This weekend, attend the only other collaboration with the showrunners of Game of Thrones.

Nowadays, streaming options and contradictory recommendations are so numerous that it's hard to see through all the bullshit that you could watch. Every Friday, The edgeThe Cut the Crap column simplifies the choice by sorting out a multitude of movies and TV shows on subscription services and recommending just one thing to watch this weekend.

What to watch

"Flowers for Charlie", an episode of the sitcom 2013 It's always sunny in Philadelphia. This riff of Daniel Keyes science fiction novel in 1966 Flowers for Algernon (which was later turned into a movie called Charly, the group finds its name in the still bar of Philly, Paddy's Pub, which volunteers for an intelligence-boosting drug test, but gets angry when scientists only care about their weak man the impulsive hand, Charlie Kelly (played by Charlie Day). They are even more annoyed when their disgusting boyfriend swallows the pills and immediately begins to clean up his act, questioning the nature of his existence as Paddy's resident peon. Beyond the plot, this is a clever remake of the story of Keyes (with a bit of film Unlimited sprinkled in), the episode is notable for who wrote it: David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, producers and animators of the fantastic HBO series Game of thrones.

Why look now?

Because Game of thrones returns this Sunday night for its eighth and final season.

Benioff and Weiss have a lot to gain in these last six episodes. They must offer a satisfying end to a television series with a worldwide audience of more than 25 million viewers (according to figures reported by HBO). In addition, they finish their version of an author, George R.R. Martin started in 1996 and still has not finished. It's fair to say that fans of Martin's books and this show are expecting something comparable to the many breathtaking, moving and inspiring moments of this saga, with the same mix of epic tales and d & rsquo; Small-scale interactions. that Benioff and Weiss have treated so memorable over the past eight years.

Given what phenomenon Game of thrones It became easy to forget that Benioff and Weiss were not an obvious choice for navigating this ship. Before the series, Weiss had written the quirky and semi-satirical novel of 2003 Lucky vagabond boybut he had never had his name in any script produced. Benioff was an accomplished novelist who had written several well-regarded films (including an adaptation of Khaled Hosseini). The kite runner and an adaptation of his own book 25th hour) but apart from the writing of the 2004 war Troy and co-writing X-Men Origins: Wolverinehe was not known as a specialist of the genre.

But Benioff and Weiss were Martin fans. A song of ice and fire novels, and they persuaded Martin to let them present a TV version to HBO. The two former friends had already collaborated on some scripts that had not been created and were looking for projects to work on together. Once HBO bit, two relatively inexperienced editors found themselves at the helm of a massive production, spanning over several countries, with teams working almost day and night. It is therefore not surprising that since Game of thrones Benioff and Weiss only had time to work together on a projectThe Thrones script that happened on the screen. What is surprising is that the script is for an episode of It's always sunny in Philadelphia.

There is no secret link between the two shows; Benioff and Weiss are just Sunny Fans. When they met co-creator / co-star Rob McElhenney at a party, they came up with the idea of ​​"Flowers for Charlie." This is an episode reminiscent of the series debut, with its uncomplicated narrative, and its intrigue on the bartenders Mac (McElhenney), Dennis (Glenn Howerton) and Dee (Kaitlin Olson) stir up vapors gasoline while trying to kill a rat in the bar, task they usually call "Charlie-Work". Do not look too hard for any thematic link between the world of George RR Martin and the Paddy's Pub … although he are Petyr's Echoes "Littlefinger" Baelish makes a philosopher when the gang of gazodous watch cartoons to find out how to solve their vermin problem. He then realizes: "The mouse always wins … The cat keeps getting hurt."

For whom is this?

Fans of canonical fantasy and wide comedy.

The inspiration for Flowers for Charlie talks about Benioff and Weiss's nerd credo. Keyes' novel is a favorite of the award-winning genre. It is based on a science-fiction premise – on an intellectually handicapped adult who undergoes medical treatment to increase his IQ then becomes painfully aware of his own inevitable decline – and makes it accessible to a general public by: focusing on unhappiness growing of the main character. This is also the key to Martin's success. Ice and fire novels and adaptation on television: watch the events that change the world through the eyes of the people they touch the most.

But there is no reason to dwell on it while watching "Flowers for Charlie". Instead, enjoy a typically gonzo performance of Charlie Day, while his snob-turned slob conducts experiments with bubbling goblets, adopts a ridiculous semi-British accent and Stephen Hawking and Leo Tolstoy are the victims of the violence. ("I was just looking War and peace and I agree with Shakespeare on brevity, "he sniffles.) It's classic. Sunny: a little silly, a little rude, and committed to the idea that terrible people can be funny.

Where to see it

Hulu, where Sunny fans (or Sunny-curious) can also find the rest of the series. For more Benioff and Weiss, Game of thrones is available on HBO Go and HBO now. Currently, the only Benioff film available on a subscription service is the 2009 remake of the Danish film by Susanne Bier and Anders Thomas Jensen. Brothers, which Benioff adapted for director Jim Sheridan. It's free on Tubi and Vudu if you're ready to watch commercials.