Episodes 823 The Maternal Combustion (April 30)

[bhreg]

I  definitely enjoyed this episode.  The clash of the Moms was great, my money's always on Mary...Ha, the good Christian/good Texan joke...Laurie delivered it spot on  The interplay with her and Sheldon was entertaining, she'd so proud of her little genius, and Sheldon completely giddy to hear her brag on him.  (Was it just me or did they costume Laurie more on the frumpy side this time?  Maybe to make even more contrast between the mothers?)

 

Beverly is such a nightmare of a mother, but I love seeing Christine Baranski take her out to play!  "Come to Mommy"...bwah!  How Leonard turned out so well is a miracle Mary would believe in! ;-)  

 

One of my favorite moments was Shelnard's convo in the bedroom...that was hysterical. Of course I had to look up the background on the "super weaner" bit.  For anyone interested:  http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2015/01/12/science-word-of-the-day-super-weaner/

 

B plot was pretty good too.  Best parts, Howard's "Kiss ass" to Stuart, the great Helberg physical comedy in the kitchen, and I did enjoy the musical tag quite a bit.

 

There were of course the usual assortment of inconsistencies in -canon and characterizations, but clearly the writers were focused on letting Laurie and Christine take the Moms out for a rumble.   Though seriously writers?...there are so many other things Penny could have said were cute...but no...let's go for the cheap ethnic joke.  Boo.  (Sadly, they are pretty consistent about doing that)

Edited May 2, 2015 by bhreg

[kelliluvtbbt]

the B plot reminded me of Snow White and 3 of her dwarfs... liked it.  

[Martin Pollard]

(Was it just me or did they costume Laurie more on the frumpy side this time?  Maybe to make even more contrast between the mothers?)

 

"She looked terrible" was my wife's remark, and I can't really blame her. They made Lauie look really bad this time around (the pulled-back hair was the worst, IMHO). But, like you said, that may have been a deliberate choice, in order for Mary to contrast more with Beverly.

[Strawberry PopTart Fan]

Laurie's 60 and Christine is 63. It's all about the hair!

 

And the clothes. Mary's dress was frumpy. She's really a pretty woman.

Edited May 2, 2015 by Strawberry PopTart Fan

[Nogravitasatall]

Not to mention that any negative actions Leonard possibly takes towards his mother COULD have NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES towards his relationships with his brother and sister.

Leonard was unlucky with his mother. Sheldon was lucky with his. Leonard staying away from his family is likely a matter of self-preservation. He might not really need to worry about about his relationship with his siblings, though he will. There are real life examples where the best thing for you is to stay away from family. Outliers, true. But nicely documented in lots of stories. And where is his dad?

Poor beggar. Where hanging with Sheldon is an attractive alternative to family. Something is up with that. No wonder he clings to Penny too. Glad they are showing them as actively happier lately. Maniacally happy in THE GRADUATE TRANSMISSION. And why shouldn't he be. She can be delightful.

[gwhh]

I notice that right away also. She looked awful! Maybe she been sick!

By the way , I should add that the actress playing Beverly was awesome as ever....superb acting....

but the actress playing Mary cooper seemed like she was jaded or something.......

 

Bev looks like the same like she did in season 2 while mary cooper seemed to have put on a lot of years........

[tmp]

The dynamic of Leonard and Sheldon with their mothers has always been one of my favorites of the series.  For me, the fact that they're both like the other one's mother makes sense of their relationship with each other.  They don't want to be like their own mothers, but each can understand this other person who is like her.  I think it makes them alternately more tolerant and more exasperated with each other.

 

In particular, some of my favorite dialog on the series is the back-and-forth between Sheldon and his mother about religion.  When I started watching the show, it was the exchange between Sheldon and Mary about staying in Texas to teach evolution to creationists that first got me hooked.  This episode's lion chow dialog was a perfect example of their banter; I enjoyed it immensely.

 

I also loved seeing Sheldon and Leonard trying to get their mothers to behave, like teenagers who are horrified by the way their parents act.  Still, as annoyed as they were with their mothers, they each wanted her approval--just like children do.  Even though we become adults, in some ways we'll always be children when we're around our parents.

[jenafan]

I find it ironic that although Mary gives Jesus full credit for Sheldon, that the payback is that he does not believe in God. I also find it interesting that in exchange for a smart kid, she ended up with a "handful" to raise.

Still in spite of their banter, they respect what the other believes, even if they disagree.

I love how Sheldon uses his mother's Christian beliefs to call her out and that Mary supports her son even though she believes he is lion chow.

[phantagrae]

I notice that right away also. She looked awful! Maybe she been sick!

 

 

That's kind of an ugly thing to say...