09-30-2015, 11:02 AM
KIM'S REVIEW, PART DEUX:
Cal Tech Cafeteria, the Next Day:
LOVED this scene. Leonard's sitting at the table with Howard and Raj. It starts out with him lamenting about his marital problems with Penny. He asks the guys if they realize how much it costs to get marital counseling (this refers to an earlier Leonard scene, when he was calling up looking for counselors, upset at the cost. And all I could think of was, damn, you saved a chunk o'change on that wedding. Open your damn pockets, why dont'cha..) Howard pipes up with "Yeah, $250 an hour." BAM! So yeah, revealed right there that he and Bernie have been to counseling. Raj chimes in with the fact that he's offended that this is the first he's heard of it. So they go back and forth a bit about just what constitutes being a best friend and sharing information. Howard contends that just because they're best friends doesn't mean he has to tell him every detail of his life. To which Raj chides, "You shouldn't HAVE to, you should WANT to."
Well, right then Mandy walks in. And this is where things got fun..
Howard: "Why are marine biologists always so cute?"
Raj: "I don't know.." (but then smiles, with a wink) "but I'd like to get lost in HER Bermuda Triangle!"
Leonard: (Frustrated) "That's not helping."
Howard: (Snickering) "Then I won't say 'I'd like to cover three-fourths of HER surface area.." (with the word 'area' dissolving into Howard chuckles)
By now, Leonard is thoroughly disgusted, and frustrated, apparently, that the guys aren't taking this situation seriously.
Leonard: "Are we done?"
Raj: "Not yet, this is fun!" (Pause) "Oh, I know!" (Again, smiling with the wink) "I'd like to let her Free MY Willy!"
At this, Leonard gets up from the table, announcing his plan to walk over and talk to Mandy, in hopes that she'll help him with his problem. He's going to ask her to talk to Penny for him. At this point, Howard stops him. And I think, OK, here's where drab Howard returns, sobered up, assuming his new role of trying to be the voice of reason. But instead:
Howard: (Serious) "Leonard, stop." (This is where I thought he was going to give advice. But then he looks at Raj and snickers/breaks up) "I'd like to SpongeBob HER Squarepants!"
Raj: "NOW, we are done!"
And with this, Leonard, shaking his head, heads over to Mandy's table, leaving Howard and Raj still laughing.
I liked this scene, mostly, because the guys weren't feeding into the Lenny drama here, either. Just this real sense of lightheartedness. Like, they've been doing this song-and-dance with him for nine years, and they're just not taking it seriously any more. So the scene was nice and light. And they all played the parts well. Even Johnny/Leonard. Because his job is to be the sad sack. And yeah, the straight man, always wrestling with his conscience. The others have to have this to play off of. So I give it to Johnny that he's kind of always been stuck having to play the sad/heavy role, while the others dance around him. Without that, there'd be no conflict. And therefore, no humor.
Oh, and also, it should be noted that Sheldon was not in this scene. At first, I wondered why/I missed him there. But upon further inspection, I realize it was a good move as far as the writing. With the addition of Mandy to the scene, one more character would have been too much. Especially a lead like Sheldon. If he'd been there, we wouldn't have had all the great dialogue with Howard and Raj, I'm sure. So that was a really economical decision. And one they've mistakenly not taken into account since they've incorporated all these main characters. Too many people to write for/no one gets quality lines. Or enough screen time. To this, I say, BRAVO.
The Mandy scene:
Ha! This was great! And not at all what I expected (in truth, I didn't really give a shit, as the Lenny storyline really doesn't interest me). But it was good/entertaining/unexpected, nonetheless. Mandy..in a nutshell, she's not interested in Leonard. Not by a long-shot. So, in essence, Leonard does have a point in that Penny has nothing to worry about with them. Also, she had the BEST LINES of the night. I didn't write them down, but they mostly revolved around the perception (not just hers, I gather) of Leonard and Sheldon's weird friendship. Leonard had some funny lines, as well, in response. Like, the long-suffering roommate/friend of Sheldon's, and all the weirdness that goes along with it. I like when his responses are so resigned/he's long ago accepted it all.
The impression I got from Mandy..yeah, she DEFINITELY would not fit into any 'Girl's Night' with the women on this show. And this is to her credit. In fact, I'd almost like to see Penny ditch the other two and hang out with Mandy. She seems like INFINITELY more fun! Because..well, as much as Leonard was trying to confide in her/get advice, she kept..resisting. Resisting getting involved in the drama, much the same way of Howard and Raj. She just seems like a fun-loving person, that doesn't take things so seriously. I loved that she wasn't supportive or nurturing, the way you'd expect a woman to be in this position. It was a surprise. I mean, she wasn't a jerk, but she wasn't the typical chick that you'd expect, either, always talking about relationships, and criticizing men and all that. She really had the kind of humor of the other guys. So yeah, I'd sooner see her eating lunch with them than hanging out on a girl's night over at Penny's. And I'd like to see Penny at that lunch table, as well.
The scene ended/book-ended with Raj calling out: "Hey, Leonard..when you're done, we came up with a bunch more!"
FABULOUS!
Cal Tech Cafeteria, the Next Day:
LOVED this scene. Leonard's sitting at the table with Howard and Raj. It starts out with him lamenting about his marital problems with Penny. He asks the guys if they realize how much it costs to get marital counseling (this refers to an earlier Leonard scene, when he was calling up looking for counselors, upset at the cost. And all I could think of was, damn, you saved a chunk o'change on that wedding. Open your damn pockets, why dont'cha..) Howard pipes up with "Yeah, $250 an hour." BAM! So yeah, revealed right there that he and Bernie have been to counseling. Raj chimes in with the fact that he's offended that this is the first he's heard of it. So they go back and forth a bit about just what constitutes being a best friend and sharing information. Howard contends that just because they're best friends doesn't mean he has to tell him every detail of his life. To which Raj chides, "You shouldn't HAVE to, you should WANT to."
Well, right then Mandy walks in. And this is where things got fun..
Howard: "Why are marine biologists always so cute?"
Raj: "I don't know.." (but then smiles, with a wink) "but I'd like to get lost in HER Bermuda Triangle!"
Leonard: (Frustrated) "That's not helping."
Howard: (Snickering) "Then I won't say 'I'd like to cover three-fourths of HER surface area.." (with the word 'area' dissolving into Howard chuckles)
By now, Leonard is thoroughly disgusted, and frustrated, apparently, that the guys aren't taking this situation seriously.
Leonard: "Are we done?"
Raj: "Not yet, this is fun!" (Pause) "Oh, I know!" (Again, smiling with the wink) "I'd like to let her Free MY Willy!"
At this, Leonard gets up from the table, announcing his plan to walk over and talk to Mandy, in hopes that she'll help him with his problem. He's going to ask her to talk to Penny for him. At this point, Howard stops him. And I think, OK, here's where drab Howard returns, sobered up, assuming his new role of trying to be the voice of reason. But instead:
Howard: (Serious) "Leonard, stop." (This is where I thought he was going to give advice. But then he looks at Raj and snickers/breaks up) "I'd like to SpongeBob HER Squarepants!"
Raj: "NOW, we are done!"
And with this, Leonard, shaking his head, heads over to Mandy's table, leaving Howard and Raj still laughing.
I liked this scene, mostly, because the guys weren't feeding into the Lenny drama here, either. Just this real sense of lightheartedness. Like, they've been doing this song-and-dance with him for nine years, and they're just not taking it seriously any more. So the scene was nice and light. And they all played the parts well. Even Johnny/Leonard. Because his job is to be the sad sack. And yeah, the straight man, always wrestling with his conscience. The others have to have this to play off of. So I give it to Johnny that he's kind of always been stuck having to play the sad/heavy role, while the others dance around him. Without that, there'd be no conflict. And therefore, no humor.
Oh, and also, it should be noted that Sheldon was not in this scene. At first, I wondered why/I missed him there. But upon further inspection, I realize it was a good move as far as the writing. With the addition of Mandy to the scene, one more character would have been too much. Especially a lead like Sheldon. If he'd been there, we wouldn't have had all the great dialogue with Howard and Raj, I'm sure. So that was a really economical decision. And one they've mistakenly not taken into account since they've incorporated all these main characters. Too many people to write for/no one gets quality lines. Or enough screen time. To this, I say, BRAVO.
The Mandy scene:
Ha! This was great! And not at all what I expected (in truth, I didn't really give a shit, as the Lenny storyline really doesn't interest me). But it was good/entertaining/unexpected, nonetheless. Mandy..in a nutshell, she's not interested in Leonard. Not by a long-shot. So, in essence, Leonard does have a point in that Penny has nothing to worry about with them. Also, she had the BEST LINES of the night. I didn't write them down, but they mostly revolved around the perception (not just hers, I gather) of Leonard and Sheldon's weird friendship. Leonard had some funny lines, as well, in response. Like, the long-suffering roommate/friend of Sheldon's, and all the weirdness that goes along with it. I like when his responses are so resigned/he's long ago accepted it all.
The impression I got from Mandy..yeah, she DEFINITELY would not fit into any 'Girl's Night' with the women on this show. And this is to her credit. In fact, I'd almost like to see Penny ditch the other two and hang out with Mandy. She seems like INFINITELY more fun! Because..well, as much as Leonard was trying to confide in her/get advice, she kept..resisting. Resisting getting involved in the drama, much the same way of Howard and Raj. She just seems like a fun-loving person, that doesn't take things so seriously. I loved that she wasn't supportive or nurturing, the way you'd expect a woman to be in this position. It was a surprise. I mean, she wasn't a jerk, but she wasn't the typical chick that you'd expect, either, always talking about relationships, and criticizing men and all that. She really had the kind of humor of the other guys. So yeah, I'd sooner see her eating lunch with them than hanging out on a girl's night over at Penny's. And I'd like to see Penny at that lunch table, as well.
The scene ended/book-ended with Raj calling out: "Hey, Leonard..when you're done, we came up with a bunch more!"
FABULOUS!