Archive for Roommate Agreement
We’re getting pretty late in the season, so this flashback episode is an odd choice. It seems like a filler episode stuck in the middle of the season on either end of a hiatus — not one of the last episodes.
The main reason it was so jarring is because it was so innocuous. Leonard and Penny have gone from dueling parents sharing custody of Sheldon, to two people forced into awkward encounters by virtue of the fact that they live in the same building, to giving each other mani-pedis.
I guess I shouldn’t find this too shocking, since the revelation of Wolowitz and Bernadette’s breakup was nothing more than an aside in last weeks’ episode. That should lay the groundwork of, “Oh, yeah. Penny and Leonard are totally cool with each other now,” even though it doesn’t actually make any sense.
If you can get past the clunkiness of the whole plot, the episode is pretty cute. It’s interesting to see that back in 2003, the dude perm was apparently very much alive. That doesn’t seem right to me, but what do I know? I wasn’t hanging out in California with a bunch of scientists. It is very funny, not to mention very fitting, that Sheldon looks exactly the same.
It’s also nice to see the origins of several things that have been talked about throughout the run of the series, such as the origin of the couch and Sheldon’s seat, the roommate agreement and especially the broken elevator. I’ve been kind of annoyed by the gimmick of it being broken this entire time, but I do appreciate that a rocket fuel explosion is what brought it down. It was also nice in that it underscored one of the main reasons anyone puts up with Sheldon: he’s loyal, despite himself. I’m sure he rationalized it in a way that benefited him (after all, it can’t be easy to find a roommate who passes all three barriers), but the fact that he didn’t turn Leonard in was pretty cool.
Some of my favorite lines from this episode:
Sheldon: “Roommates agree that Friday nights shall be reserved for watching Joss Whedon’s brilliant new series, ‘Firefly.’
Leonard: “Does that really need to be in the agreement?”
Sheldon: “Might as well settle it now; it’s going to be on for years.”
Leonard: “What am I doing in your spam folder?”
Sheldon: “I put you there after you forwarded me a picture of a cat playing the piano entitled, ‘this is funny.’”
“I assure you, you’ll be sorry you wasted your money on an iPod when Microsoft comes out with theirs.” – Sheldon
Leonard: “Is that your dad?”
Wolowitz: “If she grows any more hair on her face, yes.”
Sheldon: “That’s not an apology; that’s simply an acknowledgment that I was right.”
Leonard: “Okay, I’m sorry.”
Sheldon: “There you go.”
Watch ‘The Staircase Implementation’ Episode Online
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I’m pinch-hitting for Kona this week due to technical difficulties at the Gallagher homestead. Not sure if I can be the quote machine she is, but you can always add your favorite quotes from the episode into the comments.
You know, I’ve never been one to take Sheldon’s side a lot of the time. As much as I love the character and how Jim Parsons plays him, the fact that a guy who’s such a pill can have four people in his life who like him and tolerate his weird, Aspberger-like selfishness should be enough for me to connect to as a viewer. Most of the time, when Sheldon is wreaking havoc over his friends’ lives, I’m usually feeling bad for whoever it is — usually Leonard — that’s getting the brunt of Sheldon’s utter Sheldonness.
But this week, I was on Team Sheldon. Why? Because Leonard knows Sheldon would appreciate a trip to the CERN super collider a whole lot more than Penny would, even if the lure of Penny in a snow bunny outfit is a strong one to resist.
Forget the ever-present Roommate Agreement for a second. Sheldon’s a physicist. To him, the CERN super collider is akin to a baseball fan visiting Wrigley Field; a near-religious experience that may just give a person new insight. For Leonard to deny him that just because it’s Valentine’s Day and he wants to get laid is kinda douchey on Leonard’s part, image of Snow Penny notwithstanding.
Still, it was fun to see some real emotions out of Sheldon for a change, as he rocketed from jealousy and feelings of betrayal — he actually compared Leonard to Darth Vader, and gave him 30 pieces of silver(ware) to indicate how much of a traitor he thought Leonard was — to craven obsequiousness — complete with Frodo-shaped pancakes — to genuine happiness when Penny said she’d talk to Leonard about the trip. When was the last time Leonard hugged anyone? The funniest moment of the night was when he said he was looking to Penny for guidance on when to stop hugging.
The only moment where Sheldon was being pure in his condescension was when he showed Penny the PowerPoint on why he should go to Switzerland instead of her. Though, when it comes right down to it, where is Penny going to have the better time? A super collider or Bath and Body Works?
Anyway, Sheldon really paid for his momentary lapse of personal space maintenance, didn’t he? And Raj ended up being the winner. One day ol’ Raj will be able to talk to a woman without having alcohol in his system. But until then, he’s going to be planning a lot of “me days” on February 14.
Watch ‘The Large Hadron Collision’ Episode Online
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