The Big Bang Theory"The Bat Jar Conjecture"
Original Air Date: April 21, 2008
Theresa - TwoCents Reviewer
I love Sheldon Cooper. He is one of the most hilarious characters on TV at the moment, and Jim Parsons is always perfectly deadpan. That said, I'm really starting to have a love/hate relationship with the way his character is being developed.
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The Big Bang Theory
ReplyDelete"The Bat Jar Conjecture"
Original Air Date: April 21, 2008
Theresa - TwoCents Reviewer
I love Sheldon Cooper. He is one of the most hilarious characters on TV at the moment, and Jim Parsons is always perfectly deadpan. That said, I'm really starting to have a love/hate relationship with the way his character is being developed.
This episode had Leonard, Howard, and Raj entering a Physics Bowl competition, and convincing Sheldon to be their fourth even though he finds it beneath him to compete with inferior minds. When Sheldon immediately saps all the fun out of their practice by answering all the questions, out of turn, and designing Star Trek-inspired uniforms that make the other guys expendable redshirts, the three decide to kick him off their team. They pick up Leslie Winkle, Leonard's former fling played by Sara Gilbert, who wants to prove to Sheldon that she would not be better off as a housewife.
The day of the competition comes, and Leonard, Raj, Howard and Leslie (Perpetual Motion Squad, or PMS) are competing against the Army Ants: Sheldon, the 3rd floor janitor, the lunch lady, and one of her relatives. He is so good, he believes, that he doesn't need a team to beat them. We move into a montage of physics questions as Penny falls asleep in the audience, and then are brought to the final round. A daunting problem is shown, and the teams are asked to solve the equation. PMS panics and gives a nonsensical answer, but then realize that Sheldon is twitching: he doesn't know it either. Suddenly, the janitor buzzes in with an effortless and impressive-sounding answer. In Russia, he tells Sheldon, he was a physicist. Sheldon insists the man has no idea what he's talking about and forfeits the game. Not surprisingly, the janitor was indeed correct, PMS wins, and Howard tears off his shirt in triumph.
As Sheldon insists that he did not lose because of the forfeit, Penny decides to settle the debate about who's smarter once and for all. She gives Leonard and Sheldon a pop culture trivia quiz that includes topics like the Brady Bunch and Van Halen. The boys have no idea what she's talking about, except they are very confident that Tweety Bird "tawt he taw a Romulan."
So, once again, Sheldon becomes the most unbearable and egotistical friend ever with no redemption. The reason I have an ambivalent opinion about this is because, if Sheldon were to change, the character would be nowhere near as enjoyable as he is now. At the same time, it's getting harder to believe that his friends will put up with any of this for long. The writers definitely have a very thin line to walk here.
On another note, it was good to see Raj have more to do in this episode. He had some great moments.
Best Lines:
Penny: Wow, so in your world, you're like the cool guys.
Howard: Recognize.
Sheldon: Would you ask Picasso to play Pictionary? Would you ask Noah Webster to play Boggle? Would you ask Jacques Cousteau to play Go Fish?
Raj: We could be the Bengal Tigers?
Sheldon: Poor choice. Gram for gram, no animal exceeds the relative fighting strength of the army ant.
Raj: Maybe so. But you can't incinerate a Bengal tiger with a magnifying glass.
Sheldon: At this point I should inform you that I intend to form my own team, and destroy the molecular bonds that bind your very matter together, and reduce the resulting particulate chaos to tears.
Leonard: Well, thanks for the heads up.
Sheldon: Oh, one more thing... It's on, bitch.
I've just started watching this show and I have to say I really enjoy it. The "It's on, bitch" line was so perfectly delivered.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with you on Sheldon's story arc. At some point, realistically, the friends have to have enough of his pompous superiority. Guess we'll see how it plays out.
Great recap, Theresa!
Thanks! I'm glad the show has a new fan, too. IMO, it's consistently funny, I'm so happy it survived the writer's strike.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Sheldon is perfect!
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