S09.E10: The Earworm Reverberation

[ari333]

I hear what you're saying but for me I'm glad they didn't let the break up drag on and on when we all knew they'd end up back together.  Besides they've already done the "couple meant to be together but break up for years" schtick with Penny and Leonard,  I didn't see them doing that again.  To quote from a different sitcom Amy and Sheldon are "meant to be".  I'm still not on board with them hopping into bed together -and I really hope they don't show much if they do and that they don't turn Sheldon into a typical Lorre Horndog- but I do see them as the power couple on the show, at least in their own minds anyway :).

 

BBM

 

I can hear Brad Garrett saying, "Meant ...to BE" hee.

 

I am on board with Shamy becoming sexual beings. WOOT! [/perv]

 

"Friday I've got farmer's market with JayZ"

Edited December 11, 2015 by ari333

[CherryAmes]

Most of the time though Sheldon makes it up to Amy in some way.  As one example he asks her to go with him to Mars when he realizes he's hurt her.  I mean what girl can resist a man who says:

Yeah, if I’m going to a barren, lifeless environment where the chances of survival are slim to none, I want you there with me.

 

[Scott]

For that matter there's been growth in terms of Sheldon and his relationships with his friends as well

 

Yes, growth like adultering his supposed best friend's coffee, and playing the tuba in the middle of the night.

[WickedTuna]

bed too small.

I still don't get it. I must have missed something. I've seen them in bed in other episodes and they seemed to fit just fine.

I really liked this episode. I thought it was almost as good as the older ones. My favorite part was Sheldon and the earworm but I liked Howard and Raj too. That's surprising for me because I think I've only liked Raj in one other episode.

[CherryAmes]

Yes, growth like adultering his supposed best friend's coffee, and playing the tuba in the middle of the night.

 

A perfect Sheldon would be boring!  But I do think he has progressed in the last few seasons, not just with Amy but with the other friends. I don't see him so much as a "tertiary friend" anymore.  I particularly like the way they explored the relationship between Sheldon and Howard on their trip to Texas and the way they actually became real friends in the process.

 

That's surprising for me because I think I've only liked Raj in one other episode.

 

Could it be because Emily wasn't in this one?  I like Raj a lot better when he's part of the gang minus Emily.

Edited December 11, 2015 by CherryAmes

[theatremouse]

Per Shazam, they can't identify humming. Only pre-recorded music. Which makes sense to me since I tried Shazaming a song at the very end and it couldn't get it with so few notes.

Interesting. I wasn't expecting it to work when he was humming, but I was expecting when he was playing it on the keyboard it would work. I didn't realize it's an identify-the-recording thing only.

[AnnaRose]

Sheldon has plenty of flaws, but they all have their faults, in exaggerated sitcom ways.  Even in real life nobody's perfect and even the best relationships have plenty of compromise and things each partner would like to change.

 

Sheldon and Amy have so much in common and I think they fit really well together.  They started out with neither of them being interested in sex, and then for comedy purposes, the writers turned Amy into a frustrated sex-obsessed person (to varying degrees.)  I didn't feel sorry for her because she chose to stick around and try to change Sheldon.  But I felt like he was generally pretty nice and caring towards her most of the time, along with his clueless self-centered Sheldon-ness.  

 

That part of Sheldon doesn't bother me too much because he tends to have a good heart and does care about his friends.   I might not want to hang out with him all the time in real life, but sitcom Sheldon makes me laugh.   I think it helps a lot that I find Jim Parsons pretty charming and adorable, which goes a long way in making Sheldon more appealing than he otherwise might be played by a lesser actor.

 

I really like when Sheldon shows his fondness for and appreciation of his friends.  I loved what he said about Leonard in this episode.   His over-the-top Sheldon-ness is played for laughs, but when it comes down to it he and Leonard have a lot in common and I can see why Leonard would put up with the more annoying aspects of his personality.  It's not like Sheldon is trying to be a jerk, and I think most of the time he doesn't completely realize or understand how his behavior is interpreted by "normal" people.   At least he has been shown trying to understand other people and making some effort to be a better friend and boyfriend. 

 

I was glad that they didn't get back together because Amy found out about the ring, but rather, because Sheldon realized how much he loves her.  And Amy still loves Sheldon even though he is far from perfect.   Sometimes, the heart just wants what the heart wants.   I thought tall Dave was hilarious, and his input during the reconciliation was great.  I loved how Amy kicked the door at the end as he kind of skipped out backwards, and had such a good-natured attitude, especially considering the situation.

 

Nicely done show.

[Scott]

No offense, but why would you point out such trivial things as an apparent proof that Sheldon has made no progress?

 

I wouldn't say I was trying to prove anything, since one can't prove or disprove an opinion.  But yes, my opinion is that he hasn't grown much, if at all, and those were a couple of examples just from this most recent episode that I had taken into consideration when forming my opinion.

[One Tough Cookie]

I'm a hopeless romantic.  I LOVED it.  Altho I don't think thy are going to actually go there next week.  But how could Sheldon resist Amy's sexy flannel nighty?

[Lady Cupcake]

Sheldon has plenty of flaws, but they all have their faults, in exaggerated sitcom ways.  Even in real life nobody's perfect and even the best relationships have plenty of compromise and things each partner would like to change.

 

Sheldon and Amy have so much in common and I think they fit really well together.  They started out with neither of them being interested in sex, and then for comedy purposes, the writers turned Amy into a frustrated sex-obsessed person (to varying degrees.)  I didn't feel sorry for her because she chose to stick around and try to change Sheldon.  But I felt like he was generally pretty nice and caring towards her most of the time, along with his clueless self-centered Sheldon-ness.  

 

That part of Sheldon doesn't bother me too much because he tends to have a good heart and does care about his friends.   I might not want to hang out with him all the time in real life, but sitcom Sheldon makes me laugh.   I think it helps a lot that I find Jim Parsons pretty charming and adorable, which goes a long way in making Sheldon more appealing than he otherwise might be played by a lesser actor.

 

I really like when Sheldon shows his fondness for and appreciation of his friends.  I loved what he said about Leonard in this episode.   His over-the-top Sheldon-ness is played for laughs, but when it comes down to it he and Leonard have a lot in common and I can see why Leonard would put up with the more annoying aspects of his personality.  It's not like Sheldon is trying to be a jerk, and I think most of the time he doesn't completely realize or understand how his behavior is interpreted by "normal" people.   At least he has been shown trying to understand other people and making some effort to be a better friend and boyfriend. 

 

I was glad that they didn't get back together because Amy found out about the ring, but rather, because Sheldon realized how much he loves her.  And Amy still loves Sheldon even though he is far from perfect.   Sometimes, the heart just wants what the heart wants.   I thought tall Dave was hilarious, and his input during the reconciliation was great.  I loved how Amy kicked the door at the end as he kind of skipped out backwards, and had such a good-natured attitude, especially considering the situation.

 

Nicely done show.

 

Like it. And I couldn't say better.

[Jediknight]

Sheldon has always been pretty selective with regard to what aspects of popular culture he knows about.  I was more surprised he even knew who the Beach Boys were than that he didn't know some app or another might be around that might help him find a song.

I could see Howard or Raj having Beach Boys on their iPod, and he heard it that way.  Or since he's Sheldon who studies everything, he could have studied California's influence on culture and of course Beach Boys had a big impact.  I don't know how popular they are in California now, but I know when I lived there as a kid in the 80s they were still extremely popular in Cali.

 

I liked that they used a relatively obscure Beach Boys song (I didn't  know it, that makes it obscure).  If they had used something very well known Leonard and Penny would have come up with the answer and viewers across the nation would have been yelling at their tvs.

Very few bands can have a top 20 hit be a relatively obscure song of theirs.

[Miss Dee]

I don't know why, but I didn't like it. I think it's too intimate a situation for the two adults involved and I kinda feel like a voyeur.

I did like it, but I get where you're coming from. On sitcoms (and probably more so with Chuck Lorre sitcoms) we're so used to the politics of relationships treating sex and physicality as a given. This is one of the only sitcoms I can think of where each step forward, especially in the physical sense, has been slow and deliberate and fraught with importance and significance. Watching Sheldon and Amy be so vulnerable as to forget themselves and kiss passionately in joy at being back together feels voyeuristic because it's not like with other couples where such action is part for the course. We know we're watching something private that has significant meaning for who these two people are, deep down.

Watching them reveal so much of themselves when they're usually so guarded...it's *intimate*. That word is thrown around so much, and it's so very rarely earned on TV when the entire point of television is to have an audience watching the lives of people on screen. TBBT has done something really unique on TV by deliberately and painstakingly deepening this relationship bit by tiny bit, with each step forward taken only after battles with each other and their own mindsets and their own fears.... Allowing us to see the walls Shamy has and see them being dismantled one brick at a time.

To get to watch a moment like this... so vulnerable, so intimate, so emotionally naked, knowing what growth these characters have been through to get here...no wonder we feel like voyeurs!

But I love it anyway. It cost something to get here, time and tears and courage...a large investment. And not just from the characters, but the audience too. This is one of the most hard-won romances on television, and completely unique. The joy on Amy's face when Sheldon professed his love with no reservations, Sheldon's physicality as he kissed her without abandon, probably doing what felt right for the first time in his life with no deliberation of thought beforehand... honestly, I was truly moved.

Edited December 12, 2015 by Miss Dee

[AnnaRose]

Wow, Miss Dee.  What an eloquent and insightful post!

[anna0852]

MissDee you just articulated everything I've been thinking!

[ari333]

I forgot. Does Amy know about the ring yet?

[One Tough Cookie]

I forgot. Does Amy know about the ring yet?

 

I don't think so. Maybe she'll get it for Christmas/ Hanukkah,

[Jediknight]

I forgot. Does Amy know about the ring yet?

Nope, outside of Sheldon and Mary the only ones who know are Leonard, Penny, Wil Wheaton, and Nimoy's son.

[OtterMommy]

Nope, outside of Sheldon and Mary the only ones who know are Leonard, Penny, Wil Wheaton, and Nimoy's son.

 

And anyone who sees the Leonard Nimoy documentary....

[ksb]

It did feel very unlike Sheldon, but I think it was the point. Sheldon had an epiphany of sort, realizing he loves her and wants her back at all cost. That would make him modify the way he acts with Amy.

I understand the intention behind it, but it still rubbed me the wrong way. No matter how much he may modify the way he acts with her, there should have been at least one tiny element of stiffness or clumsiness left in the way he held her. The way it played out I only saw Jim Parsons and it took me out of the scene.

 

On a completely different note: JG and KK play so well off each other recently and their scenes together flow so naturally, it makes me care about Leonard and Penny as a couple, which is new.  Kudos.

Edited December 13, 2015 by ksb

[CherryAmes]

And anyone who sees the Leonard Nimoy documentary....

 

Which in Big Bang Theory world will not be any women who might have said anything!  Given the timing though it's unlikely the documentary has been released yet.

[Driad]

 

And anyone who sees the Leonard Nimoy documentary....

I seriously doubt that.  A documentary maker typically shoots far more footage than will be in the final cut.  Anything not directly related to the subject would probably not appear in the final version.

 

[theatremouse]

I understand the intention behind it, but it still rubbed me the wrong way. No matter how much he may modify the way he acts with her, there should have been at least one tiny element of stiffness or clumsiness left in the way he held her.

Obviously this is subjective, but I thought he played it very stiff and awkward (as an acting choice, I mean). It looked quite intentionally in-character to me in terms of...this is not your big hollywood style swoop in for triumphant kiss. It had that same stiltedness I see in most of Amy/Sheldon's physical interactions. There's a certain physicality to the way both actors play them that are natural-to-the-character but kind of...herky jerky in general on the scale of human physicality that I absolutely saw in that scene. I didn't think they slipped into their normal (non-character) postures. Edited December 13, 2015 by theatremouse

[okerry]

I did like it, but I get where you're coming from. On sitcoms (and probably more so with Chuck Lorre sitcoms) we're so used to the politics of relationships treating sex and physicality as a given. This is one of the only sitcoms I can think of where each step forward, especially in the physical sense, has been slow and deliberate and fraught with importance and significance. Watching Sheldon and Amy be so vulnerable as to forget themselves and kiss passionately in joy at being back together feels voyeuristic because it's not like with other couples where such action is part for the course. We know we're watching something private that has significant meaning for who these two people are, deep down.

Watching them reveal so much of themselves when they're usually so guarded...it's *intimate*. That word is thrown around so much, and it's so very rarely earned on TV when the entire point of television is to have an audience watching the lives of people on screen. TBBT has done something really unique on TV by deliberately and painstakingly deepening this relationship bit by tiny bit, with each step forward taken only after battles with each other and their own mindsets and their own fears.... Allowing us to see the walls Shamy has and see them being dismantled one brick at a time.

To get to watch a moment like this... so vulnerable, so intimate, so emotionally naked, knowing what growth these characters have been through to get here...no wonder we feel like voyeurs!

But I love it anyway. It cost something to get here, time and tears and courage...a large investment. And not just from the characters, but the audience too. This is one of the most hard-won romances on television, and completely unique. The joy on Amy's face when Sheldon professed his love with no reservations, Sheldon's physicality as he kissed her without abandon, probably doing what felt right for the first time in his life with no deliberation of thought beforehand... honestly, I was truly moved.

Such a wonderful post. You are spot on. This is why the Amy-Sheldon romance felt so different from what we usually see on TV, and why it was so sweet and compelling all at once.

[SmithW6079]

Blech.

The only thing I liked was Leonard and Penny's playful banter; it shows them to be a longtime couple, comfortable with each other.

[CherryAmes]

It had that same stiltedness I see in most of Amy/Sheldon's physical interactions.

 

I thought the same thing.  By the end of the scene they were both really getting into the spirit of the kiss but it still had a bit of the awkwardness I associate with both of them when it comes to displaying any kind of affection.  It doesn't come naturally and they need more practice but they're getting there.

[Jobiska]

I still don't get it. I must have missed something. I've seen them in bed in other episodes and they seemed to fit just fine.

 

It's a double bed, and as someone who has been with a mate for 30 years in nothing bigger than a double except when in hotels, I agree, they fit fine.  And newlyweds like to snuggle!  And I would not want to carry a double mattress and box spring down four flights to discard it and carry a queen or king back up four flights and try to squeeze it into a small apartment room....

To cross over into House Hunters territory, we also only have one bathroom and one sink in it and no walk-in closets.  How have we survived?

I agree with those upthread who said it was inevitable they'd get back together, and so I'm glad they didn't drag it out.  

[margol29]

It was distractingly annoying to me the show seemed to be pretending either that Shazam does not exist or none of these people were aware of it. Bare minimum, if they wanted to do this premise in this century they needed to have him try and it not work for mysterious reasons. Or be too proud to resort to such means. Or something. Maybe they did and it was cut for time because it's not crucial to the plot, but it annoyed me every single moment we saw him trying to figure out what song the was.

I had no idea of what you were talking about. I have never hear of Shazam except for a childs cartoon charactor. I realize now that you are talking about a phone app. So yeah, this could happen.

[Valerie]

Shazam doesn't work for humming, last time I used it? Which, to be fair was years ago.

[sinkwriter]

 

"Friday I've got farmer's market with JayZ"

 

I found those jokes funny and endearing. He was really trying to make it up to Amy for ruining their previous date, and that part of their call was so charming. I'm sorry they didn't use him for a little while longer.

 

Between his comments and Sheldon busting out the tuba and Sheldon's "descent into madness" videos (especially how he pointed out all the people and things that were most important to him), I liked the episode.

 

I do think that the Sheldon kissing Amy that much felt out of character - and not in a "character throwing caution to the wind" sort of way. it genuinely felt out of character to me that he went this far (and especially that he kept kissing her that long). I feel like they made that happen just so they could have Amy's date making those jokes and comments about their relationship. I'm glad the audience loved it so much (it's always fun to hear the studio audience cheering or laughing especially hard at something), but for me something just wasn't quite right about having Sheldon do all this.