LoneHaranguer

There are two ways of winning at chess. One is to have the right kind of visual skills (as Penny probably does). The other is to be able to think through the potential consequences of each possible move in depth. The latter is what computers do, and likely what Leonard does, except that he's not as fast as a computer, and his habit of overthinking things will lead him to over-analyze some moves at the expense of others. So Penny wins, unless Leonard can clear the board enough to give his style of play a chance.

He made it clear that he wanted to go all out to impress the guest judges. With the way they film these kinds of competitions, it would be pretty brutal if he went all in each time, so he's probably been pacing himself and trying to do just well enough to make it to the final.

I didn't think it made any sense for Penny to threaten to kill her father if he came near her or the others. He had absolutely no intention of ever coming near them; they kidnapped him. She should have compromised with Maggie and done the castration, but left him alive.

Penny never cared about being a good waitress. She's been shown to want to do a good job at her sales position.

Part of the reason why he was a frontrunner was that the judges were clearly showing favoritism. The other contestants couldn't count on the winner to be chosen fairly, so if they wanted to do something, it helped ease their decision that Josh was a colossal jerk to everyone else.

I think Ma Petite would have been worth more to the museum alive than dead.

He also couldn't afford to fail a second time.

They probably figure anyone who's happy how they are (whether single or not) will just ignore the ad. They're trying to fan the flames of discontent for those who aren't.

The idea is probably that they make so many you're sure to find one you like, but just try finding them locally. All anybody stocks is the very few generics and (maybe) whatever the current seasonal is.

For it to work, you have to put a truly unique spin on it (e.g. Melanie Martinez' version of Toxic).

I really like the Dos Equis ads as they've gotten more outrageous about "the most interesting man in the world". They've started running a new one with the line "he's made diamonds using peer pressure alone".

I suspect the plan was originally to just tattoo the best pick, but the guest judge balked. Whether it was during the judging and they re-shot the intro to the challenge, or right from the start (maybe he's seen the show), I don't know, but it seemed like damage-control to have the "winning" artist work more with the canvas to satisfy him before inking.

The Master was skilled at hypnosis. Presumably as Missy, she still is, and talked her way out of being searched. Not ordering up some sort of cell was dumb. Even if she might have been able to avoid being put in it, one should have been there.

No reason why they need to have a backup canvas be automatic. Maybe run it by one of the judges for a quick yes/no (the on-scene production staff could give a quick summary of what's going on if necessary).

Unless Mr. Freeze puts them on ice for a while.

Eating extremely spicy food is said to be an appetite-killer.

Having to blur or pixelate hasn't stopped other shows, and it means they can sell an uncensored version. They'll just have to have the museum lady say what it is they have that used to belong to Stanley.

The only things keeping me tuning in are Brandi's sense of humor and what dreck the other channels are currently offering in that time-slot. Even so, it's just something I listen to while doing other things.

But if Josh was stressed (like the other artists), he may not have been able to produce the same quality of tattoo as he was able to do calmed by a prohibited substance.

Technically, you're correct, but I was thinking more of what would be presented on screen. Outside of the initial use to punctuate taking the inhaler, Zygon Osgood was never shown to use it; only the original Osgood did. It's not something you'd expect an alien to do, so without a plot twist to require it, the writers made it one of the ways you could tell them apart. They may have carried that over to this episode, although what you've said brings up the question of why the Zygon would have kept the "defective" form and gone to work for UNIT. If the answer is "it wouldn't", the inhaler is moot and it was definitely the human Osgood that got killed off.

In the fictional world, he made numerous appearances on Sanctuary and was credited with quite a bit over at Warehouse 13, although it was sometimes hard to tell the difference between real and fictional accomplishments. Penny took him at his word that it was no big deal. Sheldon knows too much about what could have gone wrong.

On a trivial note, I liked this week's opening title, with the shiny lettering and shape of a tiara behind it. I thought it was a little more creative than usual.

Josh's mistake was probably getting caught on camera. The producers can't look the other way if there's footage to prove what he was doing.

I don't think they would have had her use her inhaler for the benefit of nobody but the viewers if they didn't want to establish that it was the original Osgood. There were times when the Master would try to convince the Doctor that he should join him in ruling over the lesser beings of the universe (as Time lords should). Although I don't recall Missy overtly expressing that sort of elitism, it sounded like she was still on the same page.

I thought Stuart said she had already given him the money, when the guys tried to make him their offer. Although it sounded like a gift, if he made her a partner in return, Howard could wind up being part-owner of the shop after all.