9.08 The Mystery Date Observation

[Tuesday Pajamas]

The first promo is out.

Sheldon and Amy try dating other people. 

[Tuesday Pajamas]

The promo pictures have been released.

[Idle Miscreant]

Review from TV Fanatic; http://www.tvfanatic.com/2015/11/the-big...ry-date-o/

"I'm disappointed in the fact that he does turn her away, on some level, though. I think it would be incredibly interesting to see Sheldon date someone new, particularly if that someone could help his character continue to grow."

Whilst I disagree with the concept of growth as it's generally implied on sitcoms, ie, solely towards coupledom and away from individualism, I agree with the rest of the statement.

And it seems a lot of folk on social media were ALSO disappointed she wasn't allowed to stick around.

A geeky, charming, Klingon-to-Sanskrit translator, who was passionate about everything that Sheldon was, and who liked him JUST THE WAY HE IS? Without changing him into a "normal"?

Well we can't have that!
Sheldon must grow and have all the life sucked out of him. He must change into Amy's bloody husband, like Penny is now just Leonard's bloody wife.

I'd love to watch this episode, but I CAN'T.
All the hope has been drained from my system after hearing about 9.10, when the final destruction of Sheldon will happen, where he (and by logic, his own creators) renounces everything that made him honourable and unique.

I'm finding it almost unbearable trying to balance the two concepts in my head. On the one hand, the brilliant Howard/Raj scenes of late, the very clever one-off lines, the high talent of the writers VS the hellbent destruction of their masterpiece on the other.

I can only assume the writers are NOT responsible, and Lorre and Prady are looking elsewhere, and this is all SOMEBODY ELSE'S fault. The network's? Some moneybags somewhere with a pet hatred for Sheldon?
Because otherwise it doesn't compute.

To have Sheldon say, as they do in 9.10, that Vintage Sheldon was only "half a man", after trashing his idol Spock in a previous episode, is the greatest calumny this show has ever committed. The only thing more traitorous would be for him to renounce science and his quest for truth.

9.11 presumably.

[wellplayedpenny]

9.8 The Mystery Date Observation

In tonight's episode, Sheldon says that dating Amy was "sweet and flavorful at first but then a flavorless lump of sadness." When you think of their decline in compatibility since s4 until now, I couldn't describe the course of their relationship any better if I tried.

But the key to this episode is how Sheldon is defined by others. Over and over, we've been told by Amy for years that Sheldon isn't a normal boyfriend and how this bothers her. His hobbies and his work are adversaries to be reviled and overcome so she can get the coitus she believes she deserves. No wonder she finds it annoying that her date, Dave, is so enthusiastic about Sheldon. To Dave, Sheldon is a giant in his field, thus Amy's value is elevated because she had dated him. Again, I can't argue with that. Without linking Amy with Sheldon there is no point for her being on the show.

Raj and Howard don't see Sheldon as a prize, either, when Sheldon says his ideal date is someone who is educated, has her own point of view, is respectful of his devotion to his work, likes to play video games and watch Daredevil.

Here's where things get clever.

Raj decides that perhaps they should look at Sheldon as an actual prize and together they all devise a series of puzzle challenges to be done by a certain time. The puzzles are a combination of seemingly unrelated things from mathematics and Lord of the Rings to Klingon passages translated into Sanskrit. Looking over their completed dating ad, Howard says that the woman who could solve this would be so socially awkward she'd have nothing better to do on a Saturday night than solve the puzzles.

The woman who shows up, however, is an absolute knockout. Tall, blonde haired, mathematically-inclined and a speaker of both Klingon and Sanskrit, this woman is amazing. But what truly elevates her is her recognition that Sheldon Cooper is an incredibly rare find. He is a prize just the way he is. A true unicorn.

The response? Sheldon rebuffs her for tardiness and shuts the door. He then says that her finding a physics lecture boring was reason enough for him to not even coitus her with Howard's genitals.

On the one hand, this can be seen as a big fuck you to people who have been clambering for Sheldon to meet someone who shares his interests and likes him for who he is. But the way this all plays out, his rejection of her is completely made up. It's ridiculous and that's what adds to the humour of the scene. It makes as much sense as Sheldon remaining friends with Leonard after the Arctic fiasco. I.E. It's a heavy-handed deus ex machina at work that makes the ridiculous possible.

Instead, we're to believe that Sheldon is attracted to his opposite, which he describes as "short, dull and needy". When you look at Amy and then see this description it's like shooting fish in a barrel. She's about as unrealistic a candidate for Sheldon as you can get. She's not interested in a unicorn, she wants normalcy, and is no longer the person most like Sheldon. And she is far from a prize.

The trick is that we're supposed to think this is all funny. The problem is, it isn't.

[wellplayedpenny]

I couldn't put this into my review but it's an interesting observation.

Sheldon called himself a unicorn.

And didn't Amy say that, in a dowry, Penny would fetch a unicorn? 

[Idle Miscreant]

I've always thought of Sheldon as a unicorn. One that a fickle Roman Emperor has got hold of, and forced into the Colosseum to entertain the crowd. After the Emperor grew bored of merely marveling at the unicorn, his thoughts became prurient, and he tried to make it mate with a cart-horse. At first it wouldn't, so he cut off its horn and painted the unicorn brown, to teach it not to be so superior. Now it just looks and behaves like all the other cart-horses, and has lost its magic. And the people who came to see a unicorn were broken-hearted.

A laboured and bizarre analogy, but then those are the type that usually occur to me...

[Kimk26]

Okay, I had a look at that scene, where Sheldon and the guys are discussing the qualities of a special mate for him. And yeah, Raj suggests the possibility of 'opposites attract'. To which Sheldon replies (paraphrasing), "by that logic, I should be with someone 'short, dull, and needy'..", and then goes on to say, "not casting aspersions, but I can't shake a stick around here without hitting that." He's looking back and forth at Howard and Raj as he says this, and they react with puzzled looks. My take was that, by saying that, he was referring to them. Well, actually, AFF was my first thought, as he was saying it. But with him looking at the guys, yeah, I took it as he meant them. But, there could also be the double-meaning. I mean, admittedly, as WPP pointed out, they pretty much nailed Amy with this description. That can't have been a coincidence. And no, I didn't get the feeling at all that he WANTS someone by that description. It was very, like, he was rolling his eyes. You get the picture. And now that I think of it..they had to tag on that second line, with him looking at the guys, probably because the audience would have thought Amy was PRECISELY who he was talking about. So yeah, now that I think of it..I think they DID intend it to have the double-meaning.

So, huh.. Yeah, wondering just what was up with this episode.

The girl who came to the door WAS stunning. And smart, and nice. And yeah, they totally had chemistry. She was..well, they wrote her..her interaction with Sheldon..how do I describe it? Like, she was certainly appreciative of him. Her delivery of the lines..definitely showed her interest in him. But not flirtatious.. Classy. A woman of substance. Appreciative keeps coming back to me. Like, she spoke in a manner of friendliness as she explained how she got there. But then it turned a bit like, like she slowed down her speech, and looked at him meaningfully. Her tone was all like, 'I'm glad I did it, 'cos you're obviously a special person, worth it." Soft. Yeah, that's the word. Her tone softened VERY MUCH, like she was trying to put across that she liked him. It was a very..'sigh'..moment. And Sheldon looked very responsive. Gave her soft smiles back. And so, yeah, they had a very nice exchange at the door. And you thought for sure it would proceed. Because she was, by all accounts, wonderful.

[Jomi25]

Haven't seen the episode yet, but my heart hurts just reading what you guys posted about Vanessa. I knew it, she was supposed to be this perfect fit for Sheldon. Argh, why can't her presence be extended?! She could've been the one to show him how it is to have a relationship with someone that actually appreciates him just the way he is and is not indifferent or dismissive of his interests.

[Satnight815]

I couldn't put this into my review but it's an interesting observation.

Sheldon called himself a unicorn.

And didn't Amy say that, in a dowry, Penny would fetch a unicorn? 

Yes.  Yes, she did say that to Penny in 5.16.  It's more than interesting: it's a fantastic observation on your part. 

[Tuesday Pajamas]

...and another to vote on.