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Mac McDonald, the Holy Trinity and Identity Crises

A delve into the sitcom It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the show's most evolving character, religious imagery and his constant identity struggle.

By M. EdwardsPublished 2 years ago 15 min read
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Mac Finds His Pride, S13E10

The show It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia has masterfully crafted a complex and ever developing portrayal of identity with its character Mac McDonald over the course of the seasons. Starting as a devout Catholic with morals rooted in homophobia and developing into a layered and nuanced character who struggles to find his place as an out, proudly gay Christian, Mac McDonald has gone through countless metamorphoses and has frequently been able to touch the audience closely with his experiences across the show. Personally, I've always found his character to be fascinating, and I've often found myself pondering the relationship between the different aspects of his identity struggles; notably, with his father, his faith, and his personal identity. In this essay, I will break down my theory that Mac's character struggles are linked closely to the structure of the Holy Trinity and attempt to delve into his psyche to support my thesis.

Luther McDonald is Mac's father, and is portrayed in the show as a cold, unfeeling man with little to no regard or empathy for his son. An inmate who has spent most of his life behind bars, Luther has been a consistent source of discord for Mac's unstable identity, and regardless of the distaste his father expresses towards him, Mac still finds himself desperate for his love and approval. It could be argued that there have been levels of delusion with his view of his father and their relationship, expressing on many occasions that his father loves him and cares about him, when the truth of the matter is quite the opposite. Over the seasons, Mac has constantly made ploying attempts to engage in a relationship with his father, and on less explicit levels, has seemingly attempted to shade a large part of his identity around the man. For example, his physical appearance; Mac styles his hair so it's slicked backwards, in the same way his father does. However, this style only becomes Mac's signature look after the episode where Luther is introduced. At the beginning of the episode, Mac's hair is how it had been previously, pushed backwards, but not gelled down. However, after interacting with his inmate father and engaging in a plot to try and impress him, he gels his hair back into the same style. This look for Mac from that point forwards becomes consistent, and almost always remains to be the hairstyle he sports.

Another example of Mac trying to mimic and idolise his father is something very simple and quintessential; his name. Mid-way through the show, the viewer learns that Mac's legal name is Ronald McDonald. During high school, he was coined with the nickname 'Ronnie the Rat', because he ratted out the other drug dealers in the school so he could become the best. I feel this is significant for a couple of reasons, one of which being the negative associations with his legal name Ronald and the mocking nickname given to him as a teenager, and another being the fact that the nickname was assigned due to the fact that he'd been a bad drug dealer. Luther had been in prison when Mac was a child, so it can be assumed that his issues with his relationship with him started at a young age. It's also important to note that Luther McDonald was a prisoner due to being a prolific drug dealer — due to this, I would theorise that Mac was trying to be like his father in high school by dealing drugs to the other students, but when it was discovered that he was a 'rat', and had told tales on the other dealers, he was given the nickname he notoriously hates as a character. Not only had he failed at asserting his place in the school hierarchy with his drug dealing, he'd also been a 'rat', something his father hates, as confirmed later in the show when he told Mac "do not be a rat". It wouldn't be unreasonable to assume that due to his name Ronald being tainted with the association of being a 'rat' and an unsuccessful drug dealer, and therefore a perceived disappointment to his father, he would want to change it to something more fitting.

Mac McDonald was the name that Mac ended up choosing to go by, and although we're not sure at what age he made this choice, it's been the case since the show's debut season. The name 'Mac' originates from the Gaelic prefix that literally means 'son of'. Mac abandoned his given name theoretically out of shame for being a disappointment to his father and subsequently called himself Mac McDonald, or, Son of McDonald. He's assigned his entire identity, even down to his name, to being Luther's son out of sheer desperation to be of worth to him. Mac associates his worth with being recognised by his father, so changes his physical attributes and how he's referred to form a core part of his identity around the man he wishes would love him. All of this combined makes for a complex and layered part of the character's personality and identity, and therefore, fits into the structure of the father, the son and the Holy spirit: Luther is the father, not just in a literal sense, but it could be argued that the unconditionally biased and borderline worshipping fashion in which Mac views his father could be on par with how he views God. Not only do the prior discussed things suggest this, but also the religious symbolism of the character design of Luther in the show could point to this too. The character has a crown of thorns tattooed around his throat, which is clearly related to Catholicism, as Jesus had a crown of thorns placed upon his head before being crucified. The visibility of the tattoo on his father, coupled with the pedestal Mac holds him on and the way Catholicism and God have such a huge part in his life I feel all amalgamate into solid proof that Luther represents the father to the Holy Trinity of Mac's battle with identity.

In terms of the structure of Mac's internal battle being that of the Holy Trinity, I would argue that the Holy spirit is God, and the Catholicism surrounding Him and the impact the faith has had on his life and development. Mac's character has had an interesting and complicated relationship with his faith since the very start of the show. Often in earlier seasons, Mac's faith would often be justification for homophobia and other stances on very wobbly moral ground. In the very first episode, Mac shows his outwardly homophobic morals when the bar becomes a gay bar, and this homophobia reaches its most verbal point mid-way through the show, in an episode where he uses the Bible to justify not only homophobia, but transphobia towards a character he'd previously had an intimate relationship with. This is perhaps one of the first points where it's alluded that Mac's homophobia may not be just externalised but also internalised, as his arguments are turned effortlessly back around onto himself in allusions to him being gay. As the seasons progress, the viewer watches as Mac's character battles internally with his perception of Catholicism and God in relation to his own identity, and reaches a couple of climactic points later on in the show. One of these points was during an episode where the characters were on a Christian cruise ship where Mac discovers that the men who run the church are gay and in a relationship. This comes to a head with a scene where Mac prays to God in the midst of a thunderstorm, saying "I just need to know my purpose! I used to think it was worship, and then song and dance… But now with these gay Christians, I don't know. I need you to show me a sign!". Another climactic point for Mac and his relationship with his faith was in an episode where he comes out to his father, performing a dance choreographed to portray him dancing with God and seemingly making peace between himself, his sexuality and his relationship with his faith.

Even after coming to terms with his sexuality and growing comfortable in his gayness, Christianity and faith remains a significant point of contention for Mac, as even in the latest season he attempted to become a priest amidst an identity crisis that tackles his sexuality, his faith, his nationality and his family history in a ploy to find a sense of self. It's clear that even after the climactic point when he comes out to his father, his faith and Catholicism remain a central part of his character's identity and inner struggle to find his place. His character consistently relies on God and his faith through times of turmoil with his sexuality, and through mere day to day activities with the gang, always remaining a solid and central part of his character and how it influences his personality. Therefore, within the Holy Trinity of Mac's internal struggle, the Holy Spirit would be God and faith.

The final part of the Holy Trinity is, of course, the son — Mac himself, the final part of the trinity. Not only is this befitting, seeing as a huge part of Mac's core is being Luther's son and also a practising Christian (one of God's children), it is also relevant as part of Mac's own self perceived role as a saviour and a protector, albeit in a very inflated and borderline narcissistic fashion. Like Jesus, the son, Mac believes he protects his friends from harm, assigning himself the 'Sheriff of Paddy's' and the bodyguard of the bar. This is all his own perception, but I would argue that Mac considers himself a martyr in a similar sense that Jesus was. Mostly, however, I feel this part of his internal struggle is the parts of himself that come from within, and not from external forces like his father, or Christianity. Notably, his homosexuality and his internal, long-term battle with that, his masculinity and his internalised perceptions of how he should act, and his general sense of self and the lack of security that's always held. The most common and prevalent theme with Mac's character is arguably his unstable sense of self, constantly struggling through issues like body image, sexuality, where he fits as a gay Christian and his family history and heritage. He pins so much significance onto these factors that as time goes by and progresses into the most recent seasons, he seems to be losing himself to his perceptions of who he should be, instead of who he is. Is he badass? Is he gay? Is he Irish? Is he Dutch? Does his father love him? Is he Christian? How should he act accordingly to tick all of these boxes? In this battle to ascertain who he is, he not only loses himself but he loses his status within his group of friends too. From the thirteenth season especially, the viewer watches as his friends grow increasingly apathetic towards Mac's emphasis on his own identity and his desperate attempts to be loved by them all, and by the fifteenth season, even the viewer is left wondering who Mac actually is outside of his own crafted persona. It begs the question, what would his character be like if stripped of the need to align himself with strict labels and boxes? How would he act without his own self damning need to impress another? The only part of his character that we, as a viewer, actively see anymore is his struggle with himself. This opens up consideration about why Mac's character has fallen so deep into this internal battle between the three core parts of himself, and how it's become so severe and prevalent.

I would argue that each part of Mac's struggle with himself stems from disorganised attachment from an early age. His parents have always been shown to be emotionally neglectful and cruel towards Mac, and Mac has always been very needy for their approval and love. This is symptomatic of experiencing disorganised attachment as a child, as is his unstable and unreliable sense of self. Although the three core parts of his internal struggle are befitting to the father, son and Holy spirit structure, these issues at a deeper level stem from an amount of emotional trauma sustained at a young age and run deep throughout his character, leading to substance abuse, alcoholism, intense mood swings, body dysmorphia and identity issues. All of this has been exacerbated by the constant, unending discordance with his Catholic upbringing, his relationship with his father and his internalised hatred and discomfort, and although his personality traits and alcoholism are played for laughs in the satirical show that is so quintessentially It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia-esque, they do amalgamate together beneath the layers of jokes and comedy to form a tortured and unstable man who has spent decades of his life trying and failing to find his place in a very cruel and unforgiving world.

One of the only scenes where the viewer gets to observe a truly, uncomedically emotional moment for Mac comes when he performs his dance for his father in 'Mac Finds His Pride', as discussed briefly prior. It comes at the height of Mac's story around his crumbling identity and beautifully portrays him dancing with God, who he's chosen to be a woman. This is a stark and relevant moment for Mac, as the battle between himself, his homosexuality, his faith and his relationship with his father is tackled all in the span of five minutes with incredible choreography, religious imagery and to put the proverbial cherry on top, symbolism around the number three — the trinity, the triad, the significance and spirituality of this number and how it masterfully ties his struggle together.

At the beginning of his dance, one of the first parts of the choreography was the woman, aka God, approaching him from behind and laying atop Mac. This could be interpreted as Mac's self feeling crushed or weighed down by the presence of God and faith in his life — the Holy spirit. This isn't the only instance of the portrayal of faith on Mac's back, as shortly after he embraces her, it happens once more, all worked into the movements of the dance. However, as the dance progresses, it shows Mac being on much more equal terms with God, relying on her embrace and equally, her relying on his. This shows his internal battle with his sexuality coming to terms with his relationship with faith; the son and the Holy spirit finding each other, supporting each other. It's at this point, his father stands up and walks out of the crowd. At play here are all three parts of this Holy Trinity battling together to find some semblance of peace — Mac, being the son, dancing with the woman on stage, being the Holy spirit, and his father watching in the crowd and withdrawing his approval, which is what Mac had always so desperately fought for. After Luther leaves the audience, God picks Mac up to his feet with comforting touches and the love he's never had from his father. I would argue that the dance from this point out is Mac coming to terms with this fact that his father doesn't love him, and is consolidating this through the choreography. He's processing, bringing together each third of the trinity together in a dramatic expression of dance, finding the centre of all three components of his struggle and for a moment, just a moment, being able to express himself without the emphasis on his identity, his father or God or his sexuality or his masculinity or his self hatred — it's just him. He sits on the floor and he cries, and it's one of the only times his character sheds a tear in the entire show. That's who he is, when all the rest is stripped away and the triad of his Holy Trinity comes together; a man who is weak and tired and broken, crying on the floor. God then whispers to him "it's okay… it's okay… it's okay…" as if to reassure each part of Mac, one at a time. The significance of this phrase being uttered three times, the number of the triad, whilst Mac sobs in a foetal position on the floor never fails to strike me. It's a beautifully simple way to draw together the whole picture as the light of God shines down from above, and the room bursts into a shower of applause.

However, in true It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia fashion, the cycle of Mac's identity struggle wasn't broken. The next season was released and he soon slipped back into his old ways of battling to find a sense of self in the signature vicious circle each character finds themselves stuck in. He stopped being the truest version of himself and slipped into an even deeper identity crisis before, no longer just fuelled by internal homophobia but seemingly deeper seated instability stemming from the disorganised attachment trauma his character seems to have experienced as a child.

To conclude, the character Mac McDonald seems to me to be a very carefully curated character with deep and complex levels of nuance that is a considerable rarity to see in satirical comedy. His struggles all coincide within the three sections of the Holy Trinity and share a sense of comorbidity with each other, each identity struggle exacerbating another, and then that one exacerbating another too. His actor, Rob McElhenney, drew this all together in a concise and powerful representation in the finale of the thirteenth season, where over a decade of character building and depth around each area (the father, the son and the Holy spirit) came to fruition perfectly. At his core, Mac is a man who suffered greatly as a child with cold and neglectful parents and has had to rely on the importance of labels to retain a sense of self, as falsified as that self has slowly become. Without these forced labels and attributes, all that remains is the hurt and the tears. He suppresses this with a strong emphasis on identity and who he shouldn't be, alcoholism and impulsive behaviour, exacerbating his own instability as years go by. By far, he is one of the most fascinating personalities I've watched in a comedy show, offering so much enrichment of character, and my theory of the Holy Trinity being the internal make up of his struggles extends over the full course of the show.

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About the Creator

M. Edwards

Writing for the sake of writing. I love bizarrely niche essays, fiction and recently, poetry. Not a professional - yet.

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