S12.E21: The Plagiarism Schism

[Bort]

Kripke has proof that Dr. Pemberton plagiarized his thesis in college, and Sheldon and Amy aren't sure if they should turn him in or not. Also, Howard is happily surprised to learn that Bernadette wasn't the only waitress at the Cheesecake Factory who had a crush on him back in the day.

Airdate: Thursday, May 2, 2019

[Browncoat]

Well, that was convenient.

[Katy M]

I like that his partner turned him in, but I would have liked it if he had done it for more noble reasons. 

I can understand why Howard wanted to know.  It's not that he's not satisfied with Bernadette, or that he wants to love someone else, it's just nice to know that someone likes you.  Like he said, vanity.  Especially when one didn't have a lot of admirers.

[Spartan Girl]

Watching those two morons turn on each other was definitely the best part.

[Snow Apple]

I'm just glad it's over.

[BooksRule]

I thought this was great:

'But, that's exactly what he said!. ' 'Yes, but I said it in my calming HR voice.'

[shapeshifter]

How did I never know that there's shame in exposing plagiarism?
Because I've never been cool? 
 

So the point to the series is Sheldon's personal growth. Is this because of Young Sheldon?
Does that matter?

[Chaos Theory]

Especially for someone like Howard it would have been a huge ego boost to know someone had a crush on him.  Of course he was satisfied in his life but Howard did spend a large chunk of his life wearing eye patches and chasing women.  

Sometimes this show has very funny lines and I am especially happy when they are given to guest stars and not the main cast.   My favorite of the night “Just Because I am better then her husband doesn’t mean I am as good as her contractor.”  

[EllenB]

What seemed bizarre about the Howard plot was that it was so many seasons ago that Bernadette and Penny worked at The Cheesecake Factory.  Wouldn't most of the other young female staff have moved on to other jobs long ago, like those two did?  And I thought Howard had shown enough growth over the years that this was too much of a reversion back to the old needy, creepy Howard, even if only temporarily.

This final season is as bad as The Middle's, in which Sue went from confident college student back to whiney middle schooler.  Do the writers think we miss the old, immature versions of the main characters?

[Bort]

30 minutes ago, EllenB said:

What seemed bizarre about the Howard plot was that it was so many seasons ago that Bernadette and Penny worked at The Cheesecake Factory.  Wouldn't most of the other young female staff have moved on to other jobs long ago, like those two did?

I think that was Bernadette’s point. She implied the other waitress was kind of stupid and thus still worked there.

[Yeah No]

42 minutes ago, EllenB said:

What seemed bizarre about the Howard plot was that it was so many seasons ago that Bernadette and Penny worked at The Cheesecake Factory.  Wouldn't most of the other young female staff have moved on to other jobs long ago, like those two did?  And I thought Howard had shown enough growth over the years that this was too much of a reversion back to the old needy, creepy Howard, even if only temporarily.

This final season is as bad as The Middle's, in which Sue went from confident college student back to whiney middle schooler.  Do the writers think we miss the old, immature versions of the main characters?

I agree about the Middle but at least they haven't regressed Howard to the point where he IS wearing fake tattoos and creepy eye patches and making a fool of himself at parties.  I think they made the point that Howard has grown very far beyond that in a nice enough way.  I guess I was hoping for a little more for a Howard send-off like perhaps having a meaningful reconciliation with his father, but whatever.  The coming attractions hinted at some life twists in the final 3 episodes so perhaps we're in for some stuff like that at the 11th hour, like I predicted, which is disappointing.  They could have been leading up to some of that stuff in the entire final season instead of wasting so much time on fluff and the Nobel prize plot.

[SpiritSong]

1 hour ago, EllenB said:

This final season is as bad as The Middle's, in which Sue went from confident college student back to whiney middle schooler.  Do the writers think we miss the old, immature versions of the main characters?

I don't know, but at this point I'm looking on the show ending as a mercy killing. They keep giving us situations, but no comedy to go with them.

I'm not buying Sheldon's sudden attack of ethics in the slightest. Yes, I know he's made progress, but it's still completely out of character for him not to do everything he can to get his lifelong dream of a Nobel prize.

[rmontro]

I'm happy that they're not dragging out the Nobel competition story any longer, I don't know if I could have taken three more episodes of that.  I sure hope it's over, anyway.

I can understand Howard being curious about the waitress, considering all those years he went with barely any female attention.  Bernadette is almost making it worse by not telling him who it is, because it's making him engage his imagination, which could be more enticing than the reality.

[HurricaneVal]

Now that we're coming to the end, I'm paying attention to details.  I was obsessed with the various bedrooms of each of the couples they had scenes in, particularly the art in the wall behind the bed.  It was quite telling that Sheldon and Amy's room was the most balanced of all the couples.  Sheldon's side had Rodin's "Thinker" rendered as a robot--perhaps a metaphor for his imagined inner person.  Then in the middle was another robot (transformer maybe?) artsy portrait.  On Amy's side was a lush and baroque still life of voluptuous flowers--perhaps a metaphor of her imagined inner person.  Then, almost hidden in Amy's side was the framed MRI of Sheldon's brain while he was thinking of Amy.  Her secret joy is that Sheldon loves her.

Leonard and Penney's bedroom at first look seems to be all Penny in the bedding and art behind the bed.  But looking to the bookcases to the side of the bed, that is all Leonard.  Bernadette and Howard's bedroom was 100% Bernadette.  But that makes sense, because "Tall Girls XXX" and anonymous Cheesecake Factory waitress aside, Howard is all about Bernadette. His secret joy is that Bernadette loves him.

No Raj bedroom.  That is also very telling.

[Katy M]

9 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

How did I never know that there's shame in exposing plagiarism?

I think it's because they would have been doing it for selfish ends.  I think Penny and Leonard had good points.  When people are running for office and the opponent brings up what the other one did 20 years ago, I'm like "who cares, that was 20 years ago."  But, in this case, Leonard is right.  If he didn't write his thesis, he shouldn't have his doctorate, which is how he probably got his job.  And, he hasn't shown any signs of moving away from that kind of thing because he's trying to take credit for Sheldon and Amy's work now.

5 hours ago, rmontro said:

'm happy that they're not dragging out the Nobel competition story any longer, I don't know if I could have taken three more episodes of that.  I sure hope it's over, anyway.

They haven't won it (or not) yet.

[sigmaforce86]

I really liked this episode but I have to admit it was mostly because of the guest stars.  Kripke is always a win and there's no way that seeing my favorite suicidal doctor and my favorite hobbit go at it over thesis papers, lake cabins and ex wives wouldn't be funny.  The rest was a little forgettable but the way everyone froze at dinner when Sheldon asked about telling a secret was the best part for the gang.

They've had plenty of time to fully plan out a finale season plot so based on the last few episodes especially this one I'm really starting to wonder who in the writers room did Kunal Nayyar piss off?   He's in every episode and paid by appearance not number of lines so I guess you could say he's making money regardless but other than a quick scene with Anu last episode or the one before he's pretty much been relegated to the background these days with couple sentences, a one liner joke and no real connection to the other characters stories as couples.

[Chaos Theory]

Endings are hard.   I think a lot of people who watch the show want certain things that are never going to happen.  I had a fantasy about Penny getting a bit part on a science fiction show but because she does pay attention to her friends schmooze with the nerdy producer when the mean girl lead gets fired.  Then the film becomes a cult hit.   Of course that never happened. 

I think the show runners are  to a certain extent spinning their wheels because they don’t want to change too much.  This episode was fun.  It has some good lines.  It brought me back to the old Howard who tried too hard to get layed and you realize their was a type that did like him but he ended up choosing  the right girl.

As for Sheldon the one thing he has never been (to my recollection) is a tattletale I do think he would want to win such a prestigious award without an asterisk next to his name. Or the knowledge he only won because he ratted someone else out.

Edited May 3, 2019 by Chaos Theory

[SmithW6079]

Convenient exposure of rivals' lying, cheating, and stealing so they're no longer rivals is convenient. 

Sheldon's "attack of ethics" (good phrase) is also convenient, especially since in Young Sheldon,

Spoiler

he used Missy's dirt on his opponent for class president to win the election.

Edited May 3, 2019 by SmithW6079

[Bort]

41 minutes ago, Katy M said:

They haven't won it (or not) yet.

No, but at least the fighting over it with Taj and Mikey is over. That got dragged out too long.

15 minutes ago, Chaos Theory said:

Endings are hard.   I think a lot of people who watch the show want certain things that are never going to happen.  I had a fantasy about Penny getting a bit part on a science fiction show but because she does pay attention to her friends schmooze with the nerdy producer when the mean girl lead gets fired.  Then the film becomes a cult hit.   Of course that never happened. 

It would've been a good ending if the show had done so back in season 6 or so, but it's just not an ending that works for Penny anymore now that she's evolved past the acting career. Unless she lucks out into a monster hit like Friends or Big Bang Theory, it wouldn't make sense for her to take an acting job over a six-figure salary sales job.

[Chit Chat]

5 hours ago, HurricaneVal said:

It was quite telling that Sheldon and Amy's room was the most balanced of all the couples.  Sheldon's side had Rodin's "Thinker" rendered as a robot--perhaps a metaphor for his imagined inner person.  Then in the middle was another robot (transformer maybe?) artsy portrait.  On Amy's side was a lush and baroque still life of voluptuous flowers--perhaps a metaphor of her imagined inner person.

I noticed those things too!  I saw the brain scan, but had forgotten that it was Sheldon's, so thanks for the reminder on that one! 

7 hours ago, SpiritSong said:

I'm not buying Sheldon's sudden attack of ethics in the slightest. Yes, I know he's made progress, but it's still completely out of character for him not to do everything he can to get his lifelong dream of a Nobel prize.

I think that Sheldon took Leonard's advice about shutting up to heart.  After seeing Amy's outburst at the meet and greet,  Sheldon realized just how terrible it looks when one has such an outburst.  "Is that what I would've looked like?  Yikes!"  Also, I think that without Amy's usual calm demeanor and quiet nudging of Sheldon in the right direction on all thing social, he probably wouldn't have kept quiet.  I was worried that Kripke was setting them up, so I was glad to see that he offered to help, mostly because Sheldon is the lesser of 2 evils in his mind!

Spoiler

he used Missy's dirt on his opponent for class president to win the election. 

He only did that because his opponent went off message and attacked him.  He fought fire with fire!  

[Katy M]

8 hours ago, SpiritSong said:

I'm not buying Sheldon's sudden attack of ethics in the slightest. Yes, I know he's made progress, but it's still completely out of character for him not to do everything he can to get his lifelong dream of a Nobel prize.

Sheldon's always had ethics. Yes.  he's annoying and selfish.  But, he doesn't lie or cheat. He had a nightmare that one time he tried to switch out his broken action figure (or whatever it was) with Leonard's.   He had to work hard to overcome his own ethics and not rat out Howard and Bernadette for not having permits.  So, I guess what you're actually questioning is Sheldon's sudden lack of ethics.

However, this had nothing, or little, to do with ethics.  While talking to Leonard and Penny, he straight out said they weren't going to do it because it would make them look bad.  So, in a sense, he was doing everything in order to win the prize. It's not unethical to turn in a cheater.

[Tom Holmberg]

11 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

How did I never know that there's shame in exposing plagiarism?

The law of the playground: A kid who squeals on another kid is a dead kid.

[Bort]

Snitches get stitches.

[libgirl2]

12 hours ago, Katy M said:

I like that his partner turned him in, but I would have liked it if he had done it for more noble reasons. 

I can understand why Howard wanted to know.  It's not that he's not satisfied with Bernadette, or that he wants to love someone else, it's just nice to know that someone likes you.  Like he said, vanity.  Especially when one didn't have a lot of admirers.

I also understood why he wanted to know. I would want to know! I never had a lot of bfs while all my friends did, so someone liking me would be a vanity issue too. It has nothing with not loving my husband or not being happy with him. 

Edited May 3, 2019 by libgirl2

[MartyMart]

1 hour ago, sigmaforce86 said:

I'm really starting to wonder who in the writers room did Kunal Nayyar piss off?   He's in every episode and paid by appearance not number of lines so I guess you could say he's making money regardless but other than a quick scene with Anu last episode or the one before he's pretty much been relegated to the background these days

As for why Raj has been relegated to a very minor role lately, I think it's because we had such a heavy dose of him earlier this season. There was the whole on again off again thing with Anu and the whole planetarium business and his ongoing love-hate relationship with Howard. I think we all deserve a break from Raj although I'm sure he'll be back in full form for the rest of the remaining episodes.

[Chaos Theory]

11 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

How did I never know that there's shame in exposing plagiarism?
 

There is none.

But there is also no shame is wanting to get an award on your own merit without any backroom dealings or asterisks.  Turning someone in would have been both.   

[Driad]

The theme seemed to be maturity vs. immaturity.  Would reporting the plagiarist be responsible behavior or tattling?  Does Howard prefer to revisit his wild youth or be satisfied with his family?

Hoping they will drop the Nobel storyline now.  If Shamy do win, it should be in 10 or 20 years, not now.

[ProfCrash]

2 hours ago, Katy M said:

I think it's because they would have been doing it for selfish ends.  I think Penny and Leonard had good points.  When people are running for office and the opponent brings up what the other one did 20 years ago, I'm like "who cares, that was 20 years ago."  But, in this case, Leonard is right.  If he didn't write his thesis, he shouldn't have his doctorate, which is how he probably got his job.  And, he hasn't shown any signs of moving away from that kind of thing because he's trying to take credit for Sheldon and Amy's work now.

They haven't won it (or not) yet.

OK, so I don't know how it works in the hard sciences, but in the Social Sciences we write a Dissertation in order to earn our Doctorate. A Thesis is written for a Masters. Perhaps the jackass plagiarized his Masters Thesis and used that to be accepted into a Doctoral program but then he would have to research and write a dissertation. A project that requires original research. Which is guided by one lead faculty members and then presented to an entire committee, which includes at least one outside reader. A project that requires you turn in your work for review on a semi regular basis. So I am suppose to believe that the buffoon managed to fool at least 5 people who have advanced degrees through a multi year process that requires the production of some type of original research completed with supervision?

And Kripke, who went to college with him, know about it and could easily produce evidence but no one else knew and had challenged his degree? And it took him no time to produce the evidence to Leonard?

And his partner in this endeavor is willing to sink the jackass and his chance to win a Noble when if they won it and the jackasses plagiarism was revealed, he could simply say "My degree is legit, I knew nothing about this. Shame on him but my research was solid."

Look, the Noble plot is flat out stupid but this ending to it is even more stupid.

Honestly, it is offensive to anyone who has the slightest school how Academics work. I mean, it is not a pristine field without political bullshit but this reaches a new level of lazy for the writers.

Then again, they wrote a story line where a theory was disproved, then proved, then put in for a Noble in under a year. So flat out stupid and annoying.

Edited May 3, 2019 by ProfCrash

[Katy M]

12 minutes ago, ProfCrash said:

OK, so I don't know how it works in the hard sciences, but in the Social Sciences we write a Dissertation in order to earn our Doctorate. A Thesis is written for a Masters. Perhaps the jackass plagiarized his Masters Thesis and used that to be accepted into a Doctoral program but then he would have to research and write a dissertation. A project that requires original research. Which is guided by one lead faculty members and then presented to an entire committee, which includes at least one outside reader. A project that requires you turn in your work for review on a semi regular basis. So I am suppose to believe that the buffoon managed to fool at least 5 people who have advanced degrees through a multi year process that requires the production of some type of original research completed with supervision?

I'm a moron who didn't make it past my bachelor's:)  But, I don't think it much matters.  Cheating is cheating and he either cheated to get into the doctorate program, or he cheated to get his doctorate, or from what we know of him, both.  As to how he got away with it, guess we'll have to hand wave that.

14 minutes ago, ProfCrash said:

And his partner in this endeavor is willing to sink the jackass and his chance to win a Noble when if they won it and the jackasses plagiarism was revealed, he could simply say "My degree is legit, I knew nothing about this. Shame on him but my research was solid."

Maybe he wasn't that comfortable with the current level of "cheating" they were doing and that was the last straw.  Besides, I don't think it would be that easy to disassociate.  Lying down with dogs with fleas and all that.

[Traveller519]

It does feel like the Nobel story has been the raging fire sucking up all the plot-oxygen lately. But it has not been a particularly satisfying fire. The infighting is tedious. I think a look into how Sheldon and Amy handle the overall process would be interesting, so long as we were getting meaningful stories from the other characters.

Though I will say, I enjoyed Leonard''s support for his friends here. No jealousy or frustration, just appreciating the merits of their work. He's grown as much as Sheldon has.

Was Susan a guest character in earlier seasons..... y'know just asking... inquisitive minds and all that

[shura]

1 hour ago, Katy M said:

However, this had nothing, or little, to do with ethics.  While talking to Leonard and Penny, he straight out said they weren't going to do it because it would make them look bad.  So, in a sense, he was doing everything in order to win the prize.

It's a paradox then, isn't it?  Exposing the truth about Pemberton would make Sheldon and Amy look selfish, so they decline to do it for the selfish reason that they don't want to look that way.

And really, why should it make them look bad?  I know it would, some/many people would say "oh, they are only exposing him because it benefits them," but I think it should not be taken that way.  The truth is the truth, it has to be judged on its own merits.  If a person did something that really disqualifies them, then it shouldn't matter one bit whether it happened 20 years ago or how the truth came to be known.  I wonder why society doesn't work like this.

Gotta love the episode that makes you think about these things.  Chuck Lorre, who knew?

[Chit Chat]

I don't mind the Nobel plotline.  I thought last night's episode was pretty funny.  Amy never fails to crack me up with her facial expressions.  

2 hours ago, Driad said:

Hoping they will drop the Nobel storyline now.  If Shamy do win, it should be in 10 or 20 years, not now.

Weirder things have happened.  Obama won one fairly quickly.   Anything out of the norm seems possible.  😉  

[LoneHaranguer]

1 hour ago, ProfCrash said:

And his partner in this endeavor is willing to sink the jackass and his chance to win a Noble when if they won it and the jackasses plagiarism was revealed, he could simply say "My degree is legit, I knew nothing about this. Shame on him but my research was solid."

His bosses are as interested in getting a Nobel as Siebert is, so officially the proof of plagiarism would have came from an unnamed/anonymous source and he's still up for the award, along with only two others now, so the three-person limit is no longer an issue.

[srpturtle80]

1 hour ago, Traveller519 said:

Was Susan a guest character in earlier seasons..... y'know just asking... inquisitive minds and all that

I’ve seen reruns of earlier seasons about a million times each and I don’t recall ever hearing of a Susan from The Cheesecake Factory before. I could be wrong of course but I don’t think so! 

[Bort]

11 minutes ago, LoneHaranguer said:

His bosses are as interested in getting a Nobel as Siebert is, so officially the proof of plagiarism would have came from an unnamed/anonymous source and he's still up for the award, along with only two others now, so the three-person limit is no longer an issue.

Yeah, but now with the partner involved in a fairly public feud with the plagiarizer (he did "some stuff"), he's more a liability than anything. Sheldon and Amy don't need him.

[Chaos Theory]

1 hour ago, shura said:

It's a paradox then, isn't it?  Exposing the truth about Pemberton would make Sheldon and Amy look selfish, so they decline to do it for the selfish reason that they don't want to look that way.

And really, why should it make them look bad?  I know it would, some/many people would say "oh, they are only exposing him because it benefits them," but I think it should not be taken that way.  The truth is the truth, it has to be judged on its own merits.  If a person did something that really disqualifies them, then it shouldn't matter one bit whether it happened 20 years ago or how the truth came to be known.  I wonder why society doesn't work like this.

Gotta love the episode that makes you think about these things.  Chuck Lorre, who knew?

The world doesn’t work that way though. 

If someone else found out about it the no foul.  If Sheldon and Amy turn him in they look petty and vindictive.  

[Artsda]

So glad the Nobel stuff is over, that lunch where the 2 turned on each other was the best of the episode.

[iMonrey]

Aaaaaaaaaaaaand . . . we're back to this damn Nobel prize story again, which has been sucking the life out of this show all season long. Yet another installment of "The Sheldon and Amy Show, starring Sheldon and Amy, and . . . the rest."

Honestly, I cannot think of another story this show has ever done that lasted this long. I like Sean Astin and Kal Penn as much as the next guy but enough is enough with this crap.

We had such a nice break from this last week with a story revolving around Leonard. I guess he gets one lousy episode this season while every other episode has to revolve around Sheldon. Gah. 

Once this show has ended I think my main take-away will be that they managed to make me really, really sick of Sheldon by the end of it.

[LoneHaranguer]

18 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

Honestly, I cannot think of another story this show has ever done that lasted this long.

I think the gyroscope story may have. There were also the relationships Leonard had with Priya, and Raj with Lucy and Emily.

[NutmegsDad]

17 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Watching those two morons turn on each other was definitely the best part.

Yea, THANK A LOT, Show Promo Person!

Next time, preface the Series Finale of Newhart with a bedroom scene....

[NutmegsDad]

6 hours ago, Katy M said:

If he didn't write his thesis, he shouldn't have his doctorate, which is how he probably got his job.  And, he hasn't shown any signs of moving away from that kind of thing because he's trying to take credit for Sheldon and Amy's work now.

And the implication I got was that he did it all the times in between. He's a serial plagiarist.

[Guest]

2 hours ago, ChitChat said:

I don't mind the Nobel plotline.  I thought last night's episode was pretty funny.  Amy never fails to crack me up with her facial expressions.  

I felt the same way. 

I am mostly enjoying the Nobel plotline even though it is unrealistic. I just wish it wasn’t the only ongoing plot. 

This season seems to be just about the Nobel and bringing back all the important guest stars. What this season desperately needed was better pacing. I really wonder what the plan was before the cancellation is this is all the can come up with for the final episodes. 

16 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

How did I never know that there's shame in exposing plagiarism?
Because I've never been cool? 

Amy and Sheldon should have hesitated because the history of plagiarism by one half of the team that proved the theory would have thrown everything into doubt. Going public is the last thing any of them would want. 

[SpiritSong]

6 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

There is none.

But there is also no shame is wanting to get an award on your own merit without any backroom dealings or asterisks.  Turning someone in would have been both.   

I think there would only be an asterisk involved if they had actually given the prize to the plagiarist and found out afterwards. Why on earth would Sheldon and Amy have an asterisk after their names if they won? They didn't do anything wrong.

And while Sheldon doesn't lie or cheat, that is not at all what he would be doing here. Remember when that Nowitzki lady helped him write a paper? I think he even said he couldn't have done it without her, yet when she asked for credit, he threw a hissy fit and refused. This is Sheldon Cooper we're talking about. I just cannot see him sitting meekly, quietly by while another person-a cheater no less!-is given an award that he rightfully thinks should go to him. Especially one that has been his life long dream.

Would Leonard keep quiet? Yeah, probably. Sheldon? No way.

Edited May 3, 2019 by SpiritSong

[Guest]

23 minutes ago, SpiritSong said:

I think there would only be an asterisk involved if they had actually given the prize to the plagiarist and found out afterwards. Why on earth would Sheldon and Amy have an asterisk after their names if they won? They didn't do anything wrong.

Sheldon and Amy’s theory is only nominated for a Nobel because of Pemberton and Campbell’s work. Pemberton’s plagiarism would add an asterisk to all of his work and by extension Amy and Sheldon’s work (at least until it was definitively proven with further experimentation).

[TV Diva Queen]

8 hours ago, kariyaki said:

Snitches get stitches.

And end up in ditches. 

[ChiefWiggum9-1-2]

Sheldon and Amy potentially winning a Nobel would have made an interesting background continuing story. However pushing it to the forefront for so long and giving so much screen time to unlikeable non-regulars during the final weeks of the series was a mistake. 

[BooksRule]

10 hours ago, ProfCrash said:

OK, so I don't know how it works in the hard sciences, but in the Social Sciences we write a Dissertation in order to earn our Doctorate. A Thesis is written for a Masters. Perhaps the jackass plagiarized his Masters Thesis and used that to be accepted into a Doctoral program but then he would have to research and write a dissertation. A project that requires original research. Which is guided by one lead faculty members and then presented to an entire committee, which includes at least one outside reader. A project that requires you turn in your work for review on a semi regular basis. So I am suppose to believe that the buffoon managed to fool at least 5 people who have advanced degrees through a multi year process that requires the production of some type of original research completed with supervision?

I know.  I had similar thoughts while watching, but I just try to tell myself that it's fiction and ignore it.  I work at a university and the episode where they were all fighting over the one tenure spot bothered me.  Maybe some universities have faculty compete for tenure, but most (like mine) award tenure if you follow the college's guidelines (teach, publish, present at conferences, etc.).  If you do enough in your field and do you job well, you apply for and get - hopefully -- tenure. That's certainly what I did.  

[rmontro]

18 hours ago, HurricaneVal said:

Bernadette and Howard's bedroom was 100% Bernadette.  But that makes sense, because "Tall Girls XXX" and anonymous Cheesecake Factory waitress aside, Howard is all about Bernadette.

I would think that's because Bernadette completely dominates Howard.  Besides, it sounds like he needs to ask permission any time he buys something, which seems ridiculous to me.  I don't buy that he doesn't make enough to have his own spending money.

13 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

I had a fantasy about Penny getting a bit part on a science fiction show but because she does pay attention to her friends schmooze with the nerdy producer when the mean girl lead gets fired.  Then the film becomes a cult hit.   Of course that never happened. 

That sounds like a good idea for the reunion special.

[Chit Chat]

9 minutes ago, rmontro said:

I would think that's because Bernadette completely dominates Howard. 

At least there are some things of Howard's in the living room: his astronaut picture, and I believe there are some other memorabilia of his in the living room, but yeah, she totally wears the pants in the family.  I haven't enjoyed seeing them make her such a shrew in many of the episodes. 

[rmontro]

14 hours ago, Katy M said:

They haven't won it (or not) yet.

Oh, I know.  I was talking about the plotline with the two other professors, I was sick of it.  I imagine they will win the Nobel on the last show.