It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia: How Did Maureen Ponderosa Die?
Fans of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" should buckle up because it's time to debate one of the FX series' longest enduring mysteries — did Dennis Reynolds really murder Maureen Ponderosa?
The two characters — played by Glenn Howerton and Catherine Reitman, respectively — had a disturbing relationship even when they were on good terms with one another. Maureen grew as one of the show's weirdest characters with each subsequent appearance until her untimely death in Season 12.
In the fifth episode, a Netflix-like documentary pastiche titled "Making Dennis Reynolds a Murderer," the gang attempts to piece together the events that led up to Maureen's demise. Though it is heavily implied that Dennis had the motive, opportunity, and moral deficits to have hypothetically killed her intentionally, it is generally accepted that Maureen fell off a roof while attempting to be a cat. While some characters continue to question Dennis' innocence, he is no longer under official police suspicion.
Whatever the actual cause of her feline fall from grace, Maureen — or Bastet, as she preferred to be called up until her death — will be remembered by "Sunny" fans as an integral part of the series' DNA. As such, her mention in tonight's "The Gang Gets Cursed" almost definitely gave viewers many cringy flashbacks.
Dennis and Maureen were once married
Dennis Reynolds and Maureen Ponderosa were high school sweethearts, and — when they reentered each other's lives in Season 6 — the two made the impulsive decision to elope. Within days, the pair's marital bliss dissolved into violent animosity until their relationship ended in an expedited yet particularly acrimonious divorce process.
Maureen even secured the services of another frequent "Sunny" foe, The Lawyer (Brian Unger), who represented her free of charge. Dennis was ordered to pay the hefty alimony payment The Lawyer successfully negotiated until the day she died. Maureen ostensibly spent the majority of this money on a diamond stud for her notorious "dead tooth," breast implants (that would eventually be "obliterated" in an accident), and numerous surgeries to transition from woman to cat.
Sometime later, Maureen got engaged to Liam McPoyle (Jimmi Simpson), though their wedding was a nightmarish and bloody disaster that would force almost all parties involved to face judicial action. Afterward, Dennis remained in contact with Maureen to pay her alimony and occasionally debased himself for her amusement in exchange for a payment reduction. Rest in peace Maureen Ponderosa — Bastet — you truly were the strangest recurring character on "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia."