Two And a Half Deaths
Encyclopedia
"Two and a Half Deaths" is the sixteenth episode in the eighth season of the American crime drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
which is set in Las Vegas
, Nevada
, United States. It was written by Chuck Lorre
and Lee Aronsohn
in a crossover between CSI and Two and a Half Men
. The character of Annabelle is based on Roseanne Barr
, whose anger and bad behavior Lorre suffered under while running her eponymous blockbuster TV show; the title font for the show-within-a-show "Annabelle" is even identical to the one used for Roseanne
. Lorre was the original producer for that show until he was pushed out.
), is reported, the CSI team is sent to investigate. Annabelle's co-star, Megan, is interviewed, saying what a tragedy it was. Warrick points out to Grissom and Catherine that a woman's high heel print can clearly be seen in the blood from Annabelle's room. When Grissom gets a phone call that something has turned up on the television set, he heads to Los Angeles.
When Grissom arrives, he finds Natasha (Annabelle's stand-in/double), dead from a car accident. Minutes later, Megan screams out as her dog lies dead in front of her. Back in Vegas, Hodges shows Catherine footage of Annabelle with Bud, that is actually Natasha. Grissom and Brass search Bud's office and find alcohol, which he has been giving to Annabelle. They also let him know that semen was found on Natasha before she died, trying to pin her murder on him. Bud doesn't answer any questions but is led away by police until he's ready to talk.
Catherine finds out that a writer visited Annabelle's room and had the same water bottle on him that she found at the scene of the crime. That writer has not been seen since the show filmed in Vegas. The bottle is dusted for prints and the CSI team come up with the name Richard Langford, an actor and street performer. As the team hands out pictures on the street to find him, Richard is performing on the street as a robot and tries to get away. Warrick and Nick arrest him.
Nick interviews Richard, who says that he was going to become a regular on her sitcom but was canned when he wouldn't sleep with Annabelle. He went to Vegas to get a second chance and decided to sleep with her after all. She fell backwards, hit her head, and died, which was an accident, according to him. He said that the rubber chicken stuffed down her throat was not an accident, but intentional since she was already dead.
Annabelle tests positive for blood thinners and the team realizes that she had been poisoned for quite some time prior to her death. The same drug is found in Natasha's blood. Grissom and Brass figure out that the only other person besides Bud who knew about Annabelle hiding her alcohol in mouthwash bottles was Megan. She confesses hypothetically by placing her actions on a fictional character in a script. In it, she reveals that she had help from an Italian uncle, "Giuseppe," who taught her how to sabotage Annabelle's car in exchange for what she called "unsavory favors." She later asserts that there is only circumstantial evidence implicating her. She later reveals that she has a new TV series called "Megan's Family." She then introduces her lover/executive producer, one of the show producers who was constantly humiliated by Annabelle and Bud, who appears on cue. So with no proof, they do not arrest her. While shaving, Bud cuts himself and bleeds profusely from the neck as the screen cuts to black.
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series, which premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...
which is set in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, United States. It was written by Chuck Lorre
Chuck Lorre
Chuck Lorre is a writer, director, producer and composer who has created many American sitcoms, including Grace Under Fire, Cybill, Dharma & Greg, Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory...
and Lee Aronsohn
Lee Aronsohn
Lee Aronsohn is a television writer, composer and producer.He has written for some very successful sitcoms, such as The Love Boat, Who's the Boss?, Murphy Brown, Grace Under Fire, The Big Bang Theory, and Cybill.In 2003, he co-created the sitcom Two and a Half Men and wrote original music for the...
in a crossover between CSI and Two and a Half Men
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...
. The character of Annabelle is based on Roseanne Barr
Roseanne Barr
Roseanne Cherrie Barr is an American actress, comedian, writer, television producer and director. Barr began her career in stand-up comedy at clubs before gaining fame for her role in the sitcom Roseanne. The show was a hit and lasted nine seasons, from 1988 to 1997...
, whose anger and bad behavior Lorre suffered under while running her eponymous blockbuster TV show; the title font for the show-within-a-show "Annabelle" is even identical to the one used for Roseanne
Roseanne (TV series)
Roseanne is an American sitcom broadcast on ABC from October 18, 1988 to May 20, 1997. Starring Roseanne Barr, the show revolved around the Conners, an Illinois working class family...
. Lorre was the original producer for that show until he was pushed out.
Plot
When the death of a well-known TV star, Annabelle (Katey SagalKatey Sagal
Catherine Louise "Katey" Sagal is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She first achieved widespread fame as Peggy Bundy on the long-running Fox comedy series Married.....
), is reported, the CSI team is sent to investigate. Annabelle's co-star, Megan, is interviewed, saying what a tragedy it was. Warrick points out to Grissom and Catherine that a woman's high heel print can clearly be seen in the blood from Annabelle's room. When Grissom gets a phone call that something has turned up on the television set, he heads to Los Angeles.
When Grissom arrives, he finds Natasha (Annabelle's stand-in/double), dead from a car accident. Minutes later, Megan screams out as her dog lies dead in front of her. Back in Vegas, Hodges shows Catherine footage of Annabelle with Bud, that is actually Natasha. Grissom and Brass search Bud's office and find alcohol, which he has been giving to Annabelle. They also let him know that semen was found on Natasha before she died, trying to pin her murder on him. Bud doesn't answer any questions but is led away by police until he's ready to talk.
Catherine finds out that a writer visited Annabelle's room and had the same water bottle on him that she found at the scene of the crime. That writer has not been seen since the show filmed in Vegas. The bottle is dusted for prints and the CSI team come up with the name Richard Langford, an actor and street performer. As the team hands out pictures on the street to find him, Richard is performing on the street as a robot and tries to get away. Warrick and Nick arrest him.
Nick interviews Richard, who says that he was going to become a regular on her sitcom but was canned when he wouldn't sleep with Annabelle. He went to Vegas to get a second chance and decided to sleep with her after all. She fell backwards, hit her head, and died, which was an accident, according to him. He said that the rubber chicken stuffed down her throat was not an accident, but intentional since she was already dead.
Annabelle tests positive for blood thinners and the team realizes that she had been poisoned for quite some time prior to her death. The same drug is found in Natasha's blood. Grissom and Brass figure out that the only other person besides Bud who knew about Annabelle hiding her alcohol in mouthwash bottles was Megan. She confesses hypothetically by placing her actions on a fictional character in a script. In it, she reveals that she had help from an Italian uncle, "Giuseppe," who taught her how to sabotage Annabelle's car in exchange for what she called "unsavory favors." She later asserts that there is only circumstantial evidence implicating her. She later reveals that she has a new TV series called "Megan's Family." She then introduces her lover/executive producer, one of the show producers who was constantly humiliated by Annabelle and Bud, who appears on cue. So with no proof, they do not arrest her. While shaving, Bud cuts himself and bleeds profusely from the neck as the screen cuts to black.
Connections with Two and a Half Men
- Charlie SheenCharlie SheenCarlos 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....
, Jon CryerJon CryerJonathan 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...
and Angus T. JonesAngus T. JonesAngus Turner Jones is an American actor, widely known for his role as Jake Harper in the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men .-Career:...
, all stars of the CBSCBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
series Two and a Half Men, make uncredited cameo appearanceCameo appearanceA cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
s while wearing the same clothes in "Fish in a DrawerFish in a Drawer"Fish in a Drawer" is the seventeenth episode of the fifth season of Two and a Half Men and the 113th episode overall. The episode was written by Evan Dunsky, Sarah Goldfinger, Carol Mendelsohn and Naren Shankar, the writers of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, who swapped shows with the writing...
" and smoking some cigars. - The character of Don (one of the writers of the "Annabelle" show) is played by Kevin SussmanKevin SussmanKevin Sussman is an American actor of television and film perhaps best known for his recurring roles Stuart the comic book store owner on "The Big Bang Theory" and Walter on the ABC comedy-drama Ugly Betty....
who plays the character of Stuart, owner of the comic book store frequently featured on The Big Bang TheoryThe Big Bang TheoryThe Big Bang Theory is an American sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, both of whom serve as executive producers on the show, along with Steven Molaro. All three also serve as head writers...
, another Chuck LorreChuck LorreChuck Lorre is a writer, director, producer and composer who has created many American sitcoms, including Grace Under Fire, Cybill, Dharma & Greg, Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory...
show. In a discussion about writing he asks the other writers if any of them has ever contacted Two and a Half Men. Another writer answers "Ecch! I'd rather sleep with Annabelle than write that crap!" - The title of this episode is a parody of the Two and a Half Men name whose creators, Chuck LorreChuck LorreChuck Lorre is a writer, director, producer and composer who has created many American sitcoms, including Grace Under Fire, Cybill, Dharma & Greg, Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory...
and Lee AronsohnLee AronsohnLee Aronsohn is a television writer, composer and producer.He has written for some very successful sitcoms, such as The Love Boat, Who's the Boss?, Murphy Brown, Grace Under Fire, The Big Bang Theory, and Cybill.In 2003, he co-created the sitcom Two and a Half Men and wrote original music for the...
, wrote this episode. - To reciprocate, the writers of CSI wrote a Two and a Half Men episode, "Fish in a DrawerFish in a Drawer"Fish in a Drawer" is the seventeenth episode of the fifth season of Two and a Half Men and the 113th episode overall. The episode was written by Evan Dunsky, Sarah Goldfinger, Carol Mendelsohn and Naren Shankar, the writers of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, who swapped shows with the writing...
", which aired on CBS on May 5, 2008. - J. D. WalshJ. D. WalshJohn Douglas "J.D." Walsh is an American actor, writer, producer, and improv comedy leader. He is best known for his role as Gordon on Two and a Half Men.-Career:...
also appears as another of the writers of the "Annabelle" show. In Two and a Half Men he stars as Gordon, a pizza delivery guy who appears in seasons 1–3 and season six onwards