By Maria Mangicaro
Last night’s episode of Two and a Half Men once again made a reference to suicidal behavior as Ashton Kutcher’s character Walden Schmidt made the statement “Life is not worth living” while driving his car at an excessive speed.
I think it is very irresponsible for the writers of this show to continually represent suicidal behavior as humorous while so many other acting professionals are involved in suicide prevention messages.
The fall premiere of the sitcom Two and a Half Men scored one of the highest rating of a scripted show by attracting over 30 million American viewers. Reviewers are calling the “winning” attraction one of “morbid curiosity” as Charlie Sheen’s character, Charlie Harper, was permanently written off of the script.
While I admit that I was a fan of the show during the first few seasons, the more recent episodes lost my interest. I was however very intrigued to find out what creative method the writers would use to remove the character of Charlie while maintaining humor and made the effort to be among the millions tuned into CBS this past Monday night. I was extremely shocked by what I feel is a lack of awareness on the part of the show’s creator and writers towards serious mental health issues, including suicide.
The show opened with seemingly typical callous remarks and lack of remorse at the funeral of Charlie Harper. The funeral scene revealed the tragic circumstances of Charlie’s death. Instead of laughing, I found my heart sinking as the character Rose made light of the fact Charlie’s death occurred as a result of slipping in front of an oncoming train. The creators of the show implied that Rose was a mentally unstable person who caused Charlie’s death by pushing him in front of the train. One of the other characters contributed to the underlying assumption by making the statement: “Never cross a crazy woman”.
I found no humor in a death that occurred the same way in which Kendra Webdale lost her life. Kendra died in 1999 after being pushed in front of an oncoming train by a young man suffering from symptoms of schizophrenia.
The show featured several cameo appearances from well-known actors including John Stamos as a prospective buyer for Charlie Harper’s house. Before exiting his scene Stamos made a reference to a “crazy chick” that really seemed unnecessary. During the episode Jon Cryer’s character also loosely used the term “crazy bitch” to describe his ex-wife that seemed offensive and also unnecessary.
I felt the introduction of Ashton Kutcher during the premiere of Two and a Half Men was done in very poor taste. Kutcher’s character, Walden Schmidt, was introduced halfway through the show as a lovelorn Internet billionaire who tried to commit suicide by walking into the ocean near the Malibu beach house once owned by Charlie Harper. Schmidt’s suicide attempt was halted because the ocean water was too cold.
This past year many Hollywood celebrities and singers have contributed to suicide prevention and mental health awareness in many ways, including The Creative Coalition and its public service announcement to raise awareness about, and prevent, suicides among U.S. service members and their families.
I find it very sad to think with so much creative talent and passion in America, a popular sitcom needed to rely on serious mental health topics as an agenda for comedy. The fall premier of Two and a Half Men occurred on the same day that 14 year-old Jamey Rodemeyer committed suicide after intense cyberbullying and one week after World Suicide Prevention Day. Getting the attention of 30 million Americans in one night is not easy, it is a shame the show could not have included a message on suicide prevention instead of suicide mockery.
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