The pilot episode of the series. After his wife kicks him out of the house, Alan has to move in with his brother Charlie and bring his son Jake. Usurping his brother's bachelor paradise.
Tropes:
- Abusive Parents: Evelyn, who makes everything about herself, chastises her sons for sitting on her furniture and smothering Jake with her affection.
- Brick Joke:
- The key in the fake rock used to enter Charlie's house. Charlie gives Alan his own key in a fake rock in the end.
Charlie: Here, I got you your own key.- Charlie tells Jake that he wrote the Maple Loops jingle, Jake asks him if he's lying, and Charlie says that if he was going to lie he'd say he wrote Stairway to Heaven. Later, Charlie mentions playing Stairway to Heaven for Jake, and Jake said he liked the Maple Loops jingle better.
- Brutal Honesty: Judith flat out tells Alan that she cries when she thinks of coming home to him. Alan misses the point.Judith: Alan,sometimes when I think about coming home to you, I start crying in my car.
- Discriminate and Switch: When Alan complains to Charlie about Judith being gay, his reaction is to be shocked about the dinner they had.Alan: Dinner was swell! We both had the veal piccata and she's gay!Charlie: Wow...most chicks won't eat veal.
- Double Entendre: Charlie's reaction after finding out that Judith is gay. See Title Drop below.
- Early-Installment Weirdness: Charlie's wearing pants and sleeping on the left side of the bed. Not to mention the fact that in the early seasons, he genuinely seems to care about Alan despite his hedonistic behavior, in stark contrast to the Jerkass he'd become for most of the remainder of the series. Not to mention the fact that Judith and Alan aren't nearly as horrible to each other as they'll ultimately become.
- Establishing Character Moment:
- A first in a television series where the main protagonist (Charlie Harper) explains to his brother what's going on with him.
- Judith establishing her absolute disgust towards her separated "suffocating" husband Alan.
- Alan displaying his neurotic behavior.
- Rose being a creepy love-obsessed stalker.
- Generation Xerox: Evelyn suffocating Jake with her affection just like Alan did with Judith in their marriage.Evelyn: (hugs Jake) There's my good boy! And what did I tell you about yelling in the house?Jake: (muffled) Grandma, I'm suffocating.Charlie: Sound familiar?Alan: You're right. This madness must end.
- Innocent Swearing: Jake swears a lot but only because he parrots his uncle, he has a swear jar and keeps track of all the grown ups swearing. Alan is notably appalled at Jake's swearing, then Charlie asks him to throw a dollar in the swear jar.
- Interrupted Intimacy: Alan arrives just as Charlie is about to bed a woman.Alan: Oh, is she staying over? Cause I may have parked behind her.
- Irony: Alan telling Judith that Charlie's great with kids; the next shot shows him teaching Jake how to play poker with grown men.
- Evelyn telling Charlie and Alan not to blame their mother for their shortcomings, then proceeding to tell them not to sit on her furniture.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: While Charlie mostly acts annoyed by his brother and nephew imposing on him throughout the episode, he still does everything they request to accommodate them the best he can (although putting Jake in the poker game was a little dubious). After they move out, he finds himself missing having Jake around, and also feels bad about them having to live under Evelyn's tyranny, so he willingly gives up his solo life to invite them to move back in with him.
- Jerk Ass Has A Point: Jake pointing out to his uncle Charlie that he keeps drinking too much even though it makes him feel horribly hungover.
- Marshmallow Hell: Jake being smothered by his grandmother's bosom as she hugs him.
- Mistaken for Gay: In the supermarket, a woman mistakes brothers Alan and Charlie for a gay couple with a kid.
- My Beloved Smother: Of the grandmotherly kind. Evelyn becomes this to Jake as she suffocates him with affection and strict rules in her house.
- Rage Breaking Point: Alan manages to keep his cool about Judith's sexuality and his marriage collapsing until he's out on the deck talking to Charlie.
- Suddenly Shouting: Alan yells for Jake to stop playing poker and go to bed while he discusses with Charlie about his lifestyle.Jake: (at the poker table) Who's deal is it?Jake: JAKE, GO TO BED!Jake: I'm out! (drops the cards, runs to his room)
- Tempting Fate: Just after Alan and Judith sit down to a wonderful reconciliation dinner and Alan starts talking about their marriage being "a new beginning" for them, Judith announced that she believes she might be gay.
- Title Drop: The original unaired pilot was called "Most Chicks Won't Eat Veal", which was spoken by Charlie to Alan, when Alan is explaining to him that Judith thinks she is gay.
- Troubling Unchildlike Behavior: Alan is disturbed to find Jake playing and winning a game of poker with grown men. Charlie and Jake see no problem with it.
- Wham Line: "Alan, I think I'm gay."
- What Is This Thing You Call "Love"?: Charlie finds himself growing attached to his nephew Jake and missing him when he leaves.
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What Could Have Been: Blythe Danner was originally cast to play Evelyn Harper, but was replaced by Holland Taylor when she started suggesting changes to the screenplay.- Around the 13 minute mark, when Charlie says "I think he's considering it now, mom", you can see a white and red dress where Evelyn is supposed to stand. This is from the unaired pilot where Danner played Evelyn. In the new pilot with Taylor in this role she is wearing a blue dress.
- Yank the Dog's Chain: Just when Alan tries to reconcile with Judith over dinner, she reveals to him that she's gay.
