Episodes 6.19 The Closet Reconfiguration (Mar. 14)

[Ar Diem]

It is hard for me to believe this episode came from the same people.  It was nice to see the tired old jokes fade into the background of a good story.  It would be nice if they embraced sentimentality going forward.

 

Sheldon finally touched Amy without being asked.  Of course in doing so he used her as a human shield...

[Ar Diem]

Oh boy… everyone liked this? I thought it was dull and completely unfunny. Most of the early episodes I am able to watch dozens of times, I watched this twice and that was enough. The second half of this season has been so mediocre IMHO.

Amy was the only thing worth watching in this episode. Her "used me as a human shield?" was the one line that still made me laugh on the second watch. Even Simon's skillful acting wasn't enough to save this one for me. Bernadette and Amy's versions of the letter were quite touching I suppose. I always hoped we'd see Howard's father one day and that he would be a crazy character. I hoped the whole thing would turn into a hilarious but not overly sentimental reunion. Not a chance! If he does show up it's not going to be funny, it will just be sentiment tosh. I just don't care.

 

 

The funny thing is I liked it because they didn't try to make it hilarious.  Their attempts at humor the second half of this season have paid very little dividends for me (the big exception was Raj and Howard's mom).  Even in this episode almost all of the jokes fell flat. 

[BangerMain]

I feel like bringing in the sweeter side of the group was a really important moment. This show makes me laugh until I cry, but I love that they've given them such a human moment. 

 

And I know the episode wasn't really ABOUT them, but Leonard and Penny took a huge step today. They threw a party together. And coming back from Bernadette and Howard's dinner, they both automatically went to her apartment. Ok, I know it's probably not a big deal, I just found it so advanced for their relationship. And I LOVED it. It is serious progress and I think this advancement will start manifesting in other ways too!!!

This was a big deal. They acted married in this episode and both were mature adults.

[BangerMain]

Also given how Beverly is about things, I'm sure something like this wouldn't surprise Leonard. Beverly has openly stated on several occasions that she has been responsible for her own orgasms for most of her marriage to Leonard's father. It wouldn't surprise me if she would stand up and home and declare "I have to go masterbate" just like she does about urination. She might even brandish the sex toy of choice that day.As an experimental physicist, Leonard may have purchased some to help him keep Penny satisfied. I would suggest that he would approach the task, however pleasureable, with the same focused and systematic approach as he does his science. He probably has notebooks of data and observations. He's in this game to win.

 

..... and we know he "Googles"

[Slicknickshady]

Much better than last weeks. Much.

[Pomita]

My belated (as usual) take.. I thought this was a sweet and satisfying episode, very touching at places. I'm usually not a big fan of Howard/Bernadette storylines, but they knocked the ball out of the park for me with this one by making me actually tear up at one point.

Simon was remarkable with his subtle expressions of pain and confusion. I loved the H/B bonding (especially the fire-alarm moment), the lovely group dynamics (this was a true ensemble episode) and how they all stood up for Howard and tried to make him feel better, and most of all thought the application of quantum superposition by Sheldon in providing a resolution was BRILLIANT. Once more, theoretical physics to the rescue.

 

Sheldon was his old snarky self, and seemed to have been used for comic relief in this story, for the most part; which I'm okay with since I enjoy seeing Jim do his rude, clueless, annoying Sheldon once in a while. I suspect that side of Sheldon's nature will never completely go away, no matter how much he grows up and learns about love and life.

 

Not a lot of laughter, but I did crack up at Penny's interruptions of Sheldon ('if it's not epistemic, we might as well not do it') and her swoop at the end, to protect her chew-toy from public viewing.

Edited March 15, 2013 by Pomita

[tmp]

I agree that it probably hasn't been used in a while.  I find it hard to believe that Penny would let Sheldon loose on her closet knowing her vibrator was in there.

 

Who said anything about a vibrator?  It was a battery-operated chew toy. 

[Nogravitasatall]

Who said anything about a vibrator?  It was a battery-operated chew toy. 

It was a gift for Raj's Yorkie and she rushed Sheldon out so as not to spoil the surprise. Obviously.

[Nogravitasatall]

I'm with you. Loved the episode, except the Sheldon shots at Amy. TPTB seemed to be determined to show how much he disrespects her attention to him. They must be planning something.

I thought this was "classic" Sheldon. And she's a little frayed and hinting frustration that he falls back to his baseline.

Something is coming.

[Nogravitasatall]

.

Oh boy… everyone liked this? I thought it was dull and completely unfunny. Most of the early episodes I am able to watch dozens of times, I watched this twice and that was enough. The second half of this season has been so mediocre IMHO.

Amy was the only thing worth watching in this episode. Her "used me as a human shield?" was the one line that still made me laugh on the second watch. Even Simon's skillful acting wasn't enough to save this one for me. Bernadette and Amy's versions of the letter were quite touching I suppose. I always hoped we'd see Howard's father one day and that he would be a crazy character. I hoped the whole thing would turn into a hilarious but not overly sentimental reunion. Not a chance! If he does show up it's not going to be funny, it will just be sentiment tosh. I just don't care.

There is something about the pacing or energy in the earlier eps. I think maybe they were more absurd and less nuanced. Maybe not weighted down or saturated by backstory too.

I'm just going to be all shallow and say they were very pretty, all dressed up. I want this to be the new baseline costuming, 'cos no one wears shorts anymore. Except they can ditch Bernie's tights and maybe Leonard's tie and collar.

Edited March 15, 2013 by Llatasativargon

[idrive65]

And ditch Leonard's awful hair from this season.  Bring back the curls!

[Lissie]

Oh Simon, Simon....you are fantastic actor. Love this episode.

[Grasshopper]

 I have mentioned this scenario before on IMDB after reading various movie reviews. I have noticed that no matter how good or bad a show is there is always someone who is going to say it's the best film ever or the worst film ever. When I came to this thread last night my intention was to vote excellent before reading any of the comments. Of course the voting wasn't posted yet and I just submitted that vote today.

it always shocks me to see when some are displeased with an episode, but I understand everyone has there own opinions and reasons for their rating.

 

I bet you could take every single Big Bang Theory episode and not come up with a single one that every fan agrees on voting it very good to excellent.

I will list 2 very popular episodes for instance just to see if there is at least one person who didn't care for the episode. We are only talking Big Bang Theory Fans here now, which I would assume we all are.

Myself, as a fan have never rated an episode less than good. Maybe there were several Okays but never a bad.

 

1. The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis:     From Season 2     My Rating:  Excellent

2. The Bakersfield Expedition:          From season 6     My Rating:  Excellent

Edited March 15, 2013 by Grasshopper

[C-Trayne]

While I haven't seen the same episode I'll comment on grasshoppers post above... Personally I ha ted bath item gift hypothesis... As a Lenny fan seeing penny basically shit all over everything Leonard worked for was very hard to watch. She came across as very shallow through the whole episode. The only redeeming factor was Leonard actually standing up for himself...

Sorry about going slightly off topic

[Grasshopper]

While I haven't seen the same episode I'll comment on grasshoppers post above... Personally I ha ted bath item gift hypothesis... As a Lenny fan seeing penny basically shit all over everything Leonard worked for was very hard to watch. She came across as very shallow through the whole episode. The only redeeming factor was Leonard actually standing up for himself...

Sorry about going slightly off topic

 

 Thank you for the response  C-Trane. Your comment is exactly what I was looking for. You expressed your opinion on what you didn't like about the episode, I have always been a Lenny fan from the beginning also and I was a quite disappointed in of her actions with the jock looking science guy also, but it did present some awkward but funny scenes to my taste. also I was at first disappointed in  the insulting gift she gave him on motorcycle lessons. I kind of realized and  take it as though she didn't go out of her way for either Sheldon or Leonard. for their gifts basically because she was poor and really wasn't as evolved in her relationship with Leonard at the time as she is now.. The Spock autograph just happened to work well with the timing of her being in the right place at the right time. The Sheldon reaction after receiving the gift was the prize winner for me that made the episode a classic in my opinion.

 

Bye the way when I do rate a show as excellent I use a chart of numerical value on a scale from 1-100 and excellent falling between 90-100. With that being said, The Bath Item episode I would rate somewhere in the low 90's.

Edited March 16, 2013 by Grasshopper

[AndyRenee]

I agree with you grasshopper how both gifts were not meant to be a big deal or serious. Penny didn't realize what she was giving Sheldon all that much when she gave him the napkin. It's not like she put a lot of thought into it...she just happened to get it and figured since he'd probably mentioned liking Spock that Sheldon would be into it. Like you said its only a classic because its the first time we see a human side of Sheldon and the amazing way Jim acted it out.

I like how Leonard gave her a silly gift right back with the starter science kit. That made me laugh.

[Pomita]

A fair number of people here disliked Bakersfield, if I remember. (I loved it).

[Grasshopper]

A fair number of people here disliked Bakersfield, if I remember. (I loved it).

 

 

I agree with you grasshopper how both gifts were not meant to be a big deal or serious. Penny didn't realize what she was giving Sheldon all that much when she gave him the napkin. It's not like she put a lot of thought into it...she just happened to get it and figured since he'd probably mentioned liking Spock that Sheldon would be into it. Like you said its only a classic because its the first time we see a human side of Sheldon and the amazing way Jim acted it out.

I like how Leonard gave her a silly gift right back with the starter science kit. That made me laugh.

Oh yeah good point GothicTexan on mentioning the science kit gift. I almost forgot about that.That left us off with a sense of equality between Penny and Leonard.

 

Okay,  I'm sorry to everyone if I'm getting off topic here, since this discussion is supposed to be about the recent episode.

[djvang]

 I have mentioned this scenario before on IMDB after reading various movie reviews. I have noticed that no matter how good or bad a show is there is always someone who is going to say it's the best film ever or the worst film ever. When I came to this thread last night my intention was to vote excellent before reading any of the comments. Of course the voting wasn't posted yet and I just submitted that vote today.

it always shocks me to see when some are displeased with an episode, but I understand everyone has there own opinions and reasons for their rating.

 

I bet you could take every single Big Bang Theory episode and not come up with a single one that every fan agrees on voting it very good to excellent.

I will list 2 very popular episodes for instance just to see if there is at least one person who didn't care for the episode. We are only talking Big Bang Theory Fans here now, which I would assume we all are.

Myself, as a fan have never rated an episode less than good. Maybe there were several Okays but never a bad.

 

1. The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis:     From Season 2     My Rating:  Excellent

2. The Bakersfield Expedition:          From season 6     My Rating:  Excellent

Since people who usually disagree with my opinions of the show have called me "predictable", and worse,  I decided to go back and look at how I've rated the shows this year:

Excellent - 2

Very Good - 2

Good - 3

Okay - 5

Bad - 3

Very Bad - 4

 

Quite a variety and not at all predictable. How people rate the show is based a lot on what they expect the show to be. I want the show to be funny. Period. So episodes that don't make me laugh, like this one, get low ratings. So many others out here want the the show to be cute and touching and sweet and make them tear-up so they rate episodes like this one high. It's all matter of personal preference. There's no "right" answer or opinion.

 

When I watch the reruns from the first 3 seasons I would rate almost all of them as Excellent or Very Good.   That shows how much the direction of the show has changed from primarily nerd-comedy based to primarily romantic-relationship based, at least from my viewpoint. Once again, there's no "right" answer or opinion.

[Nogravitasatall]

 T I was at first disappointed in  the insulting gift she gave him on motorcycle lessons. .

Leonard got the joke, so it was ok. He mocked her back with the science kit. They were both cool with that.

And some might confirm that this incident echoed real life, when, while on holiday together, ms cuoco and mr glalecki pranged a motor scooter while ms cuoco was driving - bloody injuries ensued.. Not sure if the timing matched but it did happen, so gift of bike lessons from ms cuoco is funny. Also mr galecki rides anyway, so insider humour again.

Lame I know this and cared.

[Moonbase]

Since people who usually disagree with my opinions of the show have called me "predictable", and worse,  I decided to go back and look at how I've rated the shows this year:

Excellent - 2

Very Good - 2

Good - 3

Okay - 5

Bad - 3

Very Bad - 4

 

Quite a variety and not at all predictable. How people rate the show is based a lot on what they expect the show to be. I want the show to be funny. Period. So episodes that don't make me laugh, like this one, get low ratings. So many others out here want the the show to be cute and touching and sweet and make them tear-up so they rate episodes like this one high. It's all matter of personal preference. There's no "right" answer or opinion.

 

When I watch the reruns from the first 3 seasons I would rate almost all of them as Excellent or Very Good.   That shows how much the direction of the show has changed from primarily nerd-comedy based to primarily romantic-relationship based, at least from my viewpoint. Once again, there's no "right" answer or opinion.

 

My ratings are as varied as yours. I don't understand voting excellent all the time, every episode is different.

[Moonbase]

I agree with you grasshopper how both gifts were not meant to be a big deal or serious. Penny didn't realize what she was giving Sheldon all that much when she gave him the napkin. It's not like she put a lot of thought into it...she just happened to get it and figured since he'd probably mentioned liking Spock that Sheldon would be into it. Like you said its only a classic because its the first time we see a human side of Sheldon and the amazing way Jim acted it out.

I like how Leonard gave her a silly gift right back with the starter science kit. That made me laugh.

 

 Sorry... but Bath Gift was not the first time we have seen the human side of Sheldon. It's just the most extreme reaction we have seen. Sheldon always had a human side. Infact I would argue he had more of human side in the early seasons. There was a thread dedicated to that very topic started a couple of years back if anyone is interested.

 

[Moonbase]

The funny thing is I liked it because they didn't try to make it hilarious.  Their attempts at humor the second half of this season have paid very little dividends for me (the big exception was Raj and Howard's mom).  Even in this episode almost all of the jokes fell flat. 

 

But what's so great about it? Howard burnt the letter in front of his wife and she wastes no time finding out the contents just to satisfy a morbid sense of curiosity. That's not a supportive thing to do. I think most people would feel humiliated if all their friends knew the truth except them. My father left when I was 4 and I don't find his reaction believable.

 

Edited March 16, 2013 by Moonbase

[rachelshamyfan]

@ moon base I have a similar story, I refused to see my father when he reappeared after 15 years no contact despite my mother trying to cajole me, so I agree that Bernadette should of respected Howards wishes, another reason why I'm not keen on her or them as a couple.

Edited March 16, 2013 by rachygd

[Europa]

Maybe Bernadette shouldn't have asked, but people are human, and maybe it bothered her to think that Sheldon - a man who regards her husband as an 'acquaintance' or 'tertiary friend' - was the only one who knew the contents. Or perhaps it was simple  curiosity, who knows. I don't think it makes her a bad wife, just a normal human being.