S09.E11: The Opening Night Excitation

[sinkwriter]

 

People expecting a life changing event. It's just sex.

 

But it's not just sex to either of those characters. They've been building this up for seasons.

[MDL]

Regarding Sheldon's technique being (apparently-based on Amy's look in the "just after"scene) : Penny said that she spoke to Sheldon about "what women like/don't like", and if any character on the show is an expert in that area.........

[tominboston]

Y'know, that was surprisingly well done. The awkwardness and nervousness that Amy and Sheldon felt seemed perfect for the characters, and for the sake of poor lonely Amy I'm glad things things worked out. And Sheldon's willingness to sacrifice something he really wanted to do for the sake of their relationship would have been unthinkable a couple seasons ago. I do wonder where they go from here.

 

Loved Bob Newhart and Wil Wheaton, as always, and I'm glad they are recurring characters on the show, even if Professor Proton has the unfortunate handicap of being dead.

[buffynut]

I was spoiled about this episode (was anyone not?) and was even kinda dreading it, as I was fearful it would be tactless and crude.  But the writers wrote a perfect script.   Loved seeing Bob Newhart.  Loved seeing Will Wheaton again.  Loved the parallel with the movie opening.  Loved the episode opening.  I loved the entire episode.

 

 I wonder if she blogged about it.)

 

She (Mayim) did:  http://groknation.com/hollywood/sheldon-amy-and-virginity-intimacy/

[Ottis]

Loved Wil trolling the audience in the Star Trek uniform.

 

 

Best part of the episode. While I understand the sensitivity around showing more of Sheldon having sex, I cannot imagine how that actually went down. Sheldon would have been freaked out by any number of things, and having no experience, it wouldn't have taken long. It was more anticlimactic (for the viewers, at least) than I expected.

[wendyg]

anna0852: Disney really can't claim copyright in using an opening crawl, just the words it contains. Star Wars very deliberately copied that style from the old Flash Gordon serials. To people who grew up with those movies, it was a siignal: we're from the same background you are, and you're going to have fun.

[anna0852]

Thanks wendyg! I didn't know that.

[proserpina65]

Sheldon clearly knew what he was doing, judging by Amy's blissed out look.

 

I imagine he researched it on the internet.

[riverheightsnancy]

I think like with the Star Wars Movie some people might have been expecting too much from Shamy sex. People expecting a life changing event. It's just sex.

Exactly. For some people it will be nice and fine and you will do it again many time, but it doesn't change every part of your life. For myself, having a baby was way more of a seminal moment than the drunken sex that led to it. Of course, MMV  ;)

[nkotb]

Like most of you, I loved the episode! It was just the perfect way for the two of them to have sex for the first time ever (individually and together). It wasn't mushy, but it wasn't like Sheldon was only doing it because Amy wanted to. It was his idea. It really was perfect.

 

The funniest part of the episode for me was kind of unintentional, I think. When Amy said "let's go get me waxed!", all I could think is that Sheldon is very unfamiliar with female genitalia, and his knowledge is probably limited to National Geographic  pictures and things like that, so I highly doubt that he'd notice if she was waxed or not. Totally not a nitpick, it was just funny that they all thought she should be prepared, as if Sheldon hooks up with women all the time.

[CleoCaesar]

    Sheldon clearly knew what he was doing, judging by Amy's blissed out look.

I imagine he researched it on the internet.

 

If that were the case, every horny teenage boy would be a sex god his first time.

[anna0852]

This is Sheldon. He's not doing *anything* less than 100% and as close to perfect as he can get. I'd imagine he insisted on going until they got it right.

[Driad]

What time did the movie start?  On the east coast the first showing was at midnight, which I thought was because it couldn't be shown until Friday.  If it also started at midnight on the west coast, Sheldon could spend the evening with Amy (who presumably planned to work Friday) and then go to the movie.  But if the movie started earlier I can see his dilemma.

 

I too wondered about "protection." 

 

With the Professor Proton scenes before and after the coitus, I wondered for a moment whether the coitus was a dream Sheldon had. Apparently not. But I haven't kept track of Sheldon's Wednesday vs. Friday pajamas.

Edited December 18, 2015 by Driad

[The Kings Foot]

 

Also, who else wished the scene with Penny explaining things to Sheldon had been shown onscreen?.

 

I would have loved to have seen this.

[ari333]

I liked the eppy, but....I was bummed that Sheldon had to be talked into spending Amy's b'day with her. I was also bummed that he called his genitals his gift to her and there were only flowers. I was also bummed that it is once a year. But yay coitus! and since when is the first time fun? (for the woman)  Just me? Alrighty then

[sinkwriter]

 

Yeah. There so many ways first time sex can go wrong. Best to make it simple and have them be tired and happy.

 

I'm fine with them feeling tired and happy. I just wish we'd seen some proof that Sheldon had lost a little of that tight grasp of control he has. Amy was the one all disheveled; Sheldon seemed like they'd just watched a movie he could give or take seeing again. "Well, I enjoyed that more than I thought I would."

 

I don't need it to be an earth-shattering event for them, but I would have liked to have seen Sheldon a little more stunned or something. He's so in control all the time, I wanted this particular event to be one of those times when he learns to let go in a way he's never done or been able to before.

[The Kings Foot]

If that were the case, every horny teenage boy would be a sex god his first time.

 

Ah but Sheldon is not a horny teenager. That give him an advantage.  Besides him being a perfectionist and having the stamina of Job.

[CleoCaesar]

My point was that online research only goes so far. You can't be good at sex until you've actually had it at least several times.

[Big Mother]

This too was very interesting:

 

http://groknation.com/hollywood/behind-the-scenes-with-mayim/

[ari333]

Am I in the gutter or did anyone else think the show title for this eppy was a double entendre? (Did I use that word correctly ? heh)

[Granny58]

this was so respectful and loving!!!!   I will be showing it to my son  as an example of what love means.  But then, they made the episode funny too!!!  WOW! Well done.  

[okerry]

I hate to say it, but I felt a bit let down by the episode. 

 

But for such a momentous occasion and a huge developmental moment for Sheldon as a character... I don't know... I just felt like they had all the build up with the humor but when it came time to really show Sheldon's experience, they didn't seem to bother and I felt like that "That's all they have for such a pivotal moment in Sheldon's life?"

 

Sheldon will have to process this for a while before he has more of a reaction to it. It's really very much in character for him to do this; remember when he kissed Amy on the train? He was very blase about that afterward, too, though we know it was only outwardly, and it was actually important enough that he ended up being entirely intimate with Amy. He's just not going to show it outwardly.

 

The Nimoy napkin, though, LOL - I think that because was such an unexpected thing, we did get to see his shocked reaction!

[Zahdii]

What time did the movie start?  On the east coast the first showing was at midnight, which I thought was because it couldn't be shown until Friday.  If it also started at midnight on the west coast, Sheldon could spend the evening with Amy (who presumably planned to work Friday) and then go to the movie.  But if the movie started earlier I can see his dilemma.

 

My daughter caught the 8 pm showing, and there was at least one other showing that started an hour earlier.  The theater was staggering out the start times to help with crowd control.  The last showing started at 2 am and then there was a three or four hour delay to get the theater back into shape before they started shows again.  For at least the first three days all the shows are for people who bought advance tickets.  

 

My daughter is actually going back for a second viewing tonight because her employers rented out an entire theater for their employees.  They're meeting in a large conference room where they'll have a potluck, costume contest, a Star Wars Trivial Pursuit game, lightsaber duels, etc.  Three hours of fun and games with prizes, food, and buses to take them to the theater.  After the movie they'll go back to the office and there will be a happy hour.  Everyone has to take a breathalyzer test when they leave.  (My daughter is on the Planning Committee.  She works in IT, and they take their Star Wars seriously there.)

Edited December 18, 2015 by Zahdii

[DrLar]

They didn't mention at all about protection, would this result in pregnancy?

 

P.S. I agree on the Movie premiere, which was on :00:01 Thursday (Wednesday night), so was Amy's Birthday on Thursday or Wednesday?

Sheldon could easily go to to Midnight premiere and spend the whole day with her.

Edited December 18, 2015 by DrLar

[lottiedottie]

My daughter caught the 8 pm showing, and there was at least one other showing that started an hour earlier.  The theater was staggering out the start times to help with crowd control.  The last showing started at 2 am and then there was a three or four hour delay to get the theater back into shape before they started shows again.  For at least the first three days all the shows are from people who bought advance tickets.  

 

My daughter is actually going back for a second viewing tonight because her employer rented out an entire theater for their employees.  They're having a potluck, costume contest, a Star Wars Trivial Pursuit game, lightsaber wars, etc.  Three hours of fun and games with prizes, food, and buses to take them to the venue.  After the movie they'll go back to the office and there will be a happy hour.  Everyone has to take a breathalyzer test when they leave.  (My daughter is on the Planning Committee.  She works in IT, and they take their Star Wars seriously there.)

How fun! I'm not even a huge star wars fan, but this would be a blast. 

FWIW, my kids went to a 7:45 showing of SW last night.

 

I thought the episode was very sweet. The stuff between Amy and Sheldon was so very intimate that I felt like an intruder at times watching their scenes. Mayim is comedy gold, though. I thought the way the show handled it was really respectful to the characters.

[okerry]

I really loved this episode. Many have pointed out that it's one of the very few depictions in TV or movies of a couple's journey to intimacy, and it was so refreshing to see this. Most of the time first sex - either first time ever or first time with a particular partner - is shown as something that "just happens," preferably while drunk. Biggest difference with Any and Sheldon? This was PLANNED.

 

Of course, Amy's been planning it for years. Protection? It was never mentioned, but she's probably been on The Pill for some time, and has had that special nightgown for a while, too.

 

My own experience years ago was similar. I had a long-term boyfriend but it was also long distance for a while, so we had to wait. And you can bet I planned it, just as Amy did, planning birth control and even the nightgown, and it was just as sweet as it was for Amy and Sheldon.

 

But later on, when getting together and talking to other women about our first-time experiences as women do, I would ALWAYS get a shocked reaction. "What? You mean - you PLANNED it?" And that always made me sad and even very concerned, because if you really want to stop the epidemic of out-of-wedlock pregnancies even though birth control of all sorts is readily available - and stop girls from getting into bad situations with men who care nothing about them - this is how.

 

Stop making girls think that they should NOT plan on having sex and that they're "bad" if they do. Stop making them think sex is supposed to be something that "just happens" and is therefore out of their control. Stop making them think that being a drunken slut like Penny is normal and healthy, while waiting and planning like Amy is somehow pathetic and repressed. 

 

You go, Show. That episode was the only thing I've ever rated as a 10 on the IMDB.

[AnnaRose]

Who would have thought that a Chuck Lorre show could handle this topic with such sensitivity and tact, while maintaining a high level of comedy?

 

 

I was worried to start with that they were going to play it as if Sheldon didn't really want to have sex, but was 'going along' with it for Amy. I was also worried that when their date started, Sheldon would spend ages making jibes about 'I couldda been seeing the new Star Wars...'. Instead they pitched it just right. It was very sweet. I liked 'We can find out together' from Sheldon.

 

 

I was nervous, too! I love Amy so much and this could have been really cringeworthy and gross -- it's sexless Sheldon, after all. But it was all very well done. Professor Proton was just the right touch and the tie-in to the actual Star Wars premiere was awesome. Lots of laughs and sweetness. I'm very relieved that Sheldon isn't going to turn into some kind of out-of-character horndog.

 

 

So much could have gone wrong with this episode -- instead it was one of the best episodes ever!  Quite a statement for a show that's eight years old!

 

I love when they allow Sheldon sensitive moments (as long as it's not too often) ... his 'we'll find out together' was the perfect thing to say in a situation where there are so many wrong things to say ... and so many wrong ways it could have been written.

 

I totally agree with all of the above.  I am shocked at how well this delicate subject was handled.  Kudos to the writers, actors and director.

Edited December 18, 2015 by AnnaRose

[Ouisch]

I'm fine with them feeling tired and happy. I just wish we'd seen some proof that Sheldon had lost a little of that tight grasp of control he has. Amy was the one all disheveled; Sheldon seemed like they'd just watched a movie he could give or take seeing again. "Well, I enjoyed that more than I thought I would."

 

I don't need it to be an earth-shattering event for them, but I would have liked to have seen Sheldon a little more stunned or something. He's so in control all the time, I wanted this particular event to be one of those times when he learns to let go in a way he's never done or been able to before.

 

Well, Sheldon was still holding hands with Amy after the act; he didn't rush out of bed to bathe and scrub his hands despite the fact that they'd both gotten all sweaty and had exchanged bodily fluids. I think that that was an indication of how "changed" Sheldon was after his first act of coitus.  :)

[PinkRibbons]

More from Mayim.

[Granny58]

I really loved this episode. Many have pointed out that it's one of the very few depictions in TV or movies of a couple's journey to intimacy, and it was so refreshing to see this. Most of the time first sex - either first time ever or first time with a particular partner - is shown as something that "just happens," preferably while drunk. Biggest difference with Any and Sheldon? This was PLANNED.

 

Of course, Amy's been planning it for years. Protection? It was never mentioned, but she's probably been on The Pill for some time, and has had that special nightgown for a while, too.

 

My own experience years ago was similar. I had a long-term boyfriend but it was also long distance for a while, so we had to wait. And you can bet I planned it, just as Amy did, planning birth control and even the nightgown, and it was just as sweet as it was for Amy and Sheldon.

 

But later on, when getting together and talking to other women about our first-time experiences as women do, I would ALWAYS get a shocked reaction. "What? You mean - you PLANNED it?" And that always made me sad and even very concerned, because if you really want to stop the epidemic of out-of-wedlock pregnancies even though birth control of all sorts is readily available - and stop girls from getting into bad situations with men who care nothing about them - this is how.

 

Stop making girls think that they should NOT plan on having sex and that they're "bad" if they do. Stop making them think sex is supposed to be something that "just happens" and is therefore out of their control. Stop making them think that being a drunken slut like Penny is normal and healthy, while waiting and planning like Amy is somehow pathetic and repressed. 

 

You go, Show. That episode was the only thing I've ever rated as a 10 on the IMDB.

I love every word of your post.

[Mislav]

My point was that online research only goes so far. You can't be good at sex until you've actually had it at least several times.

It depends on the person. Such statement is not a fact.

[Catlyn]

That was incredibly funny but I felt like a voyeur watching Amy and Sheldon together. Not that we saw anything particularly risque  but because they are both so guarded emotionally, watching them open up very intrusive.

 

So I wasn't the only one! It felt different from when you see any of the other pairings in bed, because we know them, know they have sex and they are very open. But, with Amy and Sheldon it was like we were spying. It was very sweet but, as you said, very voyeuristic!

[MaryMitch]

Loved the episode.

 

But maybe it's just me... if my significant other had been looking forward to something like that for a long time, and it fell on my birthday, I'd say "GO!" It's just a birthday; you can celebrate it on another day. (Of course, once Amy knew about her "gift" that reaction wouldn't have been likely!)

[LoneHaranguer]

Also, who else wished the scene with Penny explaining things to Sheldon had been shown onscreen?.

I think they were right to leave that to the imagination.

[MortysCleaningLady]

If I were to go to the theater to watch the new Star Wars movie, I would have to pull out Will's Star Trek uniform.  I'm still chuckling about that.  Such a brilliant choice by the writers.

 

Mayim Bialik was outstanding.  Glad the women carried the relationship portion and the guys didn't know.  I'd hate for Howard to be sharing tips with Sheldon.  (Ick!!)

[iMonrey]

I'm still not sure they should have gone there with Sheldon and Amy because for so long Sheldon has been an asexual character, and even Amy started out that way when they first introduced her. Not that characters shouldn't grow and develop, but these two? I'm not sure it's realistic.

 

That said, they handled it about as tastefully and as sweetly as they possible could, so if they HAD to go there, they at least did it well. I'm just not sure they HAD to. 

 

Also, I'm not sure movie-goers would actually boo if someone showed up in a Star Trek shirt. Not the whole theater at any rate and not if it's actually one of the cast members from the show. I think there's more cross-over between Star Trek and Star Wars fans than their is enmity.

[Chit Chat]

However, I just felt like this should have been more of something for Sheldon. I'm glad he liked it (and wasn't offensive or rude and didn't ruin Amy's first time), I'm glad he was respectful and caring, and I'm glad that regardless of having sex he was still Sheldon (being more focused on his feelings for the movie when he finally saw it).

 

For Sheldon to have said that he liked it more than he thought he would, and he was smiling, well, that's like an A+ on a report for Sheldon!  I think any other reaction beyond that would've been over the top and not believable from him.   

Ah but Sheldon is not a horny teenager. That give him an advantage.  Besides him being a perfectionist and having the stamina of Job.

Besides the book that Penny & Leonard gave him about sex years ago, and the fact that he's heard them (and seen them, going from the episode where we learn he had a hidden camera in the living room) having sex, he's had a pretty good idea of the "mechanics" of it for some time!  YeeHaw anybody?  (Penny/Leonard reference.)   I always felt that Sheldon would do just fine in this department! ;)  He's usually great at everything he does, so why not sex?   I'm reminded of the saying "those who can, do; those who can't, talk about it."  

 

I loved the entire episode.  Well done show! 

[BooksRule]

I was chuckling at the kind of nightclothes Amy wore to bed on a regular basis and her 'upgrade' to what she probably considered her raciest lingerie.

The way they portrayed this scene, and reason it took so many years for them to take this leap, probably in part has to do with Mayim's level of modesty and religion; she probably wouldn't appear in anything skimpier than this and do anything more explicit than just a bit of a kiss on screen (I was even a little surprised she went this far, but she probably is able to justify it as a 'job', etc., which is normal for an actor/actress, but she is Orthodox [like I am]. I wonder if she blogged about it.)

 

I loved her choice of nightgown, too.  I think the only nightclothes we've seen her in before was a long flannel gown (when she was sick with the flu, maybe?).  I remember being a little surprised when she dressed up in the Uhura Star Trek uniform when she and Sheldon were 'playing doctor' (complete with tricorder).  The sleeves were long, but the skirt was really short.  She was wearing black tights, though, and maybe that helped to make it more modest.

[One Tough Cookie]

I thought the episode was perfectly handled.  I, for one, had no desire to see Shamy banging like a screen door in a hurricane.  And Sheldon actually giving up a SW premier?  It's gotta be love.

[zxy556575]

Why would you doubt Sheldon's ability to excel? You've had his sourdough bread.

[Setra]

I loved this episode, even though I have never seen Star Wars (or Star Trek, for that matter) so a bit went over my head. Does anyone know if the Shamy scenes were done on a closed set? There was no laughter, "awww"s, or any indication that those scenes were done in front of a live audience.

I thought one of the funniest parts was when they switched from Shamy in bed back to the theatre, then "In an apartment, not far away, a few hours later" back to Sheldon and Amy discussing how they enjoyed it. A few HOURS??? Go Sheldon!!

[zxy556575]

Not to let the focus on the main story overshadow other excellent moments:

 

Sheldon praying: "You're good friends with my mom."

 

Leonard, about which movie tickets they're buying: "It's Steel Magnolias 2 -- Even Steelier."

 

Penny and Bernadette thwarting Sheldon's door-knocking compulsion.

 

Amy arranging herself provocatively on the couch when Sheldon's at the door.

 

Bernie, on Sheldon claiming he was ready: "But he also swore this was the year he'd be able to pull the guts out of a pumpkin!"

 

First time we've ever seen Amy's bare legs!

 

I'm also pretty sure Amy would have loved a trip to the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival. Maybe not so much by herself, but it was a nice thought and upgrade from when Sheldon made Alex do Amy's Valentine's Day shopping for him.

Edited December 19, 2015 by lordonia

[LoneHaranguer]

 

I'd hate for Howard to be sharing tips with Sheldon.  (Ick!!)

ITA, but now that he's talked to Penny and has some experience under his belt, I don't think Sheldon will be able to resist sharing tips with Leonard.

[Miss Dee]

I don't want to *hear* Sheldon talk about that, but I really want to *see* Leonard's anguished responses when he does....

[MaiSoCalled]

What time did the movie start? On the east coast the first showing was at midnight, which I thought was because it couldn't be shown until Friday. If it also started at midnight on the west coast, Sheldon could spend the evening with Amy (who presumably planned to work Friday) and then go to the movie. But if the movie started earlier I can see his dilemma.s.

In Southern California, there were 7pm showings. I watched this episode live at 8 before walking over to my local theater for a 10pm showing. I would guess December 17th was Amy's birthday.

I really liked the juxtaposition of sex and StarWars and the talk about expectations. This episode was surprisingly well done.

Edited December 19, 2015 by MaiSoCalled

[needschocolate]

So many ways this episode could have gone wrong and it didn't.  I am very happily surprised.  

 

Regarding Sheldon's technique being (apparently-based on Amy's look in the "just after"scene) : Penny said that she spoke to Sheldon about "what women like/don't like", and if any character on the show is an expert in that area.........

 

That reminds me of what I think was the weakest moment of the episode - Penny says that she spoke to Sheldon and she thinks he understood after he stopped giggling. I would think Sheldon would get very clinical about the discussion, not giggley.  I think it would be more realistic if Penny said, "I told him what women like and don't like and I think, after he gave me the history of the word 'foreplay' and he drew a few diagrams, he understands what he should do."  

[FinnishViewer]

 

Penny and Bernadette thwarting Sheldon's door-knocking compulsion

I'm surprised the writers still managed to come up with a new twist to the door-knocking gag.

[theatremouse]

In Southern California, there were 7pm showings. I watched this episode live at 8 before walking over to my local theater for a 10pm showing. I would guess December 17th was Amy's birthday.

I'm pretty sure Penny literally said "Thursday is Amy's birthday," so we shouldn't need to guess.

I did not enjoy the the parallelism presented between the premiere and the date. Conceptually I understand why they went that way but the execution was extremely heavy handed. Too on the nose for me, especially the immediate post-movie moment with the guys. Actually that clunky scene might've killed the episode for me. Perhaps without it I'd be less sour. I agree the most sensitive aspects of the show were handled much more deftly than I expected, which was refreshing, but then they clunked it up with that. Then again I think it's a major clam, even if they weren't doing the parallel-evenings thing, to do the whole "character does something that is not sex and reaction displayed is stereotypical television post-sex statements/body language." So even without the intercutting I thought that was a poor choice.

My favourite moment by far was Sheldon requiring verbal consent.

[LADreamr]

Stop making them think that being a drunken slut like Penny is normal and healthy, while waiting and planning like Amy is somehow pathetic and repressed.

Wow. I like to think that a woman's choices around sex are hers, no matter how much or how little that means, and she doesn't deserve to be called names, no matter what.

[HouseofBeck]

That was incredibly funny but I felt like a voyeur watching Amy and Sheldon together. Not that we saw anything particularly risque  but because they are both so guarded emotionally, watching them open up very intrusive.

 

I was howling with laughter at the opening crawl. I'm so glad that Lucasfilm/Disney allows them to use the IP.

 

 

I had been spoiled, and honestly I thought it was perfect. It felt almost painfully intimate, honestly, but it worked and I'm glad they went there. I liked that Amy was okay with it not being a regular thing, to be honest -- it was obviously very special and meaningful.

 

And also, I loved Sheldon getting verbal consent. So Sheldon.

 

I loved this episode, and yes, that scene was so intimate that I found myself trembling along with Amy (a reaction I didn't have for my own first time)! Wow, they handled that so well.

 

'I look forward to your next birthday, when we do it again.' 'That works for me.'

 

So cute.

  

It would have been nice to see the writers actually write something that would be plausible.  Sheldon as the one completely and almost anti-climatically happy with the experience and Amy as the overdone and so trite post-coital blissed out mess was so, well, a bit sad in terms of 'that's all the writers have?"  I think the couple's dynamic would be more interesting if Amy had to suddenly deal with being the one in control but only sexually.  Instead I get the sense we will see yet another round of Amy desperate for sex and Sheldon deigning to indulge her.  In between trains and Star Wars.  Yawn.

 

My first thought when Amy seemingly agreed to once a year, was wait until the bliss wears off before you sign the contract, Amy!

Like most of you, I loved the episode! It was just the perfect way for the two of them to have sex for the first time ever (individually and together). It wasn't mushy, but it wasn't like Sheldon was only doing it because Amy wanted to. It was his idea. It really was perfect.

 

The funniest part of the episode for me was kind of unintentional, I think. When Amy said "let's go get me waxed!", all I could think is that Sheldon is very unfamiliar with female genitalia, and his knowledge is probably limited to National Geographic  pictures and things like that, so I highly doubt that he'd notice if she was waxed or not. Totally not a nitpick, it was just funny that they all thought she should be prepared, as if Sheldon hooks up with women all the time.

  

That part knocked me a bit out of this excellent episode. If Amy wanted to wax, yes. If she thinks she's expected to, hell no. Same with Penny and her "what women want" tips (i.e. I hope she kept it general; it's a personal nitpick that only Penny is seen as the pretty/sexy one, and hasn't her character devolved into complaining about Leonard's technique anyway?); Penny and Bernadette like to steer Amy toward the way THEY do things. But I can see the character wanting to check all the conventional boxes just because it's all a whole new world for her. AND IT'S NOT ABOUT ME. :) /invested

And oh, Bob Newhart. Sense of timing is still superb, and he's just all-around awesome!