episodes 919 'The Solder Excursion Diversion' (March 31)

[djsurrey]

How is it that Sheldon would use a storage locker so far from home that he would need a ride to get there but he was also able do take other stuff there previously without anyone knowing?

It seems unlike Sheldon to be using a laptop that was not working very well. If he wants 16 GB of ram and an i7 is he going to tolerate it if it is not working 100%. I doubt it.

• I tolerate old junk and when I really want to stream something I just borrow the chromebook I got for my wife. The rest of the time I'll just use something discarded by someone else. Typically I replace windows with Debian Linux and then switch to a lightweight X11 desktop environment (LXDE) so I don't need so much RAM.

Edited April 2, 2016 by djsurrey

[vasu]

1 hour ago, djsurrey said:

In 6.09 Sheldon attempted to sell the laptop that he had owned for two years.

oh I completely forgot about that.... lol

and now he does'nt want to take credit for his old laptop.... 

and as I said before a gamer like Sheldon would have got a new laptop once a key on his keyboard stops working...let alone have video and audio problems......

[Lionne]

It's true that there's plenty to nitpick about this episode.

1) Buying someone else their laptop? Really? As others have noted, I get that this scene was meant to show well well Amy knows Sheldon, but picking out your own laptop is the sort of thing most people would do for themselves. And Sheldon doesn't need to have a functioning computer on which to do his work? I assume he wasn't completely devastated by his computer's death because he's been making regular back-ups of his work.

2) Mayim is one of the least hairy people I've ever seen - she can get away with never shaving her legs, and you can barely tell. Yet apparently Amy is one of the hairiest people ever known to mankind. Between her nose hair, dandruff, and one hell of a bikini wax, what the hell is the fixation on Amy's body hair?

3) Sheldon's hoarding problem - first of all, that's not actual hoarding as I know and have experienced it with two of my family members. Second of all, how has Sheldon managed to keep this a secret from Leonard, much less get so many items to this place? Last of all, how the hell has he managed to move all of his possessions from Texas up to this unit?

But I'm overthinking it all, right? This is a comedy. A lot of things in the episode were great, in particular that this was so clearly a Bill Prady written episode and that the actors were so comfortable, smiling and relaxed and at ease, playing their characters. I mean, they were literally teasing, smiling, and firing off their lines with that unmistakable ease of being in the skin of their characters as they know and love them from over 9 years playing them. It was really striking how easy it was for them all to be in character here, and how much they enjoyed acting in this episode, and I think that was the part I enjoyed most of all.

For the record, it was the tag scene which made me angry with this episode originally. It did not come off as bad when I watched it, but it still makes me annoyed that there seems no consequence or change from their break up and getting back together. That eye wag from Sheldon was a moment to show a surprise - things have changed, or things have stayed the same. They came up with a weird situation in which Amy was sent home, but there was something very intimate with the way Sheldon had set her up on the computer in bed with him, and seemed genuinely happy and fascinated that she seemed to be with him there in bed. Even though, as Amy pointed out, she was not. Would have been very interesting, even thrilling, back in season 7 or 8, but just makes me slap my forehead now.

Edited April 2, 2016 by Lionne

[djsurrey]

33 minutes ago, Lionne said:

But I'm overthinking it all, right? This is a comedy. A lot of things in the episode were great, in particular that this was so clearly a Bill Prady written episode and that the actors were so comfortable, smiling and relaxed and at ease, playing their characters.

Well I will have to watch it again (with no one else in the room making remarks).

I was about to say I wish I could tell if it was a Bill Prady written episode but I thought the writers have said they write these episodes as a group.

Edited April 2, 2016 by djsurrey

[Stephen Hawking]

8 hours ago, djsurrey said:

I recall him getting a box of papers he wrote as a child in 6.03.

I don't recall him getting lots of other boxes.

They don't show him receiving them, but the script implies he received lots more boxes:-

Sheldon: Well, this box only covers my work through nursery school. There’s a good deal more to come.

Also, when he's interviewing Alex Jensen, there's nine cardboard boxes stacked against the wall, to the right of his office desk, and at least four similar height piles (say a dozen plus boxes), in the bottom of the camera frame, against the left hand wall.

 

 

Edited April 2, 2016 by Stephen Hawking

[Stephen Hawking]

18 hours ago, Chrismo said:

Kind of shows Shamy fans aren't really Amy fans.

If anything, I'm slightly more of an Amy fan than a Shamy fan, but it's pretty close, so hard to call.

8 hours ago, djsurrey said:

In 6.09 Sheldon attempted to sell the laptop that he had owned for two years.

How could have not want to get rid of it, when it had been resting on Howard's naked junk? 

Also, we don't know he didn't sell it, and buy an identical replacement?

Edited April 2, 2016 by Stephen Hawking

[Chrismo]

12 hours ago, vonmar said:

We are Amy fans, you just don't get us.  That's fine.

We find the sweetness in every episode. That's what we do.

When Shamy broke up things weren't too sweet on here.

[djsurrey]

7 hours ago, Stephen Hawking said:

They don't show him receiving them, but the script implies he received lots more boxes:-

Sheldon: Well, this box only covers my work through nursery school. There’s a good deal more to come.

Also, when he's interviewing Alex Jensen, there's nine cardboard boxes stacked against the wall, to the right of his office desk, and at least four similar height piles (say a dozen plus boxes), in the bottom of the camera frame, against the left hand wall.

It implies he is getting more boxes of his notes and papers. Not every toothbrush and electronic device he ever owned.

[Stephen Hawking]

31 minutes ago, djsurrey said:

It implies he is getting more boxes of his notes and papers. Not every toothbrush and electronic device he ever owned.

But the boxes his mother sent, contained only paperwork.

Any electronic devices from his childhood, would have been transported when he moved to Pasadena, which was long before he met either Leonard or Amy.

[Tensor]

 

11 hours ago, Lionne said:

2) Mayim is one of the least hairy people I've ever seen - she can get away with never shaving her legs, and you can barely tell. Yet apparently Amy is one of the hairiest people ever known to mankind. Between her nose hair, dandruff, and one hell of a bikini wax, what the hell is the fixation on Amy's body hair?

Also in "Spoiler Alert" there was this:

Penny: Yeah, and I’ve seen those legs. You might want to get some Drano.

 

[PatsyR]

I found this episode to be a delightful one and an important step forward for Shamy.  When Amy first mentioned to Sheldon about turning in his old computer and getting store credit, you could see Sheldon's trepidation.  He tried to cover up what he knew he would do with the old computer, but Amy pressed him and eventually he had to tell her.  I could see on his face then that he wasn't certain how she would take the news.  After all, hoarding is a psychological problem in itself--and now you add this problem to all of Sheldon's other problems, and it might just be too much for Amy to handle.  At least, that's what I thought he might have been thinking.  It showed great bravery on Sheldon's part to tell Amy about his hoarding--more so, I think than even sleeping together, because coitus was a positive step and hoarding is a negative behavior (although the revelation of it was positive).  I also believe that Amy's response was perfect and shows Sheldon that if he had any doubts at all about her, that those doubts should be forgotten.  

The only thing I regret was that the writers missed a great opportunity for Amy to compliment Sheldon about the neatness of his hoarding.  Most hoarders you read about are usually nowhere near as organized as Sheldon.  Sheldon should probably give lessons on hoarding or be president of the Hoarders Association, because he's obviously an exemplary one.

 

[joyceraye]

12 hours ago, Lionne said:

It's true that there's plenty to nitpick about this episode.

< snip >

They came up with a weird situation in which Amy was sent home, but there was something very intimate with the way Sheldon had set her up on the computer in bed with him, and seemed genuinely happy and fascinated that she seemed to be with him there in bed. Even though, as Amy pointed out, she was not. Would have been very interesting, even thrilling, back in season 7 or 8, but just makes me slap my forehead now.

Glad as I was that they showed us over a minute more than usual this week, I wish it could have been just a little longer so that we could have heard Sheldon say, ' I know ! I'll join you for a cup of tea in fifteen minutes.'

[Cindi May]

On 1/4/2016 at 5:46 PM, vasu said:

depends on the reasoning they come up with.... they could have guessed Raj would have come to visit them.. and then they could also have guessed Raj would rat them out .... so in order to catch Raj... they come up with this plan and when Raj comes out of the closet ... those two could have smiled at each other acknowledging their plan worked out.................   ( again I wanted the reason because they were convinced their wives bought their lies)....

point 2 : i honestly could not care whether shamy fans or amy fans or not.......but for me Amy's character has gone from being awesome to being cringeworthy.... still there are jokes about her being sex starved... i hated those before... I hate them even more now.... yuck just yuck.,...

I agree. I can't stand new normal Amy.

[Stephen Hawking]

2 hours ago, PatsyR said:

Sheldon should probably give lessons on hoarding.

To Howard perhaps?  

[djsurrey]

12 hours ago, Stephen Hawking said:

How could have not want to get rid of it, when it had been resting on Howard's naked junk? 

Also, we don't know he didn't sell it, and buy an identical replacement?

One wonders what he is going to do with his bed after the recent revelation?

He was still caring that laptop around. I'd expect he would have sealed it in plastic and sent it off to storage. Look how he is touching it. You might need a whole row of those emoticons. (I like that one by the way ).

I don't know how having an identical replacement would help? You saw the bag of identical toothbrushes. It appeared he just can't let anything go as of now (except an imaginary pen maybe; or maybe that is in there too). This reminds me of the room of requirement from H.P..

 

Edited April 2, 2016 by djsurrey

[phantagrae]

On ‎4‎/‎1‎/‎2016 at 5:05 AM, Chrismo said:

Although to me the Shamy storyline was just filler by the time the episode ended. Sheldon throwing the golf ball back into the storage shed and preferring to see Amy on skype ruined it for me. I get the idea it was suppose to be funny. It was and it wasn't.

I think those two moments were very in character and very funny and were great punchline payoffs.

[Chrismo]

2 hours ago, phantagrae said:

I think those two moments were very in character and very funny and were great punchline payoffs.

Yea once a jerk always a jerk is his character. And the punchline is to diminish Amy. 

Edited April 3, 2016 by Tensor
Removed comment about a group of posters.

[joyceraye]

1 hour ago, phantagrae said:

I think those two moments were very in character and very funny and were great punchline payoffs.

Amy was the last person his old laptop had seen and he wanted her to be the first thing his amazing new one saw. After all, she did buy it so it was only right and proper, LOL. We have no way of knowing where Sheldon went after their online conversation, of course :) 

 I wonder what he'd said to get her to go home ?  'It's Saturday. Go home and wait for me.  I'll see you there when I've picked up my laundry from downstairs.' ? It would account for her reply. Was the Skyping instead of or as well as .......... ? They're still keeping us guessing.

Throwing away both the ball-box and the ball would have been too big a step. I rather think Amy'd have known that really.

[Chrismo]

59 minutes ago, joyceraye said:

 

Throwing away both the ball-box and the ball would have been too big a step. I rather think Amy'd have known that really.

After ten plus years of hoarding stuff that would of been just crazy throwing both out.. Of course Amy should have known that.

Edited April 3, 2016 by Tensor
Comment removed to comply with recent rules update.

[djsurrey]

On a second viewing the first thing that came to mind that Sheldon had some options to construct his email and could have gotten around the keyboard issue. I can't imagine Sheldon sending a message missing letters.

1. He could remap some keys. I think there were only three that did not work. (see http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/map-any-key-to-any-key-on-windows-xp-vista/ )
2. He could plug in a spare USB keyboard. Most new desktops use USB keyboards and those keyboards can be plugged into laptops too.
3. Anyone who has used computers as long as I have probably has resorted to copy and paste in a pinch to construct an email on a computer with one or more non working keys. One can copy from existing messages or documents or webpages. A simple but tedious solution. 
4. A person as smart as Sheldon could probably think of ways to get autocorrect to fill in the missing letters.
5. Sheldon could have used his phone to compose the email.
6. If the laptop was expensive, and it sounds like it was, he could have the laptop fixed.

As far as the skype call. I have used an old android tablet for skype. One should be able to do the same with a newer android phone.

One can do the same with an iphone. 

[Stephen Hawking]

10 hours ago, djsurrey said:

This reminds me of the room of requirement from H.P..

What's the "the room of requirement from H.P"  

[djsurrey]

20 minutes ago, Stephen Hawking said:

What's the "the room of requirement from H.P"  

The Room of Requirement from the  Harry Potter series.

Quote

Dobby: "Dobby knows the perfect place, sir! Dobby heard tell of it from the other house-elves when he came to Hogwarts, sir. It is known by us as the Come and Go Room, sir, or else as the Room of Requirement!"

Harry Potter: "Why?"

Dobby: "Because it is a room that a person can only enter when they have real need of it. Sometimes it is there, and sometimes it is not, but when it appears, it is always equipped for the seeker's needs."

— Dobby telling Harry Potter about the Room of Requirement[src]

In the sixth book of the series Harry needs to hide a copy of the potions text. Turned out a lot of students had used the room to hide things and Sheldon's storage locker reminded me of the room used for that purpose..

Quote

Harry used the room in his sixth year to hide the Half-Blood Prince's copy of Advanced Potion Making. He found that many other students had used the room to hide a multitude of other objects, including theVanishing Cabinet.

Quotes from http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Room_of_Requirement

Edited April 3, 2016 by djsurrey

[Stephen Hawking]

8 minutes ago, djsurrey said:

The Room of Requirement from the  Harry Potter series.

I wouldn't know, having never read Harry Potter.

[vasu]

2 hours ago, djsurrey said:

On a second viewing the first thing that came to mind that Sheldon had some options to construct his email and could have gotten around the keyboard issue. I can't imagine Sheldon sending a message missing letters.

1. He could remap some keys. I think there were only three that did not work. (see http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/map-any-key-to-any-key-on-windows-xp-vista/ )
2. He could plug in a spare USB keyboard. Most new desktops use USB keyboards and those keyboards can be plugged into laptops too.
3. Anyone who has used computers as long as I have probably has resorted to copy and paste in a pinch to construct an email on a computer with one or more non working keys. One can copy from existing messages or documents or webpages. A simple but tedious solution. 
4. A person as smart as Sheldon could probably think of ways to get autocorrect to fill in the missing letters.
5. Sheldon could have used his phone to compose the email.
6. If the laptop was expensive, and it sounds like it was, he could have the laptop fixed.

As far as the skype call. I have used an old android tablet for skype. One should be able to do the same with a newer android phone.

One can do the same with an iphone. 

on screen keyboard !!

[veejay]

20 minutes ago, vasu said:

on screen keyboard !!

Yes and I guess he was using Linux (Ubuntu) at first as a dual boot system on his old computer.