"Santa's Village of the Damned" makes me laugh out loud every time I watch it, and I view this episode a lot this time of year.
In this episode of TVs "Two and a Half Men," Alan's (Jon Cryer) new girlfriend moves in with him and his brother Charlie. (Charlie Sheen) Charlie, the owner of the house doesn't like the fact she takes over the house, but soon changes his mind when he gets a taste of her home cooked meals.
When Alan first brings Sandy (Josie Davis) over to the house, he is excited when telling his brother, she's the complete package for a relationship; beauty, sex, cooking and laundry. Charlie responds; marriage, boredom. alimony and death.
This modern day two-reeler is a Christmas laugh fest. At first, Sandy is the perfect woman for Alan, and her house-keeping and cooking prowess cover up the fact that she is an over-bearing entity who actually believes in Santa Clause and her sexiness has a hidden wrath in a comedic way.
I learned the term 'two-reelers from watching Laurel and Hardy films. Once upon a time movies were made with actual film on reels. One reel of 35 mm lasted about ten to 12 minutes. Most Laurel and Hardy movies were approximately 18 to 22 minutes long, thus their movies were on two reels, hence the term, 'two-reelers.
Without commercials, the vast majority of shows from "Two and a Half Men" are 20 to 22 minutes long and that's why I call them two-reelers.
"Santa's Village of the Damned" is a four-star Christmas comedy that is well worth watching for the holiday season.
Mark Izzy Schurr
