S8 Discussion Thread

[rachelshamyfan]

.

You know what? Its fine that its not gross for you, I get that and thats valid. So why is it not also just as valid that some people, like me and others, are not fans of the Penny/Sheldon "special bond"? I don't have a problem with them being friends but this whole special bond thing skeeves me out, and thats a base gut reaction which is just as valid. So based on that gut reaction alone, I don't like the fact that the writers keep shoving them together for whatever reason. It gets old and it holds zero interest for me. So if I don't really enjoy their special friendship on a gut level you can see where having an entire episode dedicated to them exploring their possible increased affection for each other might make my skin crawl. Yes I can find humour in it but it still bugs the crapolla out of me that they even went there however jokingly. Will I get over it? of course but the fact remains that it still does and always will creep me out.

Thank you! This explains my entire thoughts over the whole sorry mess!

[djsurrey]

It has taken me a while to get caught up with so many posts.

I liked the taping report and look forward to the episode. My take it seems is quite different to others here.

 

In scene A there was a reference to Gary Gygax which reminds me of my high school days playing D&D with my friends and the original boxed set.. I knew nothing about Gary Gygax but it certainly is a recognizable name. My friends and I were very impressed with the game. It was a 2.5 hour drive at the time from Lethbridge to a bigger city that had a game store that sold the books and the dice. Good times.

 

I don't think anyone has mentioned that Sheldon wanted to do an experiment but there was no control. It only stands to reason that Sheldon and Amy will try the experiment with each other in some upcoming episode. Possibly Penny and Lenard too. I'm predicting this is when we will finally get a Lenny kiss this season. In this scenario this episode provides the control and the actual experiment comes later. Of course I could be completely wrong but it would give this episode meaning and complete what is otherwise not a scientific experiment.

Edited January 29, 2015 by djsurrey

[3ku11]

Thank you! This explains my entire thoughts over the whole sorry mess!

Something Lenny fans and Shamy fans can agree on haha.

[fitzsimmons]

It has taken me a while to get caught up with so many posts.

I liked the taping report and look forward to the episode. My take it seems is quite different to others here.

In scene A there was a reference to Gary Gygax which reminds me of my high school days playing D&D with my friends and the original boxed set.. I knew nothing about Gary Gygax but it certainly is a recognizable name. My friends and I were very impressed with the game. It was a 2.5 hour drive at the time from Lethbridge to a bigger city that had a game store that sold the books and the dice. Good times.

I don't think anyone has mentioned that Sheldon wanted to do an experiment but there was no control. It only stands to reason that Sheldon and Amy will try the experiment with each other in some upcoming episode. Possibly Penny and Lenard too. I'm predicting this is when we will finally get a Lenny kiss this season. In this scenario this episode provides the control and the actual experiment comes later. Of course I could be completely wrong but it would give this episode meaning and complete what is otherwise not a scientific experiment.

As much as I'd love to see that, pretty sure we'll never hear about this ever again.

[djsurrey]

As much as I'd love to see that, pretty sure we'll never hear about this ever again.

 

Given the history your correct in that it does not often happen that a storyline resurfaces but it just seems to good to pass up on.

[wowbagger]

Okay, I am going to suggest something:

 

I think some of the sturm und drang (as phanta put it a while ago) from the Lennies and Shamies is related to the breaks between episodes, some of it is due to worries about stagnation of story-arcs, and some of it is an almost superstitious (this is not a criticism, or at least I'm criticising myself too) dread. Things are, on page and for the most part on screen, going well for our favoured couples. They're settled, they're happy, they're vocally in love. We might like them to be more affectionate towards one another, but so far as we can tell, all is well. 

 

It's quiet. Too quiet.

 

I think we might (some of us) be waiting for the other shoe to drop. The show's going to go on until, presumably, CBS burns down to the ground. Something must happen, surely, to delay the 'endgame'?

 

And so we point to the lack of physical affection on-screen (which, admittedly.....). We look at the Sheldon/Penny interaction and say 'But why now?!' (which, admittedly...). We scan the episodes for clues, for signs and portents. We read the entrails of Sheldon/Penny eye-contact (hey, while I'm mixing metaphors.....)

 

And maybe all this is leading up to something cataclysmic, and maybe not. I personally think that we are giving the writers both too little credit, and too much.

 

Why too little credit? Well, the writers have thrown up sources of conflict between the couples (especially Lenny) and had them tackle the conflict like mature, respectful adults. These conflicts include money, Leonard's insecurity about Penny's beauty, the couple's insecurity about their (perceived, not actual) lack of common ground... they're all real conflicts, but have been handled with love and understanding.

 

Why too much credit? Well, I can imagine the writers raising a collective eyebrow at us and saying:

 

a ) 'You think we need conflict to stall our couples? Bitches, please. We can sloooooooooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiissssssssssssssssssssss mother doooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooownnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn without lifting a finger. We have Comic-Con! We have Gary-Con! We have scientific careers! We have Howard's PhD plans to pick up and ignore in a matter of moments! Bernie can find an arch-nemesis at work! Stuart can date Howard's cousin! Stuart can walk Cinammon! Raj can be jealous! You haven't seen wheel-spinning.'

 

b ) 'But if we do decide we need conflict, we will pull it out of our collective arse so fast it'll make your head spin. One minute Shamy will be fine, the next Sheldon will stub a toe and break up with Amy. Or one minute Lenny will be fine, and the next minute Leonard will, like,  put a red sock in with Penny's whites and the next thing you know Leonard will be storming back into 3A saying 'It's over.' We will go from 0 to 360 at a speed that would make Ferrari green with envy. Buildup? We don't need no stinkin' buildup. Development? Where we're going, we don't need development.'

 

(I'm exaggerating.)

(But not by much.)

 

So basically, I don't really know what the writers have in store for the characters (if indeed they do), and there's likely no point worrying. Not that knowing that has ever stopped me, personally..... 

 

(Also, I'd like to point out that I include myself among the worry-warts and certainly the over-analysers, so everything I say about this community I promise I say with love. You may not want to grace any community I'm a part of, which is perfectly reasonable, of course....)

[hokie3457]

Perhaps a dopey question...has the Valentine's Day episode been taped? Feb 12 is two weeks away, the most likely date for a romance based episode to air. If it is one of those already in the que, I think I'll be disappointed.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Kathy2611]

Perhaps a dopey question...has the Valentine's Day episode been taped? Feb 12 is two weeks away, the most likely date for a romance based episode to air. If it is one of those already in the que, I think I'll be disappointed.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I think the Feb. 12 episode is the comic book store regeneration and the next taping date is Feb. 10 so no Valentines episode this year.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[hazelra7]

After reading the taping report and pages and pages of discussion, I've gotta go with Lio, tmp, phanta and others. IMHO, there is nothing here that comes across as bad for either Lenny or Shamy. I would like to address Sheldon's "Babe" comment. It's really no different than his "Wherever the music takes me, Kitten." Just him trying to sound hip and failing, nothing more. Of course the die-hard Shennies will read much more into it than is actually there (I predict reams of fanfic expanding on this one line) but that's their problem.

This helped me a lot. Thank you.  I was very upset over that babe comment.  I hung onto it and it bore into me like a power drill with it's button stuck...  But you are right, it is just like "Where ever the music takes me, Kitten".  He was trying to sound hip.  I've read the other explanations, justifications and the like, but this helped me more than all of them. I wish I thought of this earlier.  Now that I feel better about that comment, I can just worry about the idea alone.  

 

 I am still upset that he could even entertain the idea could work.  I understand the other posters say it is just so he can be selfish Sheldon and get his ride to the Con, but doesn't that alone take away from his love for Amy? I just need to get over this, and let the Episode go down as one of my least favorites.  I have a few, so this can go in that pile.  We gleam what we want from these fictional relationships and put our own spin on them.  I just need the spin to go the other way for a while.  

[denajeanx]

I think the Feb. 12 episode is the comic book store regeneration and the next taping date is Feb. 10 so no Valentines episode this year.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Feb. 12th is a repeat according to what Chloe posted yesterday. 

[Kathy2611]

Feb. 12th is a repeat according to what Chloe posted yesterday.

Ok, I remember seeing that somewhere now. I was going by what Tensor had on the S8 broadcast and scheduling section.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[hokie3457]

A repeat during sweeps?

Sent from my iPhone using

Tapatalk

[Andy_90's_generation]

re-reading the last four taping reports, because... i have free time lol

i know is all about personal tastes and feelings, but IMO this episodes sound pretty good on paper, i can't wait to see them! consistent or not, with romance or not, with tender moments or not. They are funny and the storylines itself are interesting and entertaining. frankly that's all i ask from this show, to make me laugh. For disappointment and struggle, i already have my life LOL (not so much lol )

[phantagrae]

Isn't this your personal interpretation of certain elements of the show and not necessarily objectively true?  

 

Not really, given what transpired in that episode and what has happened before and since.

 

In situations like this, Leonard is often the truth-teller of a scene or an episode.  That's part of his role as straight man.

 

And moreover, what he said was factually true--Penny had known Sheldon longer than Amy had.

 

I think sometimes people get hung up on "throwaway lines" and other details because they fail to spot the truth of a scene or a moment.

 

Like some people keep pointing out that Kripke is smarter than Sheldon, or somehow became smarter than him, because of "The Cooper/Kripke Inversion", when in fact Leonard's reassurance to Sheldon is the truth of that episode--that Kripke wasn't suddenly smarter than Sheldon, it was just that Sheldon got stuck on a wrong path.

 

Whenever someone--Sheldon, Penny, Amy, Howard, Leonard, whoever--goes off on some kind of tirade or panic or whatever, there's always some moment where someone speaks the truth to them.  Finding the truth of a scene or episode can make all the difference.

[Tensor]

A repeat during sweeps?

Sent from my iPhone using

Tapatalk

 

 

Yeah, there will be, but not at 8:00 PM.  February 5th will be the McCarthy's last episode.  Much like last week I believe there will be a repeat at 9:30, with a new episode at 8 PM on the 12th.

[phantagrae]

Yeah, there will be, but not at 8:00 PM.  February 5th will be the McCarthy's last episode.  Much like last week I believe there will be a repeat at 9:30, with a new episode at 8 PM on the 12th.

 

I was just looking at my TV Guide and for the 2/12 listing the 7pm (my time) episode did not say NEW! on it, like the week before.

 

But I am a little confused--is it Anxiety Optimization that will be airing tonight, or Comic Book Store Regeneration?

I've seen promos for Anxiety Optimization, but I thought that someone had said that Comic Book Store Regeneration would air on the 29th.

Edited January 29, 2015 by phantagrae

[Tensor]

I was just looking at my TV Guide and for the 2/12 listing the 7pm (my time) episode did not say NEW! on it, like the week before.

 

Well, go with I'm wrong then.  

[kerrycec03]

this 2/12 listed on TV Guide and sources as a repeat I cannot confirm with my CBS programming grid I use for work.  It does NOT say repeat on my copy.  Yesterday I called over to my friend to see if she knows of anything.  If I find out, I'll let you know, but on the CBS Programming Seller Guide its not a repeat....but could be wrong on either side.

[Tensor]

Not really, given what transpired in that episode and what has happened before and since.

So from this we can conclude that you think your interpretation is the only correct one? Not going with that.

 

And moreover, what he said was factually true--Penny had known Sheldon longer than Amy had.

What is also factually true is that Amy feels that Penny is closer to Sheldon than she is, and if Sheldon is indeed in love with Amy, that's a rather big problem for Amy.

 

doesn't mean that they're trying to show that Sheldon and Penny have more of a bond or share more intimate information together than Sheldon and Amy do.

If they have Amy state she feels that Penny and Sheldon have a closer bond, that appears, to me, a rather large indication that they ARE trying to show they have more of a bond than Sheldon and Amy. Otherwise, why have her say it?

 

Finding the truth of a scene or episode can make all the difference.

Don't I know it, I have to do it all the time when auditioning and in shows. I just don't see why you think your version is THE or only objective truth. It may be YOUR version, but that doesn't make it the ONLY version.

[MTBigBangTheoryFan]

The TV Guide on my TV says the Anxiety Optimization is airing tonight.  

 

It shows no new episode for next week.It  say TBA  Sports for Thursday 2/5 

[tmp]

Here's a new topic.  Now that the all-female cast of the new Ghostbusters movie has been announced, I wonder how long before it'll get a mention on TBBT.  I also wonder if the fellas will approve.

[Mislav]

So from this we can conclude that you think your interpretation is the only correct one? Not going with that.

What is also factually true is that Amy feels that Penny is closer to Sheldon than she is, and if Sheldon is indeed in love with Amy, that's a rather big problem for Amy.

If they have Amy state she feels that Penny and Sheldon have a closer bond, that appears, to me, a rather large indication that they ARE trying to show they have more of a bond than Sheldon and Amy. Otherwise, why have her say it?

Don't I know it, I have to do it all the time when auditioning and in shows. I just don't see why you think your version is THE or only objective truth. It may be YOUR version, but that doesn't make it the ONLY version.

I am not going to argue which opinion is the right one, but I would like to point out that only because Amy thinks something, doesn't mean that it is true. Also, lots of things changed since that episode. And I don't think that writers are trying to show that Sheldon and Penny have a stronger bond, just that they are closer than it may seem.

[phantagrae]

So from this we can conclude that you think your interpretation is the only correct one? Not going with that.

 

What is also factually true is that Amy feels that Penny is closer to Sheldon than she is, and if Sheldon is indeed in love with Amy, that's a rather big problem for Amy.

 

If they have Amy state she feels that Penny and Sheldon have a closer bond, that appears, to me, a rather large indication that they ARE trying to show they have more of a bond than Sheldon and Amy. Otherwise, why have her say it?

 

Don't I know it, I have to do it all the time when auditioning and in shows. I just don't see why you think your version is THE or only objective truth. It may be YOUR version, but that doesn't make it the ONLY version.

 

What's true for a particular character isn't necessarily the overall truth:  Amy feels that SHeldon is more open with Penny.  That's her perspective and the truth of what she feels.  And it may be true for SHeldon, but that doesn't mean that Leonard's statement isn't still true.  Yes, he may be able to be more open with Penny is some ways, but it's because he's known her longer, not because he likes her more, etc..  Amy's comment is the truth of what she feels, but Leonard's comment is the truth of the situation.

But just because Sheldon may feel more free to express certain things to Penny doesn't mean that he doesn't love Amy--in a different way.  If he's more self-conscious with Amy it may be because he cares more about what Amy thinks of him than he does Penny.  He thinks that Amy puts him on a pedestal of perfection (and it may be more that he puts himself there), and he wants to maintain that ideal, doesn't want to disappoint her, or to have her think badly of him.

I think that Sheldon has a lot of conflict with being honest about his feelings when he's talking to Amy, though we've seen him learn more and improve with that recently, but he is able to be his ornery, selfish, insecure self with Penny because he doesn't care what she thinks of him, and so forth.

 

But also, what a character feels is the truth is not necessarily the truth, like when Penny tells Sheldon that no one plays D&D with girls, implying that girls don't play.  Of course it's not true for the world, it's simply what Penny believes to be true.

 

Sometimes they can have a character say something they believe is true in order to have someone speak the actual truth, to underscore that actual truth--like with Sheldon and Kripke.

Sheldon said what he THOUGHT (in his egocentric panic) was true, but Leonard stated what was actually true.

 

Some things are open to interpretation, other things are objectively true.  I do try to find the objective truth, which means it's more likely to be the truth of the intention of the writers than what someone thinks if they're interpreting things through skewed lenses.

I'm not saying I'm the only one who knows the truth, but I am saying that it seems to me that objectively--not coloring it toward anyone's ship, or extreme interpretation of character or whatever--it seems like the most true thing.

[puremorning]

I think for everyone-specially someone like Sheldon-it's easier to open up to a person who feels like a sister/mom to you than open up to a person you in love with. We saw Sheldon open up to Leonard, Howard and Raj before and this is not different from any of them in my opinion.

[PatsyR]

How true, puremorning.  And remember Sheldon didn't want Amy to pick him up in Arizona because he didn't want her to see him fail.  It's probably easier for him to admit failure (or anything negative) to anyone other than Amy as he can't bear to have her think less of him.  I think this is just how Sheldon views love.  He idolizes her and assumes she must idolize him in return.  Therefore, he can't present his true self (the one with warts and all) for fear of losing her.  Yes, I know, rather immature--but it's Sheldon, and he's learning.