The series closing curtain ofTwo and a one-half Menis one of the worst ending in television account – and I ’m still sulphurous about it almost a decennary later . When it premiered in 2003,Two and a Half Menwas the narrative ofcarefree knight bachelor Charlie Harper , meet by Charlie Sheen , whose life is turned upside down when his dorky buddy Alan ( Jon Cryer ) is kicked out by his wife and moves into his guest elbow room . As he grows closer to Alan and his 10 - twelvemonth - honest-to-goodness Logos Jake ( Angus T. Jones ) , Charlie gradually becomes a caring family humankind .
By the metre it lastly ended its tally after 12 seasons and 262 episode , Two and a Half Menwas a very dissimilar show . Jake had raise up and moved out , andCharlie had been gruesomely kill offfollowing a discrepancy between Sheen and series creator Chuck Lorre . Ashton Kutcher had taken over as the serial publication conduct , play a tech billionaire named Walden Schmidt who bought the house after Charlie ’s death and , inexplicably , still let Alan live there . After Kutcher had led the roll for four years , the show concluded with one of the all - time uncollectible series finales – a declaration I still struggle with even now .
Two And A Half Men Had One Of The Worst Endings Of A Sitcom
Charlie Was Brought Back From The Dead For A Baffling Revenge Storyline
On February 19 , 2015,Two and a Half Menended its run with a two - part series finale : season 12 , episodes 15 and 16 , “ Of Course He ’s bushed . ” The episode begin with Alan learning that Charlie has $ 2.5 million of unclaimed music royalties that Alan can claim if he provides Charlie ’s last certificate . However , as he and Walden do some digging , they ’re surprised to find that there is no death security . As it turn out , Charlie ’s prowler Rose faked his death and she ’s been restrain him in a well in her basement , a la Buffalo Bill , for the past four years .
TheTwo and a Half Menfinale boast cameo appearance by many former cast member , let in Melanie Lynskey , April Bowlby , and Jennifer Taylor .
Charlie escapes from the well and begin sending threatening messages to Alan andtheir mother Evelyn , consecrate revenge against them . It ’s unclear what he wants revenge for ; despite his invariant bickering , it was always clear that , late down , Charlie loved his brother and his mom . If he deserved revenge against anyone , it was Rose , but she was n’t targeted by any of his vengeful threat . Two and a one-half Menfans had spent twelvemonth ascertain Charlie soften his edges and become a loving family guy , and in one vicious swoop , this finish turned him into a vindictive monster .
While the situation comedy may not have been a critical darling , the best Two and a Half man episode show why the serial endure as long as it did .
TheTwo and a Half Menfinaleis much darker and more average - bouncy than the average situation comedy close . TheFriends , Schitt ’s Creek , andParks and Recreationfinales are dedicated to closing that chapter of the eccentric ’ lives and leaving them all in a good position . The final episode ofThe Officeis a celebration of the show ’s past and how far all the characters have make out . Lorre ’s next rack up situation comedy , The Big Bang Theory , ends with Sheldon receiving the Nobel Prize and using his speech to thank all his supporter .
Most sitcom close are a love letter to their fans , but theTwo and a Half Menfinale feel more like an insult .
Two and a Half Men follows the Harper family: Charlie (Charlie Sheen), a womanizing, hedonistic jingle writer who enjoys his lazy lifestyle from the comfort of his large beach house; Alan (Jon Cryer), Charlie’s neurotic, far less successful brother; and Jake (Angus T. Jones), Alan’s impressionable son. When Alan’s marriage falls apart, he moves in with Charlie, much to the older brother’s dismay. After bonding with his nephew, Charlie reluctantly embraces Alan’s presence, paving the way for one of television’s most dysfunctional family environments.
Most sitcom finales are a love missive to their fans , but theTwo and a Half Menfinale feel more like an revilement . Seinfeldhas a cynical ending , but not at the disbursement of the establish characterization of the lead characters . That ending suits the feeling and attitude of the balance of the serial publication . Two and a Half Menstarted out with a heavy dose of sloppiness – I find Charlie ’s former scenes with Jake especially affecting – butin the finale , there is n’t a scintilla of that sentimentality left .
Why Two And A Half Men’s Series Finale Was So Weird
There’s A Lot Of Behind-The-Scenes Drama Wrapped Up In The Two And A Half Men Finale
The weirdness of theTwo and a Half Menfinale can be assign to some behind - the - scenes dramatic play . Around the 8th time of year of the show , there was a bitter falling - out between Sheen and Lorre . The time of year ’s order was trend light and Sheen was fired and replaced by Kutcher . AsTwo and a Half Mencontinued with a raw wind , the feud between Sheen and Lorre continued . Sheen ’s next sitcom , Anger Management , open up with a 4th - wall - break sequence of Sheen directly addressing his disagreement with Lorre . When it come time to wrap upTwo and a Half Men , Lorre reopened those sure-enough wound .
The finish is full of meta references to Sheen ’s sacking , and it seems to have only bring the fictional Charlie back to sprightliness to square off a score with the actor . The finale ends with a Charlie lookalike walk up to the front door of the house , ringing the buzzer , and having a forte-piano drop on his head . The camera pull back to show Lorre in a theatre director ’s chair . He turn to the photographic camera and jeeringly quotes Sheen ’s catchphrase – “ deliver the goods ! ” – before another piano is drop on his head .
At that point , theTwo and a Half Menfinale is n’t concerned in concluding a 12 - year write up or giving long - clip fans closure on their favorite fictional character – it ’s all about Lorre get back at Sheen . As one of those long - time fans who sleep together the Harpers and require closure , I was pretty outraged . I bonk Charlie Harper as a character in the show ’s early years , so it mat like an affront to see him pop off in such an plain revengeful mode ( and for the second time at that ) .
Charlie Sheen And Chuck Lorre Have Worked Things Out Since Then
Sheen & Lorre Have Buried The Hatchet And Worked Together Again
Lorre reached out to Sheen about appearing in the show and the two managed to make amends(viaVariety ) , so their feud seems to be pee under the bridge . However , this arguably only realise theTwo and a Half Menfinale even more unsatisfying for fans like myself . The fact that such reconciliation was always potential highlights the vengefulness , make it seem like , had the tomahawk been buried earlier , we might have receive a dissimilar end to the story .
Two And A Half Men’s Bizarre Finale Makes A Rewatch Difficult
A Two And A Half Men Rewatch Comes With A Lot Of Baggage
The confounding series finish makesTwo and a one-half Mena tough show to rewatch . Whereasshows likeSeinfeldandThe Officehold up to countless repeat showing , Two and a Half Menis much more disjointed . As far as I ’m concern , those early season will never get sure-enough . Butonce Charlie is written out of the serial , thing change dramatically .
Walden ’s arrival turnsTwo and a Half Meninto a whole different show , Jake ’s role is massively reduced , and the overarching narrative builds to that trainwreck of a finale . This means that , emotionally , Two and a one-half Menis a much more examination endeavor than most beloved sitcoms , since the pay - off is so underwhelming . Whatever the strengths of early seasons , the final episodes remain as crushing as Chuck Lorre ’s pianissimo .
Source : Variety
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Cast
Two and a Half Men watch the Harper mob : Charlie ( Charlie Sheen ) , a womanizing , hedonistic jingle author who enjoys his lazy lifestyle from the comfort of his large beach house ; Alan ( Jon Cryer ) , Charlie ’s neurotic , far less successful brother ; and Jake ( Angus T. Jones ) , Alan ’s impressionable Logos . When Alan ’s spousal relationship falls apart , he moves in with Charlie , much to the sure-enough comrade ’s dismay . After bonding with his nephew , Charlie reluctantly embraces Alan ’s presence , paving the way for one of television ’s most dysfunctional kinsfolk environs .
Two and a Half Men follows the Harper family: Charlie (Charlie Sheen), a womanizing, hedonistic jingle writer who enjoys his lazy lifestyle from the comfort of his large beach house; Alan (Jon Cryer), Charlie’s neurotic, far less successful brother; and Jake (Angus T. Jones), Alan’s impressionable son. When Alan’s marriage falls apart, he moves in with Charlie, much to the older brother’s dismay. After bonding with his nephew, Charlie reluctantly embraces Alan’s presence, paving the way for one of television’s most dysfunctional family environments.