“The Gang Recycles Their Trash,” the second episode of the eighth season of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, redeems this new season to a level just below that of earlier ones.

In this episode, the garbage men of Philadelphia are on strike and Paddy's Pub, as well as every other home and establishment, is stacked to the ceiling with trash. It's disgusting, so the gang decides to do something about it. They decide to offer their trash-collecting services to the city, with Frank and Dee schmoozing for the contract and Dennis, Mac and Charlie doing the actual collecting.

After some (less witty than this show's capable of) banter, they set out on their tasks. The guys get an old limousine and go door-to-door in tuxedos, singing their services to the people of Philadelphia. Frank and Dee go to see the councilman who could potentially hire them; fight over whether she'd be more effective dressed professionally or revealingly, then realize that they recognize him and he's gay. After trying to win him over and failing miserably by bringing him to a male revue, Frank and Dee opt for a new plan. Right around the same time, so do the guys. They've had enough of picking up trash and decide to ditch what they've collected and start selling propane. So they go to drop the garbage within city limits (instead of hauling it all the way to New Jersey, as planned) and find the Sanitation Engineers' Union about to strike a deal and return to work. This isn't good for them. Dee dons blackface and an afro wig (because most of the garbage men are black) and goes on a rant, trying to keep them from striking a deal. The garbage men wouldn't bite and the gang realized they were in over their heads and scrambled back to Paddy's, where they starting planning their next venture.

It was funnier than the first episode this season. It's Always Sunny has always relied on the same formula for humor: the characters hatch some crazy scheme for their own personal gain and comedy ensues because they're self-centered and oblivious to the world outside of their own. “The Gang Recycles Their Trash” follows this formula, but eight seasons in, it seems the characters get the joke. This episode was self-aware to the point of almost scratching through the fourth wall. It's not broken yet, but it's getting there. I think this detracts from the humor and hope this episode's self-awareness was the extent of it. The characters were blissfully unaware in earlier seasons, and that was what made them funny.

It was always sunny in Philadelphia because nobody cared to look outside. That was the magic of this show, and in “The Gang Recycles Their Trash,” that magic didn't seem to be all there. Still, it was a better watch than “Pop-pop: The Final Solution,” and I have faith this season will get better.