S09.E01: The Matrimony Momentum

[photo fox]

Sheldon is confronted by a mystery of the universe he cannot unravel: when a woman wants time apart to think, exactly how much time does that mean, and is there any way to hurry the process along? In Las Vegas, Penny and Leonard march closer to marching down the aisle, but has Penny gotten over Leonard’s infidelity? And if so, will he do anything to un-get her over it?

[CherryAmes]

I haven't seen this show yet (obviously) but is kissing a woman once when you are drunk (and also not only not married  but not engaged either) count as infidelity?  A stinky thing to do, no question, and something you would certainly have to explain and abjectly apologize for, but is it infidelity?  I'm conflicted on this one.

[anna0852]

That's exactly what I was thinking CherryAmes. It was 1 drunken kiss two years ago, long before there was any sort of engagement.

 

Meanwhile Penny is the one who was married for god-knows-how-long to Zack because of a drunken trip to Vegas.

[CherryAmes]

Which to be fair happened before she was involved with Leonard, but I take your point.  I guess what annoys me most is that Leonard kissing this woman makes no sense - he is actually shown bragging to his fellow scientists that he's dating a gorgeous actress (even showing them that stupid Serial Apist movie to prove how pretty she is) and yet we're supposed to believe he lost his head and kissed someone? I guess it's not as though he hasn't strayed a little in the past (the time he was still involved with Preya but was smitten with the artist who liked comic books comes to mind) but still  it annoys!

[possibilities]

I'm annoyed by the description of Sheldon's problem. I really hope they aren't going to play it as Amy being the stand in for all women, and Sheldon getting advice from the guys on "how to decode the mystery of womankind." Not all time outs are equal, and Amy's is provoked by some very real and serious concerns that everyone in-show and out of it ought to be able to respect.

[anna0852]

Which to be fair happened before she was involved with Leonard, but I take your point.  I guess what annoys me most is that Leonard kissing this woman makes no sense - he is actually shown bragging to his fellow scientists that he's dating a gorgeous actress (even showing them that stupid Serial Apist movie to prove how pretty she is) and yet we're supposed to believe he lost his head and kissed someone? I guess it's not as though he hasn't strayed a little in the past (the time he was still involved with Preya but was smitten with the artist who liked comic books comes to mind) but still  it annoys!

Penny might have married Zach before she and Leonard got back together but the annulment definitely didn't happened until after. And she was shockingly blase about it too. 

 

I can believe that Leonard had a 2 minute lapse. He was far from home and family, he'd been drinking and he was in the heady position of being both popular yet lonely at the same time. I'm sure his head had some combination of 'I need human contact' coupled with 'they like me, they really like me' going. 

[chocolatine]

I can believe that Leonard had a 2 minute lapse. He was far from home and family, he'd been drinking and he was in the heady position of being both popular yet lonely at the same time. I'm sure his head had some combination of 'I need human contact' coupled with 'they like me, they really like me' going. 

 

I also think Leonard is the kind of man who can't resist female attention - e.g. North Korean spy, old lady at the university fundraiser, almost wend there with comic book chick while in a relationship with Priya. If more women were attracted to him, he would be a total manwhore.

[CherryAmes]

I guess Leonard is just following the Lorre model of manly behavior.  All men want is sex and they don't really care how they get it or from whom.  Sheldon being the obvious exception of course :).

[anna0852]

I also think Leonard is the kind of man who can't resist female attention - e.g. North Korean spy, old lady at the university fundraiser, almost wend there with comic book chick while in a relationship with Priya. If more women were attracted to him, he would be a total manwhore.

I don't know if I'd go with manwhore. I think Leonard's reactions tend to stem from low self esteem. Being raised by Beverly probably taught him to take affection wherever he could get it and figuring out the boundaries took some time. Yes, he kissed the comic book chick but he then immediately confessed to have a girlfriend. And then confessed to Priya as well. 

 

As for Joyce Kim and the rich old lady, both of them were pursuing him pretty hard for their own purposes. So did Leslie Winkle for that matter.  

[jjj]

As for Joyce Kim and the rich old lady, both of them were pursuing him pretty hard for their own purposes. So did Leslie Winkle for that matter.  

Plus, the famous physicist (Judy Greer) who came into his bedroom and stripped. 

Edited September 18, 2015 by jjj

[Homily]

For someone who was painted as being such a loser with the ladies Leonard sure had his fair share of amorous encounters!

[LoneHaranguer]

Not sure I get Amy's comment in the ad for this episode; bouquets are normally thrown at the reception, not the wedding.

[possibilities]

Usually if you're not at one, you're not at the other. So if the wedding is in Las Vegas and Amy is home in CA, probably Amy will miss the reception, too.

[Phebemarie]

Has the season opener aired already, or is this just speculation prior to the episode?

[Homily]

It's airing on Monday, Sept. 21.  I  wonder why they are moving it to Monday nights.  Didn't it used to be on Mondays and then got moved to Thursdays? 

Edited September 19, 2015 by Homily

[Bort]

It airs on Mondays in the fall because CBS airs football on Thursday.

[LADreamr]

I hope they can bring more focus back to science this year. I feel like it gets brushed aside for tedious relationship stuff too much. It doesn't have to dominate the show, but at least to remember what used to make it special. The geek in me really wants to see the Pluto flyby photo in the opening credits, but I'm not holding my breath. But Pluto should at least be mentioned, or Stephen Hawking's quest to find extraterrestrial life. Maybe Sheldon could have an actual breakthrough this year that doesn't turn out to be a dud. I hate to see this become just another formulaic sitcom.

[Homily]

To be fair one of the big plot points in the last few episodes was about the impact the paper Sheldon and Leonard wrote had made within the scientific community.  I thought the Hawking connection was pretty funny :).

[LADreamr]

Right! And I love it when they go there. Even the Words With Friends episode. I love when they bring actual scientists in, and that Hawking has such a good sense of humor about it. If they do address Pluto, it would be great to see Neil deGrasse Tyson back on the show.

[LoneHaranguer]

 

Usually if you're not at one, you're not at the other. So if the wedding is in Las Vegas and Amy is home in CA, probably Amy will miss the reception, too.

Leonard and Penny went to Vegas by themselves, so it wouldn't make sense to have a reception there, rather than coming back to CA for it.

[LADreamr]

I think it was only Amy's passive-aggressive way of saying, gee, thanks for inviting me.

[Homily]

Amy made Bernadette's wedding all about her so it's not surprising that she would have wanted to do the same thing with Penny.

[possibilities]

Do people who rush off to Vegas alone to get married actually have receptions back home, where they toss the bouquet, etc? I agree Amy is just being snarky and resentful because she's envious of their happiness and depressed about her own relationship.

[LoneHaranguer]

 

Do people who rush off to Vegas alone to get married actually have receptions back home, where they toss the bouquet, etc?

More of a party with friends than what you'd think of as a reception, but I'd expect Raj to want to do it up more than most people would. Unless the producers bring in some extras for the party, you wouldn't expect a bouquet toss, but I can see Penny doing it to make Amy happy.

[photo fox]

Hey, all, can we hold off on commenting in here until the show airs in a few hours? There's always the speculation thread if you want to continue over there. Thanks!

[Skyfall]

I haven't laughed once yet and Sheldon is being whiny Sheldon again. This season may be when I drop the show for good... I already dropped it once before temporarily near the end of the season two seasons ago.

[ari333]

This is our fav show. Tonight.... HORRIBLE

HATED IT.

Did not laugh once nor even cracked a smile . WTFFFF?????

This totally blows.

Edited September 22, 2015 by ari333

[SimoneS]

This was not good or funny. In fact, it was horrible. I was surprised that they let Leonard and Penny get married, but when they immediatelyy fought and separated, it merely reinforced what I said in the thread about the last season finale which is they don't want Leonard to move out of that apartment away from Sheldon.

 

The worse part is that Leonard and Penny can be so sweet and funny. They should have had a lovely wedding instead of this sham. It reminds me of when Friends jobbed us with Ross and Rachel's wedding by giving them a fake one.

Edited September 22, 2015 by SimoneS

[LucyEth]

Didn't care for this episode.  Guess the whole season will be the two couples trying to work things out.  Penny and Leonard go to Vegas?  A huge part of this show revolves around Leonard and Penny's relationship and they finally get married and it is not a big deal wedding with the rest of the group in attendance?  Think I am losing interest.  This episode was not even a little funny.

[Spartan Girl]

Stuart is even more of a sleaze than Howard before Bernadette.

[ari333]

I was hoping Stuart would console Amy.... Ok I'll see myself out. :)

[Artsda]

Wasn't that funny, going to Vegas with everyone would have made it more entertaining like when Friends did it.

[P3pp3rb1rd]

What a depressing show. When the Happy Bridal Couple weren't snarking at each other, Show was jamming commercials down our throats for products and for OTHER  shows. Only the dialogue and acting between Sheldon and his mother were worth tuning in.

 

Well Show that's 19.33 minutes of my life I'll never get back.

[EarlGreyTea]

Penny's dress was to die for. I loved it. And her hair has grown out nicely. I didn't think they'd have them go through with the wedding, but it's about time they shook things up like that. Last big shake-up was probably the addition of Amy and Bernadette to the main cast. Disappointed to see them basically going back on it immediately.

[ParadoxLost]

This episode was absolute misery.  The show has lost every bit of humor and charm it ever had. 

[pandora spocks]

I haven't been this pissed after watching a TV show since the finale episode of The Sopranos.  Stuart is getting on my nerves and needs to open a new comic book store in a town far from Pasadena. 

[Skyfall]

Yup I'm out. I just don't care about these characters anymore. I knew CBS had kept the show for too long. This is as bad as HIMYM's final season.

[Winston Wolfe]

Like HIMYM and Friends before them, BBT is hanging on past its expiration date.  There may have been three funny lines in the whole episode.  The writers are clearly running out of ideas and I'm feeling like the final three seasons aren't going to be much fun to watch.

[MaryMitch]

Aw, I loved the wedding; Penny knowing that the "Toy Story" song would touch Leonard was so sweet. But I'm a sucker for a wedding.

 

I'm glad they finally married. Now we get to see them work out the living arrangements!

[stealinghome]

I don't think I was as disappointed with this episode as many of you--think I've just accepted that for the rest of its run this show is going to be a pale imitation of what it used to be. But I still thought this episode was a cut above much of last season. Sheldon's mother is always gold, I got a kick out of the phone conversations at the start and I liked Amy finally breaking up with Sheldon and calling him out for being a jerk (even if we all know they'll end up together at the end of the day), Bernadette and Howard had some GREAT reaction shots and I like them as the sort of domestic heart of the group, and Stuart's sleaze was just pathetic enough to be funny without being overly gross--can't hold a candle to early-seasons Howard.

 

On the negative side, I agree that the Penny/Leonard drama is so obviously manufactured to keep Sheldon and Leonard in the same apartment. Which is really too bad--Leonard and Penny moving in together and Sheldon living alone, or with say Raj, could be the revitalizing shakeup the show needs but won't commit to. Penny and Leonard work as a couple when they are sweet and fun--I don't know why the show is determined to make them look so awful together all the time. JG and KC don't have the chemistry to overcome the awful writing to make you root for them (or even want to root for them).

Edited September 22, 2015 by stealinghome

[EarlGreyTea]

On the negative side, I agree that the Penny/Leonard drama is so obviously manufactured to keep Sheldon and Leonard in the same apartment. Which is really too bad--Leonard and Penny moving in together and Sheldon living alone, or with say Raj, could be the revitalizing shakeup the show needs but won't commit to. Penny and Leonard work as a couple when they are sweet and fun--I don't know why the show is determined to make them look so awful together all the time. JG and KC don't have the chemistry to overcome the awful writing to make you root for them (or even want to root for them).

 

I actually thought they had sweet chemistry pre-Johnny and Kaley becoming a couple. It was a clear case (to me) of couples dating in real life destroying their onscreen chemistry. Of course, I also think part of it is that I thought Leonard was much cuter in the first season, when we didn't know he was going to get so whiny. Maybe if they didn't date and if Leonard was kept the sweet nice guy in the first season they'd be more rootable. But that's a tall order for a show that's been on for nine years (!).

 

Why are the writers so reluctant in having the two be happy? Are they too lazy to change up the apartment sets? It would make a fun episode where Leonard, Sheldon, and Penny tried to decide who would live where. An even bigger shake-up would be Raj moving in with Sheldon. It would integrate Raj more into the dynamic.

[riverheightsnancy]

Hated it (agree on the dress though). The biggest issue is that Penny does not act like she loves Leonard. I know that they are going for the snarky relationship, but they don't last. Been there, done that. The Penny of the early seasons could have loved Leonard, this Penny, no way. MMV

[MrsMommy]

Do people who rush off to Vegas alone to get married actually have receptions back home, where they toss the bouquet, etc? I agree Amy is just being snarky and resentful because she's envious of their happiness and depressed about her own relationship.

Yes people do.. two of my aunts went to Vegas to get married and had the reception in sc, and just last year hhusband's niece did the same

[ParadoxLost]

The problem with Penny and Leonard is that it feels very much like the writers hate that they are a couple but feel trapped and unable to break them up.

 

The title says it all, they have momentum towards marriage.  What else are they going to do?  They've gotten the show so formulaic and everyone locked down into a little clique that no longer allows for outsiders.

 

They flat out say that this milestone isn't anything special.  Their friends get distracted and don't bother to finish watching the wedding.

 

There is a dearth of imagination here.  Its like everyone went 'oh, shit' when it dawned on them that they signed on for three more years.  I think they are in that phase of hating your job where the paycheck is good but it doesn't make up for being bored or fed up an that is what we are seeing on screen.

[Dots And Stripes]

So they couldn't even have Leonard or Penny pretend to care about their families being present? More attention was given to Amy than to Leoanard's family (not wanting his mother their would be understandable) or Penny's family. I get that the show is about the group of friends, but it's a bit odd that Sheldon's mother made an appearance and I didn't catch any mention of having relatives watch the live stream. Maybe the families' disapproval can be the next way to make these characters miserable.

 

Penny and Leonard started out so sweet. This is just blech.

 

I agree with the person who said this was still an improvement over last season. It's a decent sitcom, even if I feel they are doing a major disservice to 2 of the core 3.

[stealinghome]

The problem with Penny and Leonard is that it feels very much like the writers hate that they are a couple but feel trapped and unable to break them up.

I don't get why they'd feel all that trapped though. Penny/Leonard don't seem to have a big fanbase that I can see--I know the internet isn't representative of the GA as a whole, but even among the people I know IRL who watch, no one seems overly invested in them as a couple. Are there any fans who would really revolt if they broke Penny/Leonard up permanently?

[Homily]

I wouldn't be happy about it, I admit.  I guess it would depend on how they handle it but the Penny-Leonard relationship is pretty basic to the show for me.  I can't say I'd stop watching it if it was obvious they were broken up for good but I'd much rather have them be married and stay married than play Ross and Rachel for another 3 years.

[TV Anonymous]

I love Amy's vow being You've Got a Friend in Me and that brings Leonard to tears. Other than that, a rather meh episode. Too much Stuart, too less Raj and where is Emily? I thought they were off to a good start last time.

[kili]

That was so depressing. Comedies aren't supposed to be this depressing. 

 

Sheldon being horrible to Amy. Leonard being horrible to Penny (he insisted on carrying her over the threshold and then whined about how heavy she was when they got home????). Howard being horrible to stalker Sheldon. Stewart being extra creepy. Nobody watching the wedding. The wedding being extra pathetic with the strip club next door, the coaster pager and the potpourri. Not even discussing anything about the vows before hand.  

 

The only time I smiled was when Howard/Bernie fist-bumped and when I saw Sheldon's Mom (she was a little thin on the sage advice though). 

 

This is not the way to start a season.

[Accidental Martyr]

They have completely ruined Stuart's character. Remember when he was a successful business owner and artist that went out with Penny? Now he's been turned into a creepy loser.