It takes a rare kind of talent to play a character who is too gross to hang out in the grossest bar in Philadelphia. Luckily, Mary Lynn Rajskub is worth her salt.
On It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the life cycle of a side character usually entails the Paddy’s Pub Gang dragging them down to the level of the worst bar owners in Philly, causing all sorts of disfigurements and degradations. From Father Matthew “Rickety Cricket” Mara to the Lawyer to Bill Ponderosa, nearly every recurring character in Always Sunny history can pinpoint the start of their downward spiral to the time when Mac, Charlie, Dennis, Dee and Frank entered or re-entered their lives, but not Gail the Snail. If anything, the snail trail of Gail’s life has occasionally dragged Paddy’s Pub down to her level, which is exactly why the bar keeps ample salt reserves handy.
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In a recent Instagram video, Rajskub reflected on the genesis of Gail the Snail and the Herculean task assigned to her by the creators of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, who pushed her to literally become a human Garbage Pail Kid.
Rajskub’s breakdown of Gail the Snail captures the real tragedy of the character. Even the biggest scumbags in Philadelphia refuse to accept Gail the Snail into their lives, regardless of their familial relation and no matter how many times she tries to come out of her shell around them. If the grossest people on television won’t go to a rave with poor Gail the Snail, then how is she ever supposed to grow into a sexually active adult woman and stick it to her mom?
Then again, perhaps the Gang’s repeated rejections of Gail the Snail’s advances, platonic or otherwise, aren’t quite as crushing as they may appear from an outside perspective. After all, in the 12 seasons since her It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia debut, Gail the Snail’s life certainly hasn’t gotten any sadder than it already was, which is rare for anyone who spends even a single episode in the Gang’s presence. Gail the Snail has proven herself to be resilient to the slings and arrows (and salt) that life keeps throwing at her, and maybe the fact that the Gang keeps her at arm’s length is their loss, not hers.
Sure, Gail the Snail might make noises that no human being should ever be able to create. And, yes, her libido manifests in ways that even the many other depraved perverts of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia find sickening. But, more than anything, Gail the Snail is authentically herself, and she’s always down for a good time. All of us should aspire to be our truest selves, no matter how gross we may be. And, while so many of us unsalted masses struggle to truly grab life by the horn, Gail the Snail is already mashing it.