Nice to Meet You, Walden Schmidt
Encyclopedia
"Nice to Meet You, Walden Schmidt" is the ninth season premiere of the comedy series Two and a Half Men
and the first appearance of Ashton Kutcher
as Walden Schmidt, "an internet billionaire with a broken heart". It is the 178th episode of the show, and the first episode without former lead Charlie Sheen
as Charlie Harper. The episode was watched by 28.74 million people on its original air date.
This episode can be considered to be a spiritual sequel
to the season six episode The Devil's Lube as the events that occur in that particular episode foreshadows this one. The exceptions are James Earl Jones speaking at the funeral and the casket is closed.
(originally Charlie Sheen
) unexpectedly dies while on his weekend getaway to Paris with Rose.
The episode opens with Alan
(Jon Cryer
) delivering the eulogy at Charlie's funeral. Several of Charlie's ex-girlfriends are in attendance, heckling him while Alan attempts to speak, Courtney (Jenny McCarthy
) expresses dismay about it not being an open-casket ceremony. Alan yields the pulpit to Rose (Melanie Lynskey
), who reveals that Charlie proposed to her in Paris. A few days later, however, Rose caught him in the shower with another woman, something everyone murmurs Charlie would do while Berta announces the thought with a laugh. Rose then goes on to explain she forgave him and was greatly saddened when Charlie "accidentally" fell in front of a moving train the following day. Alan suspects that Rose might have had someting to do with Charlie's death, but keeps silent while Berta quietly states "Never cross a crazy woman".
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 prostitute in the house one night; when the prostitute passed out, they kept going because Charlie said to. Second, the house is not purchased by Dharma & Greg Montgomery
(Jenna Elfman
and Thomas Gibson
), 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
, 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, then Berta (Conchata Ferrell
) says "I ain't cleanin' him up."
The stranger asks to use the phone, and reveals that he was attempting to drown himself in the ocean because his wife had left him. After phoning his wife and being rejected again, the stranger introduces himself to Alan as Walden Schmidt, a billionaire who made his money by selling out to Microsoft
. After Walden asks for a wetsuit
so that he can try to drown himself again, Alan offers to take him to a bar. The two pick up a pair of women who are sympathetic towards Walden. The four return to Charlie's house, which is now Alan's, where Alan offers to make drinks. While he is away, the two women lead Walden upstairs where they have sex
with him in Charlie's room, leaving Alan downstairs and alone. Annoyed, Alan tells Charlie's ashes (which are in a dustbuster
) to shut up because of the irony and puts them in the garbage. The next morning, a naked Walden goes into the kitchen, meets Berta, who is impressed by his look and tells Alan about what happened the night before. Walden also announces his intent to buy the house. As Judith (Marin Hinkle
) comes by to drop Jake (Angus T. Jones
) off for the weekend, they walk in on Walden hugging Alan out of gratitude for his friendship. Judith says "I like him." and then the episode ends with a "To be continued" message.
Kutcher was announced as Charlie Sheen
's replacement for the series on May 13, 2011, after Sheen was fired on March 7, 2011. This is the second sitcom Kutcher has starred in, after his career-debut role in That '70s Show
, which was beginning its sixth season when Two And A Half Men premiered in 2003.
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.
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 3 tin cans, but one of them is placed sideways.
in the 18-49 age group. At one point, the audience peaked at 31 million viewers with a 11.4/26 rating/share. In Canada, the show was watched by approximately 5 million viewers, with 6.7 million watching some of it. In Australia, the show was watched by an average of 2.3 million viewers in the five major capital cities, peaking at 2.6 million, which gave the show its highest ever ratings figure for an episode broadcast in Australia. It was also the most watched show on Australian television that night, beating third placed drama hit Packed to the Rafters
by 655,000 viewers. In the United Kingdom
, the episode aired on September 20 on digital channel Comedy Central
and brought in a total of 803,000 viewers, the most watched programme in the channel's history.
The episode received mixed reviews from numerous critics. Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter
couldn't quite figure out Kutcher's character, noting; "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." 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". 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".
Sheen watched the episode and was extremely pleased. He reportedly felt Charlie Harper's funeral was "eerie but fun," and felt the reveal of Kutcher's character in a cloud of Harper's ashes was particularly enjoyable.
Two and a Half Men
Two and a Half Men is an American television sitcom that premiered on CBS on September 22, 2003. Starring Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer, and Angus T. Jones, the show was originally about a hedonistic jingle writer, Charlie Harper; his uptight brother, Alan; and Alan's growing son, Jake...
and the first appearance of Ashton Kutcher
Ashton Kutcher
Christopher Ashton Kutcher , best known as Ashton Kutcher, is an American actor, producer, former fashion model and comedian, best known for his portrayal of Michael Kelso in the Fox sitcom That '70s Show...
as Walden Schmidt, "an internet billionaire with a broken heart". It is the 178th episode of the show, and the first episode without former lead Charlie Sheen
Charlie Sheen
Carlos Irwin Estevez , better known by his stage name Charlie Sheen, is an American film and television actor. He is the youngest son of actor Martin Sheen....
as Charlie Harper. The episode was watched by 28.74 million people on its original air date.
This episode can be considered to be a spiritual sequel
Spiritual sequel
A spiritual successor, sometimes called a spiritual sequel or a companion piece, is a successor to a work of fiction which does not directly build upon the storyline established by a previous work as do most traditional prequels or sequels, but nevertheless features many of the same elements,...
to the season six episode The Devil's Lube as the events that occur in that particular episode foreshadows this one. The exceptions are James Earl Jones speaking at the funeral and the casket is closed.
Plot
Offscreen, in a tragic turn of events, CharlieCharlie Harper (Two and a Half Men)
Charles Francis "Charlie" Harper is a fictional character in the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men from seasons 1–8. Played by actor Charlie Sheen, the character has garnered him three Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor and two Golden Globe nominations for Best Performance by an Actor in...
(originally Charlie Sheen
Charlie Sheen
Carlos Irwin Estevez , better known by his stage name Charlie Sheen, is an American film and television actor. He is the youngest son of actor Martin Sheen....
) unexpectedly dies while on his weekend getaway to Paris with Rose.
The episode opens with Alan
Alan Harper (Two and a Half Men)
Dr. Alan Jerome Harper, DC, is a fictional character from the CBS situation comedy Two and a Half Men. Jon Cryer has played the role since the series began in 2003; after being nominated for an Emmy Award for his depiction of the character in 2006, 2007, and 2008, Cryer received an Emmy in 2009 for...
(Jon Cryer
Jon Cryer
Jonathan Niven "Jon" Cryer is an American actor, screenwriter and film producer. He is the son of actress–singer Gretchen Cryer. He made his motion picture debut in the 1984 romantic comedy No Small Affair, but gained greater fame as "Duckie" in the 1986 John Hughes-scripted film Pretty in Pink...
) delivering the eulogy at Charlie's funeral. Several of Charlie's ex-girlfriends are in attendance, heckling him while Alan attempts to speak, Courtney (Jenny McCarthy
Jenny McCarthy
Jennifer Ann "Jenny" McCarthy is an American model, comedian, actress, author, activist, and game show host. She began her career in 1993 as a nude model for Playboy magazine and was later named their Playmate of the Year. McCarthy then parlayed her Playboy fame into a successful television and...
) expresses dismay about it not being an open-casket ceremony. Alan yields the pulpit to Rose (Melanie Lynskey
Melanie Lynskey
Melanie Jayne Lynskey is a New Zealand actress best known for playing Charlie Harper's neighbor/stalker Rose on Two and a Half Men, and a range of characters in films such as Win Win, Up in the Air, The Informant!, Away We Go, Flags of Our Fathers, Shattered Glass, Sweet Home Alabama, Ever After...
), who reveals that Charlie proposed to her in Paris. A few days later, however, Rose caught him in the shower with another woman, something everyone murmurs Charlie would do while Berta announces the thought with a laugh. Rose then goes on to explain she forgave him and was greatly saddened when Charlie "accidentally" fell in front of a moving train the following day. Alan suspects that Rose might have had someting to do with Charlie's death, but keeps silent while Berta quietly states "Never cross a crazy woman".
Discovering that Charlie's house has three mortgages and that Alan is unable to afford the payments, Evelyn (Holland Taylor
Holland Taylor
Holland Virginia Taylor is an American actress of film, stage and television. Her notable television roles include Ruth Dunbar in Bosom Buddies, senator's wife Margaret Powers on Norman Lear's The Powers That Be, Judge Roberta Kittleson in The Practice and Evelyn Harper in Two and a Half...
) 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
John Stamos
John Phillip Stamos is an American actor, singer and musician best known for his work in television, especially in his starring role as Jesse Katsopolis on the ABC sitcom Full House. Since the cancellation of that show in 1995, Stamos has appeared in numerous television films and series. From 2006...
(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 prostitute in the house one night; when the prostitute passed out, they kept going because Charlie said to. Second, the house is not purchased by Dharma & Greg Montgomery
Dharma & Greg
Dharma & Greg is an American television sitcom that aired from September 24, 1997, to April 30, 2002.It starred Jenna Elfman and Thomas Gibson as Dharma and Greg Montgomery, a couple who married instantly on their first date despite being complete opposites...
(Jenna Elfman
Jenna Elfman
Jennifer Mary "Jenna" Elfman is an American television and film actress. She is known for her role as Dharma on the ABC sitcom Dharma & Greg and as Billie on the short-lived CBS sitcom Accidentally on Purpose....
and Thomas Gibson
Thomas Gibson
Thomas Ellis Gibson is an American actor who is perhaps best known for his roles as Daniel Nyland in the Medical drama series Chicago Hope, as Greg Montgomery in the comedy series Dharma & Greg, and as Supervisory Special Agent Aaron "Hotch" Hotchner in the highly-popular CBS drama, Criminal...
), 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
Pamela Anderson
Pamela Denise Anderson is a Canadian-American actress, model, producer, author, activist, and former showgirl, known for her roles on the television series Home Improvement, Baywatch, and V.I.P. She was chosen as a Playmate of the Month for Playboy magazine in February 1990...
, Alan decides to sprinkle the remains on the beach. As he goes to do so, he is startled by a young man (Ashton Kutcher
Ashton Kutcher
Christopher Ashton Kutcher , best known as Ashton Kutcher, is an American actor, producer, former fashion model and comedian, best known for his portrayal of Michael Kelso in the Fox sitcom That '70s Show...
) standing on the deck, causing him to spill Charlie's ashes all over the living room, then Berta (Conchata Ferrell
Conchata Ferrell
Conchata Galen Ferrell is an American actress. She is best known for playing Berta the housekeeper in the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men, for which she received two Emmy Award nominations in 2005 and 2007.-Personal life:...
) says "I ain't cleanin' him up."
The stranger asks to use the phone, and reveals that he was attempting to drown himself in the ocean because his wife had left him. After phoning his wife and being rejected again, the stranger introduces himself to Alan as Walden Schmidt, a billionaire who made his money by selling out to Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
. After Walden asks for a wetsuit
Wetsuit
A wetsuit is a garment, usually made of foamed neoprene, which is worn by surfers, divers, windsurfers, canoeists, and others engaged in water sports, providing thermal insulation, abrasion resistance and buoyancy. The insulation properties depend on bubbles of gas enclosed within the material,...
so that he can try to drown himself again, Alan offers to take him to a bar. The two pick up a pair of women who are sympathetic towards Walden. The four return to Charlie's house, which is now Alan's, where Alan offers to make drinks. While he is away, the two women lead Walden upstairs where they have sex
Sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
with him in Charlie's room, leaving Alan downstairs and alone. Annoyed, Alan tells Charlie's ashes (which are in a dustbuster
Black & Decker DustBuster
The Black & Decker DustBuster is a cordless vacuum cleaner that was introduced in January, 1979.It was invented by Mark Proett and developed by Black & Decker. Carroll Gantz, FIDSA, was Manager of the Black & Decker United States Consumer Power Tool Division’s Industrial Design Department at the...
) to shut up because of the irony and puts them in the garbage. The next morning, a naked Walden goes into the kitchen, meets Berta, who is impressed by his look and tells Alan about what happened the night before. Walden also announces his intent to buy the house. As Judith (Marin Hinkle
Marin Hinkle
Marin Elizabeth Hinkle is an American actress, perhaps best known for playing the role of Judith Harper-Melnick, Alan Harper's ex-wife on the hit series Two and a Half Men and her role as Judy Brooks the sister of the series lead Lily Manning on Once and Again.-Career:Hinkle started her career on...
) comes by to drop Jake (Angus T. Jones
Angus T. Jones
Angus Turner Jones is an American actor, widely known for his role as Jake Harper in the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men .-Career:...
) off for the weekend, they walk in on Walden hugging Alan out of gratitude for his friendship. Judith says "I like him." and then the episode ends with a "To be continued" message.
Production
This episode was written by series regulars Chuck Lorre, Lee Aronsohn, Eddie Gorodetsky, and Jim Patterson, was directed by series regular James Widdoes and taped August 5, 2011 to a full and enthusiastic audience.Kutcher was announced as Charlie Sheen
Charlie Sheen
Carlos Irwin Estevez , better known by his stage name Charlie Sheen, is an American film and television actor. He is the youngest son of actor Martin Sheen....
's replacement for the series on May 13, 2011, after Sheen was fired on March 7, 2011. This is the second sitcom Kutcher has starred in, after his career-debut role in That '70s Show
That '70s Show
That '70s Show is an American television period sitcom that centers on the lives of a group of teenage friends living in the fictional suburban town of Point Place, Wisconsin, from May 17, 1976, to December 31, 1979...
, which was beginning its sixth season when Two And A Half Men premiered in 2003.
Jenna Elfman
Jenna Elfman
Jennifer Mary "Jenna" Elfman is an American television and film actress. She is known for her role as Dharma on the ABC sitcom Dharma & Greg and as Billie on the short-lived CBS sitcom Accidentally on Purpose....
and Thomas Gibson
Thomas Gibson
Thomas Ellis Gibson is an American actor who is perhaps best known for his roles as Daniel Nyland in the Medical drama series Chicago Hope, as Greg Montgomery in the comedy series Dharma & Greg, and as Supervisory Special Agent Aaron "Hotch" Hotchner in the highly-popular CBS drama, Criminal...
reprised their roles as Dharma and Greg Montgomery
Dharma & Greg
Dharma & Greg is an American television sitcom that aired from September 24, 1997, to April 30, 2002.It starred Jenna Elfman and Thomas Gibson as Dharma and Greg Montgomery, a couple who married instantly on their first date despite being complete opposites...
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.
This is the first episode on the show to feature full nudity (albeit censored by pixelation). The Chuck Lorre Productions vanity card
Production logo
A production logo, vanity card, vanity plate, vanity logo or vogo is a logo used by movie studios and television production companies to brand what they produce. Vanity logos are usually seen at the beginning of a theatrical movie , or at the end of a television program or TV movie...
is just a picture of 3 tin cans, but one of them is placed sideways.
Reception
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 rating/shareNielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
in the 18-49 age group. At one point, the audience peaked at 31 million viewers with a 11.4/26 rating/share. In Canada, the show was watched by approximately 5 million viewers, with 6.7 million watching some of it. In Australia, the show was watched by an average of 2.3 million viewers in the five major capital cities, peaking at 2.6 million, which gave the show its highest ever ratings figure for an episode broadcast in Australia. It was also the most watched show on Australian television that night, beating third placed drama hit Packed to the Rafters
Packed to the Rafters
Packed to the Rafters is an Australian family-orientated television series which premiered on the Seven Network on Tuesday 26 August 2008 at 8:30 pm. The drama series features a mix of lighthearted comedy woven through the plot. It revolves around the Rafter family facing work pressures and...
by 655,000 viewers. In the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, the episode aired on September 20 on digital channel Comedy Central
Comedy Central (UK)
Comedy Central in the United Kingdom and Ireland is a localised version of Comedy Central which first began in the United States in the 1990s. The television channel is available through the Sky, Virgin Media, TalkTalk TV in the United Kingdom, Sky Ireland, UPC Ireland and Magnet Networks in the...
and brought in a total of 803,000 viewers, the most watched programme in the channel's history.
The episode received mixed reviews from numerous critics. Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter
The Hollywood Reporter
Formerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience...
couldn't quite figure out Kutcher's character, noting; "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." Richard Lawson of Gawker Media
Gawker Media
Gawker Media is an American online media company and blog network, founded and owned by Nick Denton based in New York City. It is considered to be one of the most visible and successful blog-oriented media companies. , it is the parent company for 11 different weblogs: Gawker.com, Fleshbot,...
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". Lori Rackl of Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
gave the episode a positive review, stating, "Filling the void left by a well established character isn’t easy, but Kutcher mostly succeeded".
Sheen watched the episode and was extremely pleased. He reportedly felt Charlie Harper's funeral was "eerie but fun," and felt the reveal of Kutcher's character in a cloud of Harper's ashes was particularly enjoyable.