Mediocre TV series condition you for things like sudden changes in characters. Thus, it can’t be too surprising when said mediocre TV show offers an abrupt left turn by a character as took place on Two and a Half Men in the episode “What a Lovely Landing Strip.”
I will grant you that Judith Greer’s Bridget wasn’t all that well established to begin with. That said, the character we’d come briefly to know was level-headed enough to recognize Walden (Ashton Kutcher) for the overgrown child that he is and dump him.
That made Bridget’s out of nowhere change of heart and subsequent turn into crazy town, with the aid of Melanie Lynskey’s Rose, bizarre, ludicrous and unfortunate. It’s not that I cared one way or the other whether Bridget and Walden got back together but there had to be a more efficient way of dealing with Bridget than turning her suddenly into a crazy person.
What proceeded Bridget’s nutty turn? Walden finally signed his divorce papers. Apparently, seeing Walden do one adult thing was enough to split the final bonds between Bridget and her sanity. Naturally, this being the Ashton Kutcher ego-fest the first thing Bridget wants is to hop into bed.
Walden is ready to go with this idea until he remembers that he’s dating Zoey (Sophie Winkleman), a gorgeous Brit with a smoking body and a five year old daughter that we have yet to meet. Unlike some past denizens of this Malibu beach pad Walden has scruples.
This being the show that cannot get over the loss of Charlie Sheen the funniest moment of “What a Lovely Landing Strip” come when Alan (Jon Cryer) and Jake (Angus T. Jones) share funny recollections of their long lost, morally flexible old pal Charlie. Otherwise, Alan and Jake are, for most of “What a Lovely Landing Strip,” absent. Aside from their brief reminiscence about Charlie, they’re on the sidelines this week as Walden continues to pursue Zoey and deals with Bridget’s sudden change of heart.
The fact that CBS put Bridget driving the car through the side of the house in the promo lessened the potential impact, in terms of long term story, that this move might have had. That’s likely why they didn’t spoil Melanie Lynskey’s brief return as crazy Rose; they needed something surprising. Rose shows up as Bridget is spying on Walden and Zoey through the kitchen window and recruits her to the stalker dark side.
As much as I believe that Bridget’s turn was ludicrous and a waste of the very talented Judy Greer the quick jump over the railing of the beach house that both Lynskey and Greer performed was funny.
Random notes:
- Walden was in just his boxers again this week. If the producers of Two and a Half Men want to save on the cost of Kutcher’s contract they should paint sponsorships on his naked back like low rent boxers do in pay per view fights.
- Did you know that Sophie Winkleman is actual royalty? She’s married to Lord Frederick Windsor, the son of Prince Michael of Kent.
- Jake was the comic MVP this week. Seemingly every line Angus T. Jones delivered this week landed with perfect comic pitch. Jake’s constant stupidity has the potential to burn out but for now it’s still funny.
- CBS is home to more vagina puns than any other network on TV. Do you think the former ‘Tiffany network’ is proud of this fact? Between Two and a Half Men and 2 Broke Girls there is more vagina talk than your average performance of “The Vagina Monologues.” This week’s title, “What a Lovely Landing Strip” is a reference to… well, you figure it out.
