Episodes 6.22 The Proton Resurgence (May 2)

[Ibid]

Great episode! Everyone brought their A game. Maybe the felt they had to with Bob Newhart as the guest star. Loved the old Sheldon - no meanness tonite, just childlike excitement. Loved Penny too. She also seemed childlke & innocent, not snarky, slutty, or stupid. Cute second story with Raj & Howardette. Lots of laugh out loud moments, "I have a bracelet with my address on it". This episode left me smiling.

[phantagrae]

LOVED it!

I was laughing out loud a lot.

 

And I love Jim/Sheldon's body language--the way Sheldon kept hugging himself in his excitement, the way he was sitting on the very edge of the couch, staring at Alfred--I swear he was sitting on only a sliver of one buttcheek! :D

And I loved Soft Kitty at the end and how Sheldon was so excited to be Professor Proton Jr.

 

And yes, BN is supposed to return next season, according to some interviews he's done.  He said he agreed to do it if his character would be more than a one-off.

[Moonbase]

Most of this was cute. Sheldon's finally got a decent father figure. The scene where he keeps waking up Leonard was funny. I liked it when Leonard went and smacked him.

The Howard and Bernadette stuff was awful though, really predictable and dull. So half great, half not so great for me. (god I hope these two don't breed )

Edited May 3, 2013 by Moonbase

[Guitars1964]

Bob Newhart was wonderful tonight.

[CaitAmber]

Absolutely loved this episode, and Bob Newhart. I laughed so much that I actually didn't even notice Amy was missing.

[SRAM]

Quick episode question, did Raj have any alcohol when he talked to Bernadette on their video chat near the end?

[eirwinrommel]

Great episode! Loved Bob Newhart and his interactions with L/S/P. I hope he makes an appearance in season 7.

I read that Bob wanted to do at least three episodes, so I hope to see him a couple of times (if available) next year.

[Tensor]

@SRAM I didn't see any, and considering he was in the telescope lab, there shouldn't be any. However, we know that he's gotten drunk in the lab controlling telescopes before (The BoyFriend Complexity). So, who knows.

Edited May 3, 2013 by Tensor

[eirwinrommel]

Quick episode question, did Raj have any alcohol when he talked to Bernadette on their video chat near the end?

Yes, You could see a beer bottle in the lower left part of the screen while they were skyping.

[eirwinrommel]

Two things. First the writers made Penny look dumb in this episode and Leonard should have spoken up when Prof. Proton asked what they talked about. Second, Penny seemed interested in, and engaged by the experiments. This makes me wonder if Leonard shouldn't find copies of Prof. Proton (or some other show) and use them to expose Penny to science. They could watch the shows and do the experiments together, and Leonard could answer any questions Penny has. It would be a nice bonding activity for them and it looked like Penny might enjoy it.

[Tensor]

Yes, You could see a beer bottle in the lower left part of the screen while they were skyping.

That's a nice catch. Although the book to the left of Howard's computer screen doesn't match the book (or magazine) to the left of the computer when the camera is facing Howard.

[Grasshopper]

 I had no idea what this episode was going to be about or who would be guest starring in it. when I turned it on. I was never actually a big fan of Bob Newhart.Not that I didn't care for him but I just never happened to watch his show much.

 In the beginning of this episode  I really wasn't digging the sub plot and was hoping it wouldn't take up too much of the show, as soon as Newhart appeared in the scene near the elevator this episode was full of non stop laughs. The chemistry between him and Sheldon and with Penny also was priceless.  I do need to look up some of Bob Newhart's material and start watching sometime.

 

The final scene really caught me off guard. We all haven't heard Soft Kitty that much lately, or at all that I can recall.. It couldn't have been sung with any better perfect timing.

Great episode!

[eirwinrommel]

That's a nice catch. Although the book to the left of Howard's computer screen doesn't match the book (or magazine) to the left of the computer when the camera is facing Howard.

There's also no blue phone(?) or orange candle. I suspect the skype was pre-taped.

[eirwinrommel]

I notice that for whatever reason, Bernie has changed her mind about the possibility of being a mom.

 

"When the three of us were out there having fun, I felt like maybe someday we could do it."

 

She had a couple of chances to change her mind later but didn't take them, so maybe there are little howdettes in the future.

[rachelshamyfan]

Really enjoyed this one, lots of laughs with all the professor proton stuff rajs dog is very cute

Edited May 3, 2013 by rachygd

[ajond]

Loved the episode. Great comedy. Did not enjoy the writers making Penny look stupid. I see no logical reason why they are taking pot shots at Penny especially this season. The attempts at making her look slutty and stupid just for cheap laughs are p***ing me off.

 

End of rant.

[koops]

I really enjoyed this more than I thought I would, since I didn't know who Bob Newhart was. There were a lot of LOL moments, I thought both plots were funny (although I still have my reservations about Howardette talking about babies, but that's another topic entirely). I'm also really happy the episode was much longer, nearly 22 minutes. I really do hope they bring Professor Proton back next year! I think he was adorable with Sheldon and Leonard, and it was really nice to see lovable Sheldon again: just goes to show that he can be hilarious while being nice and doesn't need to be nasty to get the laughs. I think it would be quite funny to see him as Professor Proton Jr next season. It would be such an hilarious turn of events if Sheldon got a freelance career as Professor Proton Jr. LOL. And I want to see Amy interact with Professor Proton Sr, I really did miss her in this one.

 

Raj and Cinnamon are hysterical, he doesn't need a girlfriend, just give him more scenes with the dog! LOL. I though Bernadette's Indian accent was pretty terrible though But Howardette had some really hilarious moments too, especially at the beginning when Raj brings Cinnamon over.

 

Downside, I do agree it gets old to constantly take jabs at Penny's smarts, but I think by far the worst one was "What do you two talk about?". I don't have a problem with her not getting even the most basic science bits, but I thought that was a mean jab to their relationship by the writers. I thought Lenny were adorable at the beginning of the episode playing with that missile launcher. 

 

Anyway, all in all, great episode. 

Edited May 3, 2013 by koops

[Chiara]

Genuinely awesome episode. 

 

Bob Newhart is a comedy god. His timing, delievery and disaffected tone get me every time. I cannot think who else could have played that part better. Or as briiliantly for that matter. Perfect casting.

 

Count me in as a Cinnamon fan. There is something about that dog that just makes me laugh. Is it wrong of me ? And I know she is meant as another proof of Raj's 1% status but the way he cares for her moves me just a tiny wee bit. He really loves his dog. 

 

Bernadette and Howard... I enjoyed their part of the episode. Not necessarily as much as I could have had it been slightly shorter, however the part in the car did make me laugh a lot. Le's face it : I am a sucker for Mr. Helberg's impressions and his Raj is spot on.

 

Sheldon's love for Pr Proton was sincerely touching. His appreciation of his work and of his legacy did get me. That's the thing about Sheldon that is both strange and moving : he is incredibly good at relating and showing affection to complete strangers (Leonard Nimoy, Pr Proton, Pr Hawking, Stan Lee) yet, more often than not, he completely dismisses the people close to him. He loves people better when they are unattainable in a way. 

 

Leonard and Penny : I loved their interaction in the beginning of the episode. He taught her how to use the interface for the rocket launcher and smiled when she threw one at Sheldon. Penny can be taught scientific, computer-y stuff (as long as it involves weaponry) and Leonard is her own Pr Proton!

It was also quite adorable that Leonard caught onto Penny's criteria for "coolness" and immediately corrected himself when he used "awesome" in the "wrong" context. Again, they can laugh at and with each other which is a remarkable show of intimacy.

 

However,  I can only agree with eirwinrommel, koops and ajond : Pr Proton's jab at Penny's brains was completely unnecessary.

We know she is scientifically illiterate. That is sort of the point of her character : she is the only non-scientist in the group. We have to assume she paid no attention to science courses during her education. When it comes to scientific matters, she is a kid and, like a kid, has little to no "brain-to-mouth" filter. So no, she does not know how a potato clock works and no, she does not quite get how the egg gets into the bottle. To her, there is something "magic trick-ish" about it. But that is good ! That shows she is enthusiastic, taken in, eager to figure it out. Proton's question to Leonard was mean-spirited and could only be partly saved by Newhart's subdued delivery. I get Proton is supposed to be an old-school sort of guy, hence his "you're the genius" line and his Pavlovian response to Penny's entrance, but that was too much. 

Furthermore, Leonard's embarrassment and lack of response to "what do the two of you talk about ?" really did not help. They made him look like he agreed with the guy. It is not only unfair but also wrong because we know Leonard and Penny do talk about pretty much everything : their relationship, their jobs, their friends, their families, TV shows, movies, etc. So WTF ? 

 

Aside from this matter, it was still a really great episode. 

Edited May 3, 2013 by Chiara

[Guest DroneInTheSun]

An okay episode for me. Sheldon's admiration for Professor Proton was nice and genuine and it's a welcome change from Condescending Sheldon, but I wasn't touched that much by Professor Proton himself. I definitely didn't like the stabs taken at Penny, and especially Leonard's silence after PP's "What do you two talk about?"

As for the R/H/B storyline, I love Raj's obsession with his dog but I'm disappointed that Bernadette changed her mind about the babies. I'm in Team No Children Ever for Bernadette and I don't want to see them with a kid and I hope TPTB aren't taking us here.

Amy was not missed to me. I don't think she would have had much to bring to the story as it is told here, but if PP comes back in Season 7 then I definitely would like to see them interact. Also I want to see Sheldon as Professor Proton Junior because you know it'd be hilarious to see him trying to teach things to kids.

[rachelshamyfan]

@lost amy could be Sheldons assistant if they showed him being pp junior

[Pomita]

Haven't watched it yet, but I do think it's interesting how Jim's real-life attitude about working with Newhart (an awestruck 'are you real?') reflects the theme of the episode (star-struck Sheldon) so well.

[Nogravitasatall]

I notice that for whatever reason, Bernie has changed her mind about the possibility of being a mom.

 

"When the three of us were out there having fun, I felt like maybe someday we could do it."

 

She had a couple of chances to change her mind later but didn't take them, so maybe there are little howdettes in the future.

"sure, what the hell"

 

Should be the go to response here now.

[Guest DroneInTheSun]

@lost amy could be Sheldons assistant if they showed him being pp junior

 

I know I keep asking for fanfictions but can someone write this please? I miss my sciency-Shamy!

[koops]

@lost amy could be Sheldons assistant if they showed him being pp junior

 

OMG Yes!!! This would be awesome!! 

 

As far as Howardette and babies. I'm never against a storyline out of principle, to me it's always about the writing. If you write something well you can make almost anything work, provided you have the time to develop it consistently with the characters. That's why I said I have reservations about the idea of Howardette and babie. As Bernadette was REALLY adamant that she didn't want children unless Howard became a stay at home dad (and even then, she didn't seem that thrilled), I would want this to be explored more rather than have one baby-sitting session with a dog become the switch that suddenly makes Bernie say "Oh I think we could do this some day". 

 

I still think TBBT doesn't have space for babies though, so I most definitely hope they do not go there for a looooong time, unless the show goes on for over 10 seasons. There's a lot to do with these characters still before they get there, and I do think that if they chose to make the baby issue a bit of a sticky wicket with Howardette they could have something to write for them for another couple of years, with Bernie going back and forth on the matter. If they just have her change her mind just like that, imo, they waste an opportunity for a storyline.

 

In any case, the more I think of Professor Proton, the more I like him. There's so much potential with his character.

Edited May 3, 2013 by koops

[Moonbase]

I notice that for whatever reason, Bernie has changed her mind about the possibility of being a mom.

 

"When the three of us were out there having fun, I felt like maybe someday we could do it."

 

She had a couple of chances to change her mind later but didn't take them, so maybe there are little howdettes in the future.

 

I really hope not but it looks like it will happen. These two are just not funny. Their scenes were so average. Giving them kids would be the final desperate act to try to give them something. *sigh*