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906 The Helium Insufficiency (October 26)


Tripper

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To quote so many people here, "I must be watching the show wrong" tonight because I found it hilarious. Maybe because I find it easy to suspend belief in two geniuses being clueless instead of looking for every little fault or basing my enjoyment on one particular character or ships presence and treatment. Maybe it's because every now and then I don't mind low brow situation comedy stylings that make me laugh at what others think are mean spirited. Maybe because I found Kripke walking backwards for dramatic effect hysterical or don't react badly to simple minded drinking games played by a group of friends for the sake of comedy, knowing that in the scheme of things in a sitcom, Amy and nameless people on a dating app will bear no lasting scars next week from a bit of ribbing by friends who have plenty of history at being occasional jerks in the name of laughs. Maybe because I love a Shelnard centric episode that is focused on their careers and not their relationships. Maybe because I don't base my enjoyment of the show solely on the proviso that Lenny must appear together every week ( in my 20+ years of marriage many a day has been spent not in the company of my beloved) or that Shamy must reunite posthaste. Maybe, because I found Seasons 1-2 really funny. Maybe because, like hokie, I'm really enjoying Season 9. Clearly in the minority this time round but each to their own. The Destined clan unanimously loved this one, laughing consistently from start to finish. 

I agree on one thing though. They have sucked the life out of Amy Farrah Fowler.  Mayim is getting nothing funny to work with this season. Give her back her spirit please writers. Everyone else, I'm loving. 

I actually was enjoying it until the guys gave the black market contact $1000 to take the helium back. I fell off the bandwagon. The boys are supposed to be more than just smart but they started to look like Spongebob and Patrick. 

Spongebob-Patrick-spongebob-squarepants-

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I actually was enjoying it until the guys gave the black market contact $1000 to take the helium back. I fell off the bandwagon. The boys are supposed to be more than just smart but they started to look like Spongebob and Patrick. 

Spongebob-Patrick-spongebob-squarepants-

Yeah that bit was a bit too Kurt and Zarnecki. After 8 years they should be mature enough to not get into the bully boy situations but it didn't detract from the enjoyment overall for me  

 

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I actually was enjoying it until the guys gave the black market contact $1000 to take the helium back. I fell off the bandwagon. The boys are supposed to be more than just smart but they started to look like Spongebob and Patrick. 

Spongebob-Patrick-spongebob-squarepants-

this is supposed to be a comedy... I don't care about the details...as long as it is funny

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Sure it is a comedy. I think there is usually some difference between TBBT and Dumb and Dumber. Both are comedies but there is a difference most of the time.

I guess the writers can't please everyone.....

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Exactly what I was going to post. Raj definitely cracked me up!

Kaley continues to be fabulous with Penny's facial expressions. She had me laughing a few times too.

But the rest of it was blah. I get the reason for the helium storyline, but I just didn't find it all that funny :(

"Whaaaaaaaaaa... Nevermind, i thought we were all doing that" killed me lol 
And the underwear comment !

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To quote so many people here, "I must be watching the show wrong" tonight because I found it hilarious. Maybe because I find it easy to suspend belief in two geniuses being clueless instead of looking for every little fault or basing my enjoyment on one particular character or ships presence and treatment. Maybe it's because every now and then I don't mind low brow situation comedy stylings that make me laugh at what others think are mean spirited. Maybe because I found Kripke walking backwards for dramatic effect hysterical or don't react badly to simple minded drinking games played by a group of friends for the sake of comedy, knowing that in the scheme of things in a sitcom, Amy and nameless people on a dating app will bear no lasting scars next week from a bit of ribbing by friends who have plenty of history at being occasional jerks in the name of laughs. Maybe because I love a Shelnard centric episode that is focused on their careers and not their relationships. Maybe because I don't base my enjoyment of the show solely on the proviso that Lenny must appear together every week ( in my 20+ years of marriage many a day has been spent not in the company of my beloved) or that Shamy must reunite posthaste. Maybe, because I found Seasons 1-2 really funny. Maybe because, like hokie, I'm really enjoying Season 9. Clearly in the minority this time round but each to their own. The Destined clan unanimously loved this one, laughing consistently from start to finish. 

I agree on one thing though. They have sucked the life out of Amy Farrah Fowler.  Mayim is getting nothing funny to work with this season. Give her back her spirit please writers. Everyone else, I'm loving. 

 

True words from you. 

I don't get what's going on here in this fan forum. For me it is the episode I laughed most for at least 1 and a half season, it really felt close to the "good old times". (seasons 1-3 or even up to 6). The babbeling over word defintions etc. :cool:. I found it really great, this episode (highest rating from me).  If I look at the user ratings: 905 ->excellent; 906->OK. WTF is going on?

Edited by heimey

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So apparently a bunch of nerds and Penny think it's funny to take the piss  out the way people look?

 

Yeah, they do.   Like most people in real life.

I've actually enjoyed most episodes this season so far and felt like the writing has been good with the comedy. However, I wasn't really feeling tonight's episode. I hated how mean spirited the dating stuff was. I get that is what many people are like with those dating apps and maybe the writers were trying to comment on that but these characters are meant to be misfits and here they just came off as super mean and judgemental. I hope this was just a blip before resuming normality!

Misfits cant be mean and judgmental  ? Since when ?

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I actually was enjoying it until the guys gave the black market contact $1000 to take the helium back. I fell off the bandwagon. The boys are supposed to be more than just smart but they started to look like Spongebob and Patrick. 

Spongebob-Patrick-spongebob-squarepants-

Again, book smart doesn't equal street smart.  They're really not into breaking rules and have to real experience with such things.  They're kind of naïve goody-two-shoes kind of guys.

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enjoyed the shelnard working  about there paper again,

there was kripke trying to get on the paper without any work

on it, just because he had the helium.

it was good to see amy  trying to get a date, going slow 

just for coffee.

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Again, book smart doesn't equal street smart.  They're really not into breaking rules and have to real experience with such things.  They're kind of naïve goody-two-shoes kind of guys.

Hmmm. I'm a goody-two-shoes kind of guy.

Can't imagine purchasing something on the black market much less purchasing something on the black market and taking it into my work place. Of course I'd not take rocket fuel home either (not that I work with rocket fuel -- I'd just not take something potentially unsafe into my home). Also, I never use cash in that kind of quantity.

I can accept these guy being dumb when it comes to relationships but when it comes to work it is kind of hard to swallow. Leonard has kept his job long enough, he has to know what he is doing at work.

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Hmmm. I'm a goody-two-shoes kind of guy.

Can't imagine purchasing something on the black market much less purchasing something on the black market and taking it into my work place. Of course I'd not take rocket fuel home either (not that I work with rocket fuel -- I'd just not take something potentially unsafe into my home). Also, I never use cash in that kind of quantity.

I can accept these guy being dumb when it comes to relationships but when it comes to work it is kind of hard to swallow. Leonard has kept his job long enough, he has to know what he is doing at work.

really??

how many times have we seen the guys doing weird/dumb things at work...

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Hmmm. I'm a goody-two-shoes kind of guy.

Can't imagine purchasing something on the black market much less purchasing something on the black market and taking it into my work place. Of course I'd not take rocket fuel home either (not that I work with rocket fuel -- I'd just not take something potentially unsafe into my home). Also, I never use cash in that kind of quantity.

I can accept these guy being dumb when it comes to relationships but when it comes to work it is kind of hard to swallow. Leonard has kept his job long enough, he has to know what he is doing at work.

I wondered about that too. Kripke knows that they don't have liquid helium to do their experiment and suddenly they do? He would start asking questions and maybe report them.

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I wondered about that too. Kripke knows that they don't have liquid helium to do their experiment and suddenly they do? He would start asking questions and maybe report them.

And get reported himself?  If it came down to that, I'm sure they have plenty of dirt on him.  He mentioned once upon a time that he uses his grant money on women.

He's probably got more dirt than them.

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And get reported himself?  If it came down to that, I'm sure they have plenty of dirt on him.  He mentioned once upon a time that he uses his grant money on women.

He's probably got more dirt than them.

As far as I know, scientists have a wide range of how they can use their grant money as long as they get the work done they are paid for. But I don't think soliciting stolen materials is part of the range ^^

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As far as I know, scientists have a wide range of how they can use their grant money as long as they get the work done they are paid for. But I don't think soliciting stolen materials is part of the range ^^

And using it on "broads" is within that range?  Just like Leonard was talking about that one guy who used his grant money to "keep" a woman, Kripke has mentioned spending his grant money on women (don't remember if he said broads or strippers) and that's worse than buying questionably sourced helium, IMO.

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Here is something I missed:

from https://www.facebook.com/CMSexperiment/posts/10153640785143433

Two photos at link....

by the way CMS is one of the detectors at the LHC.

What's that you see in Bernadette and Howard's apartment? That's right, it's a 3D-printed model of the CMS detector!

Screenshot courtesy of CBS, from the episode "The Helium Insufficiency" (Season 9, Episode 6).

Photograph courtesy of Fermilab.

CC: The Big Bang Theory

 
EDiT
Another little connection to this episode is the LHC requires a lot of liquid helium for the superconducting magnets.
Edited by djsurrey

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I wondered about that too. Kripke knows that they don't have liquid helium to do their experiment and suddenly they do? He would start asking questions and maybe report them.

The department head would wonder about the sudden availability of their helium also.  As far as the department head knows, the experiment is on hold because of the helium on back order.  

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And using it on "broads" is within that range?  Just like Leonard was talking about that one guy who used his grant money to "keep" a woman, Kripke has mentioned spending his grant money on women (don't remember if he said broads or strippers) and that's worse than buying questionably sourced helium, IMO.

It might be questionable behavior but not illegal. But using materials that were stolen, possibly from the US military, that could get them into a lot of trouble

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It might be questionable behavior but not illegal. But using materials that were stolen, possibly from the US military, that could get them into a lot of trouble

Grant fraud is a big deal I think and is not just questionable behavior. I guess the more money that is involved the bigger the problem.

http://dailybruin.com/2011/12/05/number_of_research_grant_fraud_cases_on_the_rise_as_government_works_to_stop_trend/ 

http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/43810/title/A-Costly-Case-of-Grant-Fraud/ 

http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/41361/title/Columbia-Pays-Millions-to-Settle-Fraud-Claim/ 

 

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Again, book smart doesn't equal street smart.  They're really not into breaking rules and have to real experience with such things.  They're kind of naïve goody-two-shoes kind of guys.

Right on.  These are the same guys that can't figure out how to loosen a lug nut off a flat tire without burning the entire vehicle up.    These are the same guys that can't figure out how to put a piece of IKEA furniture together using written instructions.

Edited by jenafan

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