Welcome to a new Sitcom Tuesday! This week, we’re continuing our coverage of Two And A Half Men (2003-2015, CBS), which is currently available on DVD and Peacock!

Two And A Half Men stars CHARLIE SHEEN as Charlie, JON CRYER as Alan, and ANGUS T. JONES as Jake. With MARIN HINKLE as Judith, MELANIE LYNSKEY as Rose, CONCHATA FERRELL as Berta, and HOLLAND TAYLOR as Evelyn.

Season Two had the most ideal calibration of premise-exploration and crystallizing character work, especially in its latter half, where scripts also developed a bawdier tone more conducive to yielding big laughs. It was the best recipe for situation comedy. But Three — Men’s first year as the most-watched sitcom and a nominee for the TV Academy’s top honor — is also a candidate for the series’ finest because it’s a more accurate ambassador. That is, there’s less of the premise in story — primarily the “bachelor uncle” angle, but even the “buddy comedy” is lessened too — as the show indulges more “dysfunctional dating” fare, a notion that initially honors a part of the concept meant to showcase character but ultimately devolves into semi-serialized, over-sexualized drivel divorced of personalization. Fortunately, Three is only the start of this trend and it’s still character-rooted. For instance, its love interests have definition and purpose — Mia is dull but detailed, and she helps mature Charlie, while Kandi, though a cliché, has a clear comedic bent, stretching the series’ understanding of Alan. Indeed, Three evolves both men, but mainly Alan, who’s rising in prominence. Heretofore, Charlie was the one around whom most comedy and situational story turned. But as the premise is now less explicitly mined outside of disastrous dating plots, equal time is given to the neurotic, desperate Alan, slowly graduating from Charlie’s “straight man” to the bolder, more heightened comic nuisance, in contrast to his cool, easygoing brother. This evolution ramps up here, egged on by the Kandi arc, and it’ll continue until, eventually, Alan overtakes Charlie as Men’s engine, undermining the entire situation. However, at this juncture, it is helpful to see Alan more comedically and narratively utilizable, and his increased use in Three makes for a fuller display than ever before of Men’s typical storytelling. Plus, with this transition underway, this year, like the next few, ends up featuring both him and Charlie well. What’s more, Men‘s humor continues to become more audaciously ribald too — further embracing a key identity-marker that enables Three to stand out as more wholly representative of the series, at its own self–determined best, than Two, which otherwise claims better examples of textbook sitcommery. Both are very different “peak era” collections; you’ll note their many differences when comparing their respective lists.

 

01) Episode 49: “Weekend In Bangkok With Two Olympic Gymnasts” (Aired: 09/19/05)

Charlie watches Jake while Alan is injured.

Written by Chuck Lorre & Lee Aronsohn | Directed by Gary Halvorson

Season Three opens with an indication of Alan’s enhanced comic prominence via a story where he endures a slapsticky injury while adjusting the TV receptor on the roof — proof of how he’ll be used more and more to earn the series’ biggest laughs. Meanwhile, there’s a reminder of the “bachelor uncle” aspect of the premise as Charlie is forced to watch Jake for the afternoon — a narrative notion that will become a lot less common, especially after this year’s midpoint. It’s also already starting to evolve in tandem with the show’s comedic identity, as no longer does Charlie find Jake cute and endearing, but often annoying and unpleasant — a change that reflects how Men is getting less interested in any kind of sincere emotion for its leads. A pivot.

02) Episode 50: “Principal Gallagher’s Lesbian Lover” (Aired: 09/26/05)

Jake gets in trouble for drawing a graphic picture of a classmate.

Teleplay by Chuck Lorre & Lee Aronsohn | Story by Susan Beavers & Eddie Gorodetsky | Directed by Gary Halvorson

Although the “bachelor uncle” angle of the premise is becoming less explicitly mined for plot, as Jake ages, he’s allowed to participate more in the show’s growing crassness, particularly with regard to sex. This story has him getting in trouble at school for drawing a picture of a classmate and giving her giant breasts — an idea that speaks to his affiliation with the horny Charlie, along with Men’s increasingly adult humor. However, what I really like about this episode is that it’s a showcase for Charlie’s characterization, as he takes over Alan’s chiropractic practice and turns it into a brothel — a wonderful display of his lasciviousness, and the emerging sexual tenor of the series’ comedy, which, at this point, is still linked to character.

03) Episode 53: “We Called It Mr. Pinky” (Aired: 10/17/05)

Charlie examines his relationships with women — starting with his mom.

Teleplay by Chuck Lorre & Lee Aronsohn | Story by Susan Beavers & Mark Roberts | Directed by Gary Halvorson

Another offering more affixed to Charlie’s character — the initial fulcrum for all aspects of the situation, but whose centricity begins to shift this year, as he starts to share the spotlight with Alan — this is one of the more emotionally intelligent segments from the otherwise irreverent third season, reflecting the original Charlie focus. And it’s less about the semi-serialized rom-com angst that eventually takes over the series than it is Charlie himself, who does some needed introspection after he’s unable to return an “I love you” to a girl and then is accused of having a negative influence on Jake’s view of relationships (a very big part of the premise: “bachelor uncle”). When Alan calls him a misogynist, Charlie is inspired to examine his feelings about all women, including of course, his mother, who is always good for laughs.

04) Episode 54: “Hi, Mr. Horned One” (Aired: 10/24/05)

Alan thinks he’s been cursed by Charlie’s creepy girlfriend.

Teleplay by Chuck Lorre & Lee Aronsohn | Story by Eddie Gorodetsky & Mark Roberts | Directed by Gary Halvorson

As the show becomes less attached to its premise in weekly story, Men begins turning not only to rote rom-com maneuvers, but also to episodic gimmicks, like casting stunts, or in this case, heightened comic ideas that stand alone. These will get progressively less supported by character over time — just like the series’ ribald humor, which in Season Three, is still mostly tethered to the attitudes and actions born from Charlie and Alan’s promiscuity. That’s how I can highlight this outing — which is essentially about Alan’s fear of Charlie’s latest gal (Jodi Lyn O’Keefe), a satanist, and doesn’t really claim any character-based value for the leads — for it at least feels in the spirit of the show’s comedy, and the folks who inspire it, like Charlie, whose deviant choices earn deviant consequences. (Also, I love the ending with Evelyn scaring her away.)

05) Episode 56: “That Voodoo That I Do Do” (Aired: 11/14/05)

Charlie gets Jake to take ballet lessons so he can flirt with the instructor.

Teleplay by Eddie Gorodetsky & Mark Roberts | Story by Chuck Lorre & Lee Aronsohn | Directed by Gary Halvorson

One of Charlie’s most significant love interests — Mia (Emmanuelle Vaugier) — is introduced in this amusing entry, which doesn’t quite yet signal the year’s switch into a more rom-com, relationship-driven storytelling but foretells it while invoking another part of the situation, as “bachelor uncle” Charlie uses Jake to pick up a lady playing hard-to-get, pushing his nephew into her ballet class. It’s a funny, physical idea, and it gives the dull Mia some kind of individualized, detail-providing presence… which a lot of Men’s girlfriends, unfortunately, lack. Accordingly, this is a testament to how Season Three, in general, is still better than later years at rooting its narrative notions in character — with lingering support from the premise.

06) Episode 59: “Santa’s Village Of The Damned” (Aired: 12/19/05)

Alan’s new girlfriend is obsessive about Christmas.

Teleplay by Don Foster & Susan Beavers | Story by Chuck Lorre & Lee Aronsohn | Directed by Rob Schiller

As with the aforementioned “Hi, Mr. Horned One,” this outing boasts a comic idea that carries the weight of its entire appeal, with a memorability that vaults it into being one of the year’s highlights, even though it’s not as relevant for character or premise as the best of this list. However, again, it’s difficult to ignore, with the comedic prospect of another outrageous one-off love interest who initially moves into the house and earns the guys’ favor because she cooks and cleans… before revealing an obsession with Christmas (and a belief in Santa Claus) that clearly indicates a mental imbalance to which they then react. While less raunchy than most, this is the kind of idea-led foolishness for which Men will soon become known, with consequences emerging as a result of the brothers thinking with something other than their brains.

07) Episode 60: “That Special Tug” (Aired: 01/09/06)

Alan’s emotional neediness brings Charlie to therapy.

Teleplay by Chuck Lorre & Lee Aronsohn | Story by Don Foster & Susan Beavers | Directed by Rob Schiller

This installment is atypical by the standards of Season Three, but it’s very representative — in a wide-angle lens — of a trend that defines the year and contributes to its unique brand of relative excellence. To that point, it’s an example of the show playing into the “buddy comedy” aspect of its premise — something that, for really no good reason, is less obviously felt in story this season, where Charlie and Alan are more often segregated into different plots and not as well-contrasted against each other as they used to be. And yet, this entry — framed by Charlie’s visit to his shrink, played well, as always, by Jane Lynch — provides each man with comedic meat, as Alan’s own insecurities push Charlie to the edge, allowing them both to shine. (Incidentally, both actors were also Emmy-nominated for their work this season.)

08) Episode 64: “Ergo, The Booty Call” (Aired: 03/06/06)

Alan debates whether or not to bring Kandi to Jake’s birthday party.

Teleplay by Don Foster & Susan Beavers | Story by Chuck Lorre & Lee Aronsohn | Directed by Gary Halvorson

One of Men’s most popular excursions — likely because of a funny moment where Alan attempts to define a “booty call” for Jake — this is the year’s premier narrative attempt at reconciling loser-with-the-ladies Alan, as he exists here in Season Three (where he’s bolder, but still more grounded than he’ll become), with his current arc of dating the attractive and empty-headed Kandi (April Bowlby): a romance that suggests him to be just as sex-obsessed and vapid as his brother Charlie. This marks a change in Alan’s depiction that previews what’s to come, and in this half hour, that tension between who we have believed Alan to be, and how he is now behaving, is at least part of the story, as he frets about bringing Kandi to Jake’s party and formalizing such a surface, sexual relationship. So, this is the year’s most seminal Alan showing — and since this is a collection that’s largely defined by Alan’s enhanced usage, it assumes an exemplary position. That’s why I have decided that it’s the best option for this week’s MVE (Most Valuable Episode). Also, it boasts a decent usage of Charlie as well, as he has a few fun scenes with Jake, culminating in an amusing gag where the kid accidentally takes his father’s Viagra — a sign of the show’s accentuated raunch, another trend this season.

09) Episode 68: “Always A Bridesmaid, Never A Burro” (Aired: 04/24/06)

Alan tries to reconcile with Kandi while Charlie sleeps with her mother.

Teleplay by Don Foster & Susan Beavers | Story by Chuck Lorre & Lee Aronsohn | Directed by Gary Halvorson

There’s a crassness to this outing that really feels like a window into where the show is headed as a sex comedy in which, by the end of the run, almost everyone has slept with everyone else. Here, with the foundation of Alan trying to win back Kandi (who has befriended Judith), the bed-hopping takes on a farcical tone, as Charlie sleeps with Kandi’s mother (Gail O’Grady) and Judith winds up paired with Kandi’s father (Kevin Sorbo) — an intentionally incestuous sex-focused storytelling that yields big, broad laughs… pointing towards the anything-for-a-haha sensibility that this series ultimately implies for Chuck Lorre and his overall brand. In this regard, “Always A Bridesmaid, Never A Burro” is a sample of what Two And A Half Men is becoming, with Season Three proving to be an accurate, but still enjoyable, ambassador.

10) Episode 70: “Just Once With Aunt Sophie” (Aired: 05/08/06)

Charlie and Alan help prepare Jake for his first co-ed party with a girl he likes.

Written by Chuck Lorre & Lee Aronsohn | Directed by Lee Aronsohn

Easily the season’s most earnest selection, this episode — credited to the two creators — looks like a story that could have existed in previous years, when the show was generally more sincere in exploring its premise and the implied character stakes. And yet, it operates with this list’s elevated humor, making it a very solid, well-calibrated showing. In terms of the premise, I like that this entry not only pairs Alan and Charlie for long scenes that play with their chemistry, as they’re well-contrasted against each other, but also that it addresses their status as bachelor fathers (or a “bachelor uncle” in Charlie’s case), raising a kid who is growing up, and here, starting to think about dating — another key part of the series’ identity.

 

Other notable episodes that merit mention include: “Something Salted And Twisted,” a pre-Kandi entry that tries to be introspective about Alan’s evolving character, “Humiliation Is A Visual Medium,” which seeks to progress Charlie in a rom-com story that still keeps an eye on his growth, and “Love Isn’t Blind, It’s Retarded,” which similarly moves both Charlie and Alan forward with their respective love interests, Mia and Kandi. I’ll also take this space to cite three big, memorable offerings that traffic in huge casting stunts — “Sleep Tight, Puddin’ Pop,” which guests Martin Sheen, “Madame And Her Special Friend,” which guests Cloris Leachman, and “The Unfortunate Little Schnauzer,” which guests Jon Lovitz.

 

*** The MVE Award for the Best Episode from Season Three of Two And A Half Men goes to…

“Ergo, The Booty Call”

 

 

Come back next week for Season Four! And stay tuned for a new Wildcard Wednesday!