Europa

My best friend works at the Cheesecake Factory. In uniform he looks like the Royal Crest Dairy deliveryman. Or possibly the ice cream man. It's horrible. (Not to mention stupid and impractical, as white shows every speck and splatter.) I enjoyed this one quite a bit except for Bernadette's harpy shrieking throughout. I like Bernie but I don't like that part of her. It's grating and horrible and just no. I was wanting Leonard to stick up for himself, but alas. My favorite moment in the scavenger hunt might have been Penny asking Sheldon, "Don't you want to know how I figured it out?" and his indifference. :D I love that Penny tries and I get mildly annoyed on her behalf that they constantly mock her and call her stupid. She's a good sport. Best part of the show was undoubtedly Howard and Amy, though. Who knew they had such great chemistry? I'll never hear Neil Diamond the same way again.

She's a lunatic if she thinks that. I know we're not supposed to make "Friends" comparisons here but that was seriously the worst thing that show ever did. As you observe, it had the effect of making it impossible to care if they ultimately got together or not. They can do that here, but in my opinion it would ruin the heart and soul of the show, which has always been the Penny/Leonard romance.

That is an intriguing theory! I'm not sure it's anything more than poor continuity on the part of the writers, though.

Yep, totally agree with this. I think about my girlfriend whose husband is a geek, and yes, they spend a lot of time doing their own thing - but they still have things they like to do together. I'd like to see the writers find a few such things for Leonard and Penny.

I think this is pretty realistic, actually. Fact is, you can love a man who's into geek culture and still not embrace it for yourself. I have a dear friend, married 28 years to a geek man who loves all things sci-fi, once spent night after night for several weeks recording (on tape, this was the 90s) every single episode of Star Trek - and he had to sit through them because he wanted to keep out the commercials - has a collection of Next Generation figures in the original packaging, etc. She has endured yearly marathons of Star Trek/Star Wars films and accompanied him to the PAX East conference in Boston last year (and begged me and my friend to join her so she'd have someone to hang out with while he and her son were geeking out all day). Point being, she can pull out quotes from the movies like Penny does, knows who's who and what it's all about, but she DOES NOT CARE. Doesn't find it terribly interesting. She indulges her husband and kids because they love it, but you will never find her joining in a game of D&D or buying a comic book as anything other than a gift. When you love someone, you indulge their hobbies and obsessions because you love them and it gives them happiness, and it doesn't matter whether or not you enjoy it yourself.

"Wow, that's all you got after you were the most obnoxious person on a double date that included Howard Wolowitz?"

"At my age, do you know I'm statistically most likely to die?" "At the hands of your roommate?" "An accident." "Oh, that's how I'm gonna make it look." "Interesting. You're afraid of insects and women. Ladybugs must render you catatonic." And my favorite from this year: "It's SUPPOSED to be hard. If it were easy, it'd be called THERE'S Waldo!"

I enjoyed all the stuff with Professor Proton. I've always loved Bob Newhart and he's the same as he ever was. Also enjoyed Penny's enthusiasm and curiosity when she's shown things she can understand and marvel at, rather than hearing a lecture about equations, ancient Greece and the history of physics. Howard and Bernadette were a snoozefest, and I'm beginning to actively dislike Raj. Here's hoping there are no Howardette pregnancy reveals until the last episode of the last season.

I never said they "needed" to change. I said that it's not illogical that they would be influenced by the people in their lives.

I wouldn't say they "have to evolve" necessarily. It's just that people influence one another. Every relationship you have will have some influence on you...why shouldn't these characters be the same?

He made it, but NASA owned it and he wasn't allowed to take it out. What did he say, the secret's in walking out with it like it's yours? So, technically, it was stealing. I liked aspects of the creepy Howard but if it had gone on for years I probably wouldn't have continued to find it as funny, because guys like that are, well, kind of repellent. It's kind of like Raj and the mutism and the constant confused-homosexual-innuendo jokes he makes. Funny for a while but they have gotten old, to me. YMMV of course.

Exactly. I guess she doesn't seem that motivated about it even to her friends, because I was also thinking why didn't Bernadette say "What about acting?"

Sheldon and Amy were on fire tonight. What a great story that was! Enjoyed every single bit of it but was, have to admit, a little disappointed that he didn't seem to learn from it at all. Am I the only one who thought it was a little sad and telling that Penny isn't passionate about, you know, her dream and goal - acting? I love that Bernadette likes Buffy, and her description of how she loved microbiology - very funny. Good one!

Not sure I can agree. Bernie found him confusing and weird at first and had to get used to his "humor." I think their relationship and her understanding and affection for him can be summed up perfectly in this exchange from The Gorilla Experiment: Bernadette: Don't take him too seriously. A lot of what he says is intended as humor. Penny: Yeah, well, I don't think it's very funny. Bernadette: Me, neither. But, he just lights up when I laugh. Penny: Howard, never let her go.

Oh boy. A couple of things you don't want to mention around here - one, that the show is like Friends. Two, that Sheldon and Penny should be together. (There's a thread for that, but it's the minority opinion and people are none too gracious about declaring the very idea as absurd.) In fact... :D

I choose Leonard and/or Penny. Not because they have any particular skills, but because they are loyal friends who would drop whatever they were doing to help you. "3 am" friends, as it were.

"It's supposed to be hard! If it were easy it would be called 'THERE'S Waldo!" is one of my favorite lines of the series.

I like this episode a lot. First of all, the whip app was cracking me up. :D But it's good storytelling too - the way they show how the guys' lives and relationships with each other are changing because of the girls. Howard having to include his girlfriend because he didn't know how to say no. Sheldon's perpetual selfishness, and Amy learning how to deal with him - and a glimpse, too, that she isn't just with him because he's her first boyfriend but because he's Sheldon Cooper - she really is enamored with him. Leonard and Penny actually have the healthiest relationship here. And Raj being left out made me actually feel bad for him (oftentimes he's too whiny for me to sympathize with him as much as I could). Lots of hilarious bits too - the Cooper coupons and Amy snatching one up; Penny's re-do of her reaction. And even though I just watched it I can't think of any quotes, but it was really funny.

I think the joking point they're trying to make by having Penny show off her "assets" is that few, if any, of Leonard's colleagues are going to give a damn what she does. They'll be too busy staring at her boobs and ass to care, or even ask. Penny would likely call herself an actress, in any case. It seems she's had enough jobs at this point to earn the title. I have to say, I waited tables for a long time while I was getting my degree (and before that, when I just wasn't sure what I wanted to do with my life), and your condescending attitude toward people in service jobs is appalling. I had great hours, great colleagues, a great business serving excellent food, and made fantastic money. There is no dishonor in such work.

This. I wouldn't be surprised if the writers drop the story and we never hear about it again, though.

It means he got Jim Parsons to break character and he laughed during the scene.

I enjoyed it. Loved Howard being so snarky. Didn't care much for Leonard's painful scene at the gym, which was way too OTT for me to appreciate. I see Amy and Sheldon heading for some kind of showdown... she is good at the long-suffering bit with the rolling of the eyes and has apparently a huge amount of patience, but I can't see that going on forever before she gets fed up. Penny looked amazing but it kind of made me laugh because how inappropriate is it to wear your most revealing dress to a funeral?

Huh! Interesting...but I'm willing to bet it's a continuity error. If Leonard started college at 15 I have to think it would have come up.

I love that idea. I'd like to see it end in some simple way, not a big schmaltzy scene with marriage and/or babies. Those things are fine, but I'd rather see them scattered throughout the final season and not saved for a finale.

I love Bob Newhart. Professor Proton? Is he playing a new supervillain? :D