8.04 The Hook-Up Reverberation (Oct 6)

[Nutz]

I am the LAST person to think child molestation/endangerment jokes are funny, but when Sheldon didn't understand that it was wrong to "make friends" with the little girl at the Library, I was o.k. with it since Sheldon at that time was a total social innocent. That's why I want to give him a pass on the van joke in this episode. It was a very vintage Sheldon thing to not understand the social ramifications of what he was saying. However, I found Howard and Raj hopping on board the van thing offensive since those characters would both know better and the writers made them say stupid things just "for the (supposed) joke" which wasn't funny anyway.

[Tuesday Pajamas]

Dare I say it but don't forget to vote.

[Berliner]

Sheldon had some good scenes, but the rest was lame.

Two for me.

[Toad]

Man I love Kevin Sussman! He's like one of those old Hollywood character actors, nameless at times but reliably good in their performances. You know what you're getting and it's comforting somehow. The Home Health Aide Who Stayed Too Long could easily grate, but Sussman hits all the right notes of a man granted a "cushy" reprieve from a faltering business. Stuart's clearly enjoying himself and it amusingly smugs over into his interactions with Howard, whom he's seemingly supplanted in Debbie's affections. Yes, the conflict is somewhat contrived, but I'm willing to give it a pass because of the two actors.

It could be interesting to see how Stuart will fare now that he has a business partner, one who I suspect won't be silent. Figuratively AND literally speaking. Angsty Stuart could be making a return engagement, and that's fine too. Because it's Sussman. He knows what he's doing and he knows how to make it funny.

As for the rest of the episode...meh. I'm noticing that more and more often the character dynamics have shifted. Now instead of outlier Sheldon being baffled by the gang and the world at large it's Leonard being incredulous at his three dumb friends. I don't know if this is a sop to Galecki, the headliner, or to underscore Leonard's "ascension" into normalcy. For me the charm and iridescence of the show resides in Sheldon being the aloof, at times haughty, bystander struggling to understand the social nuances. Eh, well, obviously that ship has sailed. No pun intended.

And Raj? Get over yourself, man. Oh, um, right, we have to have some phony enmity between the pretty girls. Well I say run, Emily, RUUUNNN!!! Otherwise you'll be assimilated into the Snark-Into-Your-Snifter Club and spend the rest of your days quilting patches of outdated sexual politics with boring "girly" bits.

Once again we're deprived any meaningful interaction between the show's two most popular characters. The Shenny so adroitly complement each other, bringing to the forefront freewheeling, incisive Penny and mannered, bemused Sheldon, that when they don't get any screen time together I feel like we're getting watered down versions of their characters at best. It's also the only time I can forget how utterly they've been subverted otherwise. But it's as if the powers that be are studiously trying not to rely on their time-tested goldmine, mistakenly believing their canon ships have enough oomph to propel these, um, stories. (Hint. They don't.)

Taking off one Dirty Sock because of Sussman, another because I didn't quite feel like gouging out my eyeballs. Alas though the (former) nerd-dizzles are still being pummeled by Relationship Monster and eaten alive by Banal Domesticity. Finances? BAH!!

[Berliner]

^ I love your posts Toad, my English improves every time I read them. To be honest, even in German I could not express myself that well as you do.

[Toad]

Eh, well, thank you.

But I'm sorry now that I got cute and used "smug" as a verb.

[Tuesday Pajamas]

Huh, just watched it. It was so boring, so forgettable. Gahhhhh! They need some Sheldon and Penny interactions FAST because this season sucks so hard!

- the full 3 smelly old socks from me.