Following Charlie Harper's (Charlie Sheen) supposed death, the series welcomed its new lead, Walden Schmidt (Ashton Kutcher) who moved into the Malibu beach house. Like Charlie, he shared the house with Alan Harper (Jon Cryer), too, but Walden was completely different from Charlie. Unlike Charlie, he did not have a drinking problem. He did not have Charlie's womanizing lifestyle. Instead, he fell in love quickly.
With Charlie setting the bar low for him, the other character appreciated him and constantly perceived him to be way better than Charlie. This resulted in Walden being over appreciated at certain situations and there were also times, he deserved more.
Overrated: Fake Marriage With Alan
Having watched a video that Walden created for his future self when he was younger, he realizes that he does not have a family like he always wanted. In that regard, he fakes being married to Alan so that he could adopt a kid.
While his intentions to have children may be seen as a sweet, pretending to be gay is definitely not the appropriate thing. Given that he ended dating the social worker to whom he was lying all the while depicts how overrated his character is.
Underrated: Taking Care Of Alan
Following Alan's heart attack, Walden took it upon himself to take care of him. From getting a big-screen television for Alan's room to getting him a masseuse, and, to top it all, he even made a stairlift to make sure that Alan could feel very comfortable and healthy.
With Walden having some bad memories of losing his loved one, he took the above measures to take care of Alan. However, Alan took advantage of him and Walden was more seen as gullible rather than sweet.
Overrated: Pretending To Be Sam
Worried that most women are only attracted to him because he is a billionaire, Walden came up with a fake identity for himself. Compared to Walden, who is very rich, Sam was a simpleton who worked hard to earn even a little money.
Throughout this whole process of trying to find someone who will truly love him, he was being a complete liar. While Walden would expect viewers to pity him, he can only be perceived as a hypocrite and self-centered.
Underrated: His Board Meeting
After Walden loses a large sum of his company's money in an investment, his ex-wife Bridget (Judy Greer) and his mom set up a board meeting to remove him from the board by voting against him. Initially, Walden is presumed to be helpless.
However, he gets the help of his girlfriend Zoey (Sophie Winkleman), who is a lawyer, and adds Alan as a board member so that he would be able to make the final decisions when the votes tally at the board meeting. Walden might have gotten legal help, but he still managed to get back on the board.
Overrated: Choosing Vivian Over Kate
Walden is known to falling in love too quickly, and the season 11 episode "Lan Mao Shi Zai Wuding Shang" was a testimony to it. Walden got back together with Kate, who initially broke up with him for lying about his identity. He believed that Kate is his soulmate. However, when Vivian (Mila Kunis), a traveler, came to his house for water, he was impressed by her outlook on life and fell in love with her and is convinced that she is his soulmate. While Walden thought it was sweet and romantic, it rather reflects his impatience.
Underrated: Falling In Love
As mentioned before, Walden did fall in love quickly, but that is one of the things that made him way better than Charlie, who had a womanizing lifestyle. Compared to Charlie, Walden was as chivalrous as it gets. Walden's hope to find the right person for him brought out his sensitive side and his wish to have a family of his own. Despite Berta (Conchata Ferrell) advising him to be like Charlie, he was true to his principles and changed temporarily only when his psychiatrist advised to.
Overrated: Donating Charlie's Piano
After moving to the beach house, Walden redecorated it according to his taste. One such change he made was nixing Charlie's piano, but, unlike the other things, this one had an emotional attachment to it.
Walden's intention to donate the piano to underprivileged kids is nice, but the piano is filled with memories of Charlie, and, as the instrument is not Walden's, he shouldn't be making the decision of donating it—instead, he should ask Charlie's family. Besides, if Walden wanted to help, he can definitely afford more pianos with his own money.
Underrated: Growing Up With A Gorilla
On a Christmas dinner with his mother and Alan, Walden realizes that Magilla, who he thought was his brother, was actually a gorilla that grew up with him because of an experiment his mother was doing. His mother's scientific curiosity to compare her son's cognitive development to a gorilla impacted Walden deeply. He was afraid to make mistakes in the fear of being sent to a jungle, like Magilla. While Walden's mother took it lightly, it was not easy for Walden.
Overrated: His Reaction To Bridget Ending Their Marriage
In the season nine episode "Nice To Meet You, Walden Schmidt," Walden came knocking on the door of the beach house after his suicide attempt because Bridget, his highschool sweetheart, wanted to end their marriage. Following the episode, we got to see Walden's reaction to the breakup and how it impacted him on an emotional level.
While the whole thing made Walden a much-loved character, we forget that Walden also liked the idea of having a soulmate more than anything, and realizing Bridget is not his soulmate like he assumed was the reason the breakup hurt him more than losing Bridget.
Underrated: Letting Alan And Jake Stay
One of the most defining things about Walden is that he let Alan and Jake Harper (Agnus T. Jones) live in his house. Given that he did not know Alan and Jake before he bought the house, Walden definitely did not have to let them stay.
He might have constantly made fun of the two, referring to them as freeloaders, but, at a certain point in time, Walden did not ask Alan to leave, as Charlie constantly did. Walden could have easily converted the extra rooms to home theatre and gym as he wanted. However, the series did not give him enough credits for his kindness.