Alan leaves Charlie in-charge of Jake whilst he goes grocery shopping. As Jake is being punished, Alan asks Charlie not to let him have any fun, instead make him fold the laundry. Charlie, not being as strict as Alan, plays sock golf with Jake, using a sock from the laundry as a golf ball. His softness with him also results in Jake not obeying him at later stages, which include leaving juice boxes on the piano, feeding seagulls on the deck and watching T.V. when not allowed.
Alan, meanwhile, keeps on returning to Judith’s place to help her with house chores. His original intentions are that he loves her and wants her back. When Charlie suggests to Alan that he is being used, Alan snaps at Charlie, denys his assumptions and leaves. Afterwhich, when fixing a leaky sprinkler, Alan tells Judith that he's had enough trying to win her back and that she is free, the two end up sharing a kiss, making him stay with her.
Though Charlie explains to Jake not to feed the seagulls, as they do not leave easily, Jake disobeys Charlie, and feeds them in his room, resulting in many seagulls occupying his room. When Alan returns, Charlie sends him to check out the room, only for him to close the door as the birds attack Alan. In order to make the seagulls leave, Charlie captures some live bait, and plans to throw them out of the window. The plan backfires when the seagulls attack Charlie and Alan instantly.
Jake, realizing that he made a mistake, tries to mend things with Charlie, who turns hard on him, and refuses to love him back, making Jake sulk on deck. Alan explains to Charlie that parenting is difficult, and as punishment, elders may take away some privileges from the younger, but not their love. Charlie responds to that saying that Alan had already taken away all of Jake’s good stuff. Thinking quickly, Charlie buys Jake an Xbox and some games, but as punishment, he is not allowed to play them for a month.
Later on, Alan realizes that his marriage is over when Judith explains that she kissed him only because she was afraid of him leaving her. The seagulls also leave Jake’s room when they start feeling hungry.
Charlie, describing the seagull as he prepares to clear them out of Jake's room.
Trivia[]
The German episode title is "Der Sockengolf-Champion", meaning "The Sock Golf Champion". The French title is "Les intrus", meaning "The Intruders". The Italian title is "Dannati pennuti", meaning "Damned Birds". The Spanish title is "Ratas Voladoras", meaning "Flying Rats".
Starting with this episode, the episode title is a line said by one of the characters.
This episode's end titles has Chuck Lorre's Vanity Card #109.
Charlie says over the phone, "I got a flock of seagulls on my deck! NO, I don't know whatever happened to them!!!" He coud be making a reference to the 1980s one-hit wonder A Flock of Seagulls, known for their sole hit "(I Ran) So Far Away".
This is the first episode that shows hints of Charlie Harper's fear of birds.
Evelyn and Rose do not appear in this episode.
Quotes[]
Charlie: (Jake's bedroom is full of seagulls. Charlie has a chum-bucket) I'm going to throw the bait out the window to lure the birds out of the house. Alan: Oh, that's pretty clever. Charlie: Yeah, it's a variation on something I do with women and tennis bracelets.
Charlie: (in response to giving Jake the silent treatment) Listen, I've tried with that kid, Alan. He says one thing, then he goes and does another. Alan: He's ten. He's got the attention span of a hummingbird! Charlie: Well, then, what am I supposed to do when he ignores me? Alan: You punish him. You take away his computer, his TV, his toys. Charlie: Well, you already took away all the good stuff. What am I supposed to do, take his bronchial inhaler?
Alan: Charlie, I want Jake to follow the rules, so I need you to be my eyes and my ears. Charlie: Ok, I need you to be my liver and my prostate.