‘Anger Management’ Review: “Charlie is an Expert Witness”

‘Anger Management’ continues on its 90-episode, two-year run with its 19th overall episode “Charlie is an Expert Witness,” as Charlie and Kate compete by becoming rival witnesses in a trial, while Nolan paints a disturbing portrait of his feelings and Ed tasks Lacey with helping him reclaim his den from his wife's interference.

Previous episode “Charlie & Cee-Lo” saw Charlie working with Cee-Lo Green only to find himself tasked with firing people for him, while Nolan helped Lacey with a lingerie photo shoot for her modeling career, so what will the latest episode bring?  Are there more laughs to be had in the nineteenth half-hour of ‘Anger Management,’ or are testifying against it?

Read on for your in-depth recap of everything you need to know about ‘Anger Management’ episode 19, “Charlie is an Expert Witness!”

After an off night of sex, Kate rushes out to prepare for her interview to become an expert witness in a trial, arousing Charlie’s jealousy when she suggests he wouldn’t be qualified for the job. Charlie proposes he’ll apply as well, despite his realization that the lawyer is a woman he slept with and never called back, as Kate resolves that the best candidate will win.

The next day, Charlie's meeting with Shelley Trahan (Rebecca Ann Johnson) goes rather well, and she gives him the expert witness position when he disparages Kate, liking someone who likes to win at all costs. Later during Charlie’s session, Ed complains that his wife keeps hanging around his “man cave,” to which Lacey proposes she’ll find a way to keep her out for $500. After the session, Charlie pulls Nolan aside to note that the young man seems to have trouble expressing his thoughts of late, suggesting he paint something to display his feelings.

After the session, Kate admits that Charlie bested her and hands him a cupcake, before quickly revealing that she got a job as an expert witness for the opposing side, and a much larger cupcake for herself. Charlie reminds her that opposing witnesses sleeping together undoubtedly breaks the court’s ethics, but she proposes not to tell if he wont, reminding him that the attorneys will prey upon his emotional behavior.

In the next group session, Ed admonishes Lacey for failing to get his wife out of the den, while Nolan shows up with his painting, a grotesque display of red guts and hair that represents his inner turmoil. On Patrick’s bad advice Nolan gives the painting to Lacey as a gift, surprising them both when Lacey describes it as perfect. Meanwhile in the next room, Jen and Michael take turns trying to rile Charlie up as a witness, worrying him that he won’t keep his cool under the intense pressure of the cross-examination.

Using advice from his prison group, Charlie enters the courtroom using a tactic of holding a quarter between his butt-cheeks to distract him from any anger, while Kate attempts to convince the jury that her client committed a premeditated crime rather than one borne of rage. When Charlie gets to the stand, the prosecutor grills him by pointing out Charlie’s lack of accreditation, and baseball-playing past, causing Charlie to lash out at the man.

Charlie holds back at the last moment, pointing out that he was driven to the outburst by rage he has since learned to control, but when Kate sees the case crumbling she yells to the court that the pair are sleeping together. Called up to the bench, Kate regrets her outburst and attempts to explain that she and Charlie merely have a sex arrangement, but the judge dismisses it as a relationship, and throws both of their testimonies out.

The next day in one of his sessions, Ed reveals that the painting he bought from Lacey kept his wife out of the den after all, while Charlie points out that Nolan gave the painting as a gift. Over in the kitchen, Kate apologizes for losing her cool, but when she presents him with a quarter he dropped in court, he urges her to keep it.

We haven't watched near of enough 'Law & Order' to say if expert witnesses in courts prove any less reliable, but we have to assume that most of what we saw from tonight's episode represented little more than sitcom hokum. Moreover, we're starting to wonder about the inconsistency of Charlie's reputation, treating a major celebrity one week and having his credentials laughed at the next. "Charlie is an Expert Witness" does put together a few nice moments for Charlie and Kate, but we're beginning to doubt the series has any real kind of plan with regard to the ongoing relationship between the two.

Did you enjoy the latest from ‘Anger Management’s ongoing run, or did it make you burn with rage? Join us next week for another all-new ‘Anger Management’ episode recap of “Charlie and Catholicism” on FX!