[Spoilers] Season 11 Discussion Thread

[hokie3457]

13 minutes ago, RJ1013 said:

To those who asked, I did have a great time at this taping, thank you. My opinion is no doubt highly colored by seeing it live, but I think it’s my favorite episode of this season. It was a very friendship-focused episode, imo, and it was especially nice to have some scenes for the girls again.

Both Penny and Bernadette were excellent friends to Amy, particularly Penny who planned things. The quilting party was Penny’s idea, and came from her thinking about what she thought Amy would love. When it turned out that Amy’s expectations were different, she and Bernadette shifted gears and made it happen. Specifically, I think that what Amy wanted was the experience of feeling like she had a wild night, kind of like early seasons Amy, who didn’t want to miss out on things. But I’m not so sure that Amy truly wanted to do some of those things, you know? So her friends lying about the evening was kind of ideal. Amy got to feel like she had a wild night without actually having to do anything that would’ve made her uncomfortable.

I think it was a good friendship episode for the guys too, having each others’ backs to go meet the crazy physicist in the woods. It wasn’t a bachelor party per se, but if you think of the spirit of a bachelor party, I think this seems appropriate for Sheldon. His bachelor days weren’t filled with drinking, partying, and women; his bachelor days were filled with the delusion that he was fine on his own and with his aspirations of a life solely focused on work. One last look at that makes a lot more sense than a traditional party. I’m not someone who likes everything that the writers do, but I have to give them credit here because I thought it was a clever way of doing a ‘bachelor party’ for Sheldon.

 

A nice follow up by you @RJ1013 .   From your posts about the episode, I agree regarding the friendships for both Amy and Sheldon.  That Penny and Bernadette planned something that they would never in a million years want to do themselves was extremely thoughtful and that they readilly switched gears also points to a true friendship.

The same can be said for the guys. The traditional bachelor party is definitely NOT something Sheldon would enjoy.  That he was able to look at "what might have been" had he not met and fell in love with Amy was a nice touch.

I'm glad that you enjoyed your experience.  It is wonderful that you can call the episode you personally witnessed being created in front of the cameras your favorite.  Thank you for all your posts that shared your time with TBBT!

[RJ1013]

Behind the scenes everyone seemed in positive spirits and had lots of good energy, which is why I don't think anyone knew about Stephen Hawking yet. Melissa Rauch had a tough time getting out one of her lines about the body shots. She joked that her teacup was actually full of straight bourbon (or something along those lines). There were at least 3 different spots where the actors had to wait extra long for the audience to stop laughing. One being a Raj moment followed by a joke from Leonard, the other 2 being in the tag scene. Watching the actors' facial expressions during these long moments that they have to wait makes it even funnier. I think they always shorten those waits in editing, but it's a fun aspect of watching a live taping, and hopefully a good sign of a funny episode.

18 hours ago, Kev0821 said:

Thanks again, @RJ1013. You're a rockstar! If you have the time and feel like answering, can you comment on James Maslow's appearance? He posted a photo with the ladies at the bar.

The bar scene with James Maslow was pre-taped. I think he only had a line or two, but I'm not sure. We only see the pre-taped scenes once, so I don't tend to remember those as well as the live scenes which are shot at least twice. I don't believe he was present at the actual taping.

[Chiany]

2 hours ago, chucky said:

That's a matter of opinion. As always your opinion and mine are different. The only good point is that Season 12 will be the end.

I think there are many more stories to tell, and good ones too.

Not just for Shamy but for all characters.
I truelly believe that after this season/Shamy's wedding, it will be the turn for other characters.

Probably Raj though...

[chucky]

7 minutes ago, Chiany said:

I think there are many more stories to tell, and good ones too.

Not just for Shamy but for all characters.
I truelly believe that after this season/Shamy's wedding, it will be the turn for other characters.

Probably Raj though...

I hate to disagree, but Shamy will get the wedding and they will get Honeymoon the other couples didn't get. Shamy is the golden couple for these useless writers. Next we will have to endure Shamy talking about their honeymoon. Because what they do is so interesting. If these writers can't come up with anything better, they should end the show after 11/24!

Of course, Lenny did have a bit of a honeymoon. But they had to deal with Sheldon in San Francisco. But, we didn't hear about that, did we?

Edited March 15, 2018 by chucky

[veejay]

24 minutes ago, RJ1013 said:

Behind the scenes everyone seemed in positive spirits and had lots of good energy, which is why I don't think anyone knew about Stephen Hawking yet. Melissa Rauch had a tough time getting out one of her lines about the body shots. She joked that her teacup was actually full of straight bourbon (or something along those lines). *) There were at least 3 different spots where the actors had to wait extra long for the audience to stop laughing. One being a Raj moment followed by a joke from Leonard, the other 2 being in the tag scene. Watching the actors' facial expressions during these long moments that they have to wait makes it even funnier. I think they always shorten those waits in editing, but it's a fun aspect of watching a live taping, and hopefully a good sign of a funny episode.

The bar scene with James Maslow was pre-taped. I think he only had a line or two, but I'm not sure. We only see the pre-taped scenes once, so I don't tend to remember those as well as the live scenes which are shot at least twice. I don't believe he was present at the actual taping.

*) I would like to see this could foil all the stupid jokes about alleged laughtracks that are so often spread in other forums.

Thanks for the bts-parts! 

[RJ1013]

43 minutes ago, hokie3457 said:

A nice follow up by you @RJ1013 .   From your posts about the episode, I agree regarding the friendships for both Amy and Sheldon.  That Penny and Bernadette planned something that they would never in a million years want to do themselves was extremely thoughtful and that they readilly switched gears also points to a true friendship.

The same can be said for the guys. The traditional bachelor party is definitely NOT something Sheldon would enjoy.  That he was able to look at "what might have been" had he not met and fell in love with Amy was a nice touch.

I'm glad that you enjoyed your experience.  It is wonderful that you can call the episode you personally witnessed being created in front of the cameras your favorite.  Thank you for all your posts that shared your time with TBBT!

Yes, exactly! I know some Lenny fans will be disappointed at the lack of scenes for that couple in this episode. Assuming that these fans enjoy the characters of Leonard and Penny individually, I hope they'll be willing to look at this episode for what it is instead of hating it for what it isn't. Otherwise those fans will miss out on some nice moments of friendship. I've always felt that Leonard and Penny's enduring friendships with the odd (and often difficult) Sheldon and Amy is part of what makes them so endearing and part of what shows us, the audience, a lot of their best and kindest character traits.

[bfm]

7 hours ago, RJ1013 said:

To those who asked, I did have a great time at this taping, thank you. My opinion is no doubt highly colored by seeing it live, but I think it’s my favorite episode of this season. It was a very friendship-focused episode, imo, and it was especially nice to have some scenes for the girls again.

Both Penny and Bernadette were excellent friends to Amy, particularly Penny who planned things. The quilting party was Penny’s idea, and came from her thinking about what she thought Amy would love. When it turned out that Amy’s expectations were different, she and Bernadette shifted gears and made it happen. Specifically, I think that what Amy wanted was the experience of feeling like she had a wild night, kind of like early seasons Amy, who didn’t want to miss out on things. But I’m not so sure that Amy truly wanted to do some of those things, you know? So her friends lying about the evening was kind of ideal. Amy got to feel like she had a wild night without actually having to do anything that would’ve made her uncomfortable.

I think it was a good friendship episode for the guys too, having each others’ backs to go meet the crazy physicist in the woods. It wasn’t a bachelor party per se, but if you think of the spirit of a bachelor party, I think this seems appropriate for Sheldon. His bachelor days weren’t filled with drinking, partying, and women; his bachelor days were filled with the delusion that he was fine on his own and with his aspirations of a life solely focused on work. One last look at that makes a lot more sense than a traditional party. I’m not someone who likes everything that the writers do, but I have to give them credit here because I thought it was a clever way of doing a ‘bachelor party’ for Sheldon.

 

Thanks again!

Good point there about Sheldon.

6 hours ago, RJ1013 said:

Yes, exactly! I know some Lenny fans will be disappointed at the lack of scenes for that couple in this episode. Assuming that these fans enjoy the characters of Leonard and Penny individually, I hope they'll be willing to look at this episode for what it is instead of hating it for what it isn't. Otherwise those fans will miss out on some nice moments of friendship. I've always felt that Leonard and Penny's enduring friendships with the odd (and often difficult) Sheldon and Amy is part of what makes them so endearing and part of what shows us, the audience, a lot of their best and kindest character traits.

Well put. I also think these traits are the ones they share. I don't think Leonard and Penny are an "opposites attract" case. They have similarities which people tend to overlook and the writers de-emphasize while emphasizing their differences.

Edited March 15, 2018 by bfm
typo

[MsGreentea]

8 minutes ago, RJ1013 said:

Yes, exactly! I know some Lenny fans will be disappointed at the lack of scenes for that couple in this episode. Assuming that these fans enjoy the characters of Leonard and Penny individually, I hope they'll be willing to look at this episode for what it is instead of hating it for what it isn't. Otherwise those fans will miss out on some nice moments of friendship. I've always felt that Leonard and Penny's enduring friendships with the odd (and often difficult) Sheldon and Amy is part of what makes them so endearing and part of what shows us, the audience, a lot of their best and kindest character traits.

I totally agree with this , if the episode was mostly this.  

[hokie3457]

33 minutes ago, RJ1013 said:

Yes, exactly! I know some Lenny fans will be disappointed at the lack of scenes for that couple in this episode. Assuming that these fans enjoy the characters of Leonard and Penny individually, I hope they'll be willing to look at this episode for what it is instead of hating it for what it isn't. Otherwise those fans will miss out on some nice moments of friendship. I've always felt that Leonard and Penny's enduring friendships with the odd (and often difficult) Sheldon and Amy is part of what makes them so endearing and part of what shows us, the audience, a lot of their best and kindest character traits.

I am one of the Lenny fans you speak of.  I of course have not seen the episode, but the kindness toward their friends as they prepare to marry is one of the hallmarks of Leonard, of Penny and of Lenny. They are the most thoughtful people in the series and to be able to witness what they do for Sheldon and Amy will give me a lift.....

[chucky]

1 hour ago, RJ1013 said:

Yes, exactly! I know some Lenny fans will be disappointed at the lack of scenes for that couple in this episode. Assuming that these fans enjoy the characters of Leonard and Penny individually, I hope they'll be willing to look at this episode for what it is instead of hating it for what it isn't. Otherwise those fans will miss out on some nice moments of friendship. I've always felt that Leonard and Penny's enduring friendships with the odd (and often difficult) Sheldon and Amy is part of what makes them so endearing and part of what shows us, the audience, a lot of their best and kindest character traits.

Thank you so much for all the info that you have so gracefully provided for us. We do so appreciate all that we can get and what we have received makes it so I can't wait to to see the episode myself. Great job!

[joyceraye]

I love the idea that Sheldon's 'stag' do as we call them here was so tailor-made for him. It used to be referred to as the bachelor's last night of freedom and resulted in vicars up and down the country complaining  half the congregation was badly hung over the next day, or even still tipsy from the night before. It was even known for the odd service to be missing a groom because he was still tied naked to a lamp post somewhere or otherwise unavailable due to some prank. Nowadays as often as not the stag parties don't take place the night before,but a few days earlier to give everybody time to sober up and travel back from the venue which might be abroad. 

Alas, when I was the age at which I'd have found such things fun, the 'hen party' ( female version of the stag night aka bachelorette party in US ) hadn't been invented. The term referred then generally to any gathering of women at any time. There was no fun 'do' for a bride to let her hair down with her friends on her last night of carefree spinsterhood. Some did have a meeting at home to help with last-minute preparation for the wedding and to keep her company on her last night of virginity. Parties do happen now,some getting a bit wild with male strippers and everything. I can't see how quilting in 4A was going to be Amy's last chance to do it, (quilting I mean ) but ( had she not already been sharing the apartment with Sheldon ) it could have been her last chance to do it in peace. It was certainly a look back to when she had room and time to do that sort of thing uninterrupted in her single days. It was thoughtful of Penny to organise it. I'm glad they switched quickly to what Amy really wanted to do for fun. 

Edited March 15, 2018 by joyceraye
clarification

[Mario D.]

2 hours ago, hokie3457 said:

I am one of the Lenny fans you speak of.  I of course have not seen the episode, but the kindness toward their friends as they prepare to marry is one of the hallmarks of Leonard, of Penny and of Lenny. They are the most thoughtful people in the series and to be able to witness what they do for Sheldon and Amy will give me a lift.....

Yes, very true  Reminds me of the episode when Leonard's mother finally realizes that Penny is her favorite in-law and that she is thoughtful and considerate and says to Leonard that he has married well.

4 hours ago, chucky said:

I hate to disagree, but Shamy will get the wedding and they will get Honeymoon the other couples didn't get. Shamy is the golden couple for these useless writers. Next we will have to endure Shamy talking about their honeymoon. Because what they do is so interesting. If these writers can't come up with anything better, they should end the show after 11/24!

Of course, Lenny did have a bit of a honeymoon. But they had to deal with Sheldon in San Francisco. But, we didn't hear about that, did we?

Did they ever really go to San Francisco....it was never revealed

[Chrismo]

3 hours ago, MsGreentea said:

I totally agree with this , if the episode was mostly this.  

It's always interesting to me and IMO some of my fellow Lenny/ Leonard/Penny shippers the correct way to watch the show.

Edited March 15, 2018 by Chrismo

[veejay]

13 minutes ago, Mario D. said:

Did they ever really go to San Francisco....it was never revealed

Wasn't that one of a typical beloved off-screen event?

[chucky]

13 minutes ago, Mario D. said:

Yes, very true  Reminds me of the episode when Leonard's mother finally realizes that Penny is her favorite in-law and that she is thoughtful and considerate and says to Leonard that he has married well.

Did they ever really go to San Francisco....it was never revealed

You have to think they did. Sheldon gave them the tickets he purchased for him and Amy. Then the ticker was he bought another ticket for him. Did they go, Penny seemed excited till the revelation of Sheldons accompany them.

1 minute ago, veejay said:

Wasn't that one of a typical beloved off-screen event?

Yep!

[Chrismo]

1 minute ago, veejay said:

Wasn't that one of a typical beloved off-screen event?

The writers had much more entertaining things to put on screen

[veejay]

1 minute ago, Chrismo said:

The writers had much more entertaining things to put on screen

Sure, sure.

[chucky]

1 minute ago, Chrismo said:

more entertaining things to put on screen

Loved the punch line! 

[Die Zimtzicke]

17 hours ago, Chrismo said:

They have been phoning in the last couple of years.

I totally agree!

 

15 hours ago, Sah said:

I gotta agree with you. Not sure how the ratings would be considered an embarrassment...

Neither do I. Plenty of shows would kill for these ratings. I do not want to get into the quality thing again either, but not all producers with these kind of ratings would be stressing over the quality of the show. They would be satisfied.

11 hours ago, April said:

Amy's weird crush on Penny being probably the most prominent example

They said at a Paleyfest that Amy had never had a best friend as a child and they were going for that childish BFF intense friendship many young girls have. No, it didn't work and yes, they figured that out quickly. Thank goodness. But Penny now calling Amy  her best friend completely throws me. Penny used to have many friends. Why they never mentioned her doing ANYTHING with any of them the last few years drives me nuts. You wouldn't have to see it, but it could have been mentioned. She was too popular to accept that Amy is now her best friend, unless it was just to be nice to Amy. But she came on awfully strong for mere politeness.

[Swedish Chef]

1 hour ago, Mario D. said:

Yes, very true  Reminds me of the episode when Leonard's mother finally realizes that Penny is her favorite in-law and that she is thoughtful and considerate and says to Leonard that he has married well.

Did they ever really go to San Francisco....it was never revealed

The writers have  never mentioned it if Lenny and Sheldon really went to San Francisco or not, but in my opinion this honeymoon never happened. 

[April]

20 minutes ago, Die Zimtzicke said:

They said at a Paleyfest that Amy had never had a best friend as a child and they were going for that childish BFF intense friendship many young girls have. No, it didn't work and yes, they figured that out quickly. Thank goodness.

Yeah, they were pretty open about it, hence why I called it the "most prominent example".

20 minutes ago, Die Zimtzicke said:

But Penny now calling Amy  her best friend completely throws me. Penny used to have many friends. Why they never mentioned her doing ANYTHING with any of them the last few years drives me nuts. You wouldn't have to see it, but it could have been mentioned. She was too popular to accept that Amy is now her best friend, unless it was just to be nice to Amy. But she came on awfully strong for mere politeness.

Part of the issue is that they are sitcom characters who more often than not have a limited circle of friends so they keep recurring characters to a minimum. Penny, for the most part, was mainly set in her roles as the love interest for Leonard and a foil for Sheldon respectively. The people she hung out with were nameless extras in the odd episode and as such fell by the wayside pretty quickly. I guess if you need an explanation one could handwave it with her being drawn into Leonard's social circle more and more and subsequently she lost interest hanging out with a bunch of dumbos much like he ruined dating stupid hunks for her.

[chucky]

17 minutes ago, April said:

Yeah, they were pretty open about it, hence why I called it the "most prominent example".

Part of the issue is that they are sitcom characters who more often than not have a limited circle of friends so they keep recurring characters to a minimum. Penny, for the most part, was mainly set in her roles as the love interest for Leonard and a foil for Sheldon respectively. The people she hung out with were nameless extras in the odd episode and as such fell by the wayside pretty quickly. I guess if you need an explanation one could handwave it with her being drawn into Leonard's social circle more and more and subsequently she lost interest hanging out with a bunch of dumbos much like he ruined dating stupid hunks for her.

That is spot on accurate.

[SRAM]

2 hours ago, Mario D. said:

 

Did they ever really go to San Francisco....it was never revealed

They did but Penny doesn’t remember much of it because she just got hammered and rode the cable cars.

[luminous]

Press release for episode 11.19 "The Tenant Disassociation"

Quote

LEONARD RUNS AGAINST SHELDON FOR PRESIDENT OF THE TENANTS ASSOCIATION, ON “THE BIG BANG THEORY,” THURSDAY, APRIL 5

“The Tenant Disassociation” – When Leonard learns Sheldon is the president of the tenants association, he decides to run against him. Also, Bernadette encourages Wolowitz and Koothrappali to find the owner of a drone after they find it in the backyard, on THE BIG BANG THEORY, Thursday, April 5 (8:00-8:31 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

Source: cbspressexpress.com/

[Sah]

58 minutes ago, April said:

Yeah, they were pretty open about it, hence why I called it the "most prominent example".

Part of the issue is that they are sitcom characters who more often than not have a limited circle of friends so they keep recurring characters to a minimum. Penny, for the most part, was mainly set in her roles as the love interest for Leonard and a foil for Sheldon respectively. The people she hung out with were nameless extras in the odd episode and as such fell by the wayside pretty quickly. I guess if you need an explanation one could handwave it with her being drawn into Leonard's social circle more and more and subsequently she lost interest hanging out with a bunch of dumbos much like he ruined dating stupid hunks for her.

Personally, I really don't care if they don't show or mention friends outside of the core group plus Wil and Stuart. I care more about what they are doing with the other characters on the show.