RJ1013

90, same as last week

@FugsytheSquirrel, I assume that the servers crashing is due to the volume of people looking to get tickets in these final weeks. Only 90 regular tickets went up on Monday, so that probably means lots of VIPs. That doesn’t necessarily mean there will be any kind of special guest stars, though. There’s no way to know from week to week how many standbys will get in. You might want to try for a regular ticket another week before you finalize travel plans and gamble on the standbys.

https://twitter.com/tvtickets123/status/1102612858242621440

I do. Feel free to send me a message if you end up needing help. Tickets for the Apr 23 show should go up on Mar 25 around 8:30am PST.

They load the ticket list from: http://tvtickets.com/api/public/index.php/available-shows When Big Bang tickets are up, you can see its info there, MaxTicket being the relevant field. It's public data, of course.

Judging by what happened earlier in the season, regular tickets seem to go up in an automated fashion, so even on holidays. Standby must involve something manual because they only seem to go up when Audiences Unlimited is in the office. They'll likely go up tomorrow. There are definitely a large number of VIPs at this point. Some fun (or not so fun) data I got off their website in the last two weeks: last Monday 120 regular tickets went up; this week there were 110. I think the studio seats like 250.

Yes, they showed the D&D episode, which I thought was pretty funny. Here’s a short summary of the plot, though it probably sounds dull without the jokes: Amy and Sheldon are appearing on Wil’s Professor Proton show, and Shatner is there. Sheldon is so excited to meet him that he throws up on him (off screen, of course). When Sheldon goes to apologize to Wil later on, he hears the D&D game going on inside the house. After the guys find out, they all want to go, and they try to get Wheaton to invite them, but he declines. Eventually he does invite Leonard over the phone, insisting that Leonard cannot tell anyone else about it. Leonard goes and has so much fun that he has a hard time hiding his happiness the next day. He can’t resist telling Penny about some of it, and when he realizes that she could not care less about Shatner, he tells her about the rest of it. Penny didn’t care about Shatner or the game itself, but she is very enthused about Joe Manganiello. Amy and Bernadette are equally enthused about Manganiello, particularly for his performance in “Magic Mike”, and the three girls approach Wil wanting an invite to the game as well. Wil is displeased that Leonard didn’t keep things to himself, so he is disinvited. He has found another replacement for his game, which turns out to be the three girls.

If anyone would like help with tickets in the coming weeks, feel free to message me. When I was getting tickets a few weeks ago, I spent some time checking out how their website ticket process currently works, and while it is more annoying than it used to be, getting tickets is still very doable. For those with standby tickets in the coming weeks who are wondering about it, I can tell you that at last Tuesday’s taping, I heard about 6-10 standby ticket holders got in.

I attended yesterday’s taping. I don’t have much time today, but I can answer a few of the above questions, though most of it is just my opinion, any you'll all have to watch the episode to form your own opinions. To me, nothing really contradicted what we already know of Sheldon wanting kids. I think it’s more that he’s never actually interacted with infants or small children, and has shown no interest in doing so with the Wolowitz’ kids or any others. We've only ever seen Sheldon talk about kids in a theoretical, clinical kind of way. So my impression is that this is Amy’s sneaky way to get Sheldon to actually spend some time with babies, and to do so in a way that would be fun for him. And he does have a really great time. He’s thrilled when Michael grabs his finger, and helps Howard with several tasks, all under the guise of it being for science. It’s much the same as Amy has often done things with Sheldon—helping him to take tiny steps towards aspects of life that may be daunting for him, and doing so in a way that he'll enjoy. To make it simpler and for humor, they do sort of refer to it as her tricking him into wanting kids, so it is a little weird, but I think of it more as making the idea of having kids more real to him instead of theoretical, if that makes sense. The Wolowitz' kids aren't shown. There are just infant carriers/car seats on the table facing away from the audience, and you can see the hats that they have on their heads.

I did not attend yesterday, but I found this on Instagram (attendee username removed in case they want privacy).

Yes, exactly! I know some Lenny fans will be disappointed at the lack of scenes for that couple in this episode. Assuming that these fans enjoy the characters of Leonard and Penny individually, I hope they'll be willing to look at this episode for what it is instead of hating it for what it isn't. Otherwise those fans will miss out on some nice moments of friendship. I've always felt that Leonard and Penny's enduring friendships with the odd (and often difficult) Sheldon and Amy is part of what makes them so endearing and part of what shows us, the audience, a lot of their best and kindest character traits.

Behind the scenes everyone seemed in positive spirits and had lots of good energy, which is why I don't think anyone knew about Stephen Hawking yet. Melissa Rauch had a tough time getting out one of her lines about the body shots. She joked that her teacup was actually full of straight bourbon (or something along those lines). There were at least 3 different spots where the actors had to wait extra long for the audience to stop laughing. One being a Raj moment followed by a joke from Leonard, the other 2 being in the tag scene. Watching the actors' facial expressions during these long moments that they have to wait makes it even funnier. I think they always shorten those waits in editing, but it's a fun aspect of watching a live taping, and hopefully a good sign of a funny episode. The bar scene with James Maslow was pre-taped. I think he only had a line or two, but I'm not sure. We only see the pre-taped scenes once, so I don't tend to remember those as well as the live scenes which are shot at least twice. I don't believe he was present at the actual taping.

To those who asked, I did have a great time at this taping, thank you. My opinion is no doubt highly colored by seeing it live, but I think it’s my favorite episode of this season. It was a very friendship-focused episode, imo, and it was especially nice to have some scenes for the girls again. Both Penny and Bernadette were excellent friends to Amy, particularly Penny who planned things. The quilting party was Penny’s idea, and came from her thinking about what she thought Amy would love. When it turned out that Amy’s expectations were different, she and Bernadette shifted gears and made it happen. Specifically, I think that what Amy wanted was the experience of feeling like she had a wild night, kind of like early seasons Amy, who didn’t want to miss out on things. But I’m not so sure that Amy truly wanted to do some of those things, you know? So her friends lying about the evening was kind of ideal. Amy got to feel like she had a wild night without actually having to do anything that would’ve made her uncomfortable. I think it was a good friendship episode for the guys too, having each others’ backs to go meet the crazy physicist in the woods. It wasn’t a bachelor party per se, but if you think of the spirit of a bachelor party, I think this seems appropriate for Sheldon. His bachelor days weren’t filled with drinking, partying, and women; his bachelor days were filled with the delusion that he was fine on his own and with his aspirations of a life solely focused on work. One last look at that makes a lot more sense than a traditional party. I’m not someone who likes everything that the writers do, but I have to give them credit here because I thought it was a clever way of doing a ‘bachelor party’ for Sheldon.

Here’s the long summary. If you prefer lots of surprises, obviously skip this. Plenty of stuff is missing and/or may be mixed up. Some things are hard to describe, like Dr. Wolcott’s oddities and Amy’s reactions/physical comedy, so you’ll just have to wait and see on those aspects. I’ll post my own opinions and try to answer any questions anyone has sometime later, since I don’t have time now. “The Reclusive Potential” Main cast in 4A: Sheldon receives a letter from Dr. Wolcott, a fellow scientist whose work he is interested in since it may be vital to his string theory research. Wolcott is someone the guys are all aware of, and he has a reputation for being very weird. Amy wants Leonard to keep an eye on Sheldon so that he doesn’t have to go alone to meet the creepy man in his secluded cabin in the forest, and she can’t do so herself due to her scheduled bachelorette party weekend. Penny (possibly Bernadette?) wants Wolowitz to go and keep an eye on Leonard. Raj assumes he’ll be asked to keep an eye on Howard and the ladies quickly agree since they know he’ll otherwise insist on coming to the bachelorette party. Sheldon and Amy in bed 4B: Sheldon is concerned about Amy and her upcoming party. She does think things might get a bit wild, since it is Penny who has planned it. He reminds Amy to use protection. She’s not sure exactly what it is that he thinks she’ll be doing. He just wants her to be careful, and if they’re outside, he knows how easily her skin burns in the sun. Amy hugs him and thinks it’s sweet that he’s worried. All 4 guys in Leonard’s car: There’s some more discussion of Dr. Wolcott. Then Wolowitz (or Raj?) jokes that it’s going to be a weird bachelor party. Leonard tells them that Sheldon insisted on not having a bachelor party, and Sheldon explains that the traditional hedonistic aspects of such parties do not appeal to him. The girls going into 4A: Penny and Bernadette guide a blindfolded Amy into 4A and reveal the apartment filled with quilting supplies/sewing machine and tea to drink. Amy tries to act pleased/excited. Though it’s kind of obvious that she isn’t, the girls don’t seem to notice. The guys at Dr. Wolcott’s cabin: Wolcott is a suspicious man who lives alone and is solely focused on his theories. He is constantly worried that someone will try to steal his work. After opening his numerous door locks and questioning the presence of the other 3 guys, he lets them in and collects their phones. He shows them some notebooks with his work, which are written backwards and have the letters and numbers inverted. Sheldon thinks the guy is great. The girls in 4A: Amy is sewing a quilt piece on the sewing machine while Bernadette and Penny are having tea on the couch. After a short while, Amy stands up and says ‘what the hell?’ She seems hurt and asks the girls if they really think that she is this boring. They decide to take her out to a bar so that she can have the wild night of poor decision making that she was expecting. Bernadette recommends body shots off of hot guys’ chests. Amy is enthused. The girls at the bar: Amy asks what body shots actually are. When Penny explains it’s like taking a shot out of a guy’s belly button, Amy finds the idea unappealing. Cut to 12 minutes later at the bar: Amy is passed out slumped over in her seat with her face smooshed against the bar. Bernadette wonders if they should carry her home already. Penny decides they should stay and finish their drinks and food. The guys at Dr. Wolcott’s cabin: They are all impressed with Wolcott’s work and the extent of his productivity. Once again, someone makes a comment about Sheldon’s odd bachelor party, and when the topic of marriage comes up, Dr. Wolcott explains that he is also married. The guys ask if she is there, if she is alive, and if she is visible to other people. He explains that she lives in Munich and they have a long distance relationship. They send birthday cards once a year and otherwise focus entirely on their work. He recommends cutting out all outside distractions to Sheldon if he wants to succeed at his work. Intrigued, Sheldon says he had never considered a long distance marriage. Wolcott suggests dinner, either rabbit or squirrel, and asks if they can tell the difference. He leaves to go hunting. Once he’s gone, Leonard asks/tells Sheldon that he’s not really considering any of that, right? Sheldon says no, he is not, and sounds a bit surprised at his own quick and certain answer. Howard says that it makes sense because Sheldon has friends, a fiancée, a full life. Sheldon agrees with Wolowitz and says he’s ready to go home. He misses Amy and sees no reason to further tempt himself with some strange man’s alluring math. (2nd take, he misses Amy and his phone). Also, he is from Texas and can definitely tell the difference between rabbit and squirrel. The girls back to 4A: Amy startles awake from where she is passed out on the couch. She guesses what must’ve happened and says that she is ‘so lame’ for passing out at her own bachelorette party. The girls claim that Amy did a bunch of wild stuff first, and make up some stories about it, one of which involves her Riverdancing on the bar countertop. Amy seems embarrassed, yet pleased, and she believes them even though she doesn’t think she knows how to Riverdance. Still embarrassed, she asks about pictures, and they assure her they wouldn’t do that to her. She says they are good friends. Cut to a slideshow of pictures: passed out Amy at the bar, in the car, and on the couch with Penny and Bernadette posing with her. Back at the cabin: Dr. Wolcott discovers the guys have left. Then he wonders if they were ever there at all. Then he wonders if they are actually on their way over now, and decides to tidy up. It’s a train of thought that matches with his multiple time dimensions theory. Tag, Sheldon and Amy in 4B: Hungover Amy is buttering her toast when Sheldon comes in. He walks over to say hello and kisses her cheek. She asks about his trip, and he tells her it was of great help for his work. Then he asks her if she will still love him if she finds out that he isn’t the work-obsessed, hyper-focused genius that she thought he was. She says that she will, then asks if he will still love her if she’s not the straight-laced, buttoned-down quilting woman that he thinks she is. What if she’s really a Riverdancing wild woman? He agrees that he will love her anyway. They share a kiss. Then Sheldon asks if she even knows how to Riverdance. Amy gets up, they exchange weird flirty looks, and she demonstrates her Riverdance. Looking very interested, Sheldon insists that she not do that for any other man, and Amy looks proud of herself. -I can’t remember if the 2 Shamy kisses in the tag were in the first take because I was laughing so much at Amy’s Riverdance. I know that what’s above is accurate for at least the second take.

Short summary: ”The Reclusive Potential” Penny and Bernadette surprise Amy with a quilting bee bachelorette party, complete with tea to drink. When they discover it’s not the wild night of poor decision making that Amy had wanted, they take her to a bar. The guys accompany Sheldon to visit Dr. Walcott, an unusual, reclusive man who lives in a cabin in the woods. Alone, hyper-focused on his work, and kinda crazy, he has done some work that will help Sheldon in his string theory efforts. Not a bachelor party in any typical sense (Sheldon didn’t want one), meeting Dr. Wolcott nevertheless provides one last look at a life Sheldon might’ve once thought ideal. This is a funny and sweet episode, IMO, and I don’t think the short summary really conveys that, so I’ll try to write out something better tomorrow.