Episode 2.13

[Tripper]

The Friendship Algorithm:
Socially awkward Sheldon develops a scientific procedure for making friends.

Air date: January 19th 2009.

http://the-big-bang-theory.com/episodegu...+Algorithm

[Steve]

Another episode which was okay but not great. Very few laugh out loud moments. In fact, I realised part way through that most of the jokes were so bland that they were sliding past without me even cracking a smile.

Great moment: Sheldon using his whiteboard flowchart to navigate his way through a conversation, then getting caught in an infinite loop and Howard the engineer fixing the flowchart on the fly so that Sheldon escapes the loop and can end the conversation. However, Sheldon's rude remark to Howard ("I'm surprised you saw that!") was out of character, contrived, and frankly, just bad writing.

Surprise funny line: (Sheldon picks up a toy in the children's section of the bookshop, then drops it) Oh my that's awfully sticky.

Overall, the whole thing felt contrived. I didn't buy Sheldon "voting off" one of his friends, for example. This was a mildly enjoyable episode at best. I'm left wondering what happened to the emotional depth and the brilliant writing of the "Doctor Stephanie" story arc and the fantastic Christmas episode.

[Marlon]

I thought it was rather funny. This episode was a tad different from what i'm used to, but it still made me laugh out loud. I really liked the Friendship Algorithm. (I've digitalized it to an own-made Jpeg.)
I really enjoyed this episode, I really did.

[shellorz]

I second you Steve on the lack of depth. Still that was enjoyable.

One thing I didn't get (and I would be eternally redeemable to the one who could explain this to me) : why did Leonard say that you "do miss it" while speaking of the harlem globetrotters theme song they were whistling a few secs ago ? I mean, they're too young to actually have seen the Hannah-barbera series (both 1970 to 1972 and 1979 to 1980). In the case they've watched reruns, they shouldn't get nostalgic, right ?

Also : chuck lorre vanity card trying to explain the joke about the inverse tangent and asymptots was a bummer. He obviously isn't into maths. If I get the joke correctly, Sheldon means he can't reach the top of the wall whatever move he makes (asymptot). Then why use the "inverse tangent", there are zillions of functions that have asymtots (and to begin with, the tangent function, which has an infinity of them)

And although the idea of using a flow-chart algorithm to "make friends" is really good, I was kinda dispapointed by the rather plain chart he came up with. (the switch/case on "which hot beverage the friend-to-make picks" is rather lame to me. Still, i'm picky.

Well, after all, twas a great show whatever the flaws.

[Marlon]

(01-20-2009 07:40 AM)shellorz Wrote:  One thing I didn't get (and I would be eternally redeemable to the one who could explain this to me) : why did Leonard say that you "do miss it"?

Previous to that scene, Penny asks Leonard why he and Sheldon became friends. Leonard answered by telling her that he saw a flyer on the bulletin board of the university, "roommate wanted, whistlers need not apply". Leonard thought the latter was a joke, as many particle physicists do joke about.

Penny: "It turned out great, hasn't it?"
Leonard: "Yeah... But I do miss whistling though."
Penny: "Come on, really..?"
Leonard: *Whistles*
Sheldon: "First Warning"

[shellorz]

thank you ! I actually was focussing too much on the Harlem Globetrotters to joint the dots... dammit I'm stupid.

[Marlon]

No thanks =) !

[Steve]

(01-20-2009 06:24 AM)Marlon Wrote:  I thought it was rather funny. This episode was a tad different from what i'm used to, but it still made me laugh out loud. I really liked the Friendship Algorithm. (I've digitalized it to an own-made Jpeg.)
I really enjoyed this episode, I really did.

Can you share that image? I'd love to put it on the Wiki!

Steve

[Marlon]

(01-20-2009 02:10 PM)Steve Wrote:  Can you share that image? I'd love to put it on the Wiki!

Steve

Certainly =)
I hope maybe in the smallest of corners somewhere my name will be written? :-)




Feel free to edit it, adjust it, rework it or improve it, as long as the original digitalisation (putting it into a Jpeg) is linked to me

[WyoLars]

Thanks Marlon thats awesome.

Over all I agree with the episode the flow cart was really the only funny part of the whole episode.