10.01 The Conjugal Conjecture

[Tuesday Pajamas]

AV Club says of the finale. (this is the link to the finale of Season 9 my apologies, season 10 is not out yet!!!):

Guest stars can’t liven up the anticlimactic finale of The Big Bang Theory

Den of Geek:

The Big Bang Theory's season 10 premiere rehashes storylines that belong to last season without setting anything up for what's to come...

There are a couple of good ones but AV Club usually always gushes. I expect them to like the more shippy ones this season...

[devilbk]

Amy played harp at the wedding? I didn't even bloody notice. And I'm glad. I may have found the correct combination of alcohol and drugs to render AFF invisible. Will share if I remember what it was.

[Tuesday Pajamas]

Story by: Chuck Lorre & Steve Holland & Tara Hernandez
Teleplay by: Steven Molaro & Eric Kaplan & Jim Reynolds


Just watched the premier and this is my wittle review…

There’s been a lot of disappointment on social media about this first episode of S10 and I totally get why. Even the series regulars had no jokes to play with. Penny’s reaction to being stopped by Beverley from leaving 4A was well acted. “Why?” she whines as she’s forced to stay. Reminding me how good Kaley is, even with this little. Sheldon’s lines were bad. It just didn’t work and made him super stupid for carrying on with the deception with Beverley standing there, so instead of Sheldon saying “Do I say stop what?” it was like Jim Parsons saying “Do I have to act anymore?”

The first car scene was atrocious. I don’t know if the writers already know its the final season and don’t just care, or if they are under too much pressure to carry on but this was like a tired old 80 sitcom. And this whole thing about Penny being close to her Dad goes against canon. Penny’s Dad stopped calling her ‘Slugger’ when she got her first training bra, causing her emotion distress because she was no longer close to him. This was established when Beverley made her first appearance on the show, 2.15 The Maternal Capacitance. It was part of the reason that she always picked the wrong guys. We also know that Penny’s mother is supposed to be overweight.

The Howard story was not the compelling even though Kunal, Simon and Melissa gave it their all. Kunal was pretty amusing, the line about living with Howard’s wife was cheeky and a newer braver side of Raj.

Chuck was involved in this one and I have to say he’s losing it big time! Penny’s family were so off base. Why wouldn’t Penny be close to her mother if her mother was this sweet insecure woman? Penny would get on with her. And why would the family care that they were white trash? Real white trash would be much thicker skinned and certainly not concerned about what Leonard’s family thought. It’s so out of touch. Also Penny’s brother was just wrong. When she first met Leonard and Sheldon they were supposed to be unlike anyone she knew but this brother was too nerdy.

The way Sheldon was carrying on to everyone was disgusting and not even remotely funny. Molaro headed the dialogue on this one and I maintain that he can’t write Sheldon for shit! Molaro injects so much venom into the things he has him say. If the story had been written by him and the dialogue by Chuck, Steve H and Tara it might have a better episode. But the dialogue was just bland awful.

So Leonard makes Penny happy, pfff! Such a waste! She was so beautiful and so warm. Leonard was just meh...

Can you imagine how much better Sheldon and Penny would have been standing as a couple (with better flippin dialogue!!). These writers will need to step up their game if they want more seasons.

[Tuesday Pajamas]

The final line, when Penny’s Dad says that Sheldon reminds him of a turkey that drowned looking up at the rain was a hateful thing to say. Is it funny to make fun of Penny’s friend? and is it funny that the smartest character on the show is now considered the stupidest? What an arsehole. Molaro sucks.

[CTR69]

The final line, when Penny’s Dad says that Sheldon reminds him of a turkey that drowned looking up at the rain was a hateful thing to say. Is it funny to make fun of Penny’s friend? and is it funny that the smartest character on the show is now considered the stupidest? What an arsehole. Molaro sucks.

He did tell Leonard, he must "stack the deck" to stay with Penny. Cheat, lie, whatever, they must remain together, cos he wants grandkids. Not really the sharpest knife in the drawer...

Bernies father was much better friend to Sheldon. Now that I think about it, would Shernie make a couple? And Howard would be with Amy, they were having a good time together in the Scavenger...

[A.D.A.]

Before they started writing Bernadette like a human siren, she was actually quite an enjoyable character, I thought. And there was that episode recently where Sheldon planned a whole one-on-one D&D campaign for her which was cute (she played along and enjoyed it, too). I'd certainly find Sheldanette a more interesting couple than Shamy by this point.

The episode was so-so. With so many guest stars, it was never going to have time to really do much without them. Of course, they are all good actors, but I was missing a lot of characterisation and wit. For example, instead of giving some rather hurtful lines to Sheldon, maybe we could've dialed it down on the syrupyness between Leonard's parents - the Beverly of season 2 would have never agreed that Leonard was a great young man or whatever the phrase was, whether it were true or not. So the writers were at the same time too mean and not mean enough.

[Tuesday Pajamas]

Before they started writing Bernadette like a human siren, she was actually quite an enjoyable character, I thought. And there was that episode recently where Sheldon planned a whole one-on-one D&D campaign for her which was cute (she played along and enjoyed it, too). I'd certainly find Sheldanette a more interesting couple than Shamy by this point.

The episode was so-so. With so many guest stars, it was never going to have time to really do much without them. Of course, they are all good actors, but I was missing a lot of characterisation and wit. For example, instead of giving some rather hurtful lines to Sheldon, maybe we could've dialed it down on the syrupyness between Leonard's parents - the Beverly of season 2 would have never agreed that Leonard was a great young man or whatever the phrase was, whether it were true or not. So the writers were at the same time too mean and not mean enough.

She's all padded chest and barbie doll hair. I can see the appeal for some and occasionally I don't mind her but other times her little weazel face annoys me something rotten. She's either squeaking or yelling. If I were Sheldon and had been matched up with her I'd never remove my noise cancelling headphones.  As far as I'm concerned, Sheldon is at his coolest with Penny. Half the couple has to be the warm hearted girl from Nebraska. Anything less just doesn't do it for me. Sheldette could be cute at times but its never going to be both funny AND cute like Shenny.

Did you see the scene in the car with Mary and Amy? Mary tells Sheldon off but Amy can't get the same reaction. Mary said, "you'll get it" but I disagree. Amy is too serious when she's mad and I hope she never gets to yell at Sheldon and win. If Sheldon said "yes m'am" to Amy it wouldn't be funny. She's too stern. Not sure how else to explain it. Scenes like "pass the butter" are deemed as hilarious to some but I identify with Sheldon during these scenes, being caught between two consoles could happen to me and I just don't like her losing her rag. There are other ways to be witty.

[wellplayedpenny]

I think for me the problem with how Shamy scenes come across is a combined lack of dignity and partnership. Through dialogue, we are TOLD Sheldon and Amy are equals--riding still on the early seasons coattails of him being uber smart, thus making Amy homo novus, too--but if you listen to how they converse with each other, it's always a superior talking to a subordinate. i.e. Sheldon is a douche or Amy's angry/plotting something. Yes, Sheldon and Penny had a battle of wills, but the thing was, I never felt the power struggle. Penny knew that Sheldon was on his high horse and, to an extent (because he didn't say it), Penny is a blonde monkey, but they were always equals because there was dignity involved in their exchange. Even when Sheldon was all hands behind the back, raised on toes and a tsked, 'Penny, Penny, Penny', there was always a sassy, 'Sheldon, Sheldon, Sheldon', in response. It was a give and get that was a part of their rapport as opposed to words used with an agenda or invective push behind them. Part of this boils down to character rapport and chemistry, but ultimately this is a result of poor/lazy writing. It's as if the writers have lost respect for their characters and are having them do and say any old thing just to get the script over with and the paycheque in the bank account. Or is it that the characters are getting the brunt of the writers having lost respect for the viewers as they seem to be satisfied with pap over substance?