[Spoilers] Season 11 Discussion Thread

[April]

1 hour ago, Jonny said:

Dexter went downhill for me when a certain someone died, even if that season itself was very good IMO that was when it fell off a cliff. Though that series ending and that season itself come to think of it was terribad

That was one of those shows I wanted to binge once it was over - when I heard how bad it ended... well, rather not waste my time on this. It's a pity cause I loved Michael C Hall in Six Feet Under (which had one of the best endings ever).

Anyway, something more on-topic:

4 hours ago, Jonny said:

And Raj didn't just have to interact with Lenny when he was living there, they could have had him interacting with Shamy more. lol the highlight from a dire season for him and the Raj scene I laughed at the most was when Sheldon and Raj were baking.

A real missed opportunity to get creative with this storyline I thought.

I totally agree! I think Raj living in 4A could have been used for more fun situations. I don't think the S4 finale is an issue anymore (the only time it ever came up again was with Emily who was new to the gang at that point and the potential conflict between both girls was subsequently brushed under the rug as well) so the writers could have done something more interesting here. Heck, they literally could have a plot about Lenny wanting more privacy and arranging for Shamy to take him out for some ice cream or whatever it was that Sheldon suggested. It's really not that difficult.

I'm not sure what they'll do with Raj now or if anything comes out of him living over Bert's garage. Judging by how they ignored the possibilities when he lived in 4A it might just be another situation where nothing much comes out of instead of one or two episodes having Bert as a guest.

Which I think is probably my biggest issue with Raj: there are plenty of possibilities to make his character more interesting and give him fun stories but the writers rarely give him the chance to shine. Pity, really.

[hokie3457]

25 minutes ago, Jonny said:

He could have walked away, he didn't. You have to ask yourself why. If he was/is as disgruntled with his character's storylines as many seem to think then he could and probably should have walked.

Maybe contrary to opinion on here he actually enjoys still working on the show? Or maybe he has almost 48 million reasons to keep doing it.

Unless you are a mind reader or he has actually told you himself we have no way of knowing whatsoever what he truly thinks.

All true, but part of the fun of being in a fandom is speculation. Trying to be a mind reader or pretending what it would be like if he/she/they told us themselves!

[joyceraye]

6 hours ago, Mario D. said:

Regarding Raj, to me there is some speculation of why he abruptly moved out of Apt. 4A.  Don't know why I get the feeling that there is an underlying factor to him moving out. Did Lenny say something to him about living there considering Raj and Penny history?  They both seem to have wanted him to find another place especially after "The Collaboration Fluctuation" episode that his presence became too uncomfortable for them. Why do I get the feeling that the night Raj and Penny were together will come up again and Penny will finally confess to Leonard exactly what happened in a heart to heart talk. IDK, maybe this is just wishful thinking on my part.

Does Penny herself know for certain what happened ?  We only have Raj's word, for what it's worth, that not much did. Not many men would want to admit to that sort of thing, but even ugh Raj might for the sake of peace.

[Tensor]

 

7 minutes ago, Jonny said:

He could have walked away, he didn't. You have to ask yourself why.

The why is going to depend on exactly why he hesitated (if he did)  in coming back. 

 

7 minutes ago, Jonny said:

If he was/is as disgruntled with his character's storylines as many seem to think then he could and probably should have walked.

But, what if he talked to the writers (remember he asked if they had the stories to continue.  

7 minutes ago, Jonny said:

Maybe contrary to opinion on here he actually enjoys still working on the show? Or maybe he has almost 48 million reasons to keep doing it.

Enjoying working on the show, and not enjoying the storylines are two different things.  There have been others who haven't needed the money (and Johnny doesn't at this point).

 

7 minutes ago, Jonny said:

Unless you are a mind reader or he has actually told you himself we have no way of knowing whatsoever what he truly thinks.

Of course not, and everyone here knows that.  But, we are allowed to speculate here.  We know he wasn't as vocal, as early and as often, as others about additional seasons.  That could mean nothing, or it could mean he wasn't sure.  We know he asked about the stories, as to why, we don't know, but again, it could be because he didn't like the way the stories have been going.  We also have reports from people who were there that he wasn't as forthcoming as Kaley was about continuing.  Does all that mean he was unhappy with the show as it was?  Possibly, but also possibly not.  That's where the speculation comes in.   Just like your speculating he's been happy with everything.  

 

 

 

 

 

[Tonstar17]

He could have walked away, he didn't. You have to ask yourself why. If he was/is as disgruntled with his character's storylines as many seem to think then he could and probably should have walked.
Maybe contrary to opinion on here he actually enjoys still working on the show? Or maybe he has almost 48 million reasons to keep doing it.
Unless you are a mind reader or he has actually told you himself we have no way of knowing whatsoever what he truly thinks.

He could have walked away, it could be the $, it could also be him putting his foot down to the nonsense writing and demanding more stories for his character. If they didn't want him they could have told him to f off, they didn't. I guess s11 will give us an insight into if it was all about the money or if his character improves storywise.

Sent from my SM-G955F using Tapatalk

[ajond]

36 minutes ago, Jonny said:

He could have walked away, he didn't. You have to ask yourself why. If he was/is as disgruntled with his character's storylines as many seem to think then he could and probably should have walked.

Maybe contrary to opinion on here he actually enjoys still working on the show? Or maybe he has almost 48 million reasons to keep doing it.

Unless you are a mind reader or he has actually told you himself we have no way of knowing whatsoever what he truly thinks.

DEFINITELY THE 48 MILLION REASONS.

[3ku11]

6 hours ago, April said:

What broke HIMYM's neck wasn't so much the last season but specifically the last, like, 5-10 minutes where they threw the whole show under the bus. If it weren't for the BS ending people would remember the show much more fondly - even with the last season cause at least then it would have had a purpose to the narrative. As long as Molaro & co don't pull a HIMYM ending they should be fine.

And well, being at the top of the ratings still shows that enough people like the show as is and it's ridiculously popular around the globe.

No need to worry about its reputation either cause it already has its own hatedom akin to an indie band that got mainstream success and now all the hipster kids complain that they sold out and they don't make music like they used to (lol) - so that particular train has left the station a long time ago.

TBBT is what it is and what it always has been if I may be so frank. Sure, it's a bit different because the characters evolved and the focus has shifted (see the screen time project) but better or worse is very subjective. To me it was never as sophisticated as people mad it out to be. It's a show that started with masturbation jokes, for goodness sake! I'd say "TBBT isn't Shakespeare!" but even he had plenty of dick jokes so that doesn't really work. lol

Seeing Ted and Robin were end game. I never saw it as putting the show under a bus. It would of just been a gray area or an unresolved thing without that ending. Like if Lenny never got together in the end. 

1 hour ago, ajond said:

DEFINITELY THE 48 MILLION REASONS.

Who walks away from 48 million? . I'm sure Johnny would do Two Broke Jokes for that amount of money. I'm sure after a decade of playing the same character. He might be creatively stifled. But money is money.

[vonmar]

3 hours ago, Tensor said:

 

The why is going to depend on exactly why he hesitated (if he did)  in coming back. 

 

But, what if he talked to the writers (remember he asked if they had the stories to continue.  

Enjoying working on the show, and not enjoying the storylines are two different things.  There have been others who haven't needed the money (and Johnny doesn't at this point).

 

Of course not, and everyone here knows that.  But, we are allowed to speculate here.  We know he wasn't as vocal, as early and as often, as others about additional seasons.  That could mean nothing, or it could mean he wasn't sure.  We know he asked about the stories, as to why, we don't know, but again, it could be because he didn't like the way the stories have been going.  We also have reports from people who were there that he wasn't as forthcoming as Kaley was about continuing.  Does all that mean he was unhappy with the show as it was?  Possibly, but also possibly not.  That's where the speculation comes in.   Just like your speculating he's been happy with everything.  

Isn't this their personal interpretation of the interaction between Johnny and Kaley?   I'm sorry, but I still haven't bought into the concept that a careered professional like Johnny would use a meet-and-greet at the audience railing during a live show to express his disappointment with story lines or the show.  

[Carlos]

4 hours ago, Jonny said:

He could have walked away, he didn't. You have to ask yourself why. If he was/is as disgruntled with his character's storylines as many seem to think then he could and probably should have walked.

Maybe contrary to opinion on here he actually enjoys still working on the show? Or maybe he has almost 48 million reasons to keep doing it.

Unless you are a mind reader or he has actually told you himself we have no way of knowing whatsoever what he truly thinks.

That's why I said that it looked as if he didn't want to come back. Of course I cannot say for sure. That's the reason I didn't. Again, anything I say in that regard is just my opinion in the exact same way that anything you say in that regard is just yours. I'd say the money played a big part in it, and it appears as if it took some convincing from Kaley for him to come back.

8 hours ago, Capt. Hilts said:

I agree "Our child is smart and beautiful" has to be part of the ending.

Yeah, they're different.  But US show schedules aren't what they used to be.  I was really surprised to see that they had 24 episodes a year.

Viewing patterns have changed - and TBBT does very well in flexible viewership - and some production patterns have also changed, but mostly in the field of drama produced by hbo, netflix, etc.  

I agree with what you say but in the case of broadcast TV both sitcoms and drama have 24 episode seasons. You only see12, 10 or 8 episodes on cable TV or as you said, Netflix. That being said the viewership is nowhere near close (in Netflix's case)

[Tensor]

 

36 minutes ago, vonmar said:

Isn't this their personal interpretation of the interaction between Johnny and Kaley?  

Sure it is.  But, in my view, it fits with his other behaviors.  YMMV

36 minutes ago, vonmar said:

I'm sorry, but I still haven't bought into the concept that a careered professional like Johnny would use a meet-and-greet at the audience railing during a live show to express his disappointment with story lines or the show.  

Isn't this your own personal interpretation of the interaction of Johnny with Kaley and the audience?    I don't think they ever said he was expressing disappointment with the show or storylines.  They simply said he didn't appear to be as committed to the show as the others.  

I'm sure there could be as many interpretations of his behavior as there are people.   Also, I don't think anyone said anything about his expressing dissatisfaction with stories during the time at the railing.   That's an interpretation based on his comment about asking the writers if they had enough stories to do, I'm also quite sure there are other interpretations possible there.  

As someone else pointed out.  We aren't in any of the cast member's heads, so we really don't know what is going on.   All we have are their various behaviors and actions, and that can be interpreted in a multitude of ways.   If we get more and better Lenny, then there may have been something to the speculation on what was going on with Johnny.  If it doesn't change, then it would appear the speculation was way off base.  We won't really know until we see what happens during the season, and even then, appearances could be deceiving.    Until then, speculation is free and can be fun.  

[vonmar]

29 minutes ago, Tensor said:

 

Sure it is.  But, in my view, it fits with his other behaviors.  YMMV

Isn't this your own personal interpretation of the interaction of Johnny with Kaley and the audience?    I don't think they ever said he was expressing disappointment with the show or storylines.  They simply said he didn't appear to be as committed to the show as the others.  

I'm sure there could be as many interpretations of his behavior as there are people.   Also, I don't think anyone said anything about his expressing dissatisfaction with stories during the time at the railing.   That's an interpretation based on his comment about asking the writers if they had enough stories to do, I'm also quite sure there are other interpretations possible there.  

As someone else pointed out.  We aren't in any of the cast member's heads, so we really don't know what is going on.   All we have are their various behaviors and actions, and that can be interpreted in a multitude of ways.   If we get more and better Lenny, then there may have been something to the speculation on what was going on with Johnny.  If it doesn't change, then it would appear the speculation was way off base.  We won't really know until we see what happens during the season, and even then, appearances could be deceiving.    Until then, speculation is free and can be fun.  

No, this is my personal impression of Johnny as a professional seasoned actor not using a public forum to express his lack of enthusiasm. It was not about the moment, it was about the person.

[serena_1995]

 

14 hours ago, bfm said:

And no I don't think TBBT is a very sophisticated, quality show, though IMO there has been a decline in the wit and richness of their dialogues. And it is more than characters evolving and focus (unfortunately, IMO) shifting. The stories are being repeated. I fo they don't have new and original things to come up with now (and BTW, the ventriloquist thing was actually done in Modern Family) then what will they do with more than 48 additional episodes?

i think  Johnny  got a Golden Globe and Emmy nomination  in 2011/early 2012 . I am not sure if there is enough creative material for Leonard as a character nowadays. I also felt,  back then, that the portrayal of Sheldon was very iconic, clever and supremely funny. I remember when Jim won  a Golden Globe in 2011 and got Emmy nominations and/or wins starting 2009(that was as early as season 2 ) .

There was a lot of funny stuff worthy of memes, hysterical one liners, gifs and  *LOL* moment compilations in the show back then.  while TBBT was never a very sophisticated show, but it was also NOT a critically panned  show  full of bad jokes either, like some make it out to be. They got considerable critical praise back then.   IMO, there  was  a period of time, mainly season 2-6 , when tbbt  (atleast to me) was quite funny, well written and like you said, there was a richness in plots/dialogues .all characters were  still finding themselves, exploring relationships/friendships and the plots felt fresh, quirky and entertaining to me. At the very least , I could always count on it to make me laugh. I can't say the same now.

Imo there has been a decline in overall quality since season 8.. I think habit/inertia/loyalty is also good point since , the previous seasons did a very good job in creating and establishing these iconic characters and many times the familiarity with characters/actors makes even stale individual jokes/recycled plots/dumbed down dialogues work.....

Edited July 5, 2017 by serena_1995
paragraph spacing

[Tensor]

18 minutes ago, vonmar said:

No, this is my personal impression of Johnny as a professional seasoned actor not using a public forum to express his lack of enthusiasm. It was not about the moment, it was about the person.

Either way, it's still your personal interpretation.  Are you saying not committing isn't expressing a lack of enthusiasm.   

[vonmar]

8 minutes ago, Tensor said:

Either way, it's still your personal interpretation.  And I'm not sure, if he wasn't committing to continuing, 

No it is not.  It is my opinion about the person, Johnny Galecki and how he presents himself publicly and professionally and my disbelief that he would use a work place fan interaction situation to express any distress with the show.

[Tensor]

12 minutes ago, vonmar said:

No it is not.  It is my opinion about the person, Johnny Galecki and how he presents himself publicly and professionally and my disbelief that he would use a work place fan interaction situation to express any distress with the show.

So, what exactly is the difference between your opinion (Interpretation or whatever you want to call it)  of Johnny's actions and someone's else's opinion (interpretation, or what ever you want to call it) of Johnny's actions?  I don't see a difference.    Either way, it's someone's opinion.   Everyone can have different opinions, or interpretations of actions.  Without some other indications either one could be right.

 And that's where the rest of the things come in.  Was he not committing because he didn't like the plots for Leonard and Lenny?  We know he asked about whether the writers had more stories in them, now, whether or not it was about Leonard and Lenny plots, none of is ever likely to know.    

 

[vonmar]

4 minutes ago, Tensor said:

So, what exactly is the difference between your opinion (Interpretation or whatever you want to call it)  of Johnny's actions and someone's else's opinion (interpretation, or what ever you want to call it) of Johnny's actions?  I don't see a difference.    Either way, it's someone's opinion.   Everyone can have different opinions, or interpretations of actions.  Without some other indications either one could be right.

 And that's where the rest of the things come in.  Was he not committing because he didn't like the plots for Leonard and Lenny?  We know he asked about whether the writers had more stories in them, now, whether or not it was about Leonard and Lenny plots, none of is ever likely to know.    

 

I was focusing the the actor's public professional behavior, not the event.  I was not discounting the attendees impression of what occurred that evening. 

[Tensor]

OK, I'm still confused, but I'll just drop it.  

[bfm]

1 hour ago, vonmar said:

I was focusing the the actor's public professional behavior, not the event.  I was not discounting the attendees impression of what occurred that evening. 

But the attendees didn't even say he expressed dissatisfaction. If I remember correctly they said that Kaley said they would take care of having more seasons and looked at Johnny and he was sort of hesitant, he didn't agree eagerly and immediately. IMO, this is not using the interaction with the fans to express dissatisfaction with the show.

 

 

And another addition to the Johnny speculations: Besides the money, I think not (being percieved as the one) ruining it for the fans and his colleagues could have also been a consideration. Take Kaley for example, if he had left she would have had to choose between staying, which probably means ruining Lenny for good, or leaving, apparently against her will.

[Carlos]

1 hour ago, vonmar said:

I was focusing the the actor's public professional behavior, not the event.  I was not discounting the attendees impression of what occurred that evening. 

But by saying what you did you are having an opinion on what the actor's public professional behavior meant (or didn't mean). Short of asking Johnny himself and him trusting you enough to tell you the truth about the situation everything else are just opinions and speculations on your part (one way or another). Btw, so are mine as to what I interpret his actions to have meant.

[Mario D.]

23 hours ago, bfm said:

I think @Mario D. meant that Penny could tell Leonard that what lead to her fooling around with Raj was her being heart broken over Leonard's serious relationship with Priya.

Yes, that is exactly what I meant by having a heart to heart talk. We don't get alot of those scenes with Lenny anymore.

23 hours ago, hokie3457 said:

Thanks @veejay! I am naive in many things so someone help here...I always though a "hook-up" was the completion of "the deed" (or in TBBT parlance: coitus). If so, the continuing bragging of that sort by Raj is beyond low. Especially since he is talking about two of his best friends. I really hope we've seen & heard the last of it.

And this is what bothers me. That Raj told Penny to not tell anyone about his quick-draw embarrassment but yet he brags about how he bedded Penny alot of the time.

[Carlos]

4 hours ago, Mario D. said:

Yes, that is exactly what I meant by having a heart to heart talk. We don't get alot of those scenes with Lenny anymore.

And this is what bothers me. That Raj told Penny to not tell anyone about his quick-draw embarrassment but yet he brags about how he bedded Penny alot of the time.

And it is even OOC for Penny not to do anything in that regard. We all know that she really knows how to defend herself. IMO, she should have gone jr. rodeo on his ass when he bragged, or at the very least ridiculed him in front of everyone for ending things... should we say... prematurely.

[3ku11]

Sigh really this again lol. 

Season 11 folks. Lenny are married. As it is i don't think what happened, or how it happened is really relevant. It was sorted 5x01. Should of, should Penny tell Leonard what really happened? Yeah sure. But it's not like Penny Doesent have past promiscuous behaviour. Leonard knows this. Everyone knows this ahem lol. Leonard forgave her for it. They weren't together at the time anyway. So I think that's why it diddnt really effect much moving forward. Just like Penny forgave Leonard for the boat kiss. So imo I think tptb should just let it rest. 

Edited July 5, 2017 by 3ku11

[Chrismo]

On 7/4/2017 at 9:01 PM, vonmar said:

Isn't this their personal interpretation of the interaction between Johnny and Kaley?   I'm sorry, but I still haven't bought into the concept that a careered professional like Johnny would use a meet-and-greet at the audience railing during a live show to express his disappointment with story lines or the show.  

It seems interesting that kaley is going to be at comic con herself. Johnny not available? No matter. IMO it reeks with desperation since none have shown up when the show was at its peak. Only when it was on it's way up now when it's on it's way down.

[bfm]

18 minutes ago, Chrismo said:

It seems interesting that kaley is going to be at comic con herself. Johnny not available? No matter. IMO it reeks with desperation since none have shown up when the show was at its peak. Only when it was on it's way up now when it's on it's way down.

Unless he cancelled, Johnny is going too.

[April]

19 minutes ago, Chrismo said:

It seems interesting that kaley is going to be at comic con herself. Johnny not available? No matter. IMO it reeks with desperation since none have shown up when the show was at its peak. Only when it was on it's way up now when it's on it's way down.

Johnny will be at SDCC as well as Kunal, Kevin, and Mayim (if her health permits it I assume) . Also, in the past years various cast members have shown up to participate or moderate the panel like last year had Melissa, the year before Kunal and Mayim. I think it was only 2014 when really nobody was there.