Monday marked the much anticipated debut of Ashton Kutcher on the set of “Two and a Half Men.” Kutcher replaced Charlie Sheen’s character after he was fired from the show earlier this year.
The secret of what happened to Charlie Harper was let out in this show, though it could have been handled better. The opening scene was at Charlie’s funeral. According to Rose (the neighbor who had stalked him for years), he had ran off to Paris with her, and asked her to marry him. She later found him in the shower with another woman, and subsequently forgave him, of course. Sadly, the next day he slipped and fell in front of a train on the metro.
The funeral was filled with cold-hearted quips from many of the women that Charlie had dated, as well as from friends and family. It was terribly insensitive, and some long-term viewers and fans of the show may even have found it disconcerting. For that matter, the air of this episode was so awkward, maybe the cast did, too.
Matters of what to do with the house are predominant throughout the episode. Though Alan has inherited it, it was heavily mortgaged, and he could not afford it, so it must be sold.
Ashton Kutcher’s love-sick character, Walden Schmidt, shows up on what is now Alan’s deck, later in the show after he’s attempted suicide by drowning. Alan befriends him, they go out for drinks, and alas, the old role of Charlie is repeated. What a sore disappointment for this first episode. Two women end up in bed with Walden back at the house. In the end, he decides to buy the house.
Although Ashton did a fine job, especially with stepping into such a difficult position, the writing of the show was awful. It seemed that it was more of an attack on the person that left the show than it was a transition to introduce a new character. From the vantage point of a long-term viewer of the show, it was tasteless.
One credit that can be given is that the beginning scene with the funeral had a closed casket… maybe, just maybe, leaving a needed door open in soap opera style.
You can watch this episode here.