Camille

Fair point, it's a hypothesis (sue me--I'm a social sciences nerd).

THIS.

My theory: listen to the theme song lyrics--they lay out the show's premise right there in the opening. The "whole universe" for Leonard, Sheldon, Raj, and Howard (and in her own way, Penny) was in a static "hot, dense state" until the two forces came into contact with each other and sparked a "big bang"-like social reaction. The show tells the story of the subsequent expansion and growth in those 5 (now 7) lives as each learn to strike his or own balances between being true to themselves and getting along in the wider world. The show's taken such a gradual path that it's only the last season

Maybe I should come to the next meetup and show mine off, though I really only have an accent when tired or irritated.

Equal parts Texas and generic southern, with a dash of Midwest.

Pink panther Fraggle rock YCDTOTV The Monkees (reran a lot on nick in the 80s--a lot of geek girls are still kind of into them, might make a good B Plot some week to find out Amy or Bernadette still has a thing for one of them...) Cosby Thundercats Some other stuff I'm probably forgetting. they always were to be honest Creepy smurfs are creepy.

My growing hypothesis for Penny's S6 arc: Penny is going to say/do something deeply self-centered and hurtful to Leonard and/or Amy in the early part of the season (maybe related to being offered an opportunity for a management position at Cheesecake Factory that would end her acting "career"), which drives one or both of them away. Then her challenge becomes a: realizing she needs them in her life, and b: winning them back...

I honestly haven't been into a sitcom at this level in a v-e-r-y long time. Frazier (before it got stupid) might actually be the last one I fell for during it's run. I've been told I should check out modern family and the early seasons of the office, but it's that stupid "time" thing, or lack thereof.

That would be too predictable. I fully expect Sheldon regressing quite a lot (from fear) before he makes that leap. Agreed. If the premiere picks up Immediately after the handhold (which it might, this seems to be meant as a Key Growth Moment for all of them), the first words out of Sheldon's mouth may likely be a terror/denial response of "EEK! Don't touch me! Girlfriend Agreement Violation! *flees to bedroom*" and we'll get some 2 steps forward, 1 step back drama till he realizes he wants Amy in his life and feels safe with her in his life.

About 80% Bernadette, 20% Amy. Ish.

Total time spent watching or most viewings per episode? I the first case, I'd say good eats--250ish eps times 3-5 watches per(some more than others). Average repeats per episode...The Monkees (don't judge me!). Got into 'em when I was 9, dipped into the fandom on and off over the years. 58 eps plus 1 movie plus sundry specials, probably 15-20 times per...(mostly between the ages of 9 and 12)...Yeah. Next Gen, Golden girls, Mythbusters, M*A*S*H and a few other shows that I always stop on when channel surfing are also probably up there.

I also didn't like the ending of Speckerman--it seemed to ignore most of the last few seasons' worth of character growth to set up a punch line that was tired 30 years ago.

Because a part of him now wants to change, and has figured out (at least unconsciously) that Amy won't hurt him. As Spock reminded us, Sheldon is and has always been "half-human", and all the rules and quirks are an excellent way to protect oneself from being hurt. I'm also not at all sure that Sheldon consciouly chose to hold Amy's hand--my guess is that it was pure reflex.

True. And at the risk of taking this off topic, the show really needs to do a better job of getting us into Penny's head for this evolution into a better person, which I think/hope will kick into high gear in season 6. And I have a sneaking suspicion Amy will somehow be the catalyst for that.

We all know he gets the girl in the end--the question is how well the journey is portrayed. So far they've done a tolerable (not perfect) job with that storyline. Had major issues with a lot of the season three relationship, but I think they found the plot again at episode 100.