Nice to Meet You, Walden Schmidt
This article's lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points. (December 2017) |
"Nice to Meet You, Walden Schmidt" | |
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Two and a Half Men episode | |
Episode no. | Season 9 Episode 1 |
Directed by | James Widdoes |
Written by |
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Original air date | September 19, 2011 |
Guest appearances | |
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"Nice to Meet You, Walden Schmidt" is the
The episode was watched by 28.74 million viewers on its original air date, making it the most watched episode of Two and a Half Men.[2][3] Despite this, the episode received mixed reviews from critics, mostly for its cast replacement and poor improv, though Sheen was reported to have enjoyed the episode and praised Kutcher's performance.
Plot
Picking up where "That Darn Priest" left off, it is revealed that Charlie Harper (Charlie Sheen) is dead, having been killed in an accident, offscreen, while on his weekend getaway to Paris with Rose (Melanie Lynskey).
The episode opens with
Discovering that Charlie's house has three mortgages and that Alan is unable to afford the payments, Evelyn (Holland Taylor) puts the house up for sale. Several people consider buying the house, but eventually decide against it for one reason or another. First, John Stamos (appearing as himself), decides against it because he said that the place has bad memories. One bad memory includes John and Charlie having sex with a woman in the house one night; when she passed out, they kept going without her. Second, the house is not purchased by Dharma & Greg (Jenna Elfman and Thomas Gibson[4]), who decide against it because Greg said it was not "practical" and that the commute downtown would "kill" him. Some time later, Alan receives Charlie's cremated remains, and shares a heartfelt goodbye with his late brother, telling him how much he loves him and will truly miss him. Given the impossibility of fulfilling Charlie's wish to have his ashes be swallowed by Pamela Anderson (he also turns down taking him to live at Evelyn's, claiming "That's how horror movies start"), Alan decides to sprinkle the remains on the beach. As he goes to do so, he is startled by a young man (Ashton Kutcher) standing on the deck, causing him to spill Charlie's ashes all over the living room. Berta quips her classic line, "I ain't cleaning him up."
The stranger asks to use the phone, and reveals that he was
Production
This episode was written by series regulars Chuck Lorre, Lee Aronsohn, Eddie Gorodetsky, and Jim Patterson, directed by series regular James Widdoes, and was taped on August 5, 2011 to a full and enthusiastic audience, long after the conclusion of the
Kutcher was announced as Sheen's replacement for the series on May 13, 2011, after Sheen was fired on March 7, 2011.
Jenna Elfman and Thomas Gibson reprised their roles as Dharma and Greg Montgomery for the first time in nearly a decade. Elfman previously played a different character on Two and a Half Men. However, Elfman and Gibson were only credited as an unnamed couple. The couple's chemistry is noticeably darker than in Dharma & Greg, with Gibson's character making sarcastic mentions of divorce and suicide.[6][7] Elfman and Gibson's co-star, Joel Murray, guest starred as a mail delivery guy in the episode.
This is the first episode on the show to feature full nudity (albeit censored by pixelation). The Chuck Lorre Productions vanity card is just a picture of three tin cans, but one of them is placed sideways.[8]
Denise Richards reportedly turned down the chance to appear in the episode out of respect for Sheen.[9]
Reception
Ratings
With 28.74 million viewers in its original airing, the episode was the most watched in the history of the show. It scored a 10.7/25
Critical reception
The episode received mixed reviews from numerous critics. Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter noted; "I couldn't quite figure out if Kutcher was going for vacant, naïve, nerdy or astonishingly dumb (for a character who is a billionaire), because I'll never watch this show by choice again." However, he believes Sheen would have the last laugh given "his new show – if it ever happens – will be exponentially funnier than the laugh-free 22 minutes from last night."[15] Richard Lawson of Gawker Media was displeased with how the show dealt with both Charlie Harper's death/funeral and the introduction of Walden Schmidt in one episode. Lawson noted that Kutcher "ought to fit in just fine", but that viewers would still miss Sheen's "teetering-on-the-brink-of-oblivion verve" complementing the show's "tit jokes and dick jokes and fart jokes occasionally peppered by quips delivered by determinedly non-sexual women characters".[16] Lori Rackl of Chicago Sun-Times gave the episode a positive review, stating, "Filling the void left by a well established character isn’t easy, but Kutcher mostly succeeded".[17]
Charlie Sheen's reaction
Sheen watched the episode and was extremely pleased.[18] He reportedly felt Charlie Harper's funeral was "eerie but fun". Sheen also felt that the reveal of Kutcher's character in a cloud of his own character's ashes was particularly enjoyable.[19]
References
- ^ "Listings - TWO AND A HALF MEN on CBS". TheFutonCritic.com. Retrieved September 22, 2011.
- ^ "TTV Ratings Opening Monday: 'Two and a Half Men' Soars, CBS Wins; 'Playboy Club Gloomy + 'Castle,' 'Hawaii Five-0' and More". Zap2It. September 20, 2011. Archived from the original on September 23, 2011. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
- ^ Yahr, Emily (20 September 2011). "Ashton Kutcher's 'Two and a Half Men' debut scores record ratings". Washington Post. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
- ^ Barrett, Annie. "Ashton Kutcher joined Two and a Half Men, and Charlie Sheen was roasted". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 22, 2011.
- ^ "Ashton Kutcher: 'Two and a Half Men' Replacement For Charlie Sheen". HuffPost. May 12, 2011. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
- ^ "Was That a 'Dharma & Greg' Reunion on 'Two and a Half Men'? Thomas Gibson Explains". The Huffington Post.
- ^ Carina Adly MacKenzie (20 September 2011). "Dharma & Greg reunite for 'Two and a Half Men' Season 9 premiere - Zap2it - News & Features". Zap2it. Archived from the original on 10 March 2014.
- ^ "CLP - Vanity Card #348". chucklorre.com.
- ^ "Denise Richards 'turns down Two and a Half Men appearance'". Digital Spy. 22 August 2011.
- ^ Daily Preliminary Broadcast Cable Finals Broadcast Finals. "Monday Broadcast Final Ratings: 'Two and a Half Men,' '2 Broke Girls,' DWTS Adjusted Up; 'Castle' Adjusted Down - Ratings | TVbytheNumbers". Tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com. Archived from the original on September 23, 2011. Retrieved September 22, 2011.
- ^ "CBS Posts Largest Live Plus 7-Day Lift In Viewers And Adults 18-49 During Premiere Week". TVbytheNumbers. Archived from the original on 2011-10-11.
- ^ "Ash-tronomical Return: 'Two and a Half Men' Draws Largest Audience Ever in Canada Too with 5 Million Viewers - Ratings | TVbytheNumbers". Tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com. September 20, 2011. Archived from the original on September 25, 2011. Retrieved September 22, 2011.
- ^ "2.3m for Two and a Half Men". TV Tonight.
- ^ Plunkett, John (September 21, 2011). "TV ratings – 20 September: Two and a Half Men breaks Comedy Central record". The Guardian. London.
- ^ Goodman, Tim (September 20, 2011). "A Dozen Things I Learned From Watching Two And A Half Men". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ Lawson, Richard (September 20, 2011). "Ashton Kutcher's Penis and Other Two and a Half Men Miseries". Gawker.
- ^ Rackl, Lori (September 19, 2011). "Ashton Kutcher shows flair, flesh in 'Two and a Half Men' debut". Chicago Sun-Times.
- ^ "Charlie Sheen Roast-Mortem: Jeffrey Ross Live From the Actor's House (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. September 20, 2011. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
- ^ "Charlie Sheen I Watched, I Loved". TMZ.com. Retrieved September 20, 2011.