S11.E07: The Geology Methodology

[Bort]

Quote

Sheldon and Bert collaborate on a research project, despite Sheldon’s embarrassment. Also, Penny and Bernadette coach Koothrappali on how to navigate his relationship with Ruchi.

[Browncoat]

Not a fan of Penny's hair ears on top of her head.

[srpturtle80]

Have to admit that I laughed (a lot) at Burt’s slo-mo walk to ‘Almost Paradise.” 

[thebigboot]

The whole Sheldon is a dick and scientists lead sad lives is starting to get old fast.

[Snarklepuss]

I don't know, I would think Sheldon would take the attitude of wanting to show Bert how "simple" geology is and take great satisfaction in being able to be a know it all on the subject even to a supposed expert.  After all, he has done that with the others on the show (like Howard) even as he has disrespected their fields.  I didn't really buy the embarrassment angle, but whatever, this is Sheldon so he doesn't always make sense.

Maybe, just maybe Raj will bumble his way through a relationship and it will actually work out this time.  One can only hope!

I laughed a lot at this episode.  The last couple have been pretty good.  Keep it up, show!

[rmontro]

Raj seems to have more chemistry with Ruchi than some of his past girlfriends.  They seem to be putting him in more unconventional type relationships that are becoming more common in recent times, dating multiple women, casual hookups, etc.  Not sure how Raj can say he was inexperienced in casual relationships when he was dating Emily and Claire at the same time.  We've also seen him have one night stands.

If Raj does end up with Ruchi, I feel kind of bad for Stuart.  He could use a break.  

[Gulftastic]

I laughed loads this episode. Best in a while. Penny's daft hair was a bit distracting, but I liked her scenes with Sheldon and Raj. Slo-mo sexy Burt was great.

[displayname]

Bert's fun.

Edited November 10, 2017 by fan94

[shapeshifter]

9 hours ago, Browncoat said:

Not a fan of Penny's hair ears on top of her head.

I loved the first iteration of the style (the single coil) so much that I am running off to research the stylist's identity and how it's done.

 

8 hours ago, srpturtle80 said:

Have to admit that I laughed (a lot) at Burt’s slo-mo walk to ‘Almost Paradise.” 

Yes. The actor was such a good sport about it, totally getting into the scene (with a little help from post-production editing), that I really did LOL. I think that's how comedies should be—the biggest laugh at the end.

 

6 hours ago, thebigboot said:

The whole Sheldon is a dick and scientists lead sad lives is starting to get old fast.

I wouldn't exactly call 10 years "fast," heh. 

[Snow Fairy]

I miss when Penny had meaninful conversations with the boys, she often helped them a lot.

She used to be better to Sheldon, and I think in the previous seasons their conversation would go very differently. As the conversation with Raj

[buffynut]

I liked this episode.  I like Ruchi too. I really, really hope this is the turning point in the writers insistence that Raj be a pathetic loser in love.  

[anna0852]

I admit that we have seen Penny be far more supportive in the past to the guys, especially Sheldon. But I also buy that she's kind of over it at this point. Sheldon's distain for Geology is well-known and if he wants to choose to work on it then that is up to him. Penny only has so much energy to keep managing (for lack of a better word )Sheldon.

[Latverian Diplomat]

Sheldon was a dick, but actually had a comeuppance? That was refreshing. 

I also enjoyed Leonard's "You just shut the door...I have to start writing these down..."

 

1 hour ago, Snow Fairy said:

I miss when Penny had meaninful conversations with the boys, she often helped them a lot.

She used to be better to Sheldon, and I think in the previous seasons their conversation would go very differently. As the conversation with Raj

I hear you, but in this case, Sheldon seemed extra stupid.

And Penny and Leonard and Amy all gave Sheldon the same good advice at various points...get over it and work with the guy if that's what you really want to do...he didn't listen soon enough...

In other notes, Howard whinging about being there for Bernadette will get old fast.

[CherryAmes]

31 minutes ago, Latverian Diplomat said:

I hear you, but in this case, Sheldon seemed extra stupid.

Yeah not sure how supportive I'd have been after someone told me he considered me to have been sexually promiscuous!  He's lucky she didn't throw something at him.

Good episode - agree with others, keep this standard up writers!  I especially liked the interaction between Penny and Raj where she told him to wear a rubber band on his wrist and then stick himself with a fork every time he was about to say something stupid.

Ruchi really works for this show so here's hoping she sticks around.

Edited November 10, 2017 by CherryAmes

[Gulftastic]

2 hours ago, CherryAmes said:

 

Ruchi really works for this show so here's hoping she sticks around.

Yes. I like that she called Raj on his BS almost straight away. This could be the making of him. And though it will be predictable for all four of the guys to be paired off and happy by the end of the show (whenever that is), I'd like to see it.

[LoneHaranguer]

1 hour ago, CherryAmes said:

Yeah not sure how supportive I'd have been after someone told me he considered me to have been sexually promiscuous!  He's lucky she didn't throw something at him.

It's been a few years since Sheldon confronted her with the facts, and she accepts that he's right, as evidenced by her once saying to Amy that they'd have to drive a while to get to where no one's seen her naked. So, his comment fell in the category of something she'd rather not have people dredging up, rather than an insult.

[rmontro]

I love that Bert didn't put up with Sheldon's garbage.

[Mystery]

I was glad that Amy said something like, you've never cared what other people think. I can see Sheldon's character thinking that geology is below him, but I couldn't see why he'd care if other people thought so. Nobody else on the show thinks that trains are cool, and that never stops him from talking about them and visiting the train store all the time. Ditto flags. 

Edited November 10, 2017 by Mystery

[joanne3482]

28 minutes ago, Mystery said:

I was glad that Amy said something like, you've never cared what other people think. I can see Sheldon's character thinking that geology is below him, but I couldn't see why he'd care if other people thought so. Nobody else on the show thinks that trains are cool, and that never stops him from talking about them and visiting the train store all the time. Ditto flags. 

I can see it because one's personal and the other professional. He may not care what people say when they are lauding him, but he gets very angry when people view his work as less than.  Remember when he was upset by the reviews the students gave him, so much so he sought help from Penny...

[BlossomCulp]

1 hour ago, LoneHaranguer said:

It's been a few years since Sheldon confronted her with the facts, and she accepts that he's right, as evidenced by her once saying to Amy that they'd have to drive a while to get to where no one's seen her naked. So, his comment fell in the category of something she'd rather not have people dredging up, rather than an insult.

I disagree,  it's still an insult.  Doesn't matter what Penny says about herself it's none of Sheldon's business who she slept with and when.  

And BTW what do you mean Sheldon "contronted her with the facts"?  Do you mean that episode where Penny takes him for his first date with Amy?  Because that was judgmental Sheldon being judgmental.  I hated that whole conversation.  (a) None of his business and (b) none of his business.

Edited November 10, 2017 by BlossomCulp

[Pop Tart]

I think the disconnect for me with Sheldon's being ashamed of working with Bert on geology was that Bert just won the MacArthur Genius Grant and that's a pretty prestigious thing. If Sheldon is working with a MacArthur Genius in any scientific field no one would blink. In a much earlier season there was a handsome scientist who came to work on campus who Leonard developed a bro-crush on, until he started dating Penny. That guy had a MacArthur Genius grant and the guys were all agog with his rockstar status. 

I do think this plays, again, into my theory that Sheldon doesn't really have any original genius idea in him. Everything he's worked on that he thought was it was a mistake or made up (his newly discovered element came out of his wrong math, his polar experiments that he thought proved something, didn't because the guys tricked him). The only things that Sheldon has had real recognition on are things that others have thought of or majorly contributed to, Leonard's wave theory thing (for which Sheldon got sole credit in the magazine article), the guidance system they worked on last year, when he worked with Kripke on a project and realized that Kripke was way ahead of him in his research, etc. I don't dispute that Sheldon is a genius when it comes to knowing science and math, but I'm not sure he has any truly groundbreaking, genius theories in him.

I did so appreciate that Leonard had gone to Bert to work with him after Sheldon screwed it up and that he didn't give up his collaboration spot with Bert just because Sheldon changed his mind. There have been far too many times when Sheldon has been completely and totally in the wrong where all the others eventually cave to him (mostly to do with non-work stuff, but still).

[iMonrey]

Quote

The whole Sheldon is a dick and scientists lead sad lives is starting to get old fast.

I just find episodes that revolve largely around Sheldon to be rather tedious. Penny has really been marginalized this season. Sheldon is consistently driving the plot while everyone else just reacts to him. Having Raj steer the B plot isn't much help either - he's arguably the most annoying character after Sheldon.

I got a few good chuckles out of Bernie and Howard but overall I felt it was a pretty weak episode.

[anna0852]

I feel pretty bad for Howard. He's getting run ragged seeing that Bernadette is cared for, Halley is cared for and holding down his job. I'm going to forgive him if he vents slightly to his friends.

[LaChavalina]

I'm more excited about Raj's relationship than anything else on the show right now. It concerned me a bit that pairing him with "female Indian scientist" might veer into stereotype, but I like that they've given her a bit of a personality and are depicting her as sex-positive without making her an ice queen (like they did with Priya).

Aside from that, nothing going on with the other characters has interested me much this season-- to the point that I'd entirely forgotten about the show for the past few weeks and had to catch up on a few missed episodes.

[UncleChuck]

Some scientists, like Sheldon, can be VERY protective of their personal field of study, and dismissive of others.  My sister, who used her Ph.D. for research, believed strongly that the ONLY true "Doctor" degree was "Doctor of Philosophy" (Ph.D.)  She often made that claim to our brother, who is an M.D.  according to her, a Medical Doctor is not a real "academic", and his MD degree is just proof that he graduated from a long and difficult trade school and earned a license to practice medicine. 

The family did not agree with her, but we tolerated her eccentricities to keep her happy.

[shapeshifter]

48 minutes ago, UncleChuck said:

Some scientists, like Sheldon, can be VERY protective of their personal field of study, and dismissive of others.  My sister, who used her Ph.D. for research, believed strongly that the ONLY true "Doctor" degree was "Doctor of Philosophy" (Ph.D.)  She often made that claim to our brother, who is an M.D.  according to her, a Medical Doctor is not a real "academic", and his MD degree is just proof that he graduated from a long and difficult trade school and earned a license to practice medicine. 

The family did not agree with her, but we tolerated her eccentricities to keep her happy.

I would like to think your sister's attitude/opinion has made your brother a better Doctor, that is, a doctor minus the God complex. Hmmm, maybe Sheldon can be given some personal perspective/humility by a character like your sister.

[BlossomCulp]

7 hours ago, UncleChuck said:

She often made that claim to our brother, who is an M.D.  according to her, a Medical Doctor is not a real "academic", and his MD degree is just proof that he graduated from a long and difficult trade school and earned a license to practice medicine. 

Interesting.  I wonder if whoever created the character of Sheldon knew a Ph.d who held views similar to your sister.  I think Joe/Jane Average would tend to think a "real" doctor is a medical doctor which is one reason that Sheldon's attitude helped make the character what he is.  Eccentric, to say the least.

[MissLucas]

So glad that for once someone shut the door to Sheldon's face. That should happen a lot more. I was kinda hoping that Bert would go to Kripke but Leonard showing up was pretty cool too. Especially as he took it not just as an opportunity to collaborate with Bert but also as a study effort in dealing with Sheldon at his most exhausting.

Penny's take on the rubber-band method was fantastic LOL!

[displayname]

9 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

I would like to think your sister's attitude/opinion has made your brother a better Doctor, that is, a doctor minus the God complex. Hmmm, maybe Sheldon can be given some personal perspective/humility by a character like your sister.

Didn't he have a fight with Amy about Neuroscience vs. Physics? 

[Gothish520]

On 11/10/2017 at 10:04 AM, Latverian Diplomat said:

In other notes, Howard whinging about being there for Bernadette will get old fast.

Agree. He's such a manchild still. I love when Sheldon congratulated him when he complained that Bernie's transformation into his mother was complete. 

[OtterMommy]

14 hours ago, UncleChuck said:

The family did not agree with her, but we tolerated her eccentricities to keep her happy.

I know you didn't mean it as such, but this is probably the best elevator pitch of this show I've read.

[useryikes]

On 10/11/2017 at 10:29 AM, CherryAmes said:

Ruchi really works for this show so here's hoping she sticks around.

I didn't really care for her.  She looks a bit old.

[SmithW6079]

3 hours ago, useryikes said:

I didn't really care for her.  She looks a bit old.

Swati Kapila is 32 years old.

[BlossomCulp]

She looked age appropriate to me.  I'd really hate it, and I mean HATE it if they matched Raj up with some young girl.  I like that she's a scientist and she can hold her own with Raj intellectually and, presumably financially, as well.  Even if they just end up having a fun relationship and it doesn't lead anywhere she's still so much better than scary Emily!

[ItCouldBeWorse]

On 11/10/2017 at 4:10 PM, anna0852 said:

I feel pretty bad for Howard. He's getting run ragged seeing that Bernadette is cared for, Halley is cared for and holding down his job. I'm going to forgive him if he vents slightly to his friends.

He did go to the bar with Raj although Bernadette was home on bed rest.

[Isazouzi]

20 hours ago, BlossomCulp said:

Interesting.  I wonder if whoever created the character of Sheldon knew a Ph.d who held views similar to your sister.  I think Joe/Jane Average would tend to think a "real" doctor is a medical doctor which is one reason that Sheldon's attitude helped make the character what he is.  Eccentric, to say the least.

It was a recurring joke on Friends, that Ross Geller wasn't considered a real doctor by the others because he wasn't an MD.

My job is to translate TV documentaries into French and my instructions are clear: only MDs can be called doctors. The PhDs don't get any title, or, if we really have to, we use "professor".

[Gothish520]

18 hours ago, useryikes said:

I didn't really care for her.  She looks a bit old.

I get what you mean. She was dressed in conservative clothes and has a mature look about her. 

Edited November 12, 2017 by Gothish520
word

[LoneHaranguer]

On 11/11/2017 at 1:57 AM, UncleChuck said:

My sister, who used her Ph.D. for research, believed strongly that the ONLY true "Doctor" degree was "Doctor of Philosophy" (Ph.D.)  She often made that claim to our brother, who is an M.D.  according to her, a Medical Doctor is not a real "academic", and his MD degree is just proof that he graduated from a long and difficult trade school and earned a license to practice medicine. 

I don't think I've ever heard anyone say that an MD is an "academic", and that's kind of the point. Those that say "PhD" stands for "Phony Doctor" appreciate  more someone whose effort was aimed at doing something of practical value. That isn't to say you can't respect anyone who puts in a lot of effort to reach a goal, but that can apply just as much to winning a marathon.

[Accidental Martyr]

On 11/11/2017 at 8:30 AM, BlossomCulp said:

Interesting.  I wonder if whoever created the character of Sheldon knew a Ph.d who held views similar to your sister.  I think Joe/Jane Average would tend to think a "real" doctor is a medical doctor which is one reason that Sheldon's attitude helped make the character what he is.  Eccentric, to say the least.

When Leonard starting dating the doctor (Sara Rue) in season 2 Penny asked him if she was a “doctor doctor” or a “like you doctor?”.

[Nessie]

On 11/10/2017 at 2:51 PM, Pop Tart said:

I think the disconnect for me with Sheldon's being ashamed of working with Bert on geology was that Bert just won the MacArthur Genius Grant and that's a pretty prestigious thing. If Sheldon is working with a MacArthur Genius in any scientific field no one would blink. In a much earlier season there was a handsome scientist who came to work on campus who Leonard developed a bro-crush on, until he started dating Penny. That guy had a MacArthur Genius grant and the guys were all agog with his rockstar status. 

I do think this plays, again, into my theory that Sheldon doesn't really have any original genius idea in him. Everything he's worked on that he thought was it was a mistake or made up (his newly discovered element came out of his wrong math, his polar experiments that he thought proved something, didn't because the guys tricked him). The only things that Sheldon has had real recognition on are things that others have thought of or majorly contributed to, Leonard's wave theory thing (for which Sheldon got sole credit in the magazine article), the guidance system they worked on last year, when he worked with Kripke on a project and realized that Kripke was way ahead of him in his research, etc. I don't dispute that Sheldon is a genius when it comes to knowing science and math, but I'm not sure he has any truly groundbreaking, genius theories in him.

I'm pretty sure the Rockstar scientist was a physicist, too, though, so Sheldon would have no reason to look down on him.

Interesting theory.  I've never thought about it like that, but you could be right.

[Meushell]

It is pretty sad that Sheldon acts like an ass, and I find myself happy and surprised that he didn’t get away with it. I expected Leonard to leave after Sheldon “apologized.”

[BlossomCulp]

That's been a real move forward on BBT, Sheldon rarely, if ever, gets away with his bad behavior anymore!  I don't want them to change him too much though.  I don't watch BBT to see the same kinds of people I can see on any other sitcom.  I like Sheldon being selfish and oblivious - it's part of what makes Sheldon, Sheldon :).

[John Potts]

On ‎10‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 3:04 PM, Latverian Diplomat said:

Sheldon was a dick, but actually had a comeuppance? That was refreshing.

That was my favourite moment! Too often the others complain when Sheldon's in the wrong but he gets his way because he whines long enough for them to back down. Good on Bert for sticking to his guns!

On ‎11‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 3:06 PM, MissLucas said:

Penny's take on the rubber-band method was fantastic LOL!

That was a pretty close second, though (particularly as somebody who recognises some of Raj's wide eyed romanticism in myself - though not living in a sitcom, I'm able to STFU about it!).