Spoilers S7 Spoilers

[tmp]

Maybe he is just reacting to the North Pole expedition fallout. He bragged prematurely about the results then, subconciously he could be doubting himself now.

 

I think that was too long ago.  More likely he stumbled upon something big while making an error in what he was trying to do, but he's taking credit as though it was intentional.

[eirwinrommel]

Or maybe Sheldon realizes (on at least some level) that he's not as smart as he thinks he is, and that he's a fraud.  On the other hand he could have been watching Monty Python before he went to bed.

 

[tmp]

It occurs to me, I don't think we've had a dream sequence from anyone other than Sheldon, have we?  The only exception I can think of is Leonard's daydream in episode 100.

[Tensor]

It occurs to me, I don't think we've had a dream sequence from anyone other than Sheldon, have we?  The only exception I can think of is Leonard's daydream in episode 100.

Or the Penny/elevator dream in The Nerdvanna Annihilation. Of course, that may not have been a dream, since there's a picture of it on her fridge.

Edited September 30, 2013 by Tensor

[3ku11]

Or the Penny/elevator dream in The Nerdvanna Annihilation. Of course, that may not have been a dream, since there's a picture of it on her fridge.

Talking about Penny's picture's on he fridge as anyone noticed the picture of her and Leonard is inside the case of the S3 Dvd, maybe it's just the NZ one.

[phantagrae]

It occurs to me, I don't think we've had a dream sequence from anyone other than Sheldon, have we?  The only exception I can think of is Leonard's daydream in episode 100.

Leonard dreamed about Sheldon "reproducing" by eating too much Thai food in the tag of the Nowitzki episode.

[delsino]

Raj daydreamed about Bernadette a few times

[tmp]

Good points, folks.  I couldn't remember any of the other dreams. 

[totabcn]

They used them to promote the season premiere during the emmys but I really wish they would've released those three look so cuuute!

[Leia]

"The uploader has not made this video available in your country"

 

=____________=

[SRAM]

OK, I know this is a dumb question, but is there a taping tonight?  If not, when is the next one?

[notchinc]

OK, I know this is a dumb question, but is there a taping tonight? If not, when is the next one?

Next Tuesday. 10/8

[Guest I'm not dead Cheryl]

why do we never see these goofy pictures

 

I KNOW! and they keep recycling the same promo pictures since 2008, but they don't release there

[koops]

Argh, I haven't had a chance to read the sides. But Chuck in the original interview about this ep said that Sheldon was going to have a breakthrough and he would not be happy with the lift in importance that would lead to. Could it be that he has to do lots of press-conferences and public speaking and networking that he abhors and that gives him all sorts of nightmares? Unless they changed the plot, it didn't sound like the breakthrough was him cheating or anything. Or at least I hope not, that would be pretty awful. I do like tea's idea though, of him maybe accidentally stumbling onto something huge while making a mistake on something else. That is one interesting conundrum! 

[eirwinrommel]

Perhaps his breakthrough, (as signified by the content of his nightmare) is that his research is a dead end and he has to start looking in another direction. Perhaps re-examine his work and find out where he went wrong. Of course that would mean Sheldon would have to admit he's not perfect so that will never happen.

Edited October 2, 2013 by eirwinrommel

[stedaneri]

From: http://www.eonline.com/news/463767/spoiler-chat-scoop-on-breaking-bad-once-upon-a-time-revenge-homeland-and-more

Mason: Love your Big Bang Theoryspoilers! More, please?
Sheldon is either losing his mind in episode six or he's on some serious hallucinogens, because he'll be seeing Albert Einstein in his daydreams. He'll also get a serious heckling from a certain ancient Greek astrologer. What are you smoking, Sheldon?!

 

Maybe he just feels like a failure because Howard and Leonard had big breakthroughs and not him :/

[Chiara]

Perhaps his breakthrough, (as signified by the content of his nightmare) is that his research is a dead end and he has to start looking in another direction. Perhaps re-examine his work and find out where he went wrong. Of course that would mean Sheldon would have to admit he's not perfect so that will never happen.

That could definitely work. Invalidating a theory or a line of inquiry is definitely a breakthrough : it saves other scientists a lot of time, energy and (funding) money. So while Sheldon could be tremendously frustrated and displeased with such a revelation, it would be cause for celebration for many other people.

 

However, I think the serendipitous discovery idea sounds more likely : Sheldon stumbling onto something major and not realising it until someone else points it out to him, so focused would he be on his original pursuit and intent. That would have the potential to make him feel like a fraud, embarrassed by the amount of praise and attention poured onto him. 

Another possibility would be for Sheldon to make a very honest mistake (no cheating involved). He believes he discovered something important (perhaps because the data is flawed) and only spots the error once it is too late and the CalTech faculty are already getting boozed up on tepid Prosecco (they are classy people). 

 

One way or the other, Sheldon's nightmare is an interesting one. On the one hand, we get the classic Cooper cockiness in that he imagines two of the greatest scientific minds in the history of humankind would show up for his press conference; on the other appendix, there is a glimpse of something new and less secure in Shelly's remarkable psyche, for the great men are only present to bully and humiliate him. 

It is both funny and quite sad.

Edited October 2, 2013 by Chiara

[koops]

Like I said, Chuck said he *will* have a breakthrough, so I doubt it's some sort of "metaphoric" breakthrough where he gets to have an epiphany about his person and work and re-invent himself.

 

I totally agree with Chiara, I think the nightmare could be showing that underneath all his arrogance Sheldon is actually quite terrified of failure. And it's kind of a double-edge sword: on one hand he is so arrogant that he cannot afford failure, on the other hand he has to keep up his arrogance to mask his fear of failure. Or any of those other scenarios Chiara envisioned would be very funny, interesting, and informative. I doubt it's going to be something as simple as him cheating or doing a mea-culpa, given how long they've been thinking about this storyline. I expect something more fleshed-out. 

[JonRS92]

From the way the sides read to me, I thought that dream sequence was about a fear of failure and ridicule.  Now without seeing Jim's acting it is hard to tell from the description whether Sheldon knows in his dream what is going to be revealed or whether it is a surprise to him.  Given Sheldon's fear of these types of things to begin with I don't know that he would go out and expose himself to a fraud he already knew about.  So it seems to me that he is dreaming about being exposed as a fraud.  As some have said, it could be a post reaction to being tricked while at the North Pole.  Another possibility is that he is feeling guilty about something.  Perhaps he had a breakthrough and later a mistake was revealed to him and he is trying to decide whether or not to come forward with it.  Though that seems a tad bit unlikely if Chuck is on record as saying that Sheldon will have a breakthrough.  It kind of makes it sound like the breakthrough will be legit.  I guess the most logical explanation is that if the breakthrough is legit, and Sheldon is still dreaming of being exposed as a fraud then he is doubting himself.  Seems very un-Sheldon-like, but maybe this is a new part of his personality now.  Can't wait to find out which is right

Edited October 2, 2013 by JonRS92

[stardustmelody]

The last success Sheldon had was when he wrote up a document and presented it to Hawking who found an error in it immediately.  It could be that he just does not trust his own discovery.  So the dream could really be an off-shoot from that experience.

 

Remember from there Hawking found a simple math error.  Sheldon had felt he had double and triple checked his work before the trip and presenting it to Hawking, so that had to have been a traumatizing experience...to have been found that his math was incorrect so quickly like that.    He may have felt like a fraud since he betrayed his own excellent mind.  

 

I could see why he would have nightmares if he truly had discovered something he may not trust his own judgment and ability to find his own errors.  I think it is insecurity and fears from that past experience that lead him to dream that he is a fraud.

Edited October 2, 2013 by stardustmelody

[savvyhat]

There is also the whole Kripke thing from last season. I'm sure when Sheldon wrote his half, he thought it to be brilliant. But after reading Kripke's report, he felt less secure and realized what he thought was great, actually wasn't. So he could be worried or feeling less confident in his abilities. "Is it really as good as I think it is?"

[Kasey]

There is also the whole Kripke thing from last season. I'm sure when Sheldon wrote his half, he thought it to be brilliant. But after reading Kripke's report, he felt less secure and realized what he thought was great, actually wasn't. So he could be worried or feeling less confident in his abilities. "Is it really as good as I think it is?"

 

Very hard to live up to all expectations when one puts themselves on a pedestal...

[stardustmelody]

There is also the whole Kripke thing from last season. I'm sure when Sheldon wrote his half, he thought it to be brilliant. But after reading Kripke's report, he felt less secure and realized what he thought was great, actually wasn't. So he could be worried or feeling less confident in his abilities. "Is it really as good as I think it is?"

 

Yes, so true.  The problem is that Sheldon has heard all of his life that he is exceptional and brilliant, etc.  He is all of those things, but so are others in the world.  He had sheltered himself in a way that he felt everyone was beneath him (and still does feel that way), but there is a part of him that is afraid to realize that he isn't all that he thinks he is.     I think his recent failures are adding up to fester those fears even more and that is why he is having the nightmares.

 

The other thing that may be playing into this is that with great success comes great expectations and he may be having some fears about those expectations even before the success has come (knowing he has had a breakthrough or something).   So that also could be playing into it all. 

 

It will be interesting to see what happens.  I personally think that Koops is correct in that once he has been lifted up to a higher level, there is going to be an expectation that he will have to deliver on tasks that he really does not care for (more teaching, more public speaking engagements, more fundraising, etc.).   It will be interesting to see where this episode leads because I think it likely is leading to (if not the actual episode) that Chuck had mentioned in the spoiler.

 

I know many of us have thought about the tenure thing, but one thing we haven't considered as an interesting twist that ShamyForever and I were discussing one day is Amy.   She is on assignment (and we have assumed temporary) to Cal-Tech.   But what if they decided they liked her work and were so impressed that they asked her to stay on at Cal-Tech offering her the tenure?   Wouldn't that be a surprising twist?

Edited October 2, 2013 by stardustmelody

[koops]

Yes, so true.  The problem is that Sheldon has heard all of his life that he is exceptional and brilliant, etc.  He is all of those things, but so are others in the world.  He had sheltered himself in a way that he felt everyone was beneath him (and still does feel that way), but there is a part of him that is afraid to realize that he isn't all that he thinks he is.     I think his recent failures are adding up to fester those fears even more and that is why he is having the nightmares.

 

The other thing that may be playing into this is that with great success comes great expectations and he may be having some fears about those expectations even before the success has come (knowing he has had a breakthrough or something).   So that also could be playing into it all. 

 

It will be interesting to see what happens.  I personally think that Koops is correct in that once he has been lifted up to a higher level, there is going to be an expectation that he will have to deliver on tasks that he really does not care for (more teaching, more public speaking engagements, more fundraising, etc.).   It will be interesting to see where this episode leads because I think it likely is leading to (if not the actual episode) that Chuck had mentioned in the spoiler.

 

I know many of us have thought about the tenure thing, but one thing we haven't considered as an interesting twist that ShamyForever and I were discussing one day is Amy.   She is on assignment (and we have assumed temporary) to Cal-Tech.   But what if they decided they liked her work and were so impressed that they asked her to stay on at Cal-Tech offering her the tenure?   Wouldn't that be a surprising twist?

 

That would most definitely be one shocking twist in the whole thing and quite hilarious too. But I don't know that they want Amy to be permanently at Caltech (I'm actually very curious to see if it was meant to be a one-episode thing or not), as it would mess up the dynamic of the cafeteria scenes too much. Of course, they could always come up with some other cafeteria on campus for her to go to, who knows. I'm sure, if they want to, they can come up with a way to make it work. However, while I do think there are several potential storylines to explore with her at Caltech, it isn't an endless source, so I don't know that makes much sense to keep her around permanently. Especially if the writers want to drag Shamy out. If they have them be around each other 24/7 there's just so much they can do to avoid progressing them. What could happen, however, is that she could have two positions at two different institutes. It's not unheard of. 

 

As for Sheldon, I meant more in terms of being in the spotlight. He hates public speaking and last time he was on radio he was humiliated by Kripke. I can see him being terrified of all that. But, if anything, with a lift in importance he would have to do less teaching, so, in that sense, he would gain something

[ShamyForever]

EMMY AWARD WINNER BOB NEWHART RETURNS AS PROFESSOR PROTON, ON “THE BIG BANG THEORY,” THURSDAY, NOV. 7

THIS JUST IN…

…From the CBS Television Network

Bill Nye To Guest Star as Himself

Fresh off his Emmy Award win, Bob Newhart returns to THE BIG BANG THEORY as Professor Proton, Sheldon’s favorite childhood hero.  In the episode, when Professor Proton (Newhart) contacts Leonard (Johnny Galecki) to ask for help with an experiment, a scorned Sheldon (Jim Parsons) seeks revenge by befriending a rival science TV host, Bill Nye, on THE BIG BANG THEORY, Thursday, Nov. 7 (8:00-8:31 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.  

 

http://www.cbspressexpress.com/cbs-entertainment/releases/view?id=36828

Edited October 2, 2013 by ShamyForever