What I’m Watching: Anger Management (Season Finale)

Anger Management: Season 1, Episode 10 “Charlie Gets Romantic” (B-)

Sometimes this show seems more intelligent than it does at other times. All the talk between Charlie and Jennifer about inheriting a gay gene because of one lesbian encounter is best left forgotten, mainly because it does nothing to enhance the rest of the show, bringing up irreverent topics and having no relation to anyone’s anger management therapy. Trying to get Kate to come with him to a movie, on the other hand, is perfectly acceptable, since she clearly despised the idea enough to hire a movie fanatic incapable of carrying a simple conversation because she feels the need to identify any bit of dialogue as the title of a rare film. Acting is hardly this show’s forte, and so the greater gist of scenes is best remembered rather than the specific talents of Charlie Sheen or Selma Blair, or the words they utter as they make their way to a conclusion that romance can be tolerated if it helps them with their friends-with-benefits situation. If ever Jennifer realizes that she’s not a lesbian and is in fact engaged in a relationship with Charlie, she’s not going to be happy. I feel shortchanged that, once again, we didn’t get to see the epic meltdown by the therapy attendees, instead having Charlie’s personal life take center stage. I’m sure that this show will be renewed for more episodes, probably the ninety that it’s supposed to get if the first season ranks as a success, and I hope to see more of a spotlight on the anger management patients who have moved out of the spotlight as this first season has progressed.

Season grade: B
Season MVP: Michael Arden as Patrick / Noureen DeWolf as Lacey

What I’m Watching: Anger Management

Anger Management: Season 1, Episode 9 “Charlie’s Dad Visits” (B+)

It sure didn’t take long for another Sheen family member to drop by, and Martin had a much better role here than he did in his unnecessarily Emmy-nominated part as Rose’s dad on “Two and a Half Men.” Charlie dreading his father’s visit led to amusingly sedate and polite interactions, which were most entertaining because of how frustrated they made Charlie. Some of the jokes are a bit obvious (“You as president? I can’t picture it”), but overall, it’s fun to see father and son playing together well. Because this is a light-hearted sitcom, Martin didn’t need to actually apologize for anything he did wrong, and his confession about his deteriorating life didn’t come as much of surprise. Charlie bringing Martin to see Kate and then doing detective work while watching old videos was funny too. The opening conversation about jobs was great, and it’s enjoyable to her each of the group members contribute their own different experience as related to their occupations. As expected, Charlie got himself more worked up than Lacey when he accompanied her on her morning commute to work, but we did get a fantastic chance to see Lacey freak out after she got fed up with the politeness exercised by the far more patient Ed, whose stint as her driver didn’t last long after he abandoned the vehicle just minutes into the drive. Episode ten marks the first season finale, but I’m almost certain that this show will return for a momentous ninety episodes.

What I’m Watching: Anger Management

Anger Management: Season 1, Episode 8 “Charlie Outs a Patient” (B)

It’s fun to see one of Charlie’s less spotlighted patients take center stage since he rarely gets such an opportunity. More than anything, Nolan just isn’t all that bright, but he makes for an entertaining character. Identifying Charlie as his urologist without realizing what it meant was probably the funniest moment, and it’s great that, though she didn’t want to, Lacey came over to help and offered to head outside armed with a frying pan. This show is sprinkled with some eccentric supporting characters that just seem to pop up while nothing else crucial is happening, namely wacky waitress Mel and nutty neighbor Michael. In this case, the randomness of their appearances is underlined by the fact that they literally just show up when the plotlines demand it. Sam getting texts from her friends at her own sleepover that it was lame was perhaps a bit too obvious, and Charlie seemed to be excessively bribing the girls not to report what was happening at the house to their parents. His continually altered explanations of how Nolan sustained his injuries were amusing, and he’s always at his best when he’s lying through his teeth. He and Jennifer talk extremely honestly and openly about their intentions with other partners, and it’s clear that their relatively amicable relationship isn’t entirely free of animosity, resentment, and frequent attempts to demean, embarrass, and one-up the other. Kate interpreting Charlie’s true story as a symbolic dream was funny, and a sign that there’s way too much therapy going on in that particular relationship.

What I’m Watching: Anger Management

Anger Management: Season 1, Episode 7 “Charlie’s Patient Gets Out of Jail” (B-)

This installment was admittedly a lot sillier than those that preceded it. Merging Charlie’s living room and jail therapy sessions simply meant that Cleo dominated his home session with exceptionally violent tales of anger and that the episode focused almost entirely on events outside of either group. Presuming Cleo’s shift from “prison gay” to straight and formerly married on the outside wasn’t too difficult given that this show is always relatively over-the-top, and it actually presented a decently fun opportunity for Cleo to romance Jennifer and really get Charlie mad about something. This episode featured another “eureka therapy” moment after Charlie called Ed dad a while ago, when Charlie freaked out over Cleo using his butter. The relationship between Charlie and Jennifer continues to be entertaining, and her continuous array of bad business ideas is extremely amusing. Kate, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to care too much about Charlie’s well-being, constantly sidelining his therapy, or rather, any discussion of his personal life or feelings, to their sessions, and insisting upon only sex whenever they get together outside of a scheduled session. At least Charlie, who may not quite be the world’s most superb therapist, cares enough about his patients to try to help them improve, even going over to their homes in the middle of the night if need be. Testing someone on how to make a decagon with straws may suggest their intelligence, but it’s hardly an excellent therapeutic method for any sort of positive or productive development.

What I’m Watching: Anger Management

Anger Management: Season 1, Episode 6 “Charlie Dates Kate’s Patient” (B+)

His judgment may not be quite as bad as that of the previous Charlie he played, but this anger management therapist sure picks interesting women to date. To be fair, his initial meeting with Ellie was innocent enough and not malicious in intent, and there’s no reason they wouldn’t have hit it off even if Charlie wasn’t trying to one-up Kate’s intellectual affair. It did turn out, however, that Ellie was considerably more invested in making Kate jealous and taking advantage of risk-filled situations than Charlie, and her flagrant attempts to excite and startle Charlie while Kate was in hi house were only slightly less deplorable than her intense desire to have sex on Kate’s couch. Fortunately, Charlie didn’t seem too dismayed by his status as the first man to turn down sex from a hot woman, suggesting that he is able to exhibit some level of self-control. His efforts to establish a phone tree following Lacey’s injury didn’t seem like they were going to work out too well, but Patrick managed to put it into action after his first call to Ed was rejected and he turned instead to Lacey, who called Nolan to do her bidding, which resulted in a scene that probably should have been seen onscreen and landed them all in jail. I’m continually pleased by the role the patients play in the show, and I like that Kate is also a regular player who doesn’t do much in the way of therapy for Charlie but still manages to analyze him on a rather consistent basis.

What I’m Watching: Anger Management

Anger Management: Season 1, Episode 5 “Charlie Tries to Prove Therapy is Legit” (B+)

There are many who will likely take issue with the fact that Charlie Sheen’s ex-wife appeared on this show in a highly tongue-in-cheek role within its first five episodes. Yet, practically, it works on multiple levels as more than just a running joke, and even manages to make productive use of Denise Richards, whose acting isn’t always exactly top-notch. Introducing her as a friend of Jennifer’s was a good start, and it also enabled Charlie to mock her proposed business venture, Vanicures. Lori’s utter dismissal of therapy paid off most strongly in her final appearance, in which she professed a belief in ghosts but not in therapy or, more crucially, condoms. The sight of Charlie wearing a tie, a jacket, and boxers was most worthwhile for his complete ignorance of the fact that he looked ridiculous. Kate’s negative influence is entertaining, and it’s fun to see her try to poke holes in Charlie’s bad decisions and then pat herself on the back when he ends up being wrong. Patrick’s drama with his mother was a good foundation for Lori to be able to express her beliefs, and the group dynamic continues to be engaging and amusing, particularly when it comes to Nolan’s inability to make quips and Ed’s racism and homophobia. That’s a gimmick that could have been irritating, but it seems that it’s given just the right amount of time each episode so that its members can be present and featured without taking over too much of Charlie’s life.

Take Three: Anger Management

Anger Management: Season 1, Episode 4 “Charlie and Kate Battle Over a Patient” (B+)

This show continues to be greatly amusing as it utilizes the full breadth of its ensemble for comedic effect. Showcasing Ed’s racism and Patrick’s tendency towards drama made for an entertaining half-hour that also underlined the professional rivalry between Charlie and Kate. Correcting her reference to the namesake of a technique was a dangerous move, and she didn’t take it kindly. Her end-of-episode appearance in which she offered up either an apology or sex, but not both, was terrific, and I like that Charlie is supposed to be a generally intelligent individual. He doesn’t spar just with his current love interest, of course, since he still wants to compete with his ex-wife for the role of the better parent. Bringing over a romance novel wasn’t bright on her part, and his reaction to Sam saying that she would wait until she was 25 to have sex just like her mother was perfect. It’s perhaps a bit disturbing that this young group was discussing sex so openly and freely, but no lines were crossed and this is an FX show, after all. I’m continually impressed by this show’s frequent invocation of innuendos in a far less obvious and piercing manner than Sheen’s former series. The prison therapy scenes are also good for a few laughs, even though the inmates, as can be expected, are extremely over-the-top. It works well, however, to have both of the groups present to see how Charlie acts differently with both of them and how he interacts with each of the individual group members.

Round Two: Anger Management

Anger Management: Season 1, Episode 3 “Charlie and the Sleep Deprivation” (B)

This show is hardly fantastic, but it’s still decently entertaining. It’s a classic sitcom in many ways, with simple jokes and relatively one-dimensional characters. Charlie continues to be likeable, and a bit of Sheen’s bad acting shows through when he tries to demonstrate his unsubstantiated euphoria. Fortunately, sleep deprivation is an easily amusing topic, and there’s plenty to be milked from it. Charlie using his wife’s exhaustion as an interrogation scenario is fun, and it’s good to see the relatively steely Jennifer with her guard down for once. That was true of everyone in this hour, especially Lacey, whose inhibitions weren’t exactly high to start. Sadly, that means a serious reality check for Nolan, whose sense that he had a chance with her was utterly shattered by her blatant flirtation with Charlie. Hearing Charlie call Ed “Dad” was the turning point of the episode, and led to what made for a well-circulated clip that surfaced on IMDB, among other places, of Kate trying to help Charlie achieve his breakthrough by slapping him to keep him awake when he started falling asleep in the middle of telling her what he had realized. It’s hardly revolutionary therapy or revolutionary television, but every sitcom is bound to have an episode where all of its characters stay up for an extended period of time. This may have been unexpectedly early in the show’s run, but traditional sitcoms are a new thing for FX, so I hardly think that it should be cause for concern.

Pilot Review: Anger Management

Anger Management (FX)
Premiered June 28 at 9pm

This show seemed preposterous from the outset – a chance for Charlie Sheen to mock himself after putting in zero effort on his uber-popular CBS sitcom before being ousted after too many disruptive rehab stints pissed off his cast and crew. FX’s show seemed like a hastily scrambled-together excuse to get Sheen back on screen. Surprisingly, however, it’s anything but that, since it’s actually a decently entertaining comedy that takes a good premise and runs with it. Sheen plays another character named Charlie, an anger management therapist with a daughter of his own. While he’s apparently just as promiscuous as his former character, he’s very different otherwise, capable of much more maturity and boasting morals. The show’s potty humor is far more sophisticated than that of “Two and a Half Men,” and much more bearable as a result. The laugh track isn’t overly problematic, and the supporting cast is actually pretty great. Daniela Bobadilla and Selma Blair stand out as Charlie’s daughter and best friend, respectively. The show’s first episode paints an accurate picture of Charlie in the moment, and the second takes him back to a former, less likeable state where he used an unattractive woman in Wisconsin as a “slumpbuster.” Ultimately, Charlie is endearing, and that’s what makes this show work. It doesn’t seem much like an FX comedy, and might fit in better with some of TVLand’s more recent programming. Nonetheless, it’s a fun addition to the summer slate that’s far better than I, and I imagine most, could have expected.

How will it work as a series? Season one includes just ten episodes, and tempers provide a wealth of possibilities for storylines. Charlie running group therapy out of his home means that his various patients can be spotlighted on occasion, and there’s more than enough potential related to his ex-wife and his daughter as well.
How long will it last? The most-watched premiere on FX in history is a pretty good way to start off, especially considering the way this show’s renewal is slated to work. If the show continues to be a hit, which I imagine it will, it will be renewed for a total of 100 episodes. FX is going to want to hold onto Sheen, and so it looks like we’re headed for a hundred.

Pilot grade: B+

Take Three: Alphas

Alphas: Season 1, Episode 3 “Anger Management” (B+)

This show is really excelling at realizing and visualizing its guest characters’ selected superpowers. In this case, it has less to do with the person and more to do with his abilities. That opening scene on the subway was very well done, and it didn’t stop there. It’s fascinating to see what happens when one Alpha affects another with his or her powers, and that’s entirely true here. Dr. Rosen, always the astute observer, yells out to warn Don not to touch him, but of course he does and the pheromones get released dramatically in the air as everyone starts to get violent. It was an excellently-executed scene with great music, and hot-tempered Don was the casualty, killed in the midst of the riot. I found it extraordinarily interesting that Bill, the one who was most susceptible to influence in the pilot, was the only one not affected by the pheromones. Nina realizing what it’s like to be forced to do something against her will was an intriguing meditation, and I’m still most impressed by the visualization of Hicks’ abilities, stopping someone by stepping on his shoelace or using people’s shoulders to help scale the wall, rescue the girl, and do his best imitation of parkour. What proved most moving for me was the final conversation among the team members about Don and death, followed by Gary’s complaint that no one helped to solve his problem. It’s nice that the most certifiable outside in the group, Hicks, was the one to step in and help Gary get rid of the humming.