Episodes 6.24 The Bon Voyage Reaction (May 16)

[Nogravitasatall]

I think we can all imagine that scene without Sheldon and it would have made for a much better finale. It's a shame, I don't get why they made that decision because he wasn't even funny.

Yeah, no laughs there at all. So why do it? Unless I just don't get the joke?

Edited May 24, 2013 by Nogravitasatall

[Kutra]

Maybe Leonard will meet a smart female scientist on his trip abroad and ditch the waitress. And then he could really have smart and beautiful kids.

 

With the waitress as many chances of the the kids turning out to be short and stupid as much as smart and beautiful.

Edited May 24, 2013 by Kutra

[ajond]

Maybe Leonard will meet a smart female scientist on his trip abroad and ditch the waitress. And then he could really have smart and beautiful kids.

 

With the waitress as many chances of the the kids turning out to be short and stupid as much as smart and beautiful.

The Penny hate continues. Getting a bit old isn't it?

[Tensor]

Maybe Leonard will meet a smart female scientist on his trip abroad and ditch the waitress. And then he could really have smart and beautiful kids.

 

With the waitress as many chances of the the kids turning out to be short and stupid as much as smart and beautiful.

 

Awwwwwww, leave him alone.  Hating on Penny is the only contribution to the forum he has shown he has the ability to make.   

[eirwinrommel]

Awwwwwww, leave him alone.  Hating on Penny is the only contribution to the forum he has shown he has the ability to make.   

Odds are he's not a secret Shenny.

[phantagrae]

Something I've noticed before about the show, and it sometimes bugs me but I now accept it, is that it always seems to cut the emotional scenes with humor- as Sheldon in the car during the goodbye.

 

It really seems like TPTB are afraid to let the emotions or the sweetness out unless they can tightly control it with laughs. Which I guess is how they keep it light. 

 

I don't think they're afraid of anything.  I think they just have a certain tone or idea of what the show is about or the tone they want to set and sometimes it's different than what some people expect.

[I.H.S.F.C.]

Maybe Leonard will meet a smart female scientist on his trip abroad and ditch the waitress. And then he could really have smart and beautiful kids.

 

With the waitress as many chances of the the kids turning out to be short and stupid as much as smart and beautiful.

 

[Ksmith]

Forgive me if this has been asked before but my searches have provided nothing; does anyone know the name of the song or even the band's name that is playing during the first ~50 seconds of the party in this episode? I can't seem to find any kind of soundtrack list or musical credits :S   

[Nogravitasatall]

Yeah, no laughs there at all. So why do it? Unless I just don't get the joke?

 

Redux.

 

Actually, I am now admiring the economy of the scene. They literally encapsulated the show's position regarding Penny and Leonard.  Still unsure of what they are saying about Sheldon, but it did not show him to be included in the relationship, just something to be endured. So no joking.

 

And they spent nothing on sets. Green screens, a prop car and actors. All stuff that they already had lying around and was paid for. Don't know if its stock footage on the screens. Clever.

 

Will "let it go" now.

[Lissie]

Does anybody has idea what "4 month of trip" means? Are them planning to do as with Howard making the firsts few episodes of the next season with Leonard still in his trip? Or will be as in season 3 where all of them returned from their trip in the first episode?

[Tensor]

It's tough to really know. The premiere show for next year is a bit over four months from the broadcast of the finale. Does that mean Leonard will be back because it's more than four months between shows? Or, is it four months at sea, and with travel time, the boat getting to the spot, and back. It's gonna be a couple of weeks more than four months. Or, will the writers mess with time (after all, the finale covered two weeks or more) and Leonard is still is gone because it hasn't been four months? Tune in this Fall.

[Midru]

The timing I think will depend entirely on what the writers think is most funny. Obviously, Howard was only in space a couple weeks, but that spanned the gap between seasons and 4 or 5 episodes in season 6. While the North Pole expedition lasted three months and they were done before the next premiere. 

 

I don't know lead times but it seems unlikely they have started writing next season yet. So if you can contact the writers, tell them what you want to see!

 

If I could tell them, I would say keep Leonard away for at least a couple episodes, so we can see Sheldon fall apart and everyone else lose their sh*t dealing with him. I love what someone above said about Amy running and hugging Leonard and saying "never ever leave again"!

Edited May 26, 2013 by Midru

[hamerman55]

I asked about the typical length of a trip to the ISS, and the answer I got was three or four months. I guess it is too expensive to do a quick trip, and Howard was laid on at the last minute. His original trip might have been shorter, but he got grafted onto another mission after his original trip got cancelled.

But you're right about the hiatus being however long they want it. Three times the first fall episode was four months later (2nd to 3rd, 3rd to 4th, 5th to 6th) and twice times it was the next day or almost the next hour (1st to 2nd, 4th to 5th), so there is no rule. To me, the most interesting ones were the long ones. The arctic expedition is obvious, but the jump from Sheldon meeting Amy, to Penny learning about Amy was four months. Penny and Leonard are apparently buds again, but he hadn't told her about Amy. The jump from Penny being mad at Leonard about the proposal, to her starting to have doubts about their relationship because Leonard pressed her for how she felt was interesting. To me, this was because they were six months into the Beta Test. It made sense for Leonard to try and get some status report out of her six months in, and she clearly did not want to discuss it. I've mentioned in the Penny and Leoanrd forum that the biggest question I'd like to see answered in the next season is why Penny has such commitment issues.

[wuster]

Maybe Leonard will meet a smart female scientist on his trip abroad and ditch the waitress. And then he could really have smart and beautiful kids.

 

With the waitress as many chances of the the kids turning out to be short and stupid as much as smart and beautiful.

 

The writers have had lots of opportunities to give Penny a bit more depth. Why don't they make her more of an acting nerd! Her career is usually treated as a bit of a joke and she never gets nerdy about "The Actor's Studio" or who's going to win at Cannes. The one glimpse we had of her talent was with the bit from "Street Car...........". After that it's back to her being dumb and not very successful at acting. If Leonard can get a big break on the North Sea why not give Penny a big acting break and write up her talent and passion for acting, that might lead to some tension and comedy.

Edited May 26, 2013 by wuster

[hamerman55]

I think the event that will drive the timing between the season six finale and the season seven premier is the most significant canon change - Raj being able to talk to the girls. I do not think the writers will let that ride for three-four months. I can imagine Raj would want to see right away whether he can talk to all girls or Penny, Bernie and Amy. It was kind of weird in the season 4 premier to learn that Leonard had not mentioned to Penny that Sheldon had been dating Amy for four months, yet obviously they had hung out regularly during that time. It would be weird to pick up with Leonard arriving at the airport and Raj having been trolling for chicks without booze for four months. Narratively, having Leonard away and Skypeing for a couple of episodes clears showtime for them to develop Raj's new ability, Sheldon dealing with the mechanics of his life without Leonard, Penny being separated from Leonard, and eveyone dealing with Sheldon. They can easily have an scene to catch up when they've significantly explored the comic possibilities of Leonard being gone.

[hamerman55]

I can almost see the scene where they jump the time. They start off with the airport scene, and everyone later gathering at Sheldon and Leoanrd's apartment. Sheldon starts in on his list of things he needs them to do to make his life easier. They have a couple of clips like the episode where Leonard is working at night and can't take Sheldon to work. Basically each character getting a big dose of what Leonard puts up with all the time. Then the scene at the airport when Leonard arrives. Leonard looks much like he did returning from the Arctic, and everyone there, sans Sheldon, on their knees for Leonard's return.All of them begging to take Sheldon off their hands,

[Moonbase]

I don't want to see Sheldon fall apart without Leonard. Why do they have to treat this character like a baby? It's boring to watch. Why can't they have something interesting happen in Sheldon's life. Like, he got in a lodger who is identical to Leonard and who then won't leave. Or he has completely redone the apartment for this own purpose. They must be able to think of something, to justify the trillions of dollars they now earn!! but I know what will happen already.

Penny will miss Leonard, (repeated story from when he went to the Arctic). Sheldon will be dependent on Amy. Everyone will be sick of Sheldon.
 

Edited May 28, 2013 by Moonbase

[phantagrae]

I don't want to see Sheldon fall apart without Leonard. Why do they have to treat this character like a baby? It's boring to watch. Why can't they have something interesting happen in Sheldon's life. Like, he got in a lodger who is identical to Leonard and who then won't leave. Or he has completely redone the apartment for this own purpose. They must be able to think of something, to justify the trillions of dollars they now earn!! but I know what will happen already.

Penny will miss Leonard, (repeated story from when he went to the Arctic). Sheldon will be dependent on Amy. Everyone will be sick of Sheldon.

 

 

I don't think that Sheldon is a baby in regard to his dependence on others.  It's his social issue.  Each of the guys (plus Amy) has issues that make them social outcasts and for Sheldon, his inability to connect easily with others, because of his disdain for the ignorant and his out-of-sync upbringing, etc, is one of his main social handicaps.

 

While he could probably adapt to having to take the bus to and from work, or hitch a ride with one of the others when he can, what will be hard for him is finding the companionship he shares with Leonard.

As they have shown again and again, Sheldon is much more emotionally dependent upon his friends than he is willing to admit or to demonstrate, and I don't think that's going to change overnight.

 

I don't think showing him maybe getting clingy with Penny or trying to get the guys to come over when they weren't planning to, or even wanting to hang out with Amy more and more, maybe even trying to hang out with Kripke or Stewart just to have someone to talk to, would mean making him be a baby.

It's like the little old lady who lives all alone and goes out of her way to talk to the clerk at the grocery store or her neighbor or the mailman just to have someone to talk to.

 

But I do think it would be funny to see him maybe stumble in his orderly routine without someone to bounce it off of, or whatever.

 

There ought to be some funny consequences to his being mostly on his own for 4 months.  I don't think he'd take in a stranger as a roommate unless he got completely desperate, and what's the point of having him be that desperate if we don't see him go through the process of getting to that point?

[hamerman55]

I don't think that Sheldon is a baby in regard to his dependence on others.  It's his social issue.  Each of the guys (plus Amy) has issues that make them social outcasts and for Sheldon, his inability to connect easily with others, because of his disdain for the ignorant and his out-of-sync upbringing, etc, is one of his main social handicaps.

 

While he could probably adapt to having to take the bus to and from work, or hitch a ride with one of the others when he can, what will be hard for him is finding the companionship he shares with Leonard.

As they have shown again and again, Sheldon is much more emotionally dependent upon his friends than he is willing to admit or to demonstrate, and I don't think that's going to change overnight.

 

I don't think showing him maybe getting clingy with Penny or trying to get the guys to come over when they weren't planning to, or even wanting to hang out with Amy more and more, maybe even trying to hang out with Kripke or Stewart just to have someone to talk to, would mean making him be a baby.

It's like the little old lady who lives all alone and goes out of her way to talk to the clerk at the grocery store or her neighbor or the mailman just to have someone to talk to.

 

But I do think it would be funny to see him maybe stumble in his orderly routine without someone to bounce it off of, or whatever.

 

There ought to be some funny consequences to his being mostly on his own for 4 months.  I don't think he'd take in a stranger as a roommate unless he got completely desperate, and what's the point of having him be that desperate if we don't see him go through the process of getting to that point?

I think Sheldon said it best in "The Friendship Contraction" I believe. He's not dependent on others, he simply wants them to make his life easier. I am sure he can take care of all the things that Leonard currently does for him, he just prefers to have Leonard do them as he finds it convenient. He can take a cab or a bus to places, but it is so much easier to have Leonard chauffeur him around. He doesn't have to wait on the bus, and he doesn't have to book the cab.

 

I suspect that he will drive the others crazy trying to get them to make things easier for him, and it seems in this episode, they clearly aren't interested in doing so. He will be just fine, he just won't like it. This is Sheldon from the beginning. He can take care of himself when he's sick, he (like anyone else) likes to have someone look after him. He's just so whiney and annoying that no one wants to do it. I think it will be good for him to be reminded in detail how to take care of himself, and that Leonard has been more than patient with him. Leonard will not be around soon to look after him, so he will have to make other arrangements. He is perfectly capable, and will survive.

[zaygon]

When Sheldon and Penny were in the store to but alchohol there was a monster head botlle on the shelf any ideas of what the bottle is? I cant find it anywhere.

[djsurrey]

Finally got to see the whole episode. Well done.

[PaleLeper]

Sorry, although I have to admit I though Penny's look in the first seasons was cute, I find the older, curvier, dress wearing Penny a lot more sexy and intriguing.  

[JonRS92]

Sorry, although I have to admit I though Penny's look in the first seasons was cute, I find the older, curvier, dress wearing Penny a lot more sexy and intriguing.  

 

There has not been a season where Penny has not been hot   Although I dislike Penny's season 1 hair, from season 2 on.....I want one

[FaithOnMars]

Well, I loved the episode. Even if it was hard for Penny and Sheldon to let Leonard go. But I think that Penny has to stay strong because she has also to take care of Sheldon, and... sometimes I wonder why the writers won't show her a little bit more weak when she has to face situations like this one, but then I realize that Penny loves Leonard in her way and that doesn't mean she doesn't love him. She's just stronger.

I also loved the party scene but I'm worried for the poor Raj, even if he talks to girls now.. without beers

Can't wait for the season premiere!

[PaleLeper]

Although Sheldon is completely devoid of most social skills, he has proven that when the chips are down he can be counted on to do the right thing, although you might be driven crazy by his mode of help!