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S09.E22: The Fermentation Bifurcation

shapeshifter

By shapeshifter
in The Big Bang Theory [V]

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shapeshifter

shapeshifter

Quote

The gang goes to a wine bar and runs into Penny’s old boyfriend, Zack. Also, Bernadette gets stuck spending the evening with Sheldon when she can’t go wine tasting with the group, and things don’t go as planned when Raj introduces his new girlfriend, Claire.

Pretty good episode. Zack and Claire added a lot, especially Zack: "Are you sure you guys are smart?"

And Sheldon creating a game for Bernie to have a (pretend) time out from pregnancy was sweet.

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adhoc

adhoc

Gosh, I was kind of bored. I realized I'm tired of Sheldon still being the special snowflake and Leonard/Penny's surrogate son. Sheldon (well, Jim Parsons) simply looks too old for his self-centered actions to be in any way endearing.  Also, I was not impressed with the contrived way in which they let Claire find out that Raj was seeing other women. I refer to Zack just happening to be there and saying the wrong thing.  

As other people have posted for other episodes, I felt like this one did not have enough time to really develop either story line. A bit of dialog, a few semi-funny jokes or quips, and boom, cut to commercial. There was not much "there" there for me.

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Bronzedog

Bronzedog

I found it aggravating that during the course of the myriad of ads, two were advertising the Big Bang Theory,.  Before thinking about watching this again Monday, could we first get thru tonight's show??

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Gizmo321

Gizmo321

Amy and Howard could have continued their shared love of Neil Diamond.....they didn't need to revert to being uncomfortable around each other. And as mentioned earlier Zach is Penny's ex-husband...not just old boyfriend.  Do the writers even watch / research this show? And do the writers listen when actors bring up previous history?

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mojoween

mojoween

Ha!  I said to my husband that Zach will always be the guy who was eliminated from The Amazing Race in his underwear.  Then I had to explain to him why that was.  He said "ooooookay."

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Packerbrewerbadger

Packerbrewerbadger

(edited)

I am so angry at the Amy -Howard awkward conversation!  The Neil Diamond episode was one of my all time favorites , wasn't it just last year?  They should have picked up where they left off!   That was an insult to the regular viewers!!! 

Edited by Packerbrewerbadger
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Jediknight

Jediknight

(edited)

Zack actually getting to be the smart one was nice.  He thought about the guys' invention being used for military purposes, before the guys did.  So massive props to the writers for that, and I like that they keep Zack as a nice guy who while not as smart as the guys, enjoys science, and genuinely considers them friends.

I also enjoyed Sheldon making a Dungeons & Dragons game that was specific to Bernadette.  They remembered that Sheldon can be a really good friend at times.

Edited by Jediknight
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Accidental Martyr

Accidental Martyr

3 hours ago, Packerbrewerbadger said:

I am so angry at the Amy -Howard awkward conversation!  The Neil Diamond episode was one of my all time favorites , wasn't it just last year?  They should have picked up where they left off!   That was an insult to the regular viewers!!! 

Yeah, I was waiting for Amy and Howard to bring up their shared love of Neil Diamond, but.....nothing.

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Gulftastic

Gulftastic

When Raj introduced Claire to the group, he should at least have told her everyones' name.

 

Also, if this 'dating two women' plot ends with a crushed Raj, Ill not be happy. We saw that after the shy lass dumped him. We don't need to see that again.

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mansonlamps

mansonlamps

27 minutes ago, Helena Dax said:

I'm such a potterhead, every time Sheldon mentioned Frank and Alice all I could think was "why is Sheldon friends with Neville Longbottom's parents?"

I thought of Phoebe's crazy brother and his much older wife from Friends.

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califred

califred

In checking for Zach on Amazing Race, I found out we attended the same high school and he was just a grade ahead of me. Small world.

 

I did enjoy the Bernadeyte/Sheldon pairing but agree if we are going to have over 10 min of commercials let's stick with one story.

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ExplainItAgain

ExplainItAgain

11 hours ago, adhoc said:

As other people have posted for other episodes, I felt like this one did not have enough time to really develop either story line. A bit of dialog, a few semi-funny jokes or quips, and boom, cut to commercial. There was not much "there" there for me.

Agreed. There wasn't enough story here. I enjoy the unusual pairings but they literally did nothing with Howard and Amy. I did enjoy Zach though.

I feel like the two-girl storyline is just going to crash and burn with Raj. Claire seems more laid back, but I have a feeling he'll feel Emily's wrath. And are we ever going to see Emily again or just hear about her?

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theatremouse

theatremouse

4 hours ago, Helena Dax said:

I'm such a potterhead, every time Sheldon mentioned Frank and Alice all I could think was "why is Sheldon friends with Neville Longbottom's parents?"

I thought he said "Frank and Alicia".

Didn't Penny and Zack get an annulment? If so, it does make sense to not refer to him as ex-husband. If they were divorced they'd be ex-spouses. If they're annulled it's as if it never happened. (which begs the question WHY WRITE that, but I digress...)

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proserpina65

proserpina65

Two thoughts: who knew Zach was the smartest person on this show?  and  Awww, how sweet was Sheldon to create that D&D adventure for Bernadette?  Usually I find Sheldon tolerable at best, but he was actually a nice person this week.

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proserpina65

proserpina65

56 minutes ago, sadiegirl said:

Can someone explain the Amazing Race and Zach thing to me?  Was he really on the Amazing Race?  If so, I'll have to find that season.  I love Zach.

Okay, I just googled, and yes, the actor who plays Zach (or is it Zack?), Brian Smith, was on the Amazing Race with his brother Greg.  It's the season where Rob and Amber were beaten to the final mat by Joyce and Uchenna.  I can't believe I didn't recognize him, because the episode where he and Greg have a car accident in Africa is one of the more memorable eps of the show.

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LoneHaranguer

LoneHaranguer

46 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

who knew Zach was the smartest person on this show?

Except for Sheldon. "Smart" can encompass both intelligence and education, and the other guys have shown that they have more the latter than the former. Leonard in particular has been built up as someone who's not as bright as he'd like to think, but has put in a lot of hard work academically.

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shura

shura

1 hour ago, MaryMitch said:

I hope Leonard and Howard don't worry too much about "military applications". Just about any invention has military implications, and "military" doesn't equate to "bad" anyway.

Besides, the only way their "quantum gyroscope guiding system" is going to make money is if they sell it to the government for military purposes. It's just got to be way too expensive to produce. No civilian customer could afford it and forget about any kind of mass market.

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Homily

Homily

13 hours ago, CherryAmes said:

I don't think he really could be considered an ex husband.  It's not like they ever actually thought they were married.  In what has to be one of the dumbest plot lines ever used on this show!

I haven't seen this episode yet but I agree that I wouldn't expect under most circumstances that they'd ever refer to Zach as Penny's ex husband.  They had no idea they were ever married in the first place for one thing!  It would actually be stupid if they suddenly start acting like Leonard is Penny's second husband. The "marriage" of Zach and Penny was the equivalent of two kids playing wedding in the backyard.

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MMLEsq

MMLEsq

How many people had to know whether the scratch & sniff wine book was real?  (Just me?)  Well, for anyone wondering, it does exist.  $11.89 on Amazon (although it's temporarily out of stock....probably because of last night episode).

 

Wine Book.jpg

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proserpina65

proserpina65

1 hour ago, LoneHaranguer said:

Except for Sheldon. "Smart" can encompass both intelligence and education, and the other guys have shown that they have more the latter than the former. Leonard in particular has been built up as someone who's not as bright as he'd like to think, but has put in a lot of hard work academically.

I was actually kind of joking about Zach.  But you are right about the different kinds of intelligence.

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iMonrey

iMonrey

Quote

Zach and his real life brother were on season 7 of The Amazing Race, a GREAT season of TAR.  I love Greg and Brian SO MUCH and they were so incredibly funny.

OMG I had no idea, and I have seen every season of Amazing Race and every episode of Big Bang. Now I want to go back and re-watch that season. (Unfortunately that season spent most of its time pimping Rob and Amber who had a big wedding special scheduled on CBS immediately after the season ended.)

Yeah, I love Zack, he's definitely my favorite recurring character (and most sources I've looked at spell it with a "ck" not a "ch").

I disagree that Leonard and Penny's friends wouldn't refer to Zack as Penny's ex-husband. Even if they only got married as a joke and didn't realize it was a real marriage, that's a pretty huge revelation when they finally found out, and not something even (or especially) your closest friends would be likely to let go of! 

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hnygrl

hnygrl

I watched it online just now. For the record? Exactly 20 minutes and 8 seconds.  9 minutes and  52 seconds of commercials. DISGUSTING.

Two things: Sheldon was uncharacteristically sensitive and kind tonight. Sure, he played all HIS Games FIRST, but the D&D for the prregnant lady where she gets to do all the things she's not allowed to do any longer AND be tall AND kick ass? That was really really kind of him.

and most importantly: Do you think he REALLY has other friends? Gee I hope so. It would be so healthy for him to have friends that aren't Leonard/Penny so when Leonard/Penny finally get their own place (with room for Shelly of course)? Sheldon will say "no thanks, I'm good. But thanks for putting off the move till I got replacements for ya"

Really nothing to say about the wine tasting, Zack, or the douche canoe dating/cheating with two women (if they don't know about each other, he's CHEATING DOUCHE!).

I'm starting to really hate - watch. Like the last 3 seasons of How I Met Your Mother. It's just not that good any longer.

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LoneHaranguer

LoneHaranguer

6 hours ago, Homily said:

I haven't seen this episode yet but I agree that I wouldn't expect under most circumstances that they'd ever refer to Zach as Penny's ex husband.  They had no idea they were ever married in the first place for one thing! 

It was never established that they were. Leonard freaked out at the possibility and assumed the worst.

2 hours ago, hnygrl said:

Do you think he REALLY has other friends?

Online, but Sheldon could be getting catfished.

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shapeshifter

shapeshifter

  • Author
2 hours ago, hnygrl said:

...and most importantly: Do you think [Sheldon] REALLY has other friends? Gee I hope so. It would be so healthy for him to have friends that aren't Leonard/Penny...

I imagine his friends are on an online message board like this one or IMDb or some app.

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Winston Wolfe

Winston Wolfe

Quote

 I'm starting to really hate - watch. Like the last 3 seasons of How I Met Your Mother. It's just not that good any longer.

These days, it's hard for long-running shows to maintain their quality past season 5.  The last three seasons of HIMYM were painful and I stuck with that series out of obligation and wanting to see how they would wrap things up (ugh).  On a positive note, I like how the writers are slowly, subtly maturing the group.  Going to a Wine tasting is nothing you would have seen on this show three years ago.  You can really tell that the group is transitioning into their early 30s now.  We never saw that kind of growth on similar ensemble shows like Living Single, Friends, or HIMYM.

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Snarklepuss

Snarklepuss

(edited)

I knew I'd see my own opinions voiced by others here, especially about how not funny this episode was and how the cast is getting too old for some of the behavior to be believable.  The plot lines seem forced and like they're going through the motions.  I do agree that in some ways the show is trying to make them grow up.  I even see it in the clothing choices for Leonard and Raj.  But do they have to become boring in the process?  That's disappointing.  It bugs me that Bernadette has been pregnant for weeks by now and she's not even showing a little bit yet?  That seems pretty unrealistic.  With only 2 more episodes left in the season I wonder where they'll pick up with her pregnancy.  I'm assuming they'll want to feature it and the birth on the show.

Edited by Snarklepuss
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Snarklepuss

Snarklepuss

14 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

who knew Zach was the smartest person on this show?

Wasn't it a switch-up from the way he was depicted when Penny was dating him?  I thought one of the reasons she dumped him was that he was as dumb as a box of rocks.  Now suddenly he's so smart.....Yeah, right.....zzzzzzzzzzzz

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LekoBoy

LekoBoy

(edited)
13 hours ago, piedmontgirl said:

How far along is Bernadette's pregnancy?

Pretty sure someone said, "twenty weeks."

ETA: Poor Zack has not aged well.  Not nearly as pretty as he once was, not all that long ago.  He didn't even make Amy go "Hoo."

Edited by LekoBoy
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Jediknight

Jediknight

4 hours ago, Snarklepuss said:

Wasn't it a switch-up from the way he was depicted when Penny was dating him?  I thought one of the reasons she dumped him was that he was as dumb as a box of rocks.  Now suddenly he's so smart.....Yeah, right.....zzzzzzzzzzzz

He's still not as smart as the guys, and asked for ice at a wine testing, but the guy does love science, despite not understanding it, it makes sense he'd see that the guys' guidance system could be used for the military.

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shapeshifter

shapeshifter

  • Author
2 hours ago, Jediknight said:

He's still not as smart as the guys, and asked for ice at a wine testing, but the guy does love science, despite not understanding it, it makes sense he'd see that the guys' guidance system could be used for the military.

I'd be happy with a little Zach retooling so he could have more time in the 10th season. He could be revealed to be an uneducated genius of sorts, who inspires the "real" scientists to try solutions to problems that Zach thinks of from, say, watching sports or cop shows.

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Eri

Eri

3 hours ago, icemiser69 said:

Yes, Raj has it coming, especially when he tried to drag his inner circle of friends into the big lie he has been pushing, about him not dating anyone else.  Given his years upon years of dirt bag behavior, I wonder why Raj has any friends at all.  He has on more than one occasion made it known that he wouldn't hesitate to have sex with Bernadette, if Howard was out of the picture.  Heck I wouldn't be surprised if he would sleep with Bernadette while she is still married to Howard.

They can't give him any other storyline except to be a lonely and desperate sad sack while the others actually try and progress in their lives. Personally, I thought Yvette the vet would have had the greatest potential as a dating partner for Raj. If they aren't going to give him a steady relationship, at least show him advancing in his career or making a new discovery in the world of astrophysics to make him more interesting. But since they insist on giving him a "player" status (which isn't really cute past age 30) , I'm sure by the end of the season it'll blow up in his face in typical Raj-fashion and he'll end up right back where he started *cough*alone*cough*

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Snarklepuss

Snarklepuss

With regard to Raj, this show is reminding me of "Frasier" where by the final seasons of the who the only one who didn't find love was Frasier himself.  They wrapped things up at the very end with him moving to Chicago after meeting a woman who could be "the one".  I'm hoping that at least by the end of BBT, Raj at least has someone on the horizon.  Perhaps having to fess up to both women he's two-timed will make him realize which one he really cares about and we'll see him finally settle down.

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chaifan

chaifan

On 4/29/2016 at 11:26 AM, sadiegirl said:

Thanks for the info regarding Zack.  I watched that season.  I didn't know that was him.  I'm now going to go watch that season again, just because I like Zack so much.

I am also a dual Amazing Race and BBT fan, and I never knew Zach was on the Amazing Race.  I'd love to go back and watch that season, but until someone makes an edited version with every trace of Rob deleted out I just can't bring myself to do it.  According to his IMDB page, it looks like he got into acting a few years after TAR.  I just re-watched the opening intros on his TAR season (had to ff through the Rob/Amber part) and he wasn't being promoted as an aspiring actor.  I wonder if acting was on his horizon at that point, or if a stint on TV prompted him.  If they want to make Penny a successful actress before the series ends, it would be fun (and a nice nod to Zach) for her to get her start on a reality tv show.

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Ouisch

Ouisch

Chiming in on the "Yvette the Vet" would've been a better match for Raj than either Emily or Claire. Especially considering Raj's over-protectiveness of Cinnamon; Yvette's love of animals seems to give her more of a bonding element with him versus Emily's love of slash films (which make Raj uneasy) and Claire's....well, nothing except she's pretty and wants to consult with him for her screenplay.

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