S08.E11: The Clean Room Infiltration

[photo fox]

Leonard and Wolowitz nearly come to blows and turn to Raj for help in dealing with a work emergency. Meanwhile, Amy throws an authentic Victorian Christmas party, and Sheldon seeks revenge on her for making him celebrate the holidays.

[editorgrrl]

[SmithW6079]

Amy throws an authentic Victorian Christmas party, and Sheldon seeks revenge on her for making him celebrate the holidays.

 

Sounds like yet another Sheldon-is-a-dickhead-to-Amy episode. Blech.

[Bronzedog]

Thought this was on tonight but apparently it's 22 minutes of ads instead.

[CherryAmes]

Thoroughly enjoyed this episode and on a shallow note I loved Penny's dress.  If I were 20 years younger and at least 20 pounds slimmer I'd wear that dress this Christmas!

[Kakistos]

Should have listened to Howard, Leonard. Turning out the lights totally works to get birds out of a room. We've had to do that at work a couple of time. The bird flies straight to the open door and the daylight outside.

[MadyGirl1987]

Thought this was on tonight but apparently it's 22 minutes of ads instead.

Interesting. It was preempted here in Phoenix for a football game, but shown on another local station which I guess is a CBS sister station or affiliate.

[Zoe]

Thoroughly enjoyed this episode and on a shallow note I loved Penny's dress.  If I were 20 years younger and at least 20 pounds slimmer I'd wear that dress this Christmas!

Agreed, beautiful dress! There's a Julia Louis Dreyfus commercial in rotation where she wears something similar.

[Jodithgrace]

I thought this episode was terrific. I love that even when Sheldon is trying to be mean to Amy, his true feelings show through. He really has come an amazingly long way. 

 

But I laughed so hard at Amy Victorian games. When they were blowing the ball of will around..and  "Hot boiled beans?" 

 

I just laughed more at this episode then I have for a while. One quibble..I wish Penny had done more then get drunk and make sarcastic remarks, though I did like her dress. 

[MaryMitch]

Oh, at the end where Sheldon was so touched by Amy's gift - I had tears in my eyes. Then he snapped at Raj for grabbing at the cookies, and I laughed for at least half a minute. "Tears through laughter are my favorite emotion." (One of those great "Steel Magnolia" lines.)

 

Edited to add: That's "Laughter through tears" not "Tears through laughter" in the quote. I don't know WHAT I was thinking!

Edited December 13, 2014 by MaryMitch

[mojoween]

I'm sure Melissa is a lovely person and she is just so wee but the singing...no. Thank you for hitting the power button, Sheldon.

The mall set looked exactly like the mall set in the early seasons of Roseanne.

I didn't watch either "Mom" or 2 1/2 Men, did anyone else to see what the title cards were?

[Chit Chat]

Count me in on loving this episode!  Bravo to Amy for being so thoughtful as to call and get one of Mee Maw's recipes.  If I could make my hubby's late great aunt's fried apple pies, I'd get the same reaction from my hubby as Sheldon had with the cookies!

 

I also liked how Sheldon quickly gave into Amy about going to the party.  He only had one "I'm not going" moment, and she said "yes, you are," and ta-da, he backed down!

 

Penny's no nonsense advice to Leonard about erasing their names and leaving the building was great!  Leave it to her to come up with the most practical solution. I enjoyed the light bulb moment when Leonard realized that yes, he could do exactly that!

[Packerbrewerbadger]

Thought the bird problem could have been a whole lot funnier if it had been focused more on the bird and less on Howard/ Leonard bickering. The writers missed an opportunity there. Once again Amy hit it out of the park! What an "awe" moment with Me Maw 's cookies!

[chocolatine]

Amy really gets Sheldon like no one else, doesn't she? "These cookies taste like MeeMaw's hugs!" I had something in my eye.

[peeayebee]

Penny's no nonsense advice to Leonard about erasing their names and leaving the building was great!  

I thought it was terrible. People will be using the Clean Room not knowing it isn't clean, unless the guys locked the crow in the room.

 

I wasn't enjoying this ep until that beautiful scene betw Amy and Sheldon. 

[SmithW6079]

The only time I laughed the entire episode was when Howard killed the bird.

 

Penny's no nonsense advice to Leonard about erasing their names and leaving the building was great!

 

I thought it was terrible. People will be using the Clean Room not knowing it isn't clean, unless the guys locked the crow in the room.

 

 

 

Plus, I doubt very much that the university has a clipboard with a photocopied sign-up sheet outside the door, with a pencil hanging by a string, so you can erase evidence of your presence. Most likely, you'd have to reserve the room and then use your swipe card/ID to get in.

 

Sheldon does not get a pass from me because of his "I do love her" when he was a dickhead the entire episode, plotting to ruin Amy's holiday. What's next? Slap her around to show how much he really cares? Plus, he really wasn't grateful to Amy for the cookies -- it was all about his Mee Maw. I think Mayim Bialik does a wonderful job playing Amy, but enough already. It's increasingly uncomfortable to watch this accomplished scientist grovel for whatever crumb of "affection" Dickhead Sheldon deigns to throw on the floor for her to lick up.

 

I find any story line with Raj tedious and unfunny in the extreme, and his father's presence made it worse. I don't find it funny when married people (or divorcing people) are so bitter about their partner that they have no qualms about bad-mouthing them to strangers. 

[Starscream]

They did it better when Penny ruined Sheldon's gift scheme by giving him Leonard Nimoy's DNA

[ari333]

Has Raj's father alwayss been Baboo from Seinfeld? Maybe I got used to seeing him on the computer screen and didn't recognize him as Baboo before.

Sheldon's plan ( in the car with Bernie ) to ruin Amy's holiday was horrible. Wow.

Edited December 12, 2014 by ari333

[Chit Chat]

I thought it was terrible. People will be using the Clean Room not knowing it isn't clean, unless the guys locked the crow in the room.

 

In the real world it would be an irresponsible thing to do, but since this is a comedy, I let reason go out the window and had a good laugh. 

[buffynut]

I found it hard to enjoy this episode, as I kept thinking ahead and wondering what the writers had planned to make the ending disappointing or mean.  As it turned out, it wasn't so bad.  Sheldon did like the cookies, but even as he was enjoying them, I was waiting for his mean side to come out, which would yet again hurt Amy.  And as for the gift, even when he decided on the picture with Santa, I had this nagging feeling that he was going to end up giving Amy an engagement ring, which I am thankful he didn't.

 

I also found it sad watching Raj's father complain about his (Raj's) mother. Although they always bickered on the computer video calls, I never interpreted it to be a prelude to divorce.  And I would have preferred if the wife could have been there too, or at least on video to tell her side as well.  But even that would not have really been funny.

 

Since I don't see anything funny in killing animals, I hated the pigeon, blue jay, crow jokes.

 

I did like Bernie singing in the car and being happy, not yelling or nagging.  And it was neat seeing her and Sheldon together, as they don't often pair them up.   And I did laugh when Santa said having Sheldon for a boyfriend was a bad enough gift.  Other than that, I didn't find it all that funny or heart-warming.  Possibly on future watchings I'll enjoy it more, as I do find that happens sometimes.

[kili]

I thought it was terrible. People will be using the Clean Room not knowing it isn't clean, unless the guys locked the crow in the room.

 

The room was already compromised from the first bird which they had no intention of telling anybody about. Or the food that the bird had eaten in the room. Or all the particles they released from the fire extinguisher.

 

Plus, I couldn't get past what a crap clean room it was to begin with. If two birds can easily fly from outside, through the open loading door and through the "meat-locker slats" into the room, then all sorts of dirt, microbes, dust, etc are making the same trip. At least have an actual door on the thing. Usually these rooms have an airlock. And where were there masks?

[Bazinga]

Was hoping for a mention of Priya, a character we know, but who is now forgotten, with Raj's father being present.  Think a brief mention would have been nice as well as realistic.  Penny would not have forgotten her rival Priya and would associate Raj's dad with her. Something like an uncomfortable Penny, looking for conversation, asking the dad, "Oh, how's Priya?"  Dr. Koothrappali gives a long, positive answer that is obviously killing a jealous Penny, who responds with a fake "Oh, that's nice."  Guess the character was just meant to be a temporary antagonist to the Leonard and Penny end-game relationship.

Edited December 12, 2014 by Bazinga

[BooksRule]

Has Raj's father alwayss been Baboo from Seinfeld? Maybe I got used to seeing him on the computer screen and didn't recognize him as Baboo before.

 

Yes, as far as I know, it's always been the same actor.  The first time I saw him, I recognized Baboo.

 

I keep forgetting this show is on.  I missed this episode.  I'll have to catch it online whenever.

Edited December 12, 2014 by BooksRule

[Oldernowiser]

Was hoping for a mention of Priya, a character we know, but who is now forgotten, with Raj's father being present.  Think a brief mention would have been nice as well as realistic.  Penny would not have forgotten her rival Priya and would associate Raj's dad with her. Something like an uncomfortable Penny, looking for conversation, asking the dad, "Oh, how's Priya?"  Dr. Koothrappali gives a long, positive answer that is obviously killing a jealous Penny, who responds with a fake "Oh, that's nice."  Guess the character was just meant to be a temporary antagonist to the Leonard and Penny end-game relationship.

I'm sure my opinion is biased somewhat by the fact that I always hated Priya, but I really don't want them to devote any of the few precious seconds that they actually have content anymore to small talk about departed characters. The show is now what, 19 minutes long with 8 commercial breaks? It's gotten absolutely ludicrous.

I feel like I've seen most of these storylines before. Bird in clean room = Mars Rover incident. As Starscream pointed out, the gift obligation thing was done much better with the gift basket/Nimoy episode. Overall, just meh to me.

[Passing Strange]

Sheldon does not get a pass from me because of his "I do love her" when he was a dickhead the entire episode, plotting to ruin Amy's holiday. What's next? Slap her around to show how much he really cares? Plus, he really wasn't grateful to Amy for the cookies -- it was all about his Mee Maw. I think Mayim Bialik does a wonderful job playing Amy, but enough already. It's increasingly uncomfortable to watch this accomplished scientist grovel for whatever crumb of "affection" Dickhead Sheldon deigns to throw on the floor for her to lick up.

 

Sheldon doesn't get a pass from me, either. It's the whole actions speak louder than words thing. If he really does love her, he wouldn't try to make her miserable. Ever. if your partner pisses you off, you might be pissy in return for a while, but I don't know anyone in a healthy relationship who would set out to be deliberately hurtful to someone he loves. Being nice for 2% of the time doesn't make up for being a dickhead for 98% of the time. The relationship isn't sweet or funny to me; it's dysfunctional and not pleasant to watch.

[Spartan Girl]

I kind of hope we'll get to actually meet MeeMaw at some point.

[Snow Apple]

I thought Amy's outfit looked really nice on her. Even with a Christmas sweater vest, it's not frumpy like what she normally wears.

 

I was hoping Raj's  mother shows up since she's always so hilarious.

[theatremouse]

I'm a little torn. Certainly didn't love the episode. The clean room stuff was all cringeworthy to me and, hell yeah, where's your damn airlock, or at least double set of doors. 

 

The Raj's Dad/Penny stuff was kind of nothing to me. None of it stuck out. Basically filler than neither brought me joy nor offended me.

 

The Amy/Sheldon thing was interesting to me in a sort of theoretical way because it kind of spins the whole "it's the thought that counts" premise all around. Mayim is so good at playing completely heartful overjoyed. Her reaction to that photo was so brilliant because her acting can be so genuine in moments like that. It didn't read "sitcom girlfriend happy with present" to me at all. Her face was like a grinch-heart-growing moment for me. So A: I can't not love Mayim when she does that. But B: she was so genuinely happy, even when Sheldon had a couple throw-aways like "don't you feel terrible", I liked that the way they wrote it never gave him time to really convey to her he was trying to make her miserable. So we never had to see that moment, whether it would've been bickering or Amy shutting him down or whatever else. The segue was quick and good getting to her to the Mee Maw cookies and his deciding they were both happy and who'da thunk it.

 

But usually you've got the whole premise that someone gives an actually terrible gift but thought it would bring joy, so they get a pass on trying but failing to be thoughtful, because it's the thought that counts and there's a presumption the person thought they were giving a good gift, even though they didn't. And here, Sheldon showed that he had the thought part down. He knew what she'd really like. And she did. And he was hoping to make her feel guilty and bad, which in his own contorted (actually sort of five year old logic) way was his way of expressing himself that he really really didn't like the holidays and to be forced into it just because everyone else wanted to was not a good idea. So like the itchy sweater episode, he's basically doing the "you're making me miserable I'll make you miserable and then you'll get it and stop."

 

I am not trying to get into the "Sheldon always getting what he wants" argument right now.

 

But, Sheldon's twisted logic in a Christmas gift giving context is really interesting to me. What's better or worse? Someone who ought to know you well enough to (when they choose to give you a gift) give you something you'll appreciate and enjoy, but who gets something that actually makes you feel bad because it's not something you'd appreciate or enjoy. In this scenario the feeling bad isn't because you're ungrateful or greedy. What I'm suggesting here is that the fact that they'd choose so poorly reflects either lack of thoughtfulness put into the gift, or reflects..ooops, they don't seem to know me well at all. VS Sheldon who knew exactly what a happiness yielding gift would be, but gave it with the intention of causing not joy but a guilt trip. Who'd you prefer? 

 

So while I can't really say I liked the episode as a whole, I did enjoy the question it brought to mind. I think it's an interesting one. When someone says "it's the thought that counts", which thought do we mean?

Edited December 12, 2014 by theatremouse

[kili]

What I'm suggesting here is that the fact that they'd choose so poorly reflects either lack of thoughtfulness put into the gift, or reflects..ooops, they don't seem to know me well at all. VS Sheldon who knew exactly what a happiness yielding gift would be, but gave it with the intention of causing not joy but a guilt trip. Who'd you prefer?

 

The person who is trying to buy me a gift I like (and failing) over the person who is actively trying to cause me pain (and failing). 

 

I can live with a crap gift, but not with somebody who is trying to hurt me.

[CherryAmes]

I also found it sad watching Raj's father complain about his (Raj's) mother. Although they always bickered on the computer video calls, I never interpreted it to be a prelude to divorce.  And I would have preferred if the wife could have been there too, or at least on video to tell her side as well.

 

This was my only quibble with what was otherwise, to me, a very enjoyable episode.  I hate that the writers are pulling out the standard Lorre cliché about the grasping, avaricious woman.  Clearly either he or people he knows have been divorced and feel like they got screwed,  But how dare they go there in a scenario where the couple aren't just rich they're Richie Rich rich and where the couple have been married at least 30 years (at a minimum - probably more like 40 as we are not given to believe that Raj is the eldest child) - where the wife raised 6 children and cared for a household and probably entertained and did all the things an upper class wife would do when her husband has a high status job,  I'm not explaining this well but it's not like they were married for a short time and we've never been given to believe she only married him for his money.  Ugh,  I'm overthinking this but it just bugged me so much!!

[Calamity Jane]

Maybe I'm going through a phase of some kind, but I'm just not enjoying the show this season, and I so wanted to!  I can't imagine how they're going to spin this out three more years.  I think they should have found a way to wrap things up and call it quits last season, but of course, it's terribly difficult to walk away from all that money.  I don't want to watch these characters go through a long, protracted downhill trajectory for years, though. 

[Calamity Jane]

I kind of hope we'll get to actually meet MeeMaw at some point.

I'm torn between wanting to see Meemaw and worrying they wouldn't get the perfect actor for the part.  Laurie Metcalf  was spot-on as Sheldon's mom, though, so maybe they could find someone equally matched to our ideas of Meemaw - ??  Sometimes I think I would prefer just to envision her myself.  Like Howard's mom.  

[Latverian Diplomat]

They did it better when Penny ruined Sheldon's gift scheme by giving him Leonard Nimoy's DNA

The key difference being that in that episode, Sheldon was just trying not to screw up, socially speaking. Though he would be loathe to admit it, his "scheme" came from a place of vulnerability; he wanted to do the "right" thing but didn't feel he had enough information to succeed. That remains one of my favorite episodes for precisely that reason.

 

In this case, he was trying to "win" by making someone else feel bad. I never like that version of Sheldon.

[Chit Chat]

In this case, he was trying to "win" by making someone else feel bad. I never like that version of Sheldon.

 

I took it that he was trying to get even with her for forcing him to attend her Christmas party.  He said that he wanted her to be as miserable as him, so he really didn't win since he still had to attend the party.   In the end though, they were both happy, and hopefully Sheldon won't be such a bah humbug next Christmas! 

 

I loved Raj's proposed theme party of Tom Hanksgiving.  That would've been a hoot!  Too bad everybody has been a turd about his theme parties.  Poor Raj!

[jjj]

Raj's father needs Raj's mother next to him to make the character work -- same with her.  They play off one another perfectly. 

 

If Mee Maw is too ailing to bake cookies for her Moonpie, we might not get to see her.  I read a few years ago that Jim Parsons wanted Betty White to play Mee Maw, but he might just have been riding the BW Bandwagon at that point.  If she were Sue Ann Nivens to everyone else (especially Sheldon's Mom) and lovey-dovey with her Moonpie, it could work! 

[shapeshifter]

I rarely laugh at comedies, but this one really got me going. It's probably because I really don't like parties and holiday, and also because I have done battle with outside animals in the house.

I really guffawed when the bird plummeted to the ground instead of becoming "airborne" from the fire extinguisher because it was so unexpected--not because I don't love birds and am upset IRL if I see one dead or dying.

Great look on Raj's father's face the first time Amy blew the wool ball across the table.

The gift giving was great in spite of Sheldon's mean-spirited intentions. Again, IRL, it would have been--well--it probably would have ended like one of my family's holiday fights. At least Sheldon is smart enough to realize Amy really is the only person on earth who could possibly be with him.

[maplebrew]

Sheldon does not get a pass from me because of his "I do love her" when he was a dickhead the entire episode, plotting to ruin Amy's holiday. What's next? Slap her around to show how much he really cares?

 

 

Exactly what I was thinking when he said in the car that he wanted to teach her a lesson, then in the mall saying in almost the same breath that he loved her and that he wanted to make her miserable. Since the gifts actually exchanged were nice and they were both happy, that took the edge off this. Sentimental as the moment was, it doesn't change the fact that Sheldon is disturbingly controlling in all his relationships. Since he is ostensibly Amy's boyfriend this takes on a whole other creepy dynamic. That he's like a pouty child rather than a big bruiser boyfriend doesn't make it okay.

[Chit Chat]

Sentimental as the moment was, it doesn't change the fact that Sheldon is disturbingly controlling in all his relationships. Since he is ostensibly Amy's boyfriend this takes on a whole other creepy dynamic. That he's like a pouty child rather than a big bruiser boyfriend doesn't make it okay.

 

It's episodes like this and a few others this season that give me hope that Sheldon will continue to mature in his relationship with Amy, and eventually (sooner rather than later) not be so selfish.  As I said earlier, it only took a few words from Amy and he quit arguing about going to the party.  I liked how he told Bernadette all the things that Amy likes, and how she uses her hands to play along whenever she hears harp music.  That means that Sheldon is paying attention to the little things, and that he appreciates those kinds of things.  He's already made huge strides in his relationship, especially acknowledging that he loves her.  Hearing Amy casually tell Sheldon that she loves him around the gang was a nice change too. 

 

For Amy, she truly loves him, and he is worth the wait to her.  I can't fault her for that.  At least we are seeing improvements in Sheldon in this regard. I'm enjoying it.  In all of my adult life I've never had relationships with people like this group of sitcom friends represents.  I guess that's why I like the show so much.  It's nice to see these people going through life having a great group of friends to hang out with, even if it is just a TV show.

Edited December 13, 2014 by ChitChat

[stormy weather]

 

I had this nagging feeling that he was going to end up giving Amy an engagement ring, which I am thankful he didn't.

 

I actually hope we will never come to that. Or even to the point where they sleep together or kiss in public or anything like that. Many people have complained that Sheldon is disrespectful towards Amy all the time and it seems like she's just following him around like a puppy dog, but this is a comedy show and those are the kind of characters they are supposed to portray. Even if there's an underlying ongoing plot in all these self-standing episodes, that doesn't mean the protagonists need to have a full-blown character arc as it happens in movies or TV dramas. Sheldon has always shown very poor social skills and a general incapacity to interact with people, that's his main characteristic, so I'm perfectly content with him staying the "jerk" that he is and I'd find it kind of unrealistic if he did a complete 180 and became a totally different person who shows love and affection for his girlfriend and hugs her and holds her etc.

 

Also, why would Leonard and Howard be working on Christmas Eve? Did they say it and I missed it?

 

 

[CherryAmes]

Sheldon is disrespectful towards Amy all the time and it seems like she's just following him around like a puppy dog,

 

I don't see this - I don't know if I'm missing the episodes where this happens or not but I don't see Sheldon treating Amy any worse than he treats anyone else (okay, yes, damning with faint praise) and I often see him having fun with Amy and showing pride in her accomplishments.  As for Amy, she stands up for herself quite well in any episode I've ever seen.  She loves Sheldon and she's prepared to accept his quirky (to say the least) personality but she gets her own way pretty often - this episode being a good example of that. 

[possibilities]

My reaction to Sheldon wanting to make Amy miserable was strongly negative-- I was really disgusted with him at first. But then when I think about it, she was "forcing" him to go to the party despite knowing it would make him miserable. So why is that okay?

 

It's true that Sheldon sometimes enjoys things once he gives them a try. And if she didn't push him, he would often run right over her. But in the past, they have negotiated more, like he'll do something she wants, in exchange for her doing something he wants. In this case, I can see that he was resentful because he said he didn't want to do it and she flat out told him he had to. If he spoke to her that way, we'd think he was an abusive jerk. So maybe it's okay that he was angry about it.

 

A better way of handling his anger would be to tell her directly how upset he was and why. In fact, we have seen Sheldon and Amy have real conversations like this, which bring them closer. But it's not a sitcom premise.

 

RE Raj's dad, yeah: mom's not spending HIS money, she's spending THEIR money. They should finalize the divorce so there's no longer a relevant disagreement about what is or isn't a good way to manage finances. I also found his whining tired. he was a guest and he wasn't even trying to be pleasant. And it's totally unfair to Raj to have one parent bad-mouth the other. Why is that supposed to be funny? They couldn't think of a single other way to make a visit from Dad amusing? C'mon, you lazy bum writers!

 

The bird plot would have been funnier if they had kept escalating to bigger and bigger birds. After the raven (or crow-- which was it?) maybe an eagle could have flown in. Then maybe an ostrich walks in. Or a man in a Big Bird costume. I don't know. But it had to be over the top and campier to make it really funny. Howard giving CPR was good. The pigeon stealing the slim jim out of Howard's hand was fun. The guys fighting with each other was not fun. Or maybe it could have not been their fault exclusively. Maybe after all the birds are finally removed, someone else down the hall has mice get loose from their study and that person mistakenly opens the door to the clean room and the mice get in and over run the place. It's always better when the friends are working together against some outside pressure rather than when they're just arguing with each other and making each other feel bad.

[madfortv]

I really want to like this show but am often disappointed in the writing. I liked that they put Sheldon and Bernadette into scenes together but not that he was trying to be mean to Amy. That wasn't funny. It was nice to see a toned down Bernadette.

 

The number of commercials was ridiculous. I almost turned off the TV before the end of the show. There is another show I can only watch online. They upped the number of commercials. I kind of have my revenge in that there is now time for me to step away every commercial break. Ha!

[wknt3]

Also, why would Leonard and Howard be working on Christmas Eve? Did they say it and I missed it?

 

I don't think they did, but since it's easily explainable (Howard being Jewish and Leonard having his whole previously explored history with the holidays use the room when nobody else is so they don't have to wait) I don't mind the lack of exposition. The whole clean room that's not really clean on the the other hand...

[Bronzedog]

I didn't think it was weird that they were working Christmas Eve. I always work Christmas Eve. Companies aren't closed until evening. I just assumed they ran late because of the bird incident. To me, it's more unrealistic that Sheldon and Bernadette could just swing by a mall on Christmas Eve and have a picture taken with Santa. That would a major production.

[stormy weather]

I don't see this - I don't know if I'm missing the episodes where this happens or not but I don't see Sheldon treating Amy any worse than he treats anyone else (okay, yes, damning with faint praise) and I often see him having fun with Amy and showing pride in her accomplishments.  As for Amy, she stands up for herself quite well in any episode I've ever seen.  She loves Sheldon and she's prepared to accept his quirky (to say the least) personality but she gets her own way pretty often - this episode being a good example of that. 

 

That's exactly my point. I was saying most people here perceive Sheldon's attitude as "he's being mean to Amy" while to me it's just the regular behavior he has with everybody else. 

[needschocolate]

I liked this episode - a lot.  I laughed out loud a few times and thought the gift exchange was sweet.  I realized that, lately, my favorite episodes are the ones where they pair up people that aren't normally paired - like Sheldon and Bernie. 

[DrSpaceman]

I find it very hard to believe just erasing their names from the list is going to keep them from getting caught ruining the clean room.  I am hoping in the sometime they come back to this and learn they are punished or at least someone with te university knows about them causing this problem. 

 

The rest of the episode was OK.  They seemed to be at a loss for what to do with Penny and Raj's dad.  In fact I am not sure what purpose Raj's dad served this episode.  He didn't add much except for some typical Lorre comments about "bad" wives were not that original or funny.  So you bring on Raj's dad in person for the first time and you have him sit waiting for others to arive for a party?  Seems like a waste of a guest spot. 

[jjj]

Well, this is a university that apparently could not track down Howard as the person who crashed the Mars Rover and let him take a robotic arm home for his own, uh, "amusement," so I'd say the security controls are rather lax.

[Chit Chat]

So you bring on Raj's dad in person for the first time and you have him sit waiting for others to arive for a party?  Seems like a waste of a guest spot.



For what it's worth, we did learn that Raj got his party planning skills from his Mom, and that his Dad worked a lot!  For everything we know about Leonard, Howard and Sheldon's early years, getting a glimpse of Raj's family (rather than by Skype)  is nice for a change. I'm hoping that his parents will get back together.  I do hope this is where the writers are taking us.  YMMV.

[MaryHedwig]

Where did Stuart and Debbie spend Christmas?