Charlie gets nominated for Jingle of the Year, but doesn't want to attend the ceremony as he knows he's going to lose to his hated rival, Archie Baldwin (Jon Lovitz). Alan manages to get him to attend the ceremony. Rose struggles with her relationship with Gordon, becoming uncomfortable with how obsessed he is with her.
Tropes:
- Always Someone Better: Archie Baldwin has won the Jingle of the Year award seven years in a row, with it being implied that Charlie gets nominated every year and never wins. By the end of the episode, Archie has made it eight.
- Award-Bait Song: If there is such a thing as award bait in the world of commercial jingles, a soulful ballad encouraging people to adopt suffering orphans from third world countries certainly qualifies. Discussed by Charlie, who explains to Alan that the jingles for car and beer commercials are always going to win awards, and his jingles for over-the-counter medications don't have a chance.
- Foregone Conclusion: Charlie is so sure that Archie's jingle will win the award that he doesn't even want to go to the ceremony. He's more-or-less tricked into going, and ends up being correct.
- Humiliation Conga: Charlie at the award ceremony. His hated rival goes over to his table and hits on his mother, instantly charming her and even getting her to support him for the award over her own son. Then he has to sit through a live performance of Archie's nominated jingle, a soulful ballad encouraging people to adopt orphaned children from third world countries, which the entire crowd loves and even gets support from Jake and Alan. Charlie then gets to see Archie speed off with his mother for a night of sexual escapades.
- Jerkass: Archie Baldwin rubs his superiority over Charlie in the latter's face repeatedly, and after winning his eighth straight Jingle of the Year award beds Evelyn.
- Retcon: Charlie claims the reason why he never wins jingle of the year is because only jingles for 'sexy' products like beer and cars can win, and his jingles are for medications. Season one established that Charlie had actually written a jingle for Hammerstein beer.
- This Is Gonna Suck: The moment the MC of the award ceremony mentions that Archie's nominated jingle is for the United Nations Save An Orphan program, Charlie groans, knowing that he's already guaranteed to lose the award just purely on the basis of subject matter (for reference, his nominated jingle was for a medication to treat toe fungus).
