S09.E12: The Sales Call Sublimation

[Zahdii]

Sheldon and Raj make a scientific discovery while the rest of the gang experience some personal discoveries of their own.

[Jediknight]

This episode wasn't bad, but it probably would have been better if it didn't have a 10 minute commercial break.

 

Seriously I thought there was something wrong with my provider, and was wondering why in the world the commercials wouldn't stop.

[TV Anonymous]

A decent - not great - episode. However, do people in TV world not know the difference between a psychiatrist and a psychologist?

 

Is Laura Spencer not full-time available? I am curious to see the development of their relationship.

[Spartan Girl]

Well, Sheldon continues to make some progress in his relationship with Amy. You got to give him credit for that.

Loved seeing the mom from Malcolm in the Middle as the shrink. Lord knows Leonard needed one.

Stuart is still a disgusting creeper.

Edited January 8, 2016 by Spartan Girl

[NYGirl]

That ending was so creepy!  It made me shiver...  

 

Yes Sheldon is definitely improving with Amy.  I enjoyed both Leonard and Penny's interaction with the shrink.

 

Decent episode.

 

And yes there seems to be longer and/or more commercials in this show for some reason.

[benteen]

Weak episode.

[MadyGirl1987]

The show was okay. Some pretty funny parts. Ending with Stuart was creepy, as some have stated.

What really got me was the 6 min commercial break in the middle of the show! I actually rewound and noted the start and end times on the DVR! I tweeted the show about it actually, and will post any reply here... Who decides the commercial length, even? The network or local affiliates? Either way, fans should start complaining to whoever is in charge of these absurdly long commercials.

[Kanner]

Leonard is usually never my favorite part of the show but I really liked him tonight. The double-Dutch scene was awesome.

Sheldon is my favorite but I am very happy that Raj didn't just rollover on the name.

Um Penny, it was your decision to move in with Sheldon. If it is not working for you, move out.

[MDL]

I was somewhat bored with the episode. Agree on the creepiness of the ending with Stuart. Sad, but still very creepy. I felt the earlier portion of that particular story (Howard and Bernadette's reaction to Stuart leaving) dragged on and on.

The Sheldon-Raj part was,IMO, dull while they were in the telescope room, but got a little better back at the apartment.

Leonard's angst regarding his mother has been well established, but when did Penny develope/realize all of her angst?

Question: Did Amy still seem to have that "postcoital glow" when she was skyping with Sheldon?

[MaryMitch]

I am so glad that someone finally told Leonard how awful his mother was!  I loved him double-Dutch skipping at the end! Go Leonard! Go Leonard!

[K-9]

According to this article: http://www.tv.com/shows/the-big-bang-theory/community/post/highest-paid-tv-actors-144068904704/

Jim Parsons earns $29M, Johnny Galecki $27M, Kunal $20M, and Simon $20M. 

 

This article http://www.forbes.com/sites/maddieberg/2015/09/08/the-worlds-highest-paid-tv-actresses-2015-sofia-vergara-and-kaley-cuoco-sweeting-lead-with-28-5-million/ says Kaley earns $28.5M

 

Either way, fans should start complaining to whoever is in charge of these absurdly long commercials.

Which character(s) do fans want to kill off this show?

Edited January 8, 2016 by K-9

[holly4755]

can someone explain the symbolism of the double dutch at the end. I am very bad at symbolism. 

[QuelleC]

No symbolism that I could see other than Leonard getting to have an actual childhood.  I was the kind of kid who turned ropes for double dutch but only tried it once.  I'm not sure that scene was for real, sadly.

 

It was one of those episodes you could plunk anywhere.  But yes, Amy did have the glow and Sheldon was unusually social.  I appreciated the how subtle the new closeness was and that we got to see Amy even though there was no real part for her.

 

Oh good gawd kill off pathetic Stuart already.  I only endured it because it might lead the couple to realise Stuart was a pet or child and that they could handle one.  They looked like he went off to college while they were sitting on his bed.  I was wondering what happened to the old 80's bed and why the couple moved into Mrs. Wallowitz's room.  Now we know.  I can't wait for the big remodel.  The kid?  Not so much but I'm just speculating.

 

I guess what I didn't like is that we'll probably never see psychiatrist sessions again, just like we'll never see the band again.  Then again, it was about missing things and thinking about the past so that tied it together for me thematically. 

 

There's a media topic here, guys.  But being a veteran of many, many TBBT reruns, the format is always the same.  Intro, theme song, first segment.  An ungodly number of commercials splitting the show in half.  Second part.  More damned commercials but maybe only 4 min.  When you've zoned out they stick in a 30 second ender that I mostly miss.  I wish I'd have missed this one.  Then the vanity card.  Thankfully although I'm without a DVR I am a speed reader.  The vanity card said because of the new year there will be no vanity card.  Maybe even Lorre didn't like the episode.

 

I hate it that Penny's big step up is being a sleazy pharma rep.  I hate it big time and it makes me dislike Bernie even more for getting her into it because her morals have been in question for a while.  She sold herself out to make a buttload of money for big pharma. 

 

Can everyone stop picking on Leonard?  He's very self aware so being stomped on all the time is not funny.  I know they needed something for Sheldon to do but thank you Lorre godz for not involving Raj's odd girlfriend who doesn't fit in with anybody.

 

Sheldon was delightful and I loved Amy's smiles. 

Edited January 8, 2016 by QuelleC

[Scott]

I'm sure this was accidental, but the Best Buy in Pasadena actually does have a Chipotle next to it.

[Chit Chat]

I really liked this episode.  It was lighthearted and fun, with the small exception of Stuart being creepy!  I'm not sure where the writers are going with him.  It was nice to see Raj in his element at work.  We don't get to see too much of that.   I'd love to see more of Leonard going to therapy.  We all know that Beverly was an asshole of a Mom to him, so seeing him talk to a professional who agrees with him was funny. 

 

I loved Sheldon and Amy's exchange of "what makes a best Best Buy...."   Sometimes it's just the little things on this show that crack me up.

[QuelleC]

Now that I think about it, the Best Buy near me is across the street from Chipotle.

[terrymct]

Oh good gawd kill off pathetic Stuart already. 

 

 

I used to like the character when he was a sort of sweet sad sack kind of guy.  Show him back at the comics store, which he should have by now.  Have him get a sales table at a comics convention.  Give him something other than lurking round the edges.   When he looked around the room wistfully, I really thought he was going to say or imply that he and Mrs Wolowitz had spent a bit of time in there together, not the stalking thing.  Wouldn't have been much better though.

[Kanner]

I also liked the look into Sheldon's mind and how numbers actually appear as colors and smells to him.

 

I totally agree about Stuart.  They have definitely been crossing so many lines with his character.

[AriAu]

Only good laugh was the word play between Sheldon and Amy on "Best"-see, they can write clever dialogue.

[dungeonwriter]

Weak. 

 

Howard and Bernie are a sweet couple, but the Stuart story is pretty much a decomposing horse being flailed. We get it, he's pathetic. 

 

Penny and Leonard still seem to be a horrible couple, who settled for each other and are really miserable. 

 

Amy and Sheldon are cute, but Sheldon's still controlling and manipulative and mean. 

 

And Raj is basically a side character now. 

[hnygrl]

Dry, Dull, and unnecessary.

Penny/Lenny are still wrong for each other and so not in LOVE love with each other.

Raj is the funniest of the cast and soooo under-utilized.

I'm already over the Shamy. Yawn. The series finale will be their wedding, after which all the characters move ala Friends, Yawn.

 

I kept waiting for the punchline of Stuart really still being homeless, sleeping the the Store/his car, and only leaving because he got tired of being so openly, hostilely (is that a word?) unwanted, and Bernie/Howard feeling awful for wanting gone & missing him, discover him sleeping in his car/the store and invite him to come back and stay as long as he needs to/forever.

Did NOT see him still having a key and sneaking in to watch them sleep. Ick.

 

This show used to be DVR-worthy.

Not any more. I guess that's just the way these things go. NO show can be brilliant for a decade. After awhile, and many many writing staff changes and the actors aging, it just starts to get dry, old, and hum drum. Time to land this plane. Let's let next season - the season of the Shamy - be the last.

Let the Shamy get married, Lenny/Penny buy a house and move, and Howard/Bernie make a baby.

And Raj? Well him and Cinnamon will still be there, under utilized and basically getting paid millions to do very little...okay, end of rant.

[ExplainItAgain]

I kept waiting for the punchline of Stuart really still being homeless, sleeping the the Store/his car, and only leaving because he got tired of being so openly, hostilely (is that a word?) unwanted, and Bernie/Howard feeling awful for wanting gone & missing him, discover him sleeping in his car/the store and invite him to come back and stay as long as he needs to/forever.

 

100%, I thought this is where they were going with this.

 

Is Laura Spencer not full-time available? I am curious to see the development of their relationship.

 

It's so weird. Didn't they made her a regular over the summer so that she would be available whenever they wanted her? I guess they don't want her that much. It's kind of strange how little time they are devoting to this relationship.

[iMonrey]

So there was an inordinately long commercial break there in the middle? I'm glad other people noticed. I had it on DVR so I was able to FF thru it, but MY GOD that was one long commercial break! I was like "c'mon already!" 

 

I wonder if Mayim Bialik had to pre-record her scenes because she wasn't available or something? I couldn't figure out the purpose of her being only seen thru Skype. 

 

Yeah, the Leonard/Penny relationship is on shaky ground all right, especially if she's delusional enough to tell the psychiatrist she had a promising acting career before she married Leonard. That never went anywhere and her getting a regular job didn't have anything to do with Leonard. 

[NaughtyKitty]

The double dutch ropes looked CGI to me.  That made me sad.

 

I wasn't thrilled with this episode, but they can't all be good.  I prefer Amy there interacting with the other characters.

[LoneHaranguer]

I didn't mind too much, earlier this season, when Penny didn't know Leonard's birthday after previously spending an entire episode throwing him a party and doing his astrological chart (some people are bad with dates), but it made no sense for Leonard to change why he wasn't allowed to celebrate it. Originally, he said that his birth wasn't considered an achievement worthy of celebration; this week he's saying it was because it was his mother's accomplishment.

 

I would have rather had the closing scene been of Leonard and Penny at the Doctor Who convention than of Stuart being creepy. I'd expect both to be in costume, although if Leonard went with a modern Doctor, Penny wouldn't have had to do much.

 

For a guy that dragged Sheldon out of a bookstore for chatting with a little girl, it was odd to see Leonard jumping rope like that. I'd have expected him to do something like play with Sheldon's model trains.

[Chit Chat]

I wonder if Mayim Bialik had to pre-record her scenes because she wasn't available or something? I couldn't figure out the purpose of her being only seen thru Skype

 

I didn't think much about it.  They needed a set-up in which Sheldon would be alone for the weekend, so this was how they did it.  I liked seeing Amy attending a conference without having Sheldon tag along.  Although she wished he was there, she was fully capable of traveling and doing her own thing without him.  It was nice seeing how happy they were when talking to each other via Skype.

 

That was classic Howard dropping his drawers the second Stuart pulled out of the driveway!  Looks like Howard went from silk boxers to briefs.  Personally, I hate seeing men in boxers, so the briefs were a nice change. YMMV.

[CherryAmes]

Originally, he said that his birth wasn't considered an achievement worthy of celebration; this week he's saying it was because it was his mother's accomplishment.

 

That seemed consistent to me, his mother was the one who gave birth he was just along for the ride.  I can see Beverly feeling that way and making sure her kids knew it.

[MMLEsq]

That seemed consistent to me, his mother was the one who gave birth he was just along for the ride.  I can see Beverly feeling that way and making sure her kids knew it.

Completely off-topic, but.....

 

Before I even noticed your user name, when I saw your profile "picture," I thought....that looks an awful lot like Cherry Ames, Student Nurse.  I believe I have one book from the series from when I was kid.  I only read the one book (at least I only remember reading one -- I was a HUGE Nancy Drew fan), but I still remember it:  it was the very first book of the series and C.A. got chastised for wearing makeup, but it really was her naturally rosy cheeks.  Thanks for letting me be a little bit nostalgic this afternoon.  :-)   

[tenativelyyours]

The playtime was barely 19 minutes for this episode including the open, theme song with credits and the end credits.  I felt like I had missed the open scene before the song or something.  Usually it hits at least two or three minutes more.  So while I didn't have to sit through the commercials, it felt too short in many ways.

 

Jane's role wasn't huge but it reminded me, painfully, how much needed energy she brought just her presence.  This show has really gotten stale in ways that it could so easily avoid.  The whole Leonard and Penny storyline is so awkward and seems like a deliberate afterthought.  I know part of it is that the writers are much more interested in Sheldon and Amy.  I'm left out since I find their coupling hugely unsatisfying and incredibly dull.  Pretty much ruining what were two great unique characters who could be deliberately rude in ways that were honest.  For too long they have been an unbelievable romantic couple for me whereas when Leonard and Penny did the reboot date, I thought the show as actually getting the dreaded 'coupling' thing right for a change.  Now I think the show is going to make Leonard and Penny's marriage a mistake simply because it will show everyone that despite copying the Ross the Rachel general theme, they are not Ross and Rachel.  And how daring it will be to have them break up for the last season and still be friends.  Blech.  I don't say this out of sad romanticism but out of weary disgust that Leonard and Penny are treated as an old married couple one minute and then like two people who don't even know each other very well th enext simply out of plot 'advancement' (I hesitate to use that term but can't think of anything else at moment since I see nothing advancing for them since Leoard bought Penny the car).

[CleoCaesar]

The episode runtime with the intro, title card pauses, and end credits is 18:36. Shave off all that stuff, and we're in 17-minute territory. This is a new low. Remember when episodes of Friends and pretty much any other big sitcom were in the 22-23 minute range and that was the industry standard? Yeah, me neither.

 

This show is just random jokes and half-finished scenes crammed in between long commercial breaks. It's sad.

[LoneHaranguer]

 

That seemed consistent to me, his mother was the one who gave birth he was just along for the ride.  I can see Beverly feeling that way and making sure her kids knew it.

Why would Beverly consider giving birth worthy of calling it an accomplishment?

 

 

Looks like Howard went from silk boxers to briefs.

Actually, he switched to boxer-briefs (the CBS web page has a still). Sheldon was wearing briefs when he got pantsed in the pilot.

[possibilities]

Why would Beverly consider giving birth worthy of calling it an accomplishment?

Because it's a lot of work? They call it "labor" after all.

[CherryAmes]

It wouldn't just be the birth, the birth is the culmination of a successful pregnancy - in Beverly's case 3 planned pregnancies that gave her 3 quinea pigs to experiment on.  I can see Beverly taking pride in that and considering them to be accomplishments.  And to be fair I think she's right in a way - my children's birthdays are much more meaningful to their father and I than they are to them if only because we are celebrating their arrival and remembering the circumstances around their birth, we aren't just celebrating "another year older" the way they are.

[Chit Chat]

Actually, he switched to boxer-briefs (the CBS web page has a still). Sheldon was wearing briefs when he got pantsed in the pilot

 

Thanks for the correction!  I was thinking boxer-brief, but left out the 'boxer' in my post!

[holly4755]

OH heck, forget running time, I remember when a year had 39 shows instead of 26 or what ever is standard now.

[Jodithgrace]

that looks an awful lot like Cherry Ames, Student Nurse.  I believe I have one book from the series from when I was kid.

 

OMG  I was literally thinking about this book this morning and trying to remember the girl's name. I've been spending a lot of time at the hospital recently and it came to mind. That was the only book of the series that I read also. Cherry had a roommate named Gail, who "could pun in her sleep, and probably did." 

 

The episode was okay. I was hoping for something a bit funnier to lighten my mood. And i did notice the huge commercial block as I FF'd through it. 

[CherryAmes]

I agree Raj could go without it being too disruptive to the show but Leonard and Penny?  Nope.  To me the show is about Sheldon, Leonard and Penny.  They are the show and the rest of the cast revolve around them.  Do the writers  always get it right?  Absolutely not.  But the show without the three main characters would end up like Two and Half Men without Charlie or MASH without Hawkeye.  Perhaps still watchable but not the same.

Edited January 9, 2016 by CherryAmes

[tenativelyyours]

I'll take even further.  The show for me is about Leonard.  With Sheldon.  And the addition of Penny which pulls and pushes the dynamic; changing it and shifting it.  Leonard is the 'geek' in all of us.   Sheldon is the extreme that proves truth is stranger than fiction (In this fictional sense).

 

I'd kill off Bernadette first.  She only served to provide the romantic happy ending that Leonard and Penny could not.  At least yet at the time.  Howard would be more interesting to watch seeing him continue to date and slowly work through what actually works.  But over several seasons with different women who last longer and longer as the show goes on. 

 

But Raj, Amy and Howard should have slightly larger roles than Stewart and the show would still have worked perfectly with more small appearances by the various deans, fellow professors etc.  Raj should have stayed mute but more realistically his silence and looks should have had him getting cheap menaingless sex all he wanted.   And that could have been a richer joke to explore.  Amy could have been the unique female version of Sheldon that also served as a sort of yin to his yang.  Tripping him up but also serving as an offbeat but brutally honest sounding board when the rest confounded him.

 

So i guess my response to who to kill off? 

 

Easy.  The writers.

[jjj]

Add me to the list of watchers who thought we would learn Stuart was living in his car. 

 

The show has been in 18-minute territory for a while - I know I posted the actual playtime of one of the first episodes this season, and it was shocking to see that the show slot is 40% commercials.  That is what it takes to pay those salaries, and the other alternative is to have more breaks during the show.  I prefer the huge slot of commercials and two longer show segments, if that number of minutes has to be devoted to selling time.

 

Loved Jane K. 's role, and using her really opened some deep issues for Leonard and Penny.  It would be great to see that explored more.  I was perplexed that Penny *had* to get in to see Dr. Gallo, as pharma reps have a huge list of clients, and that kind of attention would go to a business rather that a single provider.

 

Agree that the rope jumping at the end was CGI -- I watched on my computer, and Leonard clearly was superimposed on the scene. 

[CherryAmes]

That is what it takes to pay those salaries, and the other alternative is to have more breaks during the show.

 

I don't think the salaries have anything to do with the commercials.  Other shows have paid their leads what these people are getting and somehow still managed not to irritate the viewers with ridiculous amounts of commercials!  They're in pure greed territory here - the show is huge, advertisers want to take advantage of that and the shows makers aren't going to turn away from the kind of money that brings in.  It's happening on other shows too, mainly I would suggest because less and less people are watching mainstream TV so they need to cram more commercials in to those shows they know people are actually tuning in to see -  although none I watch are quite as bad as BBT.  Yet.  I guess it's the reward we regular TV viewers are getting for not cancelling cable and finding other ways to watch our shows. 

Edited January 9, 2016 by CherryAmes

[Cranston]

Sheldon seeing numbers as colors and smells is a classic Asperger's sign.  Interesting.

[LoneHaranguer]

 

It wouldn't just be the birth, the birth is the culmination of a successful pregnancy - in Beverly's case 3 planned pregnancies that gave her 3 quinea pigs to experiment on.  I can see Beverly taking pride in that and considering them to be accomplishments.

Beverly only recognizes achievements that are exceptional, and wouldn't consider giving birth to be significantly more noteworthy than "being expelled from a birth canal". It's possible that she's raised her standards over the years, or that Leonard's issues are getting in the way of an accurate accounting of what she told him when he was young.

[ZuluQueenOfDwarves]

Sheldon seeing numbers as colors and smells is a classic Asperger's sign. Interesting.

That's very uncommon, actually. The condition Sheldon described is synesthesia. A person can have both that and Asperger's but there's no causal link between the two.

[Chit Chat]

Everyone knows that Leonard's mother treats him terribly.  I don't know why he felt as though he learned anything new when he was talking to Dr. Gallo.

 

I think it was because Dr. Gallo had never met Leonard's Mom and she was able to determine what an awful person she was just from reading her books.  I'm sure the validation from a professional was very cathartic for Leonard.  You can  count on friends to side with you on these types of issues, but to have a professional understand it gives Leonard's feelings and experiences of his childhood more credence, IMO.

 

Chiming in with others who love the relationship between Sheldon & Penny!  Although Penny isn't "book smart" enough for Sheldon, I do like how he goes to her for advice on personal matters, and how he confides in her.  He didn't even want her in their lives in the beginning, and now I don't think he could function as well without her!   I like how Penny can and will put Sheldon in his place when he's condescending to her.  As Penny once said to Sheldon, "Sheldon, you big wierdo,  I love that you're in my life."   Sheldon:  "I love you too!" 

Edited January 10, 2016 by ChitChat

[jjj]

That's very uncommon, actually. The condition Sheldon described is synesthesia. A person can have both that and Asperger's but there's no causal link between the two.

Very true.  I know several people with a strong sense of synesthesia, and no one would think that they are anything other than middle of the bell curve.  I don't have it for all numbers (or musical keys, another place it frequently occurs), but certain numbers certainly are particular colors, and I was an adult before I learned that not everyone saw numbers that way.  I was quite enchanted that they added this to Sheldon's quirks! 

[QuelleC]

Musical notes and chords often look like colors.  I remember a musician friend in my 20's was stunned to find out I thought that way. 

[PinkRibbons]

I have no citation to back this up but I believe I read something about synesthesia being connected to eidetic memory -- although not in every case.

[GoMocs]

 

I'm sure this was accidental, but the Best Buy in Pasadena actually does have a Chipotle next to it.

 

In Huntsville AL the Chipotle is about 100 yards from the Best Buy. Wonder if there is something tieing them together? Hey everybody with a Chipotle and a Best Buy in your town, are they close?

Edited January 11, 2016 by GoMocs

[TV Diva Queen]

Now that I think about it, the Best Buy near me is across the street from Chipotle.

LOL, Both of my Best Buys have Chipolte's next to it.  

Now that I think about it, the Best Buy near me is across the street from Chipotle.

LOL, Both of my Best Buys have Chipolte's next to it.  

[possibilities]

I'm pretty surprised that Sheldon likes Chipotle.