S08.E05: The Focus Attenuation

[Chit Chat]

I too enjoyed this episode more than any other this season, but Penny isn't amusing me at all.  I like that she's growing up and becoming more mature, but the real Penny would have been conflicted about going to Vegas and not going out.  She would have gone out for a few drinks and called it an early night.  I think we would have seen her cramming on the plane slightly hung over but still trying to study.

Since Penny admitted to Bernadette's boss that she's afraid of her, I don't think she wants to disappoint her in any way, shape or form!  Hell hath no fury like Bernadette scorned, or pissed off!   

 

I thought it was a hoot that Am thought she look so hot.  And those awful yellow heels were just the icing on the cake!

The shoes were pretty bad.  Sad thing is, that yellow top reminds me of a hideous (but in style at the time) long yellow dress I wore in the late 70's to a band banquet. I feel somewhat redeemed since I didn't wear matching yellow pumps!

[hoodooznoodooz]

I had to roll my eyes when Kaley stepped out wearing that bikini. Yes, fan service and gratuitous. I'm sure lots of people liked it, but I thought it was unnecessary and kind of skeevy.

I agree with you 100%. I am surprised that the actress agreed to do it.

[sinkwriter]

Color me surprised, because I didn't love the first four episodes, but I liked this one. I laughed out loud quite a few times: I liked seeing the guys trying to "work," I cracked up at the twisted Back to the Future time travel dialogue (I'm with confused Howard: "What?" LOL), I liked that they didn't go cliche and have Penny give up the studying - get drunk - and - have to cram for her work at the last minute with a hangover, I laughed hard at Bernadette chewing on that straw while imitating which direction Australian strippers swing, and I liked that the guys ended up having fun together like old times. (Though I did feel bad for Leonard because it seemed like he really wanted to work on ideas.) Overall I thought it was a fun episode, and I want this to be a sign that things will keep traveling upwards on the funny and entertaining scale. Here's hoping!

[ZoqFotPik]

Regarding the Back to the Future 2 issue, there is a deleted scene in which Old Biff disappears shortly after returning to 2015. 

[LoneHaranguer]

 

I am surprised that the actress agreed to do it.

For the salary she's getting, how could she say no, unless it would be OOC for Penny (which it's not)?

 

 

Regarding the Back to the Future 2 issue, there is a deleted scene in which Old Biff disappears shortly after returning to 2015.

They were correct to delete it. It would have been inconsistent with what happened to Marty in BTTF1.

[One Tough Cookie]

And how funny was it that Sheldon thought Amy's "have a nice day" was sexting? No, on second thought it was just pathetic.  Actually, I want Amy to find a guy and bang him like a screen door in a hurricane.

[VillaVillekulla]

Regarding the Back to the Future 2 issue, there is a deleted scene in which Old Biff disappears shortly after returning to 2015. 

Is "disappears" the right tense for...oh, forget it. ;)

[PinkRibbons]

Just as an extra quick thought about Mayim as Amy: the wardrobe department isn't just going for frump, they're deliberately putting her in lots of layers to obliterate her figure. I recently bought the Tonner Doll Amy Farrah Fowler, and she was wearing three layers on top, including a fully lined body suit. Took every curve she had and made it into a roundish line.

 

Also, more proof that Mayim Bialik can be very pretty and even quite hot:

 

[TV Diva Queen]

I had to roll my eyes when Kaley stepped out wearing that bikini. Yes, fan service and gratuitous. I'm sure lots of people liked it, but I thought it was unnecessary and kind of skeevy.

I agree.  Usually the walk in Vegas from your room to the pool is equivalent to 4-5 blocks. I honestly don't think Penny would walk around the resort without a cover up on.  Its a pet peeve of mine.....people who don't wear cover ups (or shoes) in the lobby/public places of a resort.  

[shipmate]

That Back to the Future discussion could have gone on for a while and I would have been transfixed by it (80s child alert!).  Although I am surprised they didn't think the first movie was far superior.

[LoneHaranguer]

 

I honestly don't think Penny would walk around the resort without a cover up on.

We didn't see her go out the door, so she may have picked up something she had off-screen in the room first.

 

 

Although I am surprised they didn't think the first movie was far superior.

Sheldon may consider the scarecrow scene too frightening if he saw it in a theater.

[ari333]

And how funny was it that Sheldon thought Amy's "have a nice day" was sexting? No, on second thought it was just pathetic.  Actually, I want Amy to find a guy and bang him like a screen door in a hurricane.

 

And now I feel compelled to use that, "bang him like a screen door in a hurricane."  hee.

 

Have a nice day. :)

[DrSpaceman]

I didn't like this one as much as the others. Not impressed with the Vegas storyline, though I did like Bernadettes line about the strippers from down under.

And it was a nice twist that this time they had Leonard be the one who kept trying to keep the group focused and stopping the fun for some greater purpose instead of Sheldon

Other than that, it was just OK.

[sinkwriter]

I wonder if that's what has stopped all four of them from greatness (coming up with useable genius ideas) over the years: that they just keep getting distracted with watching TV and movies and playing video games and going off on tangents about what superhero can kick the other superheroes' butts. *GRIN*

 

Though they should probably get credit for creating an app. I assume they managed to finish that project, given how close they were to being done with it and how their trial runs were successful.

Edited October 16, 2014 by sinkwriter

[LoneHaranguer]

 

I wonder if that's what has stopped all four of them from greatness (coming up with useable genius ideas) over the years: that they just keep getting distracted with watching TV and movies and playing video games and going off on tangents about what superhero can kick the other superheroes' butts. *GRIN*

I don't know about the other guys, but Sheldon has distractions in his office too. In The Hot Troll Deviation, Raj mentions a glow-in-the-dark ant farm and a marshmallow-shooting rifle; other toys have been mentioned in other episodes. Other than the paper he co-authored with Leonard in the first season, and what he did with Ramona watching him continuously, has Sheldon accomplished anything worthwhile?

[Frost]

I wonder if that's what has stopped all four of them from greatness (coming up with useable genius ideas) over the years: that they just keep getting distracted with watching TV and movies and playing video games and going off on tangents about what superhero can kick the other superheroes' butts. *GRIN*

 

I think that's true.  When Sheldon had Niswicki (sp?) monitoring his every move and preventing him from playing paintball and participating in Halo night and watching BSG, he made a "scientific mumbo jumbo" breakthrough and published an important paper.  Of course, he also didn't have any fun. 

[ari333]

I wonder if that's what has stopped all four of them from greatness (coming up with useable genius ideas) over the years: that they just keep getting distracted with watching TV and movies and playing video games and going off on tangents about what superhero can kick the other superheroes' butts. *GRIN*

 

 

Hee.

 

Who among us hasn't found ourselves entranced on youtube watching a cat flush a toilet.... while we should be doing productive things. *snerk*

 

Imo Kaley looked hot in the formal shorts or whatever the hell that was, and super hot in the bikini. [/jealous]

Edited October 16, 2014 by ari333

[DrSpaceman]

Why is a girl in a bikini in Las Vegas going to the pool skeevy or gratuitous? And more so than showing the women in a male strip club the night before?

I didn't find it gratuitous. You can argue if its unnecessary based on different standards.

[peeayebee]

I called it skeevy and gratuitous because it wasn't necessary. It was a distraction and, imo, done for male viewers to gawk at.

[Indy]

I loved Raj's comment about "what kind of a name is Biff?" and then comparing it to the sound the containers of biscuits make when you open them.  Bifffffffffffffffffffff

[LADreamr]

I loved the tenses talk.  I wish they had come up with a name for it.  What would that be?  Some kind of hybrid of past, future and conditional, probably.  

[Jrae9233]

Why is a girl in a bikini in Las Vegas going to the pool skeevy or gratuitous? And more so than showing the women in a male strip club the night before?

I didn't find it gratuitous. You can argue if its unnecessary based on different standards.

Agree. Maybe she likes her body and has no problem wear bikini to the pool. I don't see why a cover up would be necessary, she's going to the pool not to work. I guess all women should be shameful of their bodies and not risk temping those lustful men out there. If I had her body you would have to pin me down to put clothes on. me.

[CherryAmes]

I don't think you can really argue that they didn't put Penny in a bikini as a little bonus to the guys watching but at least they did it because she was actually going to the pool.  If they'd had her lounging around the hotel room in a Victoria's Secret ensemble now that would have been totally gratuitous!

[LoneHaranguer]

 

If they'd had her lounging around the hotel room in a Victoria's Secret ensemble now that would have been totally gratuitous!

Based on prior episodes, Penny's usual morning attire would be shorts and thin top with her nips poking out.

[CleoCaesar]

Why is a girl in a bikini in Las Vegas going to the pool skeevy or gratuitous? And more so than showing the women in a male strip club the night before?

 

Probably because it's a TV show and everything the characters do is a deliberate choice made by the writers/showrunners. So putting Penny/Kaley in a bikini was a deliberate choice. It was done so the predominantly male audience could have something to gawk at. I don't think it's inherently wrong or whatever, but it was done on purpose. It's the pretending that it wasn't (oh it's just a character that just needs to go to the pool right now and therefore we have to have some eye candy on display) that's disingenuous and therefore a little annoying.

[sinkwriter]

 

It's the pretending that it wasn't (oh it's just a character that just needs to go to the pool right now and therefore we have to have some eye candy on display) that's disingenuous and therefore a little annoying.

 

What are they supposed to do, though? Pause the episode to put up a placard flashing, "Gratuitous camera shots of half-naked female character!" 

 

I mean, I suppose they could have had her wake up Bernadette and Amy to say, "Let's go down to the hotel restaurant for brunch! It sounds delish!" (and not had her dressed that way). But a pool scenario is not unbelievable, either. Especially for Penny. So I don't feel like the writers went out of their way to come up with some scene to expose Kaley's body to her audience.

Edited October 18, 2014 by sinkwriter

[DrSpaceman]

Probably because it's a TV show and everything the characters do is a deliberate choice made by the writers/showrunners. So putting Penny/Kaley in a bikini was a deliberate choice. It was done so the predominantly male audience could have something to gawk at. I don't think it's inherently wrong or whatever, but it was done on purpose. It's the pretending that it wasn't (oh it's just a character that just needs to go to the pool right now and therefore we have to have some eye candy on display) that's disingenuous and therefore a little annoying.

Of course it was done an purpose, its a fictional show with writers making choices about everything. And I am not denying it was a choice made for the male viewers who enjoy seeing her very well built body. But to say its skeevy and/or gratuitous though implies they make up some implausible fictional situation that would never happen for the sole purpose of having her be in a bikini and show some skin. She was in Vegas trying to enjoy herself in the morning, probably is not into gambling, there is a pool at the hotel, its not hard to believe she would go down to the pool for awhile, you can drink by the pool just like you can drink inside while gambling. And its Vegas, girls wear that or much loss all the time. Seriously I was in Vegas once at a pool and they were doing a photo shoot with topless models out where anyone that walked by could see. If they put that in the show I'd say it was gratuitous, but I did see it actually happen in Vegas

It just seems to me some people complain every time they show Penny in anything the least bit revealing no matter the situation. I don't deny they create situations where that is part of the show to help gain viewers. But in an age of "Naked and Afraid" and "Naked Dating" and really Survivor and other so called "reality" shows that use nudity as a central part of the appeal of the show, I have never found the way they use penny over the top in terms of these scenes. They don't hide her behind turtlenecks and sweater, but at the same time they don't pass up opportunities when they arise.

Edited October 18, 2014 by DrSpaceman

[CleoCaesar]

And I am not denying it was a choice made for the male viewers who enjoy seeing her very well built body.

 

I don't deny they create situations where [Penny being in revealing outfits] is part of the show to help gain viewers.

 

Cool, so we agree.

[CherryAmes]

It just seems to me some people complain every time they show Penny in anything the least bit revealing no matter the situation.

 

This is one of those can't win situations.  I hear and read just as many complaints about Penny being dressed frumpily as I do about her being dressed too revealingly.

[Camera One]

I wasn't a fan of this one.  I did like Penny able to focus, while none of the other 5 characters could.  I'm not a fan of drunk characters.  It was also disappointing the guys had so little drive.

Edited October 18, 2014 by Camera One

[DrSpaceman]

This is one of those can't win situations.  I hear and read just as many complaints about Penny being dressed frumpily as I do about her being dressed too revealingly.

I have never had a real problem with it either way.

I have a much bigger problem with Penny-Leonard's relationship in that I have never bought them as a couple that are truly in love than I do with how Penny is dressed, or not dressed, each week.

[Beezella]

Penny DID have a coverup on. The sarong around her waist. I think she looked fantastic, toned and in shape, but looked like she actually eats a little bit every every once in a while. Go Penny!

[Miss Scarlet]

 

I had to roll my eyes when Kaley stepped out wearing that bikini. Yes, fan service and gratuitous. I'm sure lots of people liked it, but I thought it was unnecessary and kind of skeevy.

ITA and find it gross that pretty much every few episodes they find an excuse to put her in revealing/minimal clothing. It reminded me of the episodes last year when they had her take off her shirt in that dream sequence where she hits on Sheldon and in a bikini in the gorilla movie episode, both of which were completely unnecessary. I always remind myself that yep, it's a Chuck Lorre show. 

Edited October 20, 2014 by wudpixie

[MaryMitch]

Honestly, I don't see the problem. It's not like she's bouncing in everyone's faces in a tacky string bikini; she's wearing a nice bikini and a coverup. I think she looks great!

[Driad]

 

BBT comes from the same smelly factory as 2.5 Men, so I watch BBT with "one foot out the door."  I'm pleasantly surprised that they have not shown Penny wearing a chain mail bikini to a sci-fi convention.  (Character consistency, what's that?)

[romantic idiot]

I think my complaint is that we never get to see Johnny or Kunal in anything revealing. Or Bernadette for that matter. I'm all for equal opportunity objectification.

[MaryMitch]

I think my complaint is that we never get to see Johnny or Kunal in anything revealing. Or Bernadette for that matter. I'm all for equal opportunity objectification.

Well, we once saw Raj in a lobster bib and tighty whiteys - I'm not sure I'm over that yet.

[LoneHaranguer]

 

I think my complaint is that we never get to see Johnny or Kunal in anything revealing. Or Bernadette for that matter. I'm all for equal opportunity objectification.

FWIW, in The Date Night Variable, Leonard lifts up his shirt to show the "GO SPORTS!" he has written (thus ending the idea that he wears layers to hide a too-fit-for-a-nerd body on Johnny).

[CherryAmes]

We saw Sheldon and Leonard in their underwear in the first episode.  Not something I think we'd want on screen on any kind of regular basis.

[sinkwriter]

I didn't mind Leonard in his boxers, but (as much as I adore and am entertained by Jim) seeing Sheldon in his tighty-whiteys will always unsettle me. 

Edited October 27, 2014 by sinkwriter

[PinkRibbons]

We saw a lot of Leonard's chest in the episode with the itchy red sweater. That was...unpleasant.

[chocolatine]

We saw a lot of Leonard's chest in the episode with the itchy red sweater. That was...unpleasant.

 

 

Only because he had a rash from the sweater. I think Johnny Galecki has a nice build and good muscle tone, short though he is. I've seen quite a few nerds naked, and most of them aren't nearly as toned.

 

As for Penny wearing a bikini (with a sarong) in a Vegas hotel on her way to the pool, that wasn't nearly as what-the-fuckerous as Penny wearing a short, tight, low cut dress to a professor's memorial service in order to "impress" Leonard's superiors. 

Edited October 28, 2014 by chocolatine

[Quof]

I've seen quite a few nerds naked

 

 

Do tell!!

[chocolatine]

Do tell!!

 

 

Ha! That's just a by-product of having been in academia and in a "nerdy" profession for many years. I tend to date people I meet through school/work, and the people I've met outside of that also happened to be nerds. I've only dated one non-nerd in my life, and we ended up having very little in common.

Edited October 29, 2014 by chocolatine

[LisaM]

We just saw Sheldon in his tighty whiteys in the first episode of this season. I don't need to see that again, thanks.

 

I thought that Kaley looked great in her short black outfit with the great hair do. Cracked up when the guys ripped the tape off of their hairy arms. Amy and her atrocious outfit and yellow shoes cracked me up.

[Kalliste]

I think my complaint is that we never get to see Johnny or Kunal in anything revealing. Or Bernadette for that matter. I'm all for equal opportunity objectification.

does Raj as catwoman count?

[TVSallyS]

The strangest part of this episode to me was the bit on operant conditioning. Sheldon explains that people often make the mistake of saying "Negative Reinforcement" instead of "Positive Punishment." The weird thing is, way back in the episode where he tries to train penny with chocolate, he himself makes this mistake (he refers to shocking penny as negative reinforcement instead of positive punishment). I thought this was weird - did the writers themselves forget they had Sheldon make this error way back in an old episode? (I have always assumed the writers just got it wrong, not that they meant for "Sheldon" to be confused). Did they realize they made a mistake in the old episode and this was an inside joke for viewers who remembered the error?

[theatremouse]

did the writers themselves forget they had Sheldon make this error way back in an old episode?

Yep, probably.

It's very likely it was writer error in the first place and it's likely the person on staff who recognizes it as an error was not at the time when they themselves wrote the first episode that had Sheldon consequently make the mistake that the writers at the time did, but now they do have a person on staff and had Sheldon note the correction, which makes much more sense for Sheldon to do, but also forgot they got it wrong previously.

Edited March 2, 2015 by theatremouse

[Catlyn]

I always think that the actors who have to wear tighty-whities in their scenes are wearing more than one. For some reason, to me, it always makes them look like they're wearing diapers making the scene much more disturbing. There must be some way they can wear underwear without freaking out the censors for showing anything.