Episodes 6.09 The Parking Spot Escalation (Nov. 29)

[mjc45]

funny episode--was great to see the supporting cast

get a chance to shine. amy/bernie fight(argument) was

great each one trying to one better each other,at both

place penny's and bernadette's. poor penny was

right in the center of it,(love kaley face).

we got to see a little jealousy from amy, when she

went to bernie place and saw penny was there.

how could it be bad or very bad? HATERS.

[bostrich]

A few people are of the opinion that Sheldon's discomfort at Howard's success was just a writer's excuse to have a Sheldon-is-crazy episode. Maybe it was, but I much prefer this issue between the characters being the motivation for a petty fight than say an episode that centered around the problem in a heavy handed way. For example, if Howard was given an award over Sheldon, Sheldon would be predictably outraged and come off like a jerk who can't be happy for his friend's recent success. Howard would probably be a jerk for rubbing Sheldon's nose in it. Sheldon perceiving the lot reassignment as a slight against him and as a far bigger issue than it really was exposes the depth of his insecurities about his own career. The characters repeatedly declared this as the reason for the fight and Sheldon's defensive list of his own achievements nailed it. In any prior circumstance, I think Sheldon would consider any comparison between Howard's career and his own as laughable. I think this was a big development for Sheldon, the facade is begining to crack: he might not be so far above everyone as he likes to think. If he really believed Howard's achievements were nothing compared to his own he wouldn't have given up the spot in exchange for his ego to be satisfied. He would have kept it.

 

 

 

Howard's inability just let it go and be the bigger man from the start (it's a parking spot, I mean who really cares?) showed his own inflated ego and eagerness to take Sheldon down a few pegs. This kind of petty fight is more subtle and a lot more revealing about both characters than an episode that directly dealt with who is the bigger cheese.

[BangerMain]

It seems like an episode specifically made for syndication.  Mindless and not related to anything.  But funny it is.

 

That was a perfect summation. It was the kind of episode that was perfect for syndication, completely independent, stand-alone and connected to no character or story arc.

 

They could send this to TBS tomorrow as another very funny entry in the "Crazy Sheldon" package.

Edited December 2, 2012 by BangerMain

[Doug]

Very good/ good episode.

If there is a villain it is Seibert.

Taking away someone’s parking spot, office or secretary is a slap in the face.

 

Sheldon and Howard’s stuff was funny and largely harmless.

Amy and Bernadette went overboard but funny

 

Penny/Kaley was great. Just about stole the scenes she was in.

Breaking Penny's nose helps build up good will for her.

 

I wonder if Alex may have been at the lecture Penny could not go to because of the broken nose.

 

Minor faults:

Black eye make up could have been better at the Cheesecake Factory.

Sheldon’s germ phobia seems to be in reemission.

[bigbangsheldon]

truth coming from doug well at lest about siebert 

[phantagrae]

@ vasu and C-trayneThis subject has been brought up before. TBBT is a honest to goodness simple comedy show and the vast majority of its episodes have no greater meaning. It's just the style of the writing and always has been. For years Sheldon would, in one episode, seem to learn something from Penny (for example) then for the next 10 shows exhibit no growth from the experience. There is no excess baggage of profundity with this show. And you will not get a definite trail of character growth, like with other more drama driven sitcoms. I'm so used to the style of writing, I no longer question it. They keep you waiting, wanting and give you a little only when everyone is going crazy for it.In the earlier days the writers never even had a plan. They wrote each episode as a single entity. The first time they split up Penny and Leonard they didn't even know it was going to happen until they were writing it and Prady announced "oh my god they're breaking up". This is a very unusual way to operate. I think they have improved on planning these days but they still have a fluid style. Last season, the wedding was the most drama in a condensed timeframe we have ever seen and I have to say I didn't think much of those episodes. That type of story is not their strong suit. Simple comedy is what they are best at.

This is so true!

I've been a little mystified at all the ranting about who is more at fault and how no one "learned anything" or whatever.

This show isn't intended to be "realistic" in that regard. The science they choose to mention or show is real, but everything else is subject to the convenience of the humor.

That's why Sheldon mentions in one episode that he still has a peso up his nose, which isn't really possible. It's why other little details have come and gone over the years.

The point of the show is to be funny and all of the characters have odd little foibles that allow the writers to stretch them into over-the-top behaviors. This is especially true for Sheldon who is the quirkiest of them all.

I think JP explained it best in an interview where he said that the thing about Sheldon's "likeability" is the other characters' reactions to him. Whatever he does, they may get exasperated or mad at him for the moment, but in the end, they all accept him for who or what he is. And even in his wierdness, if he were not an asset to the university, you would think they would have used his wierdness as an excuse to deny him tenure or fire him or whatever.

Obviously it's all meant to just be funny.

[vasu]

  Episode                  Player A             Player B               Sheldon's Immovable trait                   First move by player B                             Opp move by Sheldon

 

Panty Pinata              Sheldon                Penny              Should not touch his food- so banish             Occupying the washing machine                  Hanging her panties

 

Hot Troll                     Sheldon                 Raj                 Should not get New desk-so whine                Pissing Sheldon off by big desk                   Stupid Indian Music

 

Parking Spot              Sheldon               Howard            Should not use his spot - so steal mask               Being Naked in his spot                          Being Naked in his car

 

 

 

And the fights go on like this... each of them trying to one-up their opponents

 

I agree that it is funny but it has become too predictable...the jokes...the logic....the plot...everything are the same... So it feels like I'm watching a rehash of older episodes....

It is more enjoyable to watch when a joke comes from a unexpected place...not from an expected scenario

And we have never seen the writers explain why actually Sheldon behaves like this..why is he inclined to his spots(not the usual long ass explanation) but it's root cause..just for once I would like to see it

Edited December 3, 2012 by vasu

[C-Trayne]

I both agree and understand the point of the sitcom is number 1 for laughs.  And trust me this episode was certainly funny.  Its true not every episode needs a story or needs an underlying plot.  I think my biggest complaint with the episode is just that at this point (at least for me) its just gotten kind of... blah.  They've done it or something like it many, many times over the past 6 seasons and i guess i was just looking for something new its not a bad thing and it certainly doesn't take away from the episode as a whole.  The ratings were great, plenty of viewers, lots of laughs, etc etc just repetitive thats all

[Europa]

I dunno, I enjoy the occasional filler episode that is meant solely to entertain and not to further any plot or character developments. As long a there's not too many of them, they offer a nice respite on occasion.  I think this one did a great job of just that. 

[SRAM]

I think the girls stole the show this episode.  The stuff that came out of Amy and Bernie was just too good and Penny trying to unsuccessfully calm them down was great.  Sheldon was just being Sheldon, no surprise there.

[Pomita]

Finally saw it.. some belated comments: I thought it was a fun, relaxed episode with not much new or emotional stuff going on - it had a bit of a filler feel, to me. The subtle play on Sheldon's underlying insecurities vs Howard's own touchiness about being a 'big deal' now, was interesting, because of course it was about that and not the parking spot. The escalating fight was hilarious, and I don't know whether I enjoyed Sheldon/Howard or Amy/Bernie more; the latter was impressively acted by both Mayim & Melissa.

I'm not going to take sides here because the fight was just as most TBBT fights are - crazy - right from Leonard/Sheldon getting into a fist-fight in a lecture to Raj/Sheldon/desk/parrot/methane.

Sweet moment.. the very natural comradeship between Sheldon and Amy. She was his implicit and willing 'partner in crime', and she actually stood up for him just as a partner, without necessarily supporting him in principle.. that was big. And then there was the (in)famous backseat scene, which didn't shock me at all because I was spoiled; neither did it feel off to me, though it had, a bit, in the taping report. The tantalizing trick there was that we never fully got to know Sheldon's reaction. Just a schoolboyish 'that's a lot of band-aids' from a distance; but we don't know if he was surprised, curious, annoyed, confused, cool with it, secretly turned on, or a mix of all. Jim kept his voice deliberately ambiguous!

[Josie]

Loved it, it was funny from start to finish.   

[ratrace24]

honestly i didnt like this episode i am a big fan of TBBT but i thought that this episode was random the usual episodes are well thought out and tie into the plot. But the newer episodes are well, just random i wish the show would be brought back closer to the original where sheldon dosent understand things such as relationships and where he is always outdoing the others.

 

[Ayebee]

So  I waited until I watched it a second time to actually post my thoughts on the episode so I could better judge a lot of it.  I missed the first couple minutes when it was on TV...

 

Overall I thought it was a pretty good episode.  It was funny, quirky, and kind of takes us back to the days when it was just the guys screwing with eachother but now we got to see how the women in their lives react to it.  So that was fun to see.

 

My only real complaint was that i felt like nothing really happened in terms of character progression or development...  What i mean is that there was  no story behind anything, no real reason for the argument.  Howard and sheldon are no closer as friends than they were, no character really gains anything, and the girls will likely end up same as always with the entire episode never being mentioned again... it felt kind of like filler to me.  

 

Maybe its just me but i like when the episodes story leads to something for one or more of the characters... like when sheldon learned to defend amy in S6E7 or episode 6 when Leonard learns to let Penny do her own thing in her college class.  Its just nice to see a meaning behind episodes rather than just "argument --> funny fights --> make up" end of episode

 

all in all i thought it was a good, funny, episode but it just lacked that special something to make it great...

7.5/10

 

While I fully agree with you here C-trayne, I think it is important to have "filler"-episodes as well, because something can't progress in personality of the characters every episodes. That would also make it even more special WHEN the character progresses rather than seeing it every week, if you catch my drift.

[koops]

But the thing is, even though it is a filler episode for the most part, in this show character development is EXTREMELY slow and literally made up of minuscule things spread across several episodes or even seasons, precisely because of the reason Moonbase mentioned: they are not that kind of drama-driven sitcom. I think the Cheesecake Factory scene in this one might be one of those moments, showing that the fight has brought all 4 of them closer in a way, you never used to see these two couples on a double date. You never see the Shamy double dating with anybody, was this their first double date? It kind of reminds me of the ep where Leonard and Penny where about to start dating again and Amy said she was excited they could start double dating and then Bernadette was like "What about me and Howard?" and Amy was like "So insecure...". And here they are a year or so later.

 

I also think that Sheldon giving his parking spot to Howard for the time being, albeit masked as just him wanting to be the bigger man, was actually meant to be a nice gesture. Of course they have to mask it up for laughs.

 

I don't know, I think there are people complaining that the characters are changing too much, especially Howard and Sheldon, and then when there's an old-school episode there are complaints about the lack of character development... it's a bit confusing to me to be honest.

[Ayebee]

But the thing is, even though it is a filler episode for the most part, in this show character development is EXTREMELY slow and literally made up of minuscule things spread across several episodes or even seasons, precisely because of the reason Moonbase mentioned: they are not that kind of drama-driven sitcom. I think the Cheesecake Factory scene in this one might be one of those moments, showing that the fight has brought all 4 of them closer in a way, you never used to see these two couples on a double date. You never see the Shamy double dating with anybody, was this their first double date? It kind of reminds me of the ep where Leonard and Penny where about to start dating again and Amy said she was excited they could start double dating and then Bernadette was like "What about me and Howard?" and Amy was like "So insecure...". And here they are a year or so later.

 

I also think that Sheldon giving his parking spot to Howard for the time being, albeit masked as just him wanting to be the bigger man, was actually meant to be a nice gesture. Of course they have to mask it up for laughs.

 

I don't know, I think there are people complaining that the characters are changing too much, especially Howard and Sheldon, and then when there's an old-school episode there are complaints about the lack of character development... it's a bit confusing to me to be honest.

 

You know what this tells me? It tells me that the characters have developed perfectly. Not enough that we can say "he/she's a different person now", but still enough that we can see that they have matured during these seasons.

 

An audience will never be 100% happy, but this tells me that the show almost couldn't have been better, imo.

[C-Trayne]

I've never complained about too much growth personally.  I actually like the way the show is going and I'm finding this season to be particularly enjoyable because of how much growth we are seeing in all the characters.  Sure Howard isn't the same geeky, "ladies man" but thats okay.  His character now is more mature and i think thats a good thing.

 

Its my guess that the reason this episode took so much crap for lack of growth is because the first 8 episodes in this season all had clear motives and lessons that they were teaching the characters.  This episode just seems to have been stuck in there to keep them on schedule to release the big stuff after christmas break.  Which is okay as long as its not done to much.  I loved the episode, it was funny, and amusing, i just believe that nothing is perfect and that was my one complaint.  I wasn't trying to cause problems or anything, just gettin it out theree :D

[koops]

I wasn't necessarily referring to your posts, C-Trayne, I actually do agree with most of what you say.

 

But I think it did show something in terms of the characters, regardless. The kind of tiny character growth that is typical of this show. To me this ep is a companion to the Wheaton ep, as far as the Shamy is concerned: we've seen Sheldon take Amy's side when she was being unreasonable and now we've seen Amy take Sheldon's side when he was being unreasonable. Leonard and Penny get to play the mature ones, I love them in their "parenting" role whenever we get to see it. Howard gets acknowledged for his accomplishments (I remember someone mentioning a while ago how he isn't being acknowledged enough for what he's done... and there you have it). Sheldon and Amy are continuing to bond on many levels. Shamy and Howardette become closer. I saw several deeper meanings in this ep, that's why I don't get the "filler" feeling at all with this one. IMO it was a fantastic combination of brilliant comedy and meaning for the characters. 

[BangerMain]

I wasn't necessarily referring to your posts, C-Trayne, I actually do agree with most of what you say.

 

But I think it did show something in terms of the characters, regardless. The kind of tiny character growth that is typical of this show. To me this ep is a companion to the Wheaton ep, as far as the Shamy is concerned: we've seen Sheldon take Amy's side when she was being unreasonable and now we've seen Amy take Sheldon's side when he was being unreasonable. Leonard and Penny get to play the mature ones, I love them in their "parenting" role whenever we get to see it. Howard gets acknowledged for his accomplishments (I remember someone mentioning a while ago how he isn't being acknowledged enough for what he's done... and there you have it). Sheldon and Amy are continuing to bond on many levels. Shamy and Howardette become closer. I saw several deeper meanings in this ep, that's why I don't get the "filler" feeling at all with this one. IMO it was a fantastic combination of brilliant comedy and meaning for the characters. 

 

Howard getting some credit for going into space is the only thing that was of deeper meaning from this episode. This was a very funny show but nothing lasting happend to the characters, they will be the same as they were the week before, as if nothing occurred and that is fine with me. Many times TBBT is just doing it for the laughs.

[Lissie]

I think the girls stole the show this episode.  The stuff that came out of Amy and Bernie was just too good and Penny trying to unsuccessfully calm them down was great.  Sheldon was just being Sheldon, no surprise there.

 

I love to see Sheldon being just Sheldon!!!! :)

[bigbangsheldon]

yeah tbh the girls snatched the boys weaves with their fight 

[bigbangsheldon]

omg vasu of course they're gojng to have sheldon fight with people more than once he doesnt exactly get on with people well ??  and its funny to see him 

[C-Trayne]

I wasn't necessarily referring to your posts, C-Trayne, I actually do agree with most of what you say.

 

But I think it did show something in terms of the characters, regardless. The kind of tiny character growth that is typical of this show. To me this ep is a companion to the Wheaton ep, as far as the Shamy is concerned: we've seen Sheldon take Amy's side when she was being unreasonable and now we've seen Amy take Sheldon's side when he was being unreasonable. Leonard and Penny get to play the mature ones, I love them in their "parenting" role whenever we get to see it. Howard gets acknowledged for his accomplishments (I remember someone mentioning a while ago how he isn't being acknowledged enough for what he's done... and there you have it). Sheldon and Amy are continuing to bond on many levels. Shamy and Howardette become closer. I saw several deeper meanings in this ep, that's why I don't get the "filler" feeling at all with this one. IMO it was a fantastic combination of brilliant comedy and meaning for the characters. 

 

Fair enough its always hard to tell where certain posts are directed so i just tried to defend my point a little bit... Glad you agree!  

 

Also i can see where your coming from as far as how the characters interacted at the end of the episode.  Its true we have never seen shamy/howardette actually on a double date so its possible there was growth in the characters in that regard.  The question becomes though, is it really a change or was it simply an apology dinner from both sides where they basically "buried the hatchet" which will never be referenced again (which the show is famous for) thats basically my biggest complaint about the show in general.  I got 10 bucks that says that we never see these couples interact this way again which basically renders these evolution's moot.  

 

The biggest change i think we saw was as you said, howard gaining recognition for his achievements which i admit was nice to see, especially since he didn't need to bring it up every 5 seconds in order for it to happen.

[phantagrae]

I was watching my S3 DVDs last night and in some episode Sheldon introduces himself as the senior theoretical physicist at CalTech. I think that sometimes people start focusing on Sheldon's quirks and attitudes and forget that he's not at the university because he never graduated or something. Even though he can be nutty, he's still a genius. His work is in the theoretical, so it's not like he's "building geegaws" like Howard, which can be easily seen and quantified. Like Leonard said in one episode, I think one of the Dr. Stephanie eps, "I thought about stuff. I wrote some of it down..." in describing his work, or when he told Penny that there really hadn't been anything new in the field of physics in a few decades. I don't really know much about theoretical physics (everything I know I learned from TBBT! J/K), but it does seem to be all about what might be going on in the universe and not something that can be easily measured. Once in a while someone has a sort of a breakthrough or wins a Nobel prize or whatever, but it's not like they're doing concrete things. And apparently Sheldon is writing papers and so forth. Anyway, so I think that whatever Sheldon's eccentricities may be, he's still a genius, still a working theoretical physicist, and all of that. This detour over the parking space apparently didn't keep him from working on whatever he was working on before (love the complicated stuff on his whiteboard in the parking space--and I love the way he scolded that other guy for looking at his math!) Anyway, I agree that the growth of these characters is often incremental and not intended to be big and life-changing within the confines of a single episode. Even Penny's ILY moment wasn't written to be a big life-altering moment. While it did kind of settle things for Leonard internally, and probably helped to calm them both as a couple, it's not something that gets wallowed in or used to have them all of a sudden start planning a wedding. It's just an important little nudge in the right direction that will probably pay off in the long run, but in a relatively subtle way. So, too, will this incident--but probably more in terms of Amy and Bernadette than between Howard and Sheldon. I think that the boys can begrudgingly let it go, but it's not like they're going to become best buds over this. It's more like Sheldon losing his Flash comic book to Howard in over the cricket. It happened and Sheldon has to admit defeat (in that case, not in this one) and they move on.

[koops]

The thing with doing theoretical work is that you essentially have to wait for the experimentalists to prove it or disprove it. So Bernadette might not be completely wrong in saying that none of his theories have been definitively proven. The thing with Sheldon is that, besides all his background about him being a child prodigy and winning awards very young, we know very little of how big of a fish he is in science right now. At least that's what I gather. And even with theoretical work you can get recognition, it's not all sitting and waiting. So I don't really know, was there any episode besides the one where he gets the Chancellor Award mentioning anything about his work? I can't remember off the top of my head.