While it's generally accepted that none of the main cast of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is a good person, it's also generally accepted that Charlie (Charlie's Day) is the closest thing to a good person the group has. Charlie has a sweet, childlike nature about him; for sure, i will never forgive him the way he treated Alexandra Daddariobut it will always be painful to wonder what his life could have been. If I had grown up with a better friend group, and if he hadn't bullied his uncle Jackand if he might have stopped sniffing glue so often, there's a world where Charlie becomes a happier, higher-functioning person. We know from "Charlie Work" (Season 10 Amazing Episode) that Charlie is capable of great feats of competence, but as long as he hangs out at Paddy's pub he will never reach his full potential.

Nowhere does my heart cry for poor Charlie more than during the show's many, many jokes about how he can't read. He is illiterate, and he denies being illiterate, and all his friends just accept this part of him. There is no attempt by the Always Sunny gang to figure out the hows and whys of Charlie's illiteracy; they simply prove Charlie's lack of intelligence.

That's why I'm pleased with the latest episode, Abbott Elementary, which is the first part of a two-part crossover between his show and Always Sunny. (The second part will air as the episode "Always Sunny" later this year.) The teachers at Abbott quickly learn that the gang are a bunch of criminals—even Janine turns on them the moment Dee tries to steal her man—but Charlie is the only one who escapes their scorn. Jacob deduces that Charlie can't read, so he, Barbara, and Melissa decide to help him.

The difference between the tone of "Always Sunny" and "Abbott Elementary" is clearly expressed in the scene where the teachers realize the extent of Charlie's illiteracy. They don't mock him like a gang would, nor do they react with resentment or try to sweep the problem under the rug; instead, the moment they realized what was wrong, they immediately went to work. There is hardly even a discussion about it; they just know they can't let this man leave their school without at least trying to help him first.

Barbara even notes that adult illiteracy is on the rise - something that definitely seems to be trueeven if it is hard to believe. The reasons for this trend are complicated, but part of it appears to be due to the shame older children and adults feel in admitting that reading is still a problem for them. In a world driven by social media with mostly compulsory schooling for children under 16, one would assume that illiteracy is a thing of the past, so there is a lot of shame for people who are still struggling.

Literate adults also tend to forget that learning to read is difficult. Even when children go to the best schools, it is still a long process of saying words and slowly growing their vocabulary. So on very questionable methods some schools use to teach children to read and complement Charlie's wildly dysfunctional childhood, and it's no surprise that he would struggle with this.

This is why the Abbott cast's approach of heartily encouraging Charlie and even getting the kids to root for him is long overdue. Charlie's illiteracy is not resolved in this episode, but he finally admits he has a problem and improves significantly by the end of his community service week. Court-ordered community service is supposed to make you a better person, and Charlie is the only member of the gang where that seems to be the case.

Unfortunately, the gang's community service week at Abbott comes to an end, which means Charlie leaves school still unable to tell a "guest" from a "ghost" on the gym scoreboard. Charlie needs at least another week of reading help from the Abbott teachers, probably more, but he's thrown back into the world to figure out the rest on his own. Does Charlie want to keep working on this, keep improving his reading skills? Probably not, I'm sad to say; there's a good chance that when Always Sunny Season 17 rolls around, he'll still be struggling to distinguish "private" from "pirate".

We can blame Charlie for this lack of improvement, but Abbott Elementary places the blame heavily on Charlie's lack of education and his unsupportive group of friends. Charlie is a busy man, with rats to kill and sewers to bust; learning to read was something he needed and could have handled as a child if only his community had lent him a helping hand. I certainly hope that Charlie continues to improve his reading skills and that Always Sunny Season 17 sees him try and genuinely improve himself (which would be a fun arc). of course, the tragedy of Always Sunny is that Charlie, like the rest of the gang, is doomed forever to a life of misery and mediocrity.

Still, Abbott Elementary gave us a glimpse of what Charlie's life could have been like if he grew up in better circumstances, and that glimpse was sweet while it lasted. And sure, maybe Charlie won't be able to tell the difference between the "Coors" and "Closed" signs.but at least he knows enough to distinguish "live laugh love" from "bathroom card", so that's something. In a show as dark as Always Sunny, it's good to take the small victories when you can get them.

New episodes of "Abbott Elementary" premiere Wednesdays at 8:30 PM EST on ABC.