Garoo

Two and a Half Men 1.24:

A pregnancy scare has Charlie heading to the doctor for a vasectomy.

When Canal Jimmy introduced it six months ago, I felt like they had gotten an old 1980s show for cheap (I was just surprised Charlie Sheen could have been that fat at the time). The old sitcom sets, the old situations, the whole old-style thing. (And then, in the promos, the cast was marveling at how modern the whole thing was. Geez.)

Well, it wasn’t just an impression: today, in the last episode of the season, which was shot in 2004, the main character seriously considers having a vasectomy so he won’t risk unwanted paternities the next time he forgets to put on a condom. And I wouldn’t say I was really being attentive, but I didn’t hear a single mention of STD risks. None.

In 2004, a team of screenwriters wrote a story “reminding” straight men that the only risk they take is knocking a girl up, and the producers let that slide, and the actors just did it without hesitation.

And then people wonder.