‘Anger Management’ Review: “Charlie & Jen Together Again”

‘Anger Management’ continues on its 90-episode, two-year run with its 15th overall episode “Charlie & Jen Together Again,” as Charlie is forced to take in his ex-wife Jen (Shawnee Smith) following a mold outbreak at her home, which causes jealousy from Kate (Selma Blair).

Previous episode  “Charlie's Dad Breaks Bad” saw Charlie’s attempts to find his father Martin (Martin Sheen) a hobby end with the man falling in with a bad crowd, while Patrick (Michael Arden) enlisted Lacey (Noureen DeWulf) to help him get even with a former bully, so what will the latest episode bring?  Are there more laughs to be had in the fifteenth half-hour of ‘Anger Management,’ or does it feel a bit moldy?

Read on for your in-depth recap of everything you need to know about ‘Anger Management’ episode 15, “Charlie & Jen Together Again!”

Charlie and Jen apologize to a hazard-masked Sam, not having listened to her complaints of mold in their home, which the inspector reveals to be of the worst kind. Sam agrees to stay at Charlie’s but he expresses discomfort with his ex-wife sleeping under the same roof, and invites her to stay with her latest boyfriend.

Later at his house, Charlie and Kate take shots over a sociopath survey-turned drinking game, before starting their nightly romp. Jen interrupts the pair, pressing that Charlie’s neglect of a mold inspection years earlier should earn her a right to stay in his home, rather than the poor accommodations with her cousin’s family. Reluctantly, Charlie acquiesces, impressing Kate with his maturity.

Following a group session the next day, Charlie relays to Mike that having Jen stay in the home feels like old times, in that she leaves doors open, lets flies in, and adjusts the thermostat constantly. Charlie expresses his surprise that Kate isn’t more jealous of the situation with his ex-wife, as Jen returns home with her groceries. She expresses her own admiration that Charlie has become so much cleaner than when they were married, and the pair order dinner together. Kate calls Charlie hoping to see him, but Charlie relays that his plans with Jen have pushed their “playdate” back a bit later.

Charlie awakens on the couch with Jen, the pair having passed out after Chinese food and multiple episodes of hillbilly reality TV. On Jen’s advice, Charlie makes up an excuse for his absence during a therapy session with Kate, but Kate’s blunt questioning about his and Jen's sleeping arrangements suggest a bit of jealousy. Charlie brings up the matter in his next prison group therapy session, and the convicts urge him to force “robot lady” Kate’s hand to admit being jealous of he and Jen.

Explaining to Brett that he broke off a dinner with Kate at the last minute, Charlie sits down to drinks with Jen at the bar, both admitting they’ve enjoyed spending time with one another. Just then, Kate walks in, clearly drunk, and sits down with Charlie and Jen. With Charlie growing increasingly uncomfortable, Kate explains to Jen how she was stood up, with Jen still under the impression Kate is a lesbian. Kate rails against her “girlfriend”s feelings, and her own lack thereof, before Jen suggests Charlie drive Kate home.

Driving home, Kate drunkenly admits to her jealousy of Charlie and Jen, and the embarrassment it causes her. Charlie admits to having set her up to admit that, but allows her a win by going along with her assertion that admitting jealousy was her trick on him instead.

After dropping Kate off, Charlie returns home to find Jen packing, as her new boyfriend invited her to stay with him after all. The pair share an awkward hug and thanks for the swell time spent together before Jen departs, once again leaving the front door wide open. Roll Credits!

"Charlie & Jen Together Again" marked the first episode not screened for critics beforehand, so we'll have to see about covering 'Anger Management' on a weekly basis, given the astronomical 45-episodes a year format. Even so, it was nice to see how the relationship with Charlie and Jen could be examined under a different light, without necessarily falling into the sitcom trope of the couple actually getting back together. By the same token, Selma Blair's Kate proves to be one of the better characters of the show, whose slowly humanizing emotions provide a fresh dose of honesty to an otherwise conventional series. The prison scenes still feel out of place, but not bad overall.

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 Deception Therapy” on FX!