That Darn Priest

"That Darn Priest"
Two and a Half Men episode
Episode no. Season 8
Episode 16
Directed by James Widdoes
Written by Chuck Lorre
Lee Aronsohn
David Richardson
Don Reo
Original air date February 14, 2011 (2011-02-14)
Guest appearance(s)

Dakin Matthews as Father Shaunassey

Episode chronology

"That Darn Priest" is the season finale of the eighth season of the American sitcom Two and a Half Men and the final appearance of Charlie Sheen as Charlie Harper. The episode is the 16th and final episode of the season, though it was meant to be the ninth to last episode, but the season was cut short due to Sheen's problems related to drug and alcohol abuse.[1][2] Three weeks after the episode's original airing, Sheen was officially fired from the show.[3] CBS and Warner Bros. later announced that Ashton Kutcher would join the show's cast as Sheen's replacement.

Upon airing, the episode was watched by 14.51 million viewers.

Plot

Alan (Jon Cryer) goes to a church to attempt to have his sins forgiven, after scamming Charlie (Charlie Sheen), Herb (Ryan Stiles), Evelyn (Holland Taylor), and Berta (Conchata Ferrell) out of thousands of dollars. However, when Father Shaunassey (Dakin Matthews) suggests he tell his family, Alan rejects the suggestion. Meanwhile, Charlie has grown tired of having to sneak around during his controversial affair with his stalker, Rose (Melanie Lynskey), despite the fact that her husband, Manny, will arrive home that evening. Charlie suggests that he can take a weekend away with Rose, much to her delight. Alan continues to see his evil side which encourages him to continue collecting money from his relatives. Alan attempts to admit the truth to Charlie, but Charlie reveals that Rose is willing to invest and Alan decides to continue lying.

Alan allows Rose to invest, but is surprised when Rose shows up at his office and realizes the scam. Alan fears that Rose will tell on him and decides to blackmail her about her cheating on Manny. While at Rose's house attempting to blackmail her, Alan discovers that Manny is a mannequin and that Rose is playing Charlie along. Rose offers to give Alan enough money to pay everyone back, but Alan refuses to betray Charlie and leaves. Alan returns home, only to find Berta wanting her money back. While Alan ponders whether to take Rose's money with his evil side, Charlie arrives announcing his intention to propose to Rose in Paris. Charlie insults Alan about moving out after Alan tells Charlie it is a bad idea. Alan decides to take Rose's money and keeps the truth to himself. Despite a close call with him finding Manny in Rose's closet, Charlie fails to realize that Manny is actually Rose's husband. The episode ends when Charlie departs for Paris with Rose, while Alan pays back the money that he scammed after he received payment from Rose. While talking with his dark side again, Alan is outraged when his light side, a version of himself wearing women's clothes, appears in the toaster and starts criticizing his dress sense. When Alan asks his light side if there are anymore versions of himself, the light side asks: "Who else do you need?".

Production

"That Darn Priest" marked Charlie Sheen's final appearance in the series. His character was killed off in the following episode.

On January 27, 2011, Sheen was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center by paramedics. Sheen's representative said he was suffering from "severe abdominal pains."[4] On January 28, Sheen began undergoing a substance rehabilitation program in his home[5] and CBS announced that the show would go on hiatus.[6] The network subsequently announced that the current season, already under way and due to shoot its last four episodes, had been canceled after Sheen made derogatory comments about the series' creator Chuck Lorre on the February 24 edition of a radio broadcast hosted by Alex Jones.[7] On February 28, it was reported that Warner Bros. officially banned Sheen from entering the studio production lot.[8]

On February 28, 2011, during a national television interview in his home, Sheen publicly demanded a 50% raise for the show.[9] Already the highest-paid actor on television, Sheen demanded $3 million per episode, claiming that in comparison to the amount that the series was making, he was "underpaid."[9] He later retracted that demand. A March 3, 2011, telephone survey of 1,000 people found that 71% of them had an unfavorable impression of Sheen and 16% had a positive opinion of him.[10] On March 7, 2011, CBS and Warner Bros. officially fired Sheen from the show after eight seasons.[11] The official statement read: "After careful consideration, Warner Bros. Television has terminated Charlie Sheen's services on Two and a Half Men effective immediately."[12] In the aftermath of his dismissal, Sheen remained vocally critical of Lorre, and repeatedly attacked him in an eight minute Ustream video.[13] On May 13, 2011, CBS and Warner Bros. announced that Ashton Kutcher would replace Sheen on the show.[14][15]

Reception

The episode saw relatively low ratings in comparison to others in the season, with 14.51 million American viewers tuning in.[16] "Three Hookers and a Philly Cheesesteak" which had aired the previous week, had scored nearly a million more with 15.15 viewers. The episode received positive reviews upon airing, with viewers unaware it was to be the final episode of the season. Eric Hochberger of TV Fanatic enjoyed the episode and noted that Cryer's portrayal of Alan's dark side was a highlight.[17]

References

  1. ↑ Hibberd, James (February 24, 2011). "'Two and a Half Men' production halted for rest of the season". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 24, 2011.
  2. ↑ Two and a Half Men axed after rant leaves Sheen looking a proper Charlie The Guardian, February 25, 2011
  3. ↑ Littleton, Cynthia; Weisman, Jon (March 7, 2011). "Warner Bros. fires Charlie Sheen from 'Men'". Variety. RBL. Retrieved March 7, 2011.
  4. ↑ "Charlie Sheen Rushed to Hospital for Stomach Pains", People, January 27, 2011
  5. ↑ "Charlie Sheen Gets Personalized Rehab Program", People, January 31, 2011
  6. ↑ "Charlie Sheen Goes to Rehab", People, January 28, 2011
  7. ↑ "Two and a Half Men axed after rant leaves Sheen looking a proper Charlie", The Guardian, February 25, 2011
  8. ↑ Angus, Kat (February 28, 2011). "Charlie Sheen banned from Warner Bros. lot". Calgary Herald. Retrieved March 8, 2011.
  9. 1 2 McGraw, Seamus. "Sheen demands 50 percent raise for ‘Two and a Half Men’," Today (February 28, 2011). Accessed March 1, 2011.
  10. ↑ "71% of Americans View Charlie Sheen Unfavorably". Rasmussen Reports. March 3, 2011. Retrieved March 8, 2011.
  11. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (March 7, 2011). "FIRED! Charlie Sheen Axed From 'Two And A Half Men', He Fires Back & Vows To Sue". Deadline.com. Retrieved March 8, 2011.
  12. ↑ Carter, Bill (March 7, 2011). "Charlie Sheen Fired From "Two and a Half Men"". The New York Times. Retrieved March 7, 2011.
  13. ↑ Villarreal, Yvonne (March 9, 2011). "Charlie Sheen to 'Two and a Half Men's' Chuck Lorre: 'Where ya hiding, silly clown?'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 10, 2011.
  14. ↑ Villarreal, Yvonne (May 13, 2011). "'Dude, where's my sitcom?': Ashton Kutcher officially joins 'Two and a Half Men'". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 13, 2011.
  15. ↑ Barrett, Annie (May 13, 2011). "Official: Ashton Kutcher joins 'Two and a Half Men'". Insidetv.ew.com. Retrieved August 18, 2011.
  16. ↑ Gorman, Bill (February 15, 2011). "Monday Finals: No Ratings Adjustments For 'Mad Love,' 'Chuck' Or Any Other Shows". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved February 15, 2011.
  17. ↑ "Two and a Half Men Review: "That Darn Priest"". TV Fanatic. February 15, 2011. Retrieved September 22, 2011.
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