912 'The Sales Call Sublimation' (January 7)

[jenafan]

I loved all the Shamy Skype interaction.   Amy looked as giddy as she did when we last saw them together.   Sheldon talking about names, and how important it is to think about giving a name that one doesn't get teased about.   The whole Best Western/Best Buy conversation was so Shamy.

I didn't care for the Lenny storyline or childlike Leonard at the end, but I did like the psychiatrist.

I enjoy Raj and Sheldon together, and seeing Sheldon so happy and excited.   Being in love becomes him.

Unlike Lenny, Howardette seems pretty solid in their relationship.   Seeing Stuart in their bedroom while they were sleeping was just creepy.

[3ku11]

2 minutes ago, jenafan said:

I loved all the Shamy Skype interaction.   Amy looked as giddy as she did when we last saw them together.   Sheldon talking about names, and how important it is to think about giving a name that one doesn't get teased about.   The whole Best Western/Best Buy conversation was so Shamy.

I didn't care for the Lenny storyline or childlike Leonard at the end, but I did like the psychiatrist.

I enjoy Raj and Sheldon together, and seeing Sheldon so happy and excited.   Being in love becomes him.

Unlike Lenny, Howardette seems pretty solid in their relationship.   Seeing Stuart in their bedroom while they were sleeping was just creepy.

Not sure if i agree with that. They have been married a long time longer then Lenny has. Leonard and Penny just got married. And are dealing with pretty common issues. So I don't think its a fair comparison to say Lenny ain't solid. They have been mostly since S6. 

[jenafan]

Just now, 3ku11 said:

Not sure if i agree with that. They have been married a long time longer then Lenny has. Leonard and Penny just got married. And are dealing with pretty common issues. So I don't think its a fair comparison to say Lenny ain't solid. They have been mostly since S6. 

I stand corrected.   I agree with your viewpoint.

[meka3000]

4 minutes ago, jenafan said:

Unlike Lenny, Howardette seems pretty solid in their relationship.   Seeing Stuart in their bedroom while they were sleeping was just creepy.

You mean like when Bernadette treated Howard like a child with the chore chart in season 8 and Howard just goes along with being treated like a child by her, hence encouraging her behavior?  That doesn't sound like solid to me.

Edited January 8, 2016 by meka3000

[vonmar]

6 minutes ago, jenafan said:

I loved all the Shamy Skype interaction.   Amy looked as giddy as she did when we last saw them together.   Sheldon talking about names, and how important it is to think about giving a name that one doesn't get teased about.   The whole Best Western/Best Buy conversation was so Shamy.

I didn't care for the Lenny storyline or childlike Leonard at the end, but I did like the psychiatrist.

I enjoy Raj and Sheldon together, and seeing Sheldon so happy and excited.   Being in love becomes him.

Unlike Lenny, Howardette seems pretty solid in their relationship.   Seeing Stuart in their bedroom while they were sleeping was just creepy.

I wonder if they will respond in any way? The Container Store Tweeted after they were mentioned.

[gwhh]

How much does Sheldon fine you for using too much TP???

[jenafan]

2 minutes ago, meka3000 said:

You mean like when Bernadette treated Howard like a child with the chore chart in season 8 and Howard just goes along with being treated like a child by her, hence encouraging her behavior?  That doesn't sound like solid to me.

I was referring to this particular episode but take from it what you wish.   Besides, Howard likes for Bernie to act like his mother even if Bernie says she doesn't like being one.

[Einstein Von Brainstorm]

I read the taping report for this episode but I refrained from watching any of the trailers or sneak peaks as a little experiment for myself to see if it affected my enjoyment of the show and I found myself laughing out loud more than I normally do.

Overall I thought this was quite a funny episode despite my favourite character only appearing on screen briefly and on a laptop. Loved, Loved LOVED Kaley in this episode! her “I don’t wanna” whisper absolutely cracked me up! she totally shines in this ep! brilliant  

 

Shamy:
I loved the Best, best western, best, best buy conversation! and they were so sweet flirting over Skype but still very in character with Sheldon being insulted that she would want him at a neurobiology conference.

Sheldon attempting 'youth talk' with his "Shel-don" and “stop selling it kid!” was funny and the Synesthesia stuff was really interesting, I’m glad it came up on the show and prompted me to read up on the subject a bit.

I don’t enjoy the inconsistent jokes about Sheldon’s childhood though, his Dad worked in a store and got fired for stealing implying he was in and out of work yet the house Mary lives in is very nice. That house was implied to be the house Sheldon grew up in yet he previously said that his Mum had to help his Dad put the aluminium house back on its stilts ... when he was 15, and it is later stated that his Dad died when he was 14 - Actually watch your own show occasionally writers please! 

 

Howardette:
I often forget just how much I love this couple as they’re not front and centre very often but this episode seemed very much a set up for them having kids    which would be the smallest cutest babies of all time  the way Sheldon and Raj were talking about the asteroid like it was a child and then Sheldon agreeing to name all of his kids ‘Rajesh’ - there was just a lot of subtle baby hints in this episode for it to be a coincidence I think!

Does anyone else think Melissa might be pregnant in real life? cus that’s the vibe I’m getting from her for some reason  

 and HOWARD IN HIS PANTS! *dies of the lols*  

 

Leonard :
I don’t normally laugh much at Leonard, as he’s normally stuck being the ‘straight man’ on the show but I cracked up at him on the jump rope! I don’t enjoy watching him moan all the time but he was a lot of fun to watch in this episode and he had a really sweet idea to name the asteroid after the girls Good to see him happy!  

 

Lenny:
I didn’t see anything soul destroying there at all, he helped her out despite being embarrassed at the prospect of talking to a shrink, she agreed to go to the Doctor Who convention with him despite that being something she will hate - to me that’s a married couple compromising for each other!

The talking about Sheldon with the Shrink seems to be setting them up for moving out soon!
Renewing my bet on the 200th episode being about living arrangements!

 

Penny:
Oh dear she is not happy at all! Seems like she wants to be an actress again and is still quite afraid of growing up  
Poor girl had big dreams and she hasn’t realised them, that’s gotta hurt! 

 

Raj:
As I’ve been saying all season MORE RAJ, PLEASE, K, THANKS! :/ 

 

Doctor Gallow (sp?) :
Is it just me or was she actually quite similar to Beverly? Like a warmer more ‘mumsy’ version? I don’t normally enjoy the stereotypical ‘will trick you into talking about your issues’ TV shrink trope but she made it enjoyable and funny. “I went to college in the 70’s, it was a hairier time!”

 

Stuart - No. Just no. Creepy AF. and did I mention no?!

[meka3000]

Just now, jenafan said:

-I was referring to this particular episode but take from it what you wish.  

-Besides, Howard likes for Bernie to act like his mother even if Bernie says she doesn't like being one.

-One episode shouldn't determine the solidity of a fictional relationship.

-I get that, and there are certain degrees where that kind of behavior in their relationship IS NOT unhealthy.  The chore chart is not one of them.

[Chrismo]

Average at best. From best to worst:

Lenny: Could have been great. the parts with Leonard and Penny each at the psychiatrists office was funny. Their storyline was way too short. Should have been longer. Leonard jumping rope was a lit creepy.

Howdette: Enjoyed their  storyline. Can't complain about seeing Bernie in bed. They finally got rid of Stuart. Could handle Stuart's creepiness early in episode but way too creepy for me at the end.

Sheldon/Raj: Had a couple funny moments but overall could of done without their storyline. Raj needs a storyline badly. Needs Emily badly.  Sheldon got stuck with him this time.

i really didn't understand the Shamy Skype bit. I know Amy has to be on every episode no matter how brief. To me it could have been briefer.

by the way was it me or was there like 5 minutes of commercials in the middle of episode?  I don't ever remember it being that bad.

 

 

 

[Itwasdestined]

In terms of comedy, not a bad episode, but not a great one either. Most of the humour for me came from Raj and Sheldon one liners and Howard being Howard. Amy looked besotted every time she looked at Sheldon over Skype - I think she is still in the warm afterglow of "the event".

But after all the Shamy we've had over the last couple of months this was definitely all about Lenny, although for me it was more about Penny. The Leonard talk with the shrink was nothing new, just the same old stories of his mum mistreating him, although the birthday card joke amused me. Even the nonstop analysis of his possible neuroses by the boys was the standard let's belittle Leonard we get from time to time. It's good that it ended with Leonard feeling good about himself but we know that won't last with the writers because what they described is the Leonard character ( except for that Season 6-7 Leonard who was more confident).

On the other hand, Penny really opened up on the couch. It was quite confronting if you are in the "can't Lenny just be happy now that they are married" camp. It was quite telling how she went from being quite defensively reluctant to talk to really throwing her worries out in the open. 

The writers do seem to want to explore issues with relationships rather than just have couples having fun together these days. It's definitely making for a more dramatic comedy show this year, even though I'm still laughing plenty through most episodes. I was fine with the Shamy angst. It got them to a better place in the long run, regardless of the debates about whether they had to go that way. It did get Sheldon to finally truly accept his real feelings. In a way I'm hoping the writers do give these Penny concerns the same depth. There might be some pain for Lenny ( the couple and the shippers, not that I see a breakup a la Shamy) but maybe Penny does need to face her issues to find true happiness in the arms of Leonard.

I'll actually be upset if this is swept under the carpet rather than explored. We had Penny still dwelling on Leonard loving her for her appearance rather than who she is ( the tank tops  and her reference to herself as S 1-3 Penny - the hot, girl next door, even though that was her reference to her acting ). We had Penny pining for her younger days when she had fun. It was an idealised version of events of course. A lot of her acting experiences were far from enjoyable but I like that the writers throw that in again for those of us still wishing for her to return to acting. I think she feels she has lost her identity. Dreams are part of your identity and acting was her dream, not selling drugs. It may even be a reference to 'does money buy happiness?" She has money now but is it worth it doing a job she doesn't love. She wants to be carefree, fly by the seat of my pants, sports loving Penny again, not boring, save, sales rep,sit had home with the hubby and their kid (Sheldon). What is Penny's identity now? What does she get out of life now? 

This is where the Lenny story has to come in now. Leonard has to be part of this discussion. Maybe they finally have some real open and honest discussion about their marriage. Season 8 gave us very little. Season 9 gave us an accidental wedding mixed in with a contrived quasi betrayal that was swept under the rug by a 90 second discussion on Penny's couch. We need Lenny to have the same time Sheldon and Shamy got to work this through. When's the last time Leonard did something Penny was interested in? To be honest, has Leonard really done anything Penny is interested in WITHOUT whining about it? Other than going out for dinner and movies, what do they do that excites her? Does this need to be addressed?

Leonard's life hasn't changed. He still follows his science dream, his nerd lifestyle with his friends AND gets Penny as well. What does Penny have? Her dream is gone. Her friends she does stuff she likes doing with seem to be gone. Yes she has Amy and Bernie but other than sipping wine, talking about their men and going out to sip more wine what do they actually do together that is fun for Penny ( other than Vegas and both of those trips didn't really go as planned). 

I've got no concerns the marriage or their love is going to be in trouble but I really do hope we get a fair dinkum exploration of what their relationship is about. And I hope the good doctor returns and has a couples session with them. And they work to have some common interests. And they can openly express why they love each other and finally put to bed all the doubts that are still there. This probably belongs in the Lenny thread but for me this was the crux of the episode so I posted here. Was this the last episode taped? If so other than the Meemaw spoiler, there is nothing concrete about what's next? Because this better be developed. We can't end with Penny pining for the simple life of the past and Leonard playing skippy with girls and then sweep it under the carpet and return to the Adventures of Sheldon Cooper and His Friends. This better continue in the upcoming episodes. And I hope they can find comedy in it. While I want the dram I still want to laugh.

End of essay!

15 minutes ago, Chrismo said:

Average at best. From best to worst:

Lenny: Could have been great. the parts with Leonard and Penny each at the psychiatrists office was funny. Their storyline was way too short. Should have been longer. Leonard jumping rope was a lit creepy.

Howdette: Enjoyed their  storyline. Can't complain about seeing Bernie in bed. They finally got rid of Stuart. Could handle Stuart's creepiness early in episode but way too creepy for me at the end.

Sheldon/Raj: Had a couple funny moments but overall could of done without their storyline. Raj needs a storyline badly. Needs Emily badly.  Sheldon got stuck with him this time.

i really didn't understand the Shamy Skype bit. I know Amy has to be on every episode no matter how brief. To me it could have been briefer.

by the way was it me or was there like 5 minutes of commercials in the middle of episode?  I don't ever remember it being that bad.

 

 

 

18 and a half minutes of show time? Is that a new low for length of episode. An extra 3 minutes of Leonard and Penny talking on the couch would have built up to something more I feel. Ads really are starting to dominate now.

[Einstein Von Brainstorm]

53 minutes ago, jenafan said:

I loved all the Shamy Skype interaction.   Amy looked as giddy as she did when we last saw them together.   Sheldon talking about names, and how important it is to think about giving a name that one doesn't get teased about.   The whole Best Western/Best Buy conversation was so Shamy.

Which part of the episode did that happen in? I must have missed that.

[jenafan]

2 minutes ago, Einstein Von Brainstorm said:

Which part of the episode did that happen in? I must have missed that.

It was right after Raj told him they could name the asteroid when he mentioned the guy that named the planet Uranus and how that was a bad idea.

Edited January 8, 2016 by jenafan

[vasu]

When penny could'nt simply just say "because I love him" when the doctor asks why she married him......... it reflects on how penny sees her relationship with leonard.... after all she and leonard have been through....after nine years.....if she feels like this.....then it simply is better to break it off...... jeez looks like a toxic relationship......

how many times in the show are they going to show us that Penny has settled for leonard..... 

and so many complaints from penny about leonard.....wow....she does'nt even feel doable...... she also implied that because of leonard she quit acting and is doing this pharma job.... ... which I found quite weird because she was the one who quit and said leonard is what she wants to make her happy......looks like leonard is not making her even a tiny bit happy now............

and her complaning about living with Sheldon does not make any sense....someone remind me why leonard and penny are still living with sheldon.........

and I am not even going to talk about the guys listing out leonard's shortcoming and penny supporting them and even encouraging them ............wow

also leonard did not get celebrate his birthdays while he was a child because of his mother.........now his new mother  wife /soon to be ex-wife does not even remember his birthday.......... lol

anyway ... atleast howard and bernie made some progress......

and probably we will be back to Sheldon cooper and his minions from the next episode......

 

@Itwasdestined I think we might get penny talking about this seriously to someone.... but I bet it is not going to be leonard ....its going to be his roommate.....

Edited January 8, 2016 by vasu

[Einstein Von Brainstorm]

19 minutes ago, jenafan said:

It was right after Raj told him they could name the asteroid when he mentioned the guy that named the planet Uranus and how that was a bad idea.

Ah yes, I thought you meant picking a name for the kids! Sorry  

[meka3000]

1 hour ago, vasu said:

-When penny could'nt simply just say "because I love him" when the doctor asks why she married him......... it reflects on how penny sees her relationship with leonard....

-after all she and leonard have been through....after nine years.....if she feels like this.....then it simply is better to break it off...... jeez looks like a toxic relationship......

-how many times in the show are they going to show us that Penny has settled for leonard..... 

-wow....she does'nt even feel doable......

-she also implied that because of leonard she quit acting and is doing this pharma job.... ...

-which I found quite weird because she was the one who quit and said leonard is what she wants to make her happy......looks like leonard is not making her even a tiny bit happy now............

-and her complaning about living with Sheldon does not make any sense....someone remind me why leonard and penny are still living with sheldon.........

-also leonard did not get celebrate his birthdays while he was a child because of his mother.........now his new mother  wife /soon to be ex-wife does not even remember his birthday.......... lol

-Yes because a therapist is really gonna settle for a simple "because I love him." as an answer and isn't going to want to get a more complex answer.  (Said no therapist worth their salt, EVER).  Penny didn't want to talk about it, BECAUSE she never wants to face her issues head on.  She's a commitaphobe after all.

-So she has issues to work out means that she should dump leonard.  Because that would REALLY solve her life problems before that.  Because her life was SO MUCH better before she met Leonard.  Oh wait, it WASN'T.

-They haven't, you're just seeing what you want to see, as usual.

-She didn't say she wasn't now, just that she was listing what she was like back then.

-She didn't imply that either, she just said she USED TO BE an aspiring actress.  She didn't imply one way or another what impact Leonard had on that.  Your reading into that what you WANT TO read into it.

-Again your assuming just because she has SOME issues with her life means that she's 100% unhappy with Leonard.

-Sure it does, your just assuming that Sheldon being back together with Amy means he would be okay with Lenny moving out.

-She forgot, not doesn't remember.

[djsurrey]

I laughed while watching the episode. 

In retrospect I have to agree Leonard skipping with a bunch of young girls seemed odd. Then there was Stuart. Are they trying to make Sheldon look like the more normal one?

[Gbb]

I think Leonard was just letting his inner child out to play and ignoring what any disapproving person might say about it. A metaphorical FU to Beverly. Stuart is just the show's sad sack and now they've made his extra creepy. I miss original flavor Stuart. 

[stardustmelody]

The episode was not bad but not great..just sort of okay.   I had higher expectations when reading the summaries on this one for Lenny than how it played out.   It seemed to not be nearly as "enlightening" as I had expected, nor as "positive" as I hoped it would be.  I get that Leonard was letting his inner child out with the jump rope scene, but that was kind of creepy in a way...a grown man jump roping with a bunch of young girls he doesn't know...just seemed borderline creepy.  

I liked the Shamy Skype sessions, but prefer them interaction in person.  Skpe is okay, but they play off each other so much better in person.   They still were cute scenes.

The big win of the night for the episode were Howardette who were adorable.   I enjoyed them a lot, but really hate how they have turned Stuart into creepy this season. I much preferred him just desperate and pathetic before to this creepy version.  That last scene was way too creepy.

 

[djsurrey]

The part of the episode I liked the most was Raj and Sheldon working together and accomplishing something together.

[No Regrets]

Penny has "settled for Leonard"? Right, because no other man has ever shown interest in her ever. She had no other choice than to be with Leonard, that poor girl. Pardon the sarcasm, but come on now.

Penny married Leonard because according to her, he's her best friend and the love of her life. That doesn't mean she needs to be happy with everything that's going on in her life right now. Leonard is a very broken man in certain ways and Penny is the one who has to compensate that, while living with a man child who gives her a flippin' fine for using too much toilet paper. She chose that life, but that doesn't mean it doesn't frustrate her from time to time. It's called marriage.

[Chocoholic]

Man it was such a meh episode in my opinion. Didn't feel like tbbt that i love. I hate to write this because he is my favourite but I was not feeling Jim Parsons AT ALL. Found Sheldon way too normal/cheerful for my liking. Didn't laugh a lot. And obviously the creepy Stuart didn't help. 

Things I did like 

- the 3 couples were cute (Amy blushing on skype was sweet, Lenny hug was sweet, Howardette wearing plaid leaning on each other gushing over Stuart; as much as I am sick of him- It was cute)

- Bernie's hair were pulled up. And a change in outfit. I'm bored of those dresses. 

- Howard half naked out of nowhere made me smile. 

- Sheldon's t-shirt after he and Raj came back ...the print was of some game I used to play in childhood. Name is escaping me at the moment. 

- Scenes with Jane Kaczmarek were all great. Fantastic actress. Wouldn't mind seeing her again. 

- Always love it when Amy says 'Rajesh'. 

- Sheldon/Raj interactions were nice. 

- Leonard jump rope scene; I know a lot of people found it creepy/out of place/unnecessary ...and so did I but it did manage to get a laugh out of me. 

- Glad Raj had more than just a couple of lines. 

While all of these things were nice, this is definitely not an episode I will be rushing to see again. Things were all over the place. I miss group episodes. And I feel they didn't need to do the whole Penny being kind of a mom to Leonard/a 3 way marriage with Sheldon thing. And the whole Sheldon living with them thing is tedious as well. We've had the same thing with Howardette ...Bernie is a mother to Howard/It's a 3 way marriage with Raj/Stuart living with them. I mean we've already had the girls making more money than the guys thing. I would like for them to come up with some new conflict for Lenny if that's the road they're taking. 

Hoping the next episode is better than this one. 

[No Regrets]

The line that made me laugh the hardest:

Psychiatrist: You might also benefit from a prescription for anxiety.

Penny: OK. Just don’t make it Placinex. I don’t need fits of homicidal rage.

[tmp]

8 hours ago, Einstein Von Brainstorm said:

Overall I thought this was quite a funny episode despite my favourite character only appearing on screen briefly and on a laptop. Loved, Loved LOVED Kaley in this episode! her “I don’t wanna” whisper absolutely cracked me up! she totally shines in this ep! brilliant  

Shamy:
I loved the Best, best western, best, best buy conversation! and they were so sweet flirting over Skype but still very in character with Sheldon being insulted that she would want him at a neurobiology conference.

Sheldon attempting 'youth talk' with his "Shel-don" and “stop selling it kid!” was funny and the Synesthesia stuff was really interesting, I’m glad it came up on the show and prompted me to read up on the subject a bit.

Leonard :
I don’t normally laugh much at Leonard, as he’s normally stuck being the ‘straight man’ on the show but I cracked up at him on the jump rope! I don’t enjoy watching him moan all the time but he was a lot of fun to watch in this episode and he had a really sweet idea to name the asteroid after the girls Good to see him happy!  

Raj:
As I’ve been saying all season MORE RAJ, PLEASE, K, THANKS! :/ 

Doctor Gallow (sp?) :
Is it just me or was she actually quite similar to Beverly? Like a warmer more ‘mumsy’ version? I don’t normally enjoy the stereotypical ‘will trick you into talking about your issues’ TV shrink trope but she made it enjoyable and funny. “I went to college in the 70’s, it was a hairier time!”

Stuart - No. Just no. Creepy AF. and did I mention no?!

This, exactly.

I thought this was a solid episode, which apparently puts me in the minority.  The jump-roping made me LOL; it looked like some Cal Tech undergrads taking a study break outside one of the sorority houses, though admittedly I didn't look closely.  Kaley delivered her lines expertly for comic effect.  It's nice to see Penny dressed professionally and being successful in her career.  The names for the asteroid turning in Sheldon's favor was clever writing, as was the best Best Western/Buy dialogue.  Oh, and Jane Kaczmarek was perfect.

[FortCozyMcBlanket]

1 hour ago, tmp said:

This, exactly.

I thought this was a solid episode, which apparently puts me in the minority.  The jump-roping made me LOL; it looked like some Cal Tech undergrads taking a study break outside one of the sorority houses, though admittedly I didn't look closely.  Kaley delivered her lines expertly for comic effect.  It's nice to see Penny dressed professionally and being successful in her career.  The names for the asteroid turning in Sheldon's favor was clever writing, as was the best Best Western/Buy dialogue.  Oh, and Jane Kaczmarek was perfect.

this might have been Kaley's best episode this season -- she was SO funny and she definitely gave a great performance with her lines! I loved her pushing the pamphlet toward the psychiatrist and trying to change the subject  and I'm glad they finally made her vent a little frustration after all the kind of silent maturing Penny has done. Lenny gave me a weird vibe this episode at first but I realized after reading a lot of the comments here that it's completely healthy and IC for penny to have frustrations about her life since a new job and marriage. 

the Shamy scenes were so cute and exceeded my expectations for what I thought was going to be distant interaction between them! they're so smitten  

to me, the stars of this episode were Howard for his LET'S DO IT IN THE GARAGE scene - I busted out laughing!!! - and Leonard for his big middle finger to Beverly while he was gleefully skipping rope at the end haha... you know the psychiatrist must have prescribed him something!