Grade: C-
Kicking off the season in time for Halloween, the Season 12 premiere of “Two and a Half Men” took a sudden turn when Waldon (played by Ashton Kutcher) has a heart attack before his Halloween Party.
Stealing the show dressed as his famous character Duckie from “Pretty in Pink ,” Jon Cryer’s Alan rushes Waldon to the hospital.
On the way, Alan and Waldon share a tender moment as Alan gushes about their friendship and how much he cares about Waldon, admitting that he can’t lose his best friend at such a young age.
Alan and Berta, meeting him at the hospital dressed as a nun, worry about Waldon as he makes his recovery, however Waldon believes that his health scare has made him realize what he’s missing in his life — a baby.
After learning adoption agencies prefer married couples rather than single men, Waldon laments over his unsuccessful love life and decides to spontaneously propose to a very shocked Alan.
Fans of classic eighties films will appreciate the reoccurring references to “Pretty in Pink” and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” as Cryer’s character dons his classic outfit, only to be constantly compared to Matthew Broderick in “Bueller,” who shares a striking resemblance to Duckie in “Pink.”
Despite Duckie’s short-lived revival, the episode as a whole wasn’t so memorable.
While there were a few comical instances, including Ashton Kutcher’s joke about the perfect women being Mila Kunis (his real-life fiancée), the episode felt flat.
With unrealistic character changes and awkward sexual jokes between Alan and Waldon, the history of Waldon’s teenage maturity makes his “baby fever” seem a bit too forced.
The show, entering its twelfth and final season, has faced many challenges, including the departure of leads Charlie Sheen and Angus T. Jones.
Down a man and a half from the show’s start, “Two and a Half Men” has a lot of scrambling to do if it hopes to end on any form of a high note.
