Episode 1001 The Conjugal Conjecture (September 19)

[Chrismo]

13 minutes ago, ajond said:

in the episode poll, would have liked an option between Good and Bad, maybe Fair. I thought Sheldon was way too crude about his mother and L's father. Also his intrusion into the wedding was totally underwhelming. The way he treats Amy is unlikable.

As SRAM said in the Lenny thread the episode needed to be an hour. More Lenny moments to drown out Sheldon's stupidity. As to Amy To be honest Amy is much less important to him than Leonard, Penny and his mother.

[jenafan]

17 minutes ago, ajond said:

The way he treats Amy is unlikable.

Yeah, that bothered me, too.   However, I reconciled it to the fact that Sheldon is very possessive of his mother; like his spot.    He gets jealous when she cozies up to other men and his friends.   Apparently Amy is no exception to that.   I'm not saying it's excusable, only that I understand why he acts the way he does around her.

[vonmar]

Mayim's behind the scene's

http://groknation.com/hollywood/the-big-bang-theory-is-back-the-conjugal-conjecture/

“THE BIG BANG THEORY” IS BACK: THE CONJUGAL CONJECTURE

I hope you enjoyed the season opener of Season 10!!! (Spoiler alert if you haven’t seen it!)

We are so happy to be back filming another season of TBBT and I hope the wedding ceremony episode made you happy to be watching as well!

 

[Lionne]

Hey....they got in a joke about Penny's brother's new teeth being paid for. That totally makes the whole meth thing believable now. Sure.

Anyway, I also wish that this episode had been a whole hour. It felt rushed, and....so many things pushed into it but the overall experience was a little bland. Between Alfred, Beverly and Sheldon's nasty commentary to each other, the overall effective of negativity was hard to overcome by what were some very quick and not particularly memorable new vows. Their original vows were a lot sweeter, and more witty, but I guess I have those to remember for Lenny. Not to mention that Penny's family was infighting as well, so the episode felt mostly like people sniping at each other with dull, uninspired insults. If you want to level insults, at least make them clever and something to laugh at. I didn't laugh once this whole episode.

I did smile once, I think. The best for me were Penny and Wyatt's toast to each other. I know it was over their drinking ability but the spirit of it was comedic and sweet. I still love Christine Baranski and she can do no wrong in my eyes; even her facial expressions are hilarious, and I felt that her emotional upheaval was sincere. Albert was married to her for a long time, I have no idea how they were ever compatible or how he doesn't know how to manage her as well as Leonard knows how to manage Sheldon. I guess what I mean is....almost every family has some negative influence, and every single person has flaws, and typically when people come together you learn to not let those things bother you or you handle them maturely and ignore it, not pick fights back. The way Alfred and Beverly picked at each other you'd think they were both toddlers, or still holding onto some feeling for each other and reason to fight, not two adults who had figured out how to reach a certain level of zen around the other.

The part about the turkey drowning in the rain was supposed to be funny, but I'm not sure that's really an adequate metaphor for Sheldon, so it kinda fell flat.

I thought Simon, as ever, ruled as Howard. Again, he doesn't need a lot to play with, his facial expressions alone are classic. And even Kunal got in some good acting when meeting the Colonel; the look on his face was pretty priceless. Yet at the same time, why the heck did they even need that plot in there to begin with? They had 6 guest stars they were juggling as part of a full small family wedding plot, and I think that all of the guest stars barely got anything to do that really made them screen time stand out. And you had a new character with the Colonel too? You had a limited amount of time, the whole story about the gyroscope has no parallels in the wedding story - why not just wait until the second episode to get started on all that? Why break up the momentum of everything else happening with that random plot line and devote a few more minutes to mine the antics of your talented guest stars? Did Penny's family even have one single line or joke that wasn't about Randall's drug problems and meth dealing? How one-note can you get.

I feel if there was more time they might have gotten in some more heartfelt and deeper, more illuminating moments between the characters and their family members, but with so many people and only half an hour they only got to play on the more obvious, surface level beats before skipping on.

Penny looked lovely in her dress, as did Amy and Bernadette. The location for the wedding was gorgeous, and the touch with Amy's harp was nice. I thought Sheldon's speech was fairly stupid and redundant; we all know by now how much he loves Leonard and looks at him as a brother, and that he loves Penny too. There was absolutely no need or reason to inject him and his speech here, they should have kept the moment on Alfred and Beverly, and left Sheldon out of it. It's not like he was even apologizing for anything, he just.....wanted to declare his love during their ceremony and inject himself? Like the audience needed the reminder that Sheldon is a third wheel, or the third lead of the show? Totally unnecessary, and all kinds of mawkish. It was supposed to be sappy and touching and sweet, but I just had to roll my eyes at it, especially interjected there in that moment. If they wanted something sweet between the 3 of them they could have done something earlier, in a separate scene. During the wedding vows was just ridiculous; no one does that. Not even Sheldon is so socially inept as to do that.

Only I guess he is, because he did, so anyway.

Anyway, as Leonard and Penny said, I hope this is the last time they get married, although I would not hate seeing any of the guest stars again in the future when they can have a full episode in which to get to know them better.

Edited September 20, 2016 by Lionne

[No Regrets]

I loved the episode. Finally Leonard and Penny got the ceremony they deserved, the vows were wonderful. Surprisingly, Sheldon's interruption at the wedding didn't even bother me. It was actually a sweet moment. 

The one thing that bugged me a bit was Penny's brother. I don't know if it was the actor or the way he was written, but I expected someone very different. 

[3ku11]

I had no problem with Randall. I Thought he was funny, and seemed geniune in his portrayl. But HE acted a bit detached, for someone who used to be a meth dealer. HE said he only made it. Penny sells it. So Penny is Jesse in this situation haha. Randall is Heinsenberg . Randall came across a bit I Don't know everyone is happy, everything is so great. Why did I get Pee Wee images every time he spoke LOL. I don't know I Would of loved Aaron Paul. Nothing againgst the actor. But now I have watched it, a miscast possibly. Not to the extreme horrendoues levels of Meemaw, but overall not a horrible miscast. But a miscast none the less. I Thought DJ Qualls in Season One, in the Loobenfield Decay, did a better job of portraying a former meth dealer/guy/human. DJ's portrayl, seemed very attached to the world of Meth. Jack's portrayl came across almost like Hayden Christinsen, very very very detached. . It is almost they were going for the irony. It kinda felt flat for me. Jack is a great comedic actor, so he made it work. I still found him funny. But i guess I was not expecting, a clean type character. This is how I expected him to look like, roughly. But instead got a clean, former meth guy.  Or even Aaron Paul looking like this. The combined writing, and external aspects of the character ,bummed me out  a bit. 

 

Edited September 20, 2016 by 3ku11

[djsurrey]

I liked it for the most part. Excellent cast. Well I did not find Penny's mother compelling or natural. Everyone else made their lines work. A lot of talent in the regular cast and most of the guests.

The ceremony I could have done without but that's just me.

[camelliayao]

Loooooovvvveee Lenny's wedding. I also love Penny'a family a lot. Although they have all sorts of problems, they're a sweet family overall. 

Sheldon's a little...too much IMO in this episode. I thought after his mother and Alfred promised him nothing happened, he would tune it down a little bit. But no, he just wouldn't let things go. I'm well aware that him being annoying is what the writers find funny. But I think Penny's family made me laugh more than watching Sheldon pouting and insulting others.

Amy assuming Sheldon would propose, Sheldon being rude to Amy... What can I say.  They're not funny, nor do them have any meanings, but they're just going to be there. 

The emphasis on how SLP are a family is so old. I'm not even remotely touched by these kind of things nowadays. To think I once shed tears when Sheldon hugged Leonard or when Sheldon told Leonard how much he appreciated him being there for him. 

Honestly? I would love this episode more if Sheldon wasn't in it.

 

[mirs1]

That was a very funny episode to me, I laughed out loud all the time. The screen time was very balanced, as advertised in some BTS video these days everybody had a "moment" and\or a fun line. Probably, I could have done without Colonel Williams, since there were already plenty of guest stars, but the H/B/R scenes were fine. The wedding ceremony was sweet, and Bernie as a minister was so good in keeping everyone in line. Loved the outdoors location, Amy playing the harp and Penny's dress, it suited her so much. The final scene between the big three played out on screen better than I thought, not exactly my cup of tea, but kinda sweet. I loved Leonard's car scene with his parents at the end of the episode, Penny's and Sheldon's ones weren't as funny in comparison. All thing considered, an excellent start for the season.

[3ku11]

2 hours ago, djsurrey said:

I liked it for the most part. Excellent cast. Well I did not find Penny's mother compelling or natural. Everyone else made their lines work. A lot of talent in the regular cast and most of the guests.

The ceremony I could have done without but that's just me.

Well that was the entire plot, and entire reason the family were introduced. So that was never going to happen. 

[April]

I really enjoyed this episode. I would have preferred a two-parter but I guess with all those guest stars it would have been hard to get everyone booked. In result some parts felt a bit rushed and one-note but I think they did the best they could introducing all those new characters and give everyone a moment to shine.

I really liked Penny's family and their dynamic. They already said that now that the characters are introduced they can bring them back whenever they have a fun story idea so I hope they'll do that and maybe then we get go past the drug jokes.

The wedding was really sweet and even though I did cringe at the Sheldon part in the TR it played out fine on screen. So hooray for that. <3

[spidergirl]

That was a funny episode, I laughed out a few times. It was great as all characters were involved in episode storyline although I think I could have done without the Colonel plot, as it looked like a spare plot for such important wedding storyline.

 The wedding ceremony was sweet but sometimes a bit cheasy but , yeah Leonard sometimes is a bit cheasy, lol.

Bernie as a minister was perfcet and I did love she kept everyone in line, especially Howie. I laughed so much about that!

 Amy playing the harp was so sweet and Penny's dress was beautiful.

The hug between Lenny and Sheldon was better that I thought it would be on screen but it still is not my cup of tea. I'd prefer a scene between the three of them before or after the ceremony, a nice talk between them. But well, many of viewers should have liked and  that's the matter to the writers.

I really loved the car's scenes, the dynamic of the families was spot on!

My favourite scene was Penny's family in her place as they were chatting about ceremony day s stuff. Dont like much her brother but his creepy side made sense in all family dynamic.

My less enjoyable scene was the lack of reaction of Sheldon as he saw Amy ready for the wedding. I know he was foccused on the white board and in the problem he was involved at the moment but it seems bad after everything shamy had lived togehter so far, he gets any emotion as she dressed up. 

Sheldon that in past could say he thougth Amy was beautiful like he did in Prom's episode, so it is not nice as  he saw his girlfriend dressed for a wedding nicely and says nothing about that or didnt give even a look at her for we could see he said nothing but it had impact on him. Shame, maybe we can see something like that one day.

Sheldon was too much rude  imo in this episode. Dont get me wrong, I love Sheldon but the writters sometimes make him to take too much steps backwards about his level of maturity. I know he was stressed out because his mother and Leonard's father, for the wedding itself as it should remind  him that somethings need to change in his life with lenny but he didnt need to be cruel with his mother and with Amy. The "Mind your  business" line hurts  my shamy heart because  Sheldon was being more caring for Amy lately. Yet he turns to a boy as his mother is around and that s why I forgive him.

Cant wait for next episode , I bet some things would get better for sure

 

Edited September 20, 2016 by spidergirl

[Jonny]

Only commenting on the scenes that I have seen so far.

Wow that ceremony was a lot better, nice tranquil setting, got to see Amy's harp!, loved the dress on Penny and they had the all the people close to them in their lives present to see it this time. Stuart sitting between Leonard's parents and the dialogue was pretty funny. Bernie was the perfect choice to officiate especially with the snark flying around with the parents so she put a major stop to any of that. Leonard finally getting the acceptance from both his parents at the same time must have been a very nice moment for him. Amy getting excited, don't worry girl your time will come 

No problem whatsoever with Sheldon's short speech, it was genuine, sincere and from the heart and you could tell that Lenny both appreciated it. The Bernie husband gag was delivered with the right tone.

In terms of Penny's family i think they did a good job with the casting and it's always nice to see more characters being introduced and potential storylines in the future now they have appeared on the show.

What I really found interesting from that scene in 4B is Penny's job being mentioned and the fact she seemed happy now that she was assigned a new area to cover. I wonder if this means that they are putting the job change on the back burner for a while or simply Penny isn't seeking job change but a situation arises where she has to, perhaps the company starts laying staff off at some point? Will have to see what happens on that front.

Will comment on some of the other scenes when I finally see them.

Edited September 20, 2016 by Jonny

[veejay]

I do think they tried to do too much in too little time. The whole Howard/Raj plot was out of place. I would much rather have seen the families interact because I was interested to see Penny's family especially Katey Sagal and there wasn't really all that much to see, so all the jokes were one-note and forced. The show could of had Lenny’s wedding be the entire storyline and put off Howard/Raj storyline until next week. However, a good premiere but not enough time.

[BlackWhiteRose]

Great start into the new season! Loved the episode!

Loved Penny´s family! Her father is always awesome! And her brother was so much fun he really had some great lines *LOL*

Yeah Sheldon and his board *LOL* And then Amy came in and Sheldon was not happy that he had to start over *LOL*

Sheldon was fun as always and I loved the Sheldon/Leonard/Penny hug at the wedding. So sweet! And Amy played the harp! Loved it!

And Sheldon telling Alfred to stay away from Amy was just great ! Bravo Sheldon! Amy is his girl!

Bernadette was on fire at the wedding! Loved her yelling at Howard and Sheldon *LOL* And Stuart sitting between Beverly and Alfred *LOL*
And of course I loved Katey Sagal as Pennys mom but she didn`t got the best line except for that  fun line at the end of the episode. But I hope she comes back one more time.

 

 

[Judith]

The episode was entertaining. From the relatives I liked Mary the most and then Beverly and Penny's brother. There has been talk about his casting but judging from his acting I can see what they were going for when they chose him. (Forgot Wyatt. Really liked him too. The actor is great and younger than I remembered him.)

I was a bit disappointed with Penny's mom and as always Alfred bored me to death. I think he's supposed to be the straight man to Mary/Beverly so that's why.

Jealous Sheldon was the best :D In the car I was waiting to hear what kind of rude thing he'd tell Amy but all he said was "Mind your own business". Plus he was clearly upset so all in all I thought it wasn't anything serious.

As for the ceremony, I thought it was cute. The vows were sweet and I really liked Penny's dress and the flowers on her hair. Amy's breathy "It's happening" was hysterical. Thankfully Mary was next to her to calm her down :D Oh and I forgot Amy playing the harp! Also really liked her dress too. She likes her purples :D

Lastly, I thought the hug was very touching. Sheldon really loves his friends and wants them to be happy.

(I may or may not have fast-forwarded through Raj and Howard)

Edited September 20, 2016 by Judith

[kimbee73]

I loved this episode. I laughed out loud a lot. I actually haven't laughed this hard at an episode for a while.

Penny's family cracked me up. I wasn't sure what I was expecting with Penny's brother and I am still not sure if the casting was right but he was funny none the less.

 

I wasn't bothered at all by Sheldon's speech. I thought it was sweet although I do see those that thought once again he interrupted a moment between Penny and Leonard because he did but at the same time, Bernadette did ask if anyone else had anything to say.

The car scene with Amy, Mary and Sheldon was perfect. I know he was rude to Amy but I think that was showing that Amy would someday be able to handle him just like his mom. Mary telling her that she would get it eventually was perfect. It meant that she was passing the torch to Amy like he's yours and you will be able to handle him just not yet.

I was not at all bothered at Amy thinking Sheldon would propose which I must say I thought played out way less than the way it sounded.(this . usually why I don't comment at Taping reports and just read them. They never play out the way they sound.) I think she wants it so bad that she will make even little things out to be the big one. I think the writers are going to tease us for awhile and then surprise us.

 

All in all I enjoyed this episode from start to finish.

[kerrycec03]

Liked the episode a lot except was feeling the casting/story/plotline of Penny's Mom & brother.  Honestly, both are tremendous talents BUT it didn't fit with what we've been told about the characters and zero chemistry with Wyatt & Penny (further establishing their bond). 

 

That said the ceremony was adorable, Lennies you did get a kiss, the "its happening" played so much sweeter and Mary is so on board with Amy as a future daughter in law, Melissa killed it with her antics at the ceremony and as expected Alfred/Beverly/Mary were spot on! 

[BazingaFan]

Wasn't as funny as I expected; I think I laughed once when bernedatte yelled at howard at the wedding.  But upon watching it a second time, I think the episode was okay, but two things definitely stood out to me.  It occurred to me that if Penny's brother was cast with someone else, perhaps a dude with tattoos and a sullen face that grunted when he talked, that the lines would have been funny.  The guy they cast for her brother could not act at all (it wasn't just the way he looked). 

The second thing was the wedding and the interaction with leonard and penny.  After all this time, this was the moment we've been waiting for and I feel they blew it like they did with the first wedding.  Penny's part was okay but didn't feel as genuine as it should.  And I wish Leonard had said something more.  The feeling just wasn't there, like it was for Howard and Bernadette.

My two cents.

 

 

[Chocoholic]

I was so excited for the show to come back but honestly I was a bit underwhelmed with the episode. I didn't find the jokes that funny and everything just seemed a bit rushed. The actor casted to play Penny's brother did not seem like a (former) drug dealer at all, I guess those folks are generally hardened and a bit scary? Or maybe that's how they are portrayed in films/tv which shaped my imagination. He didn't seem like he had been to prison but more like the goofy little brother who can't get girls. 

Penny's mom seemed a bit out of place too although maybe that's just me as I had started imagining Lisa Kudrow in the role when I first heard Kaley mention her in an interview for the role. Also, I was never a fan of the Mary-Alfred plot. These things greatly diminished my enjoyment of the episode. With the exception of a few episodes here and there ever since season 8 it doesn't feel like I'm watching the show I fell in love with. Oh well I hope it gets better. I can't really quit it. :/ 

Most of you seem like you enjoyed it as I read above. I wish I felt the same. 

[djsurrey]

It seemed like there was a big missed opportunity with Penny's mom being so nervous and Beverly on hand to make her squirm. Beverly was too distracted by her own issues and Sheldon's ill considered comments shifted the spotlight. Mary and Alfred should have put Sheldon in his place. Amy should have put Sheldon in his place. She has done it before.

[jenafan]

8 hours ago, spidergirl said:

My less enjoyable scene was the lack of reaction of Sheldon as he saw Amy ready for the wedding. I know he was foccused on the white board and in the problem he was involved at the moment but it seems bad after everything shamy had lived togehter so far, he gets any emotion as she dressed up. 

Sheldon that in past could say he thougth Amy was beautiful like he did in Prom's episode, so it is not nice as  he saw his girlfriend dressed for a wedding nicely and says nothing about that or didnt give even a look at her for we could see he said nothing but it had impact on him. Shame, maybe we can see something like that one day.

I understand your disappointment, here.   However, this is where fanfic comes in to fill in the gaps.  How do we know that Sheldon didn't pull her to the side and have affectionate words with her in private or even said something in the car on the way to the wedding? 

In the 18-20 minutes of air time, it is just not possible to include every scenario.   To have made time for that would have taken something else away from the episode.   

This episode was about Lenny, not Shamy.   All the back and forth between Mary and Sheldon was for the purpose of creating comedic animosity between Leonard's parents, and to highlight that Leonard and Sheldon are already "family" whether there will ever be a permanent bond between Mary and Alfred or not.  In fact, I wondered if Sheldon's hug was his way of finally giving Leonard away to Penny, making a way for him to finally begin letting go to contemplate life with Amy.

I think Sheldon telling Alfred to back off made it clear as day what Sheldon thinks of Amy.   As he told Leonard, he doesn't always express it in the right way or use every opportunity available to him, but his affection for her is there.   Mary sees it, hence her comforting Amy's disappointment when she realized the time she's been waiting for was not going to happen in that moment.

Sheldon's words to Amy at the end in the car did rub me the wrong way, but thanks to the wonderful insights from those like @April, I see now that Sheldon is absolutely correct in not wanting Amy to treat him like his mother.   He wants a partner, not another keeper, and I love that so much.   In addition, he thinks the way he has been handling his intimate relationship with Amy has been the right course.  One man/one woman taking it "remarkably" slow, before considering any physical course in the relationship.   I love Amy saying it was hotter than it sounds.

Besides his father, Sheldon has caught his mother in a compromising position with another man and now questions her intentions with Alfred, whom she just met and barely knows.    From Sheldon's point of view, Mary is not acting wisely and becoming a victim to her urges, and he thinks it is in his right to protect her from her herself.   Who can blame him?   He loves her.   It really isn't Amy's business regarding issues between mother and son.

By Amy's facial expression, we see she didn't take his comment for anything other what is was meant to be; a reminder to remember her place.   However, I couldn't help Sheldon's reaction to Mary trying to "train" Amy how to handle him.   Priceless!

Edited September 20, 2016 by jenafan

[ATM]

Boring episode !!!

[spidergirl]

33 minutes ago, jenafan said:

I understand your disappointment, here.   However, this is where fanfic comes in to fill in the gaps.  How do we know that Sheldon didn't pull her to the side and have affectionate words with her in private or even said something in the car on the way to the wedding? 

In the 18-20 minutes of air time, it is just not possible to include every scenario.   To have made time for that would have taken something else away from the episode.   

This episode was about Lenny, not Shamy.   All the back and forth between Mary and Sheldon was for the purpose of creating comedic animosity between Leonard's parents, and to highlight that Leonard and Sheldon are already "family" whether there will ever be a permanent bond between Mary and Alfred or not.  In fact, I wondered if Sheldon's hug was his way of finally giving Leonard away to Penny, making a way for him to finally begin letting go to contemplate life with Amy.

I think Sheldon telling Alfred to back off made it clear as day what Sheldon thinks of Amy.   As he told Leonard, he doesn't always express it in the right way or use every opportunity available to him, but his affection for her is there.   Mary sees it, hence her comforting Amy's disappointment when she realized the time she's been waiting for was not going to happen in that moment.

Sheldon's words to Amy at the end in the car did rub me the wrong way, but thanks to the wonderful insights from those like @April, I see now that Sheldon is absolutely correct in not wanting Amy to treat him like his mother.   He wants a partner, not another keeper, and I love that so much.   In addition, he thinks the way he has been handling his intimate relationship with Amy has been the right course.  One man/one woman taking it "remarkably" slow, before considering any physical course in the relationship.   I love Amy saying it was hotter than it sounds.

Besides his father, Sheldon has caught his mother in a compromising position with another man and now questions her intentions with Alfred, whom she just met and barely knows.    From Sheldon's point of view, Mary is not acting wisely and becoming a victim to her urges, and he thinks it is in his right to protect her from her herself.   Who can blame him?   He loves her.   It really isn't Amy's business regarding issues between mother and son.

By Amy's facial expression, we see she didn't take his comment for anything other what is was meant to be; a reminder to remember her place.   However, I couldn't help Sheldon's reaction to Mary trying to "train" Amy how to handle him.   Priceless!

Thank you for your insightful post. You are so right and so does @April, what could we do without you in this fórum?

Later I will rewatch the episode but I can say you two made sense, I was being silly, I reckon. I am so anxious to see those two taking the next steps foward in their relatioship that sometimes I forget how quirky they are and the route for their maturity is long and not easy.

Because Amy also had a few gems in this episode: the reaction to the possible proposal and her head movement (sorry dont remembre the right word) as Sheldon said she was his and he said to Leonard's father back off. As she said "yeah, I am his" , lol!

And soon another TR...oh boy, so excitted for all this season!

 

Edited September 20, 2016 by spidergirl

[djsurrey]

21 minutes ago, jenafan said:

However, I couldn't help Sheldon's reaction to Mary trying to "train" Amy how to handle him.   Priceless!

I enjoyed that when I watched it. Then I remembered the times Amy has already shown she was adept at handling Sheldon. More broken continuity. Amy did not need training in 7.09 to tell Sheldon to apologize and he did what she said even though he was tipsy.