S10.E10: The Property Division Collision

[TheOtherOne]

A BATTLE ENSUES WHEN SHELDON AND LEONARD ARGUE OVER WHO WILL GET CUSTODY OF THEIR SHARED BELONGINGS, ON "THE BIG BANG THEORY," THURSDAY, DEC. 1

Christopher Lloyd Guest Stars as Theodore

"The Property Division Collision"- Sheldon and Leonard try to divvy up their shared belongings, but can't agree on anything. Also, Koothrappali and Stuart fight to be the most helpful during Bernadette's final weeks of pregnancy, on THE BIG BANG THEORY, Thursday, Dec. 1 (8:00-8:31 PM, ET/PT), on the CBS Television Network.

[Spartan Girl]

Leonard going commando wearing the flag made me laugh so hard.

Always happy to see Christopher Lloyd, no matter who he plays.

Stuart needs to go away.

[Browncoat]

This Christopher Lloyd character reminded me a bit of Reverend Jim from Taxi.  And not in a bad way.

Edited December 2, 2016 by Browncoat

[BooksRule]

I wouldn't mind having a Stuart and a Raj around the house for a few days to take care of some chores, but I wouldn't be able to stand it for long.

Stuart:  'I'm living here again.'

Raj: 'Do Howard and Bernadette know, or is it like a 'possum in the walls' kind of thing?'

[Nordly Beaumont]

Howard and Bernadette are so small they look like little kids playing house in that great big house!

[roamyn]

They did a great job w/Melissa's facial make-up, to make it appear that she really had gained weight.

I don't mind Stuart staying there, as he'd make a great nanny and he's proven himself helpful.  But Raj is too co-dependant & creepy.

With the exception of Leonard wrapped in the flag, commando, and the GREAT Christopher Lloyd, the other storyline was boring.  They could've done so much more with the division of collectibles - not to mention the couch.

Can Theodore move in permanently? 

[shapeshifter]

Homeless Christopher Lloyd: If we're talking about rubbing genitals, that's where I shine.

They really telegraphed Bernie going into labor with the oversized pregnancy prosthetic.                                 Slight nitpick: Even for a first pregnancy, the baby bump would be lower/engaged if she was ready to give birth (I say this as someone the same size as Bernadette whose first baby was an emergency C-section due to cephalopelvic disproportion, so don't argue with me, I earned the right to be right on this one).

[DrSpaceman73]

I did like Cristopher Lloyd and Leonard naked in the flag. 

Raj and Stuart have crossed way over the line from funny to creepy.  Give Raj SOMETHING else to do on this show.  Why does Chuck Lorre enjoy writing pathetic loser mooching characters so much?  Did the same thing on 2.5 Men.  Which is kind of weird and creepy in its own way, wondering why he is repeating this same sad characterization again. 

[P3pp3rb1rd]

Sheldon is reverting to total douchebag again, where he isn't funny--just selfish and pompously boring. Amy continues to gain weight, or else she looks lumpy in the knit clothes they give her.

Raj and Stuart are hanging on to Bernadette and Howard like Sheldon hangs on to Leonard. Too much co-dependence all around. They're all warped.

[MSterling]

I  can't believe Sheldon didn't put the division of shared purchases in the roommate agreement.

[dungeonwriter]

Sheldon is just a horrible human being. If I were him, I wouldn't take Longclaw. Amy will one day snap and it's sharp. 

Raj and Stuart being pathetic stopped being funny many episodes ago. I just feel sorry for them, being unemployed, being lonely, it's genuinely problems. 

The homeless guy broke my heart as well. I know it's just a sitcom, but it's hard to watch three characters in a 18 minutes suffering. 

Howard and Bernadette will be needing a nanny, Howard has a government contract, Bernie is climbing the Pharma corporate ladder, so Stuart isn't a bad choice, but it still seems cruel. 

This show is tired. 

[ae2]

8 hours ago, roamyn said:

They did a great job w/Melissa's facial make-up, to make it appear that she really had gained weight.

I don't mind Stuart staying there, as he'd make a great nanny and he's proven himself helpful.  But Raj is too co-dependant & creepy.

With the exception of Leonard wrapped in the flag, commando, and the GREAT Christopher Lloyd, the other storyline was boring.  They could've done so much more with the division of collectibles - not to mention the couch.

Can Theodore move in permanently? 

At least they got something right, because her belly and costuming were terrible! 

I thought it was fun to see Leonard and Sheldon pranking each other again, and wish they'd done more with it before it escalated out of control. 

[Badsamaritan]

When Amy actually went to get the Neosporin and Sheldon said 'You're lucky you're cute' and Amy busted out that smile and got giggly? So cute. And I love that Sheldon sees her that way.

I wouldn't mind seeing Sheldon interact Mrs. Fowler. I think she and Mary would probably get on very well together since, from Amy's description, she seems very conservative. I can't remember, do we know anything about Mr. Fowler?

[statslady]

Generally liked the episode.  I think one of my favorite moments was the end where they replayed the 'it's time' moment from 'I Love Lucy'.  Great shout out to the mother of all sitcoms.  At least they didn't all run off to the hospital without Bernadette!  

[adhoc]

Hated the Sheldon/Leonard property dispute plot line, the way it was done. Hated the Christopher Lloyd appearance. The whole plot line was mean and not funny, in my opinion. Sheldon is just too old to be pulling this juvenile sh*t.  And MSterling was spot on--how was "division of joint property" NOT spelled out in the roommate agreement? 

I kind of enjoyed the Raj/Stuart rivalry, but yeah, why can't the writers give them something else to do? I still maintain that there were opportunities for them to have Stuart stumble onto ways of using his artistic talent to make money, but the writers just seem to think he's hilarious as a depressed loser. And I really enjoy Kunal's acting; why can't they give him a good plotline?

Whatever.

[Chaos Theory]

I don't find this show the least bit funny anymore and only bother watching it because I like the two shows that come after it neither of which get any traction on PTV which is sad because they are funny shows and not in the cruel/awkward way BBT seems to be these days.  

[CherryAmes]

2 hours ago, Badsamaritan said:

I think she and Mary would probably get on very well together since, from Amy's description, she seems very conservative. I can't remember, do we know anything about Mr. Fowler?

I don't think we even know if he's dead or alive!

Edited December 2, 2016 by CherryAmes

[PradaKitty]

I recall when Sheldon and Amy first started becoming friends that there was a video chat with Amy's mom. 

[PinkRibbons]

4 hours ago, Badsamaritan said:

 I can't remember, do we know anything about Mr. Fowler?

It's getting conspicuous that we actually have never heard one word about Amy's father. There are actually quite a few conspiracy theories online that she and Howard are siblings.

Hey Leonard, if you don't want anything from your old apartment, save everyone the trouble and just switch apartments! Seriously, this is absurd.

[LoneHaranguer]

13 hours ago, roamyn said:

They could've done so much more with the division of collectibles - not to mention the couch.

I thought for sure they'd have done something with the new tenant sitting in Sheldon's spot; either Sheldon would find out or that we'd hear Christopher Lloyd comment on how good the spot was with a Reverend Jim spin on the usual explanation.

[hnygrl]

Man. I don't think I can be "loyal" to this show much longer.

I didn't like it. I hated it. I hated it so much I did something I've never done before.

Turned it off. Geeze. Another season just isn't necessary. This show has jumped that shark and is miles down the river by now. 

It just. Wasn't. Funny. Or cute. Or anything good. No. No all the way around, just...no.

[iMonrey]

It seems like at some point, Sheldon just stopped being funny. Whenever I run across an older episode on TBS I'm caught off guard by how Sheldon used to be somewhat more mature and reasonable. He was always condescending but he didn't use to be purposely insulting like he is now. The whole property division thing was just awful. Similarly, making Raj and Stuart as pathetic as possible isn't funny either.

[vibeology]

1 hour ago, LoneHaranguer said:

I thought for sure they'd have done something with the new tenant sitting in Sheldon's spot; either Sheldon would find out or that we'd hear Christopher Lloyd comment on how good the spot was with a Reverend Jim spin on the usual explanation.

I was thinking if they really wanted that guy out, all they had to do was take a picture and text it to Sheldon. He would have been across the hall so fast and hauled Christopher Lloyd out the door like he was the actual Flash.

And while Leonard didn't want the flag (he claimed it because he knew it would upset Sheldon) the easiest argument there was to point out that it was the apartment flag so it should stay in the apartment. And Sheldon could design another flag for his new place.

The Bernadette/Howard/Raj/Stuart plot was somehow even worse. Raj being too invested was already played out before Stuart's sad sack got added to the mix.

I really didn't enjoy much about this episode. Obviously we're getting a baby in the next episode so my hopes aren't too high for that one either. One thing that I find truly depressing is that Penny has basically disappeared as a character. She stays out of the way and makes comments about what she is observing. That's not a character and it really bothers me that someone who was so integral to the show in it's early years seems to have no place anymore.

[Trey]

21 minutes ago, vibeology said:

I really didn't enjoy much about this episode.

Neither did I and it was disappointing after the previous few shows being so good.  Sheldon and Leonard were too childish to be funny and the least said about Raj and Stuart the better.  That story line didn't make Howard and Bernadette look so good either.

I did enjoy the part at the beginning with the Amy/Penny painting.  Amy and Sheldon were so sure that Penny and Leonard really wanted it.

And I did like seeing Christopher Lloyd again - I wouldn't mind if Theodore stuck around for a while.

[MaryMitch]

I'm sorry so many people are posting they didn't like the episode - I thought it was pretty funny! But I do love these characters.

[shura]

My favorite part was the respective "thank you"s that Leonard, Penny and Amy gave when Sheldon got to keep the Dr. Spock cuckoo clock. They were all different and it was well done.

Also liked Amy's "I think he makes a great point. Also, who is this?"

[Angeltoes]

Quote

And MSterling was spot on--how was "division of joint property" NOT spelled out in the roommate agreement? 

Sharing is not Sheldon's strong suit so there is no joint property in his mind.  Not unlike my three-year-old granddaughter, he thinks everything he touches is his.  He may allow you to use it but he'll watch you like a hawk until it is handed back.

[roamyn]

17 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

 Slight nitpick: Even for a first pregnancy, the baby bump would be lower/engaged if she was ready to give birth (I say this as someone the same size as Bernadette whose first baby was an emergency C-section due to cephalopelvic disproportion, so don't argue with me, I earned the right to be right on this one).

I disagree.

I'm short, and both my kids were HIGHER than Bernadette.  Of course my daughter was breach (folded in half breach), but my point is that every woman, baby, and pregnancy are different. 

[theatremouse]

I'm confused by the whole Stuart thing. I get that he's got money troubles, but does he or does he not still own the comic book store? I totally get that small business owners have it rough, but if he's still working at his own business, presumably during average-ish business hours, sure he could help them out with the baby in the sense of assembling things or getting groceries or cooking, but he can't exactly be their nanny if his work hours are mostly the same as theirs. So, what, they're going to get a nanny for during the day AND have Stuart as roommate? I know they didn't use the word nanny in the episode about Stuart, but it was weird to suggest he'd be helping out with the baby, in the sense that they'd have three grown adults in the house, but only outside of business hours. I mean, I suppose there may be plenty of times when two new parents are both home and don't mind a third set of hands...but it's just weird because it seemed like before he showed up they probably would've ended up with a nanny anyway. So maybe his presence cuts the hours needed? But the whole thing is just silly.

I know. It was silly before.

And he was just trying to make himself seem useful, not literally suggesting a trade or anything.

Still annoys me.

[MissLucas]

I hated the writing for Sheldon in this one - I really thought we were over the whole thing with him behaving like a class A jerk and getting away with it. That lame ass psychology lesson by Theodore made no sense at all. In the end Sheldon got what he had wanted (except the flag) and never had to deal with any real consequences about his abysmal behavior. He was ripping off his best friend and everybody was okay with it - those collectibles he snatched from the apartment were worth some good money. He should at least have offered to reimburse Leonard.

I also hated Penny just giving Longclaw to Sheldon without even bothering to ask Leonard (who was the one negotiating the price with Stuart and getting a pretty good deal in the end). She deserves to have that pic haunting her.

The Sheldon plot exhausted my rage-batteries otherwise I'd also have notes on the Raj/Stuart plot.

[CherryAmes]

Loved the scenes with Amy and her painting, the greatest gift she ever gave anyone. Especially that she thought it might have increased in value as the artist killed himself shortly after painting it.  LOL.

[LoneHaranguer]

19 hours ago, MSterling said:

I  can't believe Sheldon didn't put the division of shared purchases in the roommate agreement.

When the agreement was written, It was already covered because it said that in the event of a dispute, Sheldon gets the tie-breaking vote and only residents of the apartment get to vote, effectively giving him his choice on everything. Penny moving in may have screwed that up.

[BlossomCulp]

1 hour ago, MissLucas said:

I also hated Penny just giving Longclaw to Sheldon without even bothering to ask Leonard (who was the one negotiating the price with Stuart and getting a pretty good deal in the end).

Leonard could have spoken up.  He didn't.  My sympathy for a grown man incapable of saying "hey hold on a minute" is pretty limited.   And I'll go against the stream here and say that between Sheldon and Leonard it was Leonard, IMO, who behaved the most childishly about sharing the mutual belongings.  He's already getting the apartment and it looks like all the furnishings.  So he didn't get to keep a couple of collectibles that were in a closet.  Big whoop.  

 

4 hours ago, MaryMitch said:

 

I'm sorry so many people are posting they didn't like the episode - I thought it was pretty funny! But I do love these characters.

 

I agree,  I saw this episode after reading the posts in this thread and was thinking it was going to be a clinker but was instead pleasantly surprised.  I liked that Leonard and Penny got to have a storyline instead of being background performers.  I also liked that the way Bernadette and Howard made use of the two needy guys in their lives.  Win win for all concerned.

[Meushell]

This episode was really boring. 

The best part (really, the only funny part) was Amy getting the Neosporin. They still managed to ruin that with Sheldon insulting her intelligence over a misunderstanding, and  with her actually accepting the insult because she was called cute.

Also, wasn't Penny supposed to be really good at games? Sheldon insulting Leonard about losing would've been a great chance to bring that up.

Did the writers forget Stuart was/an artist?  When he mentioned it, I thought, "Hey, they remembered!" Then Raj made the starving =/= artist comment, and it made me wonder if they forgot he was a good artist.

[MissLucas]

8 minutes ago, BlossomCulp said:

 And I'll go against the stream here and say that between Sheldon and Leonard it was Leonard, IMO, who behaved the most childishly about sharing the mutual belongings.  He's already getting the apartment and it looks like all the furnishings.  So he didn't get to keep a couple of collectibles that were in a closet.  Big whoop.  

 

It's not as if Sheldon has to live on the street or in a dump. He's got an apartment with an actual dining table in exchange. If snatching the collectibles was about compensating him for losing his beloved couch (that Leonard bought on his own) or any of the other stuff then he should have said so - instead he admitted that this was about him not being able to share.

Of course the idea that none of this was ever settled in the room-mate agreement is preposterous. I wondered from the get-go about various logistics of the apartment-swap but was willing to hand-wave it away in order to get rid of the insane arrangement they had before. (Though Amy still paying rent for her apartment and nothing really be settled legally is also insane.)

[BlossomCulp]

Well for that matter if Sheldon is still paying rent on the old apartment who is paying rent on Penny's old place?  Still Penny?  It's been a couple of months now so you'd think they'd each be paying the rent on the places they live in not the places they used to live in.   

[theatremouse]

4 hours ago, Meushell said:

The best part (really, the only funny part) was Amy getting the Neosporin.

For my money, the best part of every episode at this point is Mayim Bialick's facial expressions. Only one who ever comes even close to surprising me by how she plays a moment, and generally, to my great delight. Everyone else is on autopilot.

Edited December 3, 2016 by theatremouse

[OtterMommy]

There were a couple points where I laughed (and I think they all involved that gawdawful painting), otherwise this episode fell flat for me.  I do hope that this is the last season--the show is getting too far away from its original setup.  What was funny with these characters almost a decade ago are just desperate now.

I think I was most disappointed in the "regression" in Howard.  For while there, we were getting some actual character growth from him.  Then, Stuart moves in and we get the tired Stuart/Raj power play and Howard just becomes the manchild again.  Sigh!

[CherryAmes]

14 minutes ago, OtterMommy said:

Then, Stuart moves in and we get the tired Stuart/Raj power play and Howard just becomes the manchild again.  Sigh!

I actually  kind of liked that they showed that Howard was still a bit of a baby where helping out was concerned.  He's moved forward, sure, but it wouldn't be very realistic IMO if he didn't try to slide by where helping around the house is concerned and since he hadn't checked the smoke alarms it's not like he only stopped sliding because Stuart and Raj were there to do the work, he wasn't going to do it anyway.  

I also liked that they kept referencing the housework that Bernie had been doing.  I kept thinking "She's nesting!" and sure enough she was :).  Be nice if next week opens with the baby already arrived but I guess they'll have to find some way to do the "everything goes crazy at the hospital" schtick.  I just hope hope they don't pull a Two and Half Men and have Bernie channelling Judith and being just hateful during the whole labour and delivery.

Edited December 3, 2016 by CherryAmes

[MSterling]

My other thought, since this is basically a pathetic, unfunny rehash of the Sheldon/fill in the current friend here feuds, why didn't Leonard call Mary, or even Meemaw? It was his suggestion to Penny during her feud in the Panty Pinata episode. And I expected better ideas from Penny. Howard and Bernadette had better ideas in the parking spot feud. And Raj and the shared office feud.

But again, Sheldon would have covered this in the roommate agreement. I imagine with his selfishness about property but not money is to offer to pay either half of the purchase price or half of the current value, whichever was lower, if he wanted to keep the item and it would be his choice. That would have been funnier, watching him go through the inventory and deciding what to keep and trying to find the lowest price, using his database and scanning gun. They could have brought Stuart in this way instead of his competition with Raj for most pathetic.

[P3pp3rb1rd]

16 hours ago, Trey said:

I did enjoy the part at the beginning with the Amy/Penny painting.

Sorry I can't agree...IMO the jokes about the painting went on and on to the embarrassing point. Showing the painting repeatedly took up time that the writers didn't have to fill. The painting wasn't truly funny, and the show was making the same lame point over and over that one person valued the friendship while the other despised it.  That's pathetic, not funny.

[CherryAmes]

4 hours ago, P3pp3rb1rd said:

The painting wasn't truly funny, and the show was making the same lame point over and over that one person valued the friendship while the other despised it. 

I completely disagree!  I don't think Penny feels as strongly towards Amy as Amy does towards her, that's definitely true.  Penny opened up a world of friendship to Amy that she had never experienced before.  That certainly though is not something someone would do who despises the other person and their friendship!  Penny loves her friends and  she shows it in ways other than a giant size, badly painted, painting!  One small example, in one of the recent episodes we learn that Amy taught Penny her secret language,  and Penny took the trouble to learn it and remember it.  That's not something someone would do if she despised her friend or her friendship with that person,

Edited December 3, 2016 by CherryAmes

[Browncoat]

I don't think Penny despises the friendship -- she just despises the painting.

[needschocolate]

21 hours ago, Trey said:

Neither did I and it was disappointing after the previous few shows being so good.  Sheldon and Leonard were too childish to be funny and the least said about Raj and Stuart the better.  That story line didn't make Howard and Bernadette look so good either.

It was like this episode was one they wrote last year and held onto it for this season, where everyone's faults were amplified to the point of being ridiculous. Sheldon was back to being a jerk, Leonard was back to being a pathetic wimp, Stuart was back to being a pathetic loser....

I guess I should just be happy that Bernie didn't return to being a screeching shrew.

[kat165]

needschocolate, you might be speaking too soon. If Bernie is giving birth next wk we might be treated to a very screeching Bernie as she gives birth. And I don't mean out of pain but out of nastiness to Howard (see the 2.5 Men reference above). But I hope not.

[Squirrely]

All I need to know is why there was a board game called "Studs" in that closet!

[MrWhyt]

On 12/3/2016 at 8:43 AM, Browncoat said:

I don't think Penny despises the friendship -- she just despises the painting.

and even then it's hanging on the wall in her place, it hasn't suffered an "accident".

[mojoween]

It's so sad how much more thought is put into the writing in this thread than in the writer's room.

I did love Amy's "so no one's going to tell me? all right" when they were in the hall at the end.

It wounds me, how Longclaw was treated like "eh, you can have it."  Give it to me then!

[backgroundnoise]

On 12/2/2016 at 0:13 AM, dungeonwriter said:

This show is tired. 

Yes.  This episode was nothing but recycled gags that stopped being funny the last time they were recycled.  I didn't laugh once.

[tenativelyyours]

On 12/2/2016 at 1:11 PM, iMonrey said:

It seems like at some point, Sheldon just stopped being funny. Whenever I run across an older episode on TBS I'm caught off guard by how Sheldon used to be somewhat more mature and reasonable. He was always condescending but he didn't use to be purposely insulting like he is now. The whole property division thing was just awful. Similarly, making Raj and Stuart as pathetic as possible isn't funny either.

That's just it.  Sheldon's self-centered arrogance was tempered by the fact he wasn't actively mean or nasty.  He actually had rigid but admirable virtues in that regard.   He was aware in that area.  He was incredibly generous with whatever he felt he did not need at the moment,  Money for instance.

For me one of the turning points was when he made Leonard wear the sweater.  That would never have happened with original recipe Sheldon.  Also I think Sheldon would have been overly determined to be fair in the division.  He might have favorite things but if those things were bough together, he would have been rigid they share things out equally.  Which with five seconds of thought could have been funny and apt.  Like his rigidity over ordering Chinese and having the extra dumpling. 

It also would have been more in line if he was the one to resist the doling out because it meant an end to an aspect of his friendship with Leonard that he wasn't ready to let go.  Or he could have been as annoyingly pedantic like he usually is in his determination that they split everything by half.

I can sort make the leap as to why the couples are in the apartments they are.  Sheldon is still not 100% on living with Amy and staying at Penny's represents having the safety net of having a room as a bolthole.  But if that is really the case that needs to be put out there by the writers.  Otherwise there should be some plotline that discusses why the switch is still in place.

And now the baby's coming.  Big whoopty-do.  I soooo can't wait to see Raj and Stuart be even creepier and pathetic now an infant is in the mix.  /sarcasm