Skip to main content

When I Watched Two and A Half Men

 

Two and A Half Men used to come on Star World a lot when I was in school, but I was never much interested in watching the show. I used to wait for the Simpsons, instead. Although I thought I heard my brothers saying it’s quite funny. So these past months, when I saw the show on Netflix, I thought I might as well give it a go.

 Two and a Half Men is one of the most popular sitcoms to have aired for 12 years. And I have only two questions after watching it.

1.      Why on earth is it so popular?

2.      How on earth did it run for 12 years?

 It is possibly the most sexist show I have ever watched; it makes me think a lot of misogyny was there in the creation. I’m no hardcore feminist, but if you have ever watched even a few seasons of the show, you would know what I am talking about. All female characters are shown degrading, dumb, mean, evil or bad in one way or another. The plot, albeit was a good one to start, with a brother taking shelter under his elder brother’s home when he is kicked out by his ex-wife after the divorce. The young child of the brother comes to the Malibu beach house on weekends, hence the title of the show.

The humor is mostly based on how their lives change drastically after this: on how the older brother Charlie is a rich, alcoholic womanizer who lives the best life has to deal with an envious, struggling, pushover, cheap, who thinks he is a nice guy and deserves more, younger brother Alan who thinks life is being unfair to him. Alan has to pay a huge amount of child support and alimony every month after the divorce. At first, it is made to seem that the influence of his younger, family-person brother who knows his way around housework and finances and is/was independent will rub in a good way on the older irresponsible and carefree brother Charlie who hires people to do everything for him. You might even think that having his young nephew over on weekends will make him more responsible. But alas, it does not last long. The show makes it seem like there is going to be character development on the part of Charlie, but no, there is only downgrading of character in this show although it is shown at times that Charlie has a good heart despite everything.  Not only this, Jake, Alan’s son who is shown to be witty and quite smart in the first season only grows dumber in the later seasons.

 You feel sorry for Alan in the first few seasons, with his ex-wife and what not but as the show drags on and most jokes are based on his cheapness and his inability to move out of the house, it honestly gets exhausting after a point. He just never seems to learn.

Both of Charlie and Alan’s behavior is largely pointed out to due to the upbringing of their mother who is a rich, narcissist, selfish woman in the show. And with Judith, Alan’s ex-wife having him by the leash even after the divorce, supporting women characters in the show are shown in a bad light.

 The show got even worse in the later seasons when Charlie is killed off by a train and Walden Schmidt, a billionaire, buys the house instead and yet, Alan, the younger brother and his son Jake still manage to live there rent free. At this point, not only are there numerous plot holes in the show but the writing gets lazier and lazier. Earlier, if nothing else, the chemistry between the brothers was what made the show but after Charlie’s ‘supposed’ death, even that is thrown down the hill. You might as well give up.

I might have just ranted a little bit too much but if you’re still here. Do you think Two and a Half Men is worth watching? Let me know.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Rajamati

I think we’ve all heard the song of Rajamati growing up. It is so popular that many people in Nepal claim this is the only Newari song that they have heard. The song was written some 200 years back. The first few lines go like this, which I’m sure you must have heard of, unless you’ve been living under a rock: Rājamati kumati, jike wasā pirati Hāya bābā Rājamati-chā Rājamati mabila dhāsā Kāshi wane tela bubā Hayā biu Rājamati-chā. San dhāsā kuli kuli, mikhā dhāsā bālā bālā Sakumi yā mhyāy machā lā Khwā dhāsā tuyu khwā, khwālay niga tee du Tāhā Nani yā Rājamati-chā. It is said to be written by or rather from the perspective of a man who was infatuated and in awe of the beauty of Rajamati. He describes with great admiration: her hair, her eyes, her complexion and the little moles on her face. However it is unknown who the writer of this beautiful song is. The song rushed into popularity after it was played in England in 1850 when Prime Minister Jung Bahadur Rana vi...
5 comments
Read more

The Oldest Kumari

Dhana Kumari Bajracharya resides amidst the hustle and bustle in Gabahal, Patan. She is a 70 year old woman, who you would think is much younger at age, if you look at her. Age seems to have done justice to this beautiful woman. What makes this wise old woman different than other wise old women in Patan? She is the oldest Kumari of Patan. Kumari, the living goddess is a tradition or a practice that has been around for many years and that has been celebrated widely in the Kathmandu Valley. The very first Kumari goes back to 17 th Century. The process to choose the Kumari is divine and a girl must go through several tests to get chosen as the Kumari. Dhana Kumari Bajracharya is the longest serving Kumari of Patan having been established as the Kumari from 2010 B.S to 2042 B.S. A whooping 32 years. Perhaps her case is the most rare that we might come across. A girl serves as a Kumari until she reaches puberty, or she has her first menstruation. After that, it is believed that th...
1 comment
Read more

Baklava in Kathmandu

  Baklavas are considered the Mount Everest of pastry making and what better delight than to know that they are, now, available here in the country that Mount Everest is situated? TazaTreats, newly initiated by Taza brings to you this delicacy. A fine treat with walnuts or pistachios in layers coated with sugar, Baklavas are an explosion of flavor in your mouth. A dessert from the Middle East, first brought in from the Turkish or Greek heritage, Baklavas are a new thing in Nepal. But you’d be more than happy to know that the taste is something that would fit well with the Nepali palate. Baklavas are slowly gaining attention around the valley. I see that more and more people have been trying them out. And they come in these beautiful handcrafted boxes, making the experience even more worthwhile. When we first got a box, after clicking enough pictures, of course, I had to inky pinky my way to choose which Baklava I should go for first. They’re just right for sharing or surprisi...
1 comment
Read more