become just as bad as the rest of the gang. At least, that’s how the story goes.

I only came here to comment on The Missing Episode... I always felt like there was one I was missing on my binges, from my first viewing on a friend's DVD set 10 years ago, and now the memory of it is so vivid! As a Community fan too, it always struck me in the second D&D episode later on that they mention a previous adventure, one I thought I somehow always missed or never existed in the first place, and now I realize I've just BEEN DUPED. BULLSHIT.

Ok well now we need Charlie

Great video! I love your explanation of the Roller Rink head injury, though my personal way of dealing with it is just to chant "unreliable narrators" throughout, since it's framed as the guys remembering it. I really wish there had been a couple of cuts back to the season 15 versions of the characters, maybe disagreeing on details or whatever, as it just doesn't work if we're meant to believe that's literally what happened, especially when it comes to Dee's characterisation.

criminally underrated channel

what gem did i stumble upon

i loved this soooo much i am very excited for macs and charlies

21:36 I love the Gary theory, how romantic

I can already tell. This is going to be very big for me.

Diagnosing Dennis came up suggested to me sometime earlier this year after I went on a spree of watching/listening to Sunny-related videos because I got my girlfriend to start watching it (marking what was probably like my 12th time watching it through) and seeing that it was from three years ago (and that Dennis is generally seen as the most insane), I never really expected there to be any follow-up videos. I rarely/never leave comments, but I had to let you know that I was so delighted to see this pop up on my recommended. 15 minutes in and had to subscribe - appreciate all the time and effort that went into this. Will gladly wait however long is needed until 'The Gang Gets Analyzed' in full.

v much appreciate the tangent about black/brownface. like... i doubt black people would even feel offended by these instances, it feels like the streaming services just want to make white saviours feel nice. but obviously the main issue is that nobody can ask "how did these instances of blackface get through writing, pre-production, production, post-production, censoring, and airing without a single person involved in any of these processes second-guessing the use of blackface for comedy?" because the episodes have been hidden to save face. nobody can discuss their use of blackface because chances are the vast majority of people whove seen these shows in recent years would understandably ask "wait, what blackface episode?" it is so much more culturally beneficial to keep these episodes as is so that they can be discussed and critiqued. because the fact is that in very recent years it was still possible to include instances of blackface in popular tv shows. making these episodes unavailable is literally an attempt to rewrite history, no matter how minor it may seem to some people

i am beyond ready for this lmao i laughed so hard when i saw the runtime

I love how venomous Barbara is, Anne Archer crushed it!