Friday, September 24, 2010

The Big Bang Theory, Season 4, "The Robotic Manipulation"

Last season of The Big Bang Theory left us in a coffee shop as Sheldon Cooper met his perfect online dating match, Amy Farrah Fowler, played perfectly by real life Neuroscience major Mayim Bialik. Who of course to all us hipsters of the 90s played Blossom on the show of the same name in the early 90s. 

The Season 4 Premiere picks up with the gang watching as Howard uses a robotic arm he stoled to distribute their Chinese dinner. Penny arrives and we find out four months have pasted and Penny knows just about as much as we do. Since that coffee shop visit, Sheldon is now "dating" Amy Fowler, via texts and the world wide web. But just in case the idea of Sheldon dating is not frighting enough, Amy and him are also in discussions to have a baby. Or I am sorry not a baby, but Earth's First Overlord. 

Penny suggests that maybe Sheldon should actually hang out with Amy outside of the virtual realm and get to know her better before they decide to procreate and so Sheldon takes that advice. Not having a vehicle, Sheldon brings Penny and her car along for his first date ever, besides his square dancing with his sister at a Christian square dance when he was a teenager in Texas, which he finds is not considered a date. Amy and Sheldon play off each other so well, for the most part they are almost the same character, besides on being a chick. Even though a lot jokes are changed slightly and recycled on this show, I still find it hilarious. 

Meanwhile, Howard took his stolen robo arm home, where he has it giving him back massages. But if a robot arm can give human feeling massages, why couldn't it do other things for a male man?! An with that Howard got his robotic arm stuck to his penis, or I guess stuck holding his penis. When he was getting the massage, before the camera panned in, I assumed that was what was going on before we see him getting a back back massage. Howard in a state of robotic penis death grip induced pain calls Rajesh and Leonard to come and help him with his situation. And so starts the robot masturbation jokes. Rajesh and Leonard before that were sorting comic books at the apartment, and Rajesh was wondering where Aquaman poops in Atlantis. Which now I can't quit thinking about it, where does Aquaman poop in Atlantis, Geoff Johns? I need answers!

Amy, Penny and Sheldon arrive at the resturant. Penny hating the silence tries to start a conversation between Sheldon and Amy and begins a discussion of Penny's sexual life, including Sheldon's mathematical answers for the number of Penny's past partners. When Penny and Sheldon return home from the evening, Sheldon is very happy he has gotten to see a whole new side to Amy. Still wishing to continue his plan to procreate with her, Penny threatens to tell Sheldon's crazed born again Christian mother and puts those current plans to an end, for now. I personally think it would be very humorous for Sheldon to have a kid or even kids. It would change the show's dynamic and give something else to write jokes about.

Leonard and Rajesh help Howard carry the robotic arm to the hospital, where the nurse secretary goes on to embarrass him because of his predicament and finally frees him by shutting the computer off. Those silly geeks over thinking situations. The very end of the episode ends with Leonard getting a phone call and Howard on the other line telling him he is stuck again. I don't know but if I get a robot arm stuck to my penis and it hurts bad enough I am not going to do it again.

Overall the episode was enjoyable, but didn't feel like a season premiere to me. It was in no way bad or terrible, just average. I just tend to get excited about my favorite shows returning and I guess kinda felt let down. It was just like every other episode and that is not a good thing on a night full of excellent comedies. There were some funny laugh out loud moments this episode but it all just seemed familiar.

Sheldon is my favorite character, but every episode has become so Sheldoncenric that the other characters don't seem to get their fair share of stories or screen time. Sitcoms have a tendency to grow stale without change, and change is hard to make happen when every episode is just the same jokes told differently with no plot changing effects. 

Big Bang was the first show I watched last night and almost every show I watched after Big Bang made me laugh more. I was crying during Community. I personally think they should just move The Big Bang Theory back to Mondays away from all this competition or am going to have to save it on my DVR till Mondays so it doesn't get dwarfed by funnier shows.

1 comment:

  1. I also thought the show was average, and Sheldon by far is the best character, and although Penny is not the greatest, when she and Sheldon are interacting I find those the best parts.

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