MovieChat Forums > Two and a Half Men (2003) Discussion > It's incredible how nice Charlie is to A...

It's incredible how nice Charlie is to Alan


For casual viewers, Charlie may seem like an *beep* in his treatment of Alan. He constantly spouts insults, he sometimes screws up relationships for him (especially in the beginning of the show) and sometimes starts a feud over nothing.

But then again, he lets his brother live with him for nearly free (he has encouraged him plenty of times to get out of the house, but even then mostly has accepted the situation is how it is), he helps him out even when he find him the most irritating, he lets his son stay there too and he even lets him sleep with women at his house.

If anything, Alan is never grateful enough. He constantly complains about Charlie's order of things, that he brings women to the house all the time (It's his own goddamn house, for Christ's sake), he never pays the rent, bothers Charlie about the stupidest of things, and worst of all, takes it completely for granted. Charlie helped his brother out because he really was in trouble and he actually cares for him. But Alan has then continued to stay just because he "likes it" there. He even outright admitted it without shame in A Bottle Of Wine And Jackhammer (which was a very funny episode, but the reason for Alan staying was my one flaw with it).

Funny, it started out with Alan being way nicer than Charlie. But after season 2, it became much more evident Charlie himself actually is the nice one.

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Alan is a creep. He steals money from Charlie, he filches Charlie's credit cards for his own personal use, and even goes after Charlie's Viagra without asking. He also siphoned gas out of Charlie's car.

He harasses and harangues Charlie about his lifestyle when he would love to have it himself. He was rude from day one when he busted in Charlie's room on the night he was thrown out by Judith. He didn't apologize and only made a seepy overture to the chick Charlie had in his bed...a weak apology for blocking her car.

He's always being a jerk to Charlie about...well, about everything Charlie does. Some times he instigates it.

But my biggest problem with Alan is that he is a perverted creep. He was jerking off on the sofa in the living room to Internet porn right where he was caught by Charlie with a friend. He jerked off at the kitchen table. He was so desperate that he went out in the garage to jerk off in his car...which is kinda' sorta' okay. The creepiest of the creep was when he jerked off in the theatre during a movie. Kids saw him...KIDS~!...he's jerking off in front of kids and their mom turned him in and he got arrested and thrown in jail.

That's just one of my takes on Alan. Some others is his cheapness, he is spineless, and mostly talks in a nasally whine. After Charlie left the show he became conniving and deceitful. Now his cheapness and weasel-ness became an occupation.

That is all.







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Walden and Charlie were Alan's personal ATM. He is a male gold digger.

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Alan was an okay guy in the first season or two, if very nerdy, effeminate and uptight. But like Charlie, Jake, and most characters on long-running sitcoms, his annoying traits were gradually exaggerated. By season eight he had become a total weasel.

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It's Charlie's fault that Alan ended up living with him.

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How is the person who bullied his brother all the time when they were kids, and later cheated on his "girlfriends" multiple times, a better person?

Not to mention, it is Charlie's fault that Alan ended up living with him.

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That is how you know a show is great...the characters are so convincing in their personalities that it gets the viewer to feel actual emotions about the characters' behaviors! Charlie Sheen pretty much just plays himself in almost every episode, and he's amazing...Alan Harper is actually acting and he's fabulous as well. Calling him a "weasel" is like calling Mo a violent felon for hitting Curly with an axe, trying to cut his head off with a saw, burning his butt with a blow torch, etc. Its all showbiz folks!

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Jon Cryer is a very good actor.

Alan Harper is a disgusting creep. The one episode where he was jacking off at every place imaginable just sent me over the edge. Jerking off in the front room where anyone walking in CHARLIE'S house could see him. Then jerking off at the movie...kids saw him...the mom told the Keeper of the Flashlight...Alan went to jail. The writers just kissed this off as "business as usual"...simply disgusting. And I can't write the exact words I'd like to describe Alan...the moderators don't like it.

But it's their field so we play by their rules.

And the tighty-whiteys...arghhhh!!! NASTY! I kept wincing that we could see some skid marks on those things...they did everything else...the pink puke was one for the Awards people.

That is all.

Blue

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I think season 5 is where Alan starts turning into a real *beep* That episode where both he and Charlie tried to take each other girlfriends... Pretty disturbing.

And yeah, that episode where he wanked everywhere was really gross, but I found it very funny. Especially how he would always play that Mariachi music... 

In the Walden era he's just terrible though. At least he to an extent continued to be the likeable loser until that.

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That episode where both he and Charlie tried to take each other girlfriends... Pretty disturbing.
Which episode was that? Are you thinking of the one with the French lady and Alan's high school crush("Kind of Like Necrophilia")? If so, I think that was from season 3 or 4.

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You are right about the episode title, but it was in season 5.

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Hey, I just looked up the episode chronology on wikipedia. You're right, that episode was from season 5. Weird! I could have SWORN that episode was from earlier in the series than that.

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If I had to choose a brother to be either like Charlie or Alan, I would choose Charlie every time.





~Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes~

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Alan would have gladly paid Charlie a rent if he didn't already have to spend his income for Judith's alimony. Actually he tried to get rid of that issue by hiring a laywer who however fell victim to Charlie's playboy antics. So at the end it was Charlie's fault that he still had to support his brother. Also in the early seasons Alan was actually quite self-sufficient as far as houshold chores were concerned. He even tried to convince Charlie to be more frugal and independent.
But over time being exposed to Charlie's lifestyle Alan's enthusiasm and moral standards began to wane, eventually getting the worst of him.


Death solves all problems. - Stalin

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In season 7, Alan inherits a clock worth a very large amount of money. He suggests he could use the money to pay back a bit of what he owes or put it into jakes college fund, but even jake knows Alan plans to spend the money on himself. Plus we find out in season 4 he has a nice amount of money put away that he takes off the books at his office, i doubt he just stopped that. He steals from Charlie and Walden without a thought, and even steals from his ex wife.

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He also stole Charlie's GF once - the French chick.

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I can't really argue against the consensus here, Charlie has personality, character, honesty and relaxed sense of humor.

Alan.. the less said about this demonic sponge, the better.

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You're pretty much right. Alan never seemed to take any initiative to be on his way to moving out of Charlie's house. Charlie even called off his marriage to Mia when he realized that Alan would have to move out. And Alan continued the same behavior when Walden bought the house.

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Well then ya gotta hand it to Jon Cryer as a great actor that he was hardly likable. The writers made a leech and Jon went with it and it paid off for the show.
BUT yeah after awhile the character gets a little old.

They who give up liberty to
obtain a temporary safety deserve
neither liberty or safety

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