The Big Bang Theory 9.15 Review: The Valentino Submergence

With Valentine's day approaching Sheldon, Leonard, Howard and Raj discuss their romantic plans for the day. Sheldon and Amy are putting on a special live show of Fun with Flags, Leonard and Penny and dinner reservations at a fancy restaurant and Howard and Bernadette are going to break in the new hot tub. Raj tells them that he is spending it with Emily, although he is not too excited about it, having become interested in Claire after their coffee date. Raj, after getting some advice about from Penny, tells Emily that he wants to break up and she can't believe he has chosen to do this right before Valentine's day. He then calls Claire and asks her if she has plans, but she has just gotten back to together with her ex-boyfriend and Raj is left alone for the holiday. I'm glad that the writers have decided to move on from Emily but the problem I have with this is that they've basically wiped the slate clean and re-set his characters' relationship status (and any growth that comes with that) back to zero. They always seem to be trying things with Raj and when it doesn't work out it the end it turns out to be a huge waste of time.

Sheldon surprises Amy by putting her name in the title of Fun with Flags , it now being called 'Sheldon Cooper and Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler present Sheldon Cooper’s Fun with Flags'. During their live broadcast they ask people to call in with flag related questions. A depressed Raj rings asking them what is wrong with him beginning a prolonged discussion about relationships, in which Barry Kripke, another lonely watcher joins in (oh how I wish Stuart had joined them). While Sheldon is annoyed that Fun with Flags has resulted in minimal flag talk Amy reminds him that he knows how hard it is to break up with someone, and Sheldon admits that he was glad they broke up because he then realised how much he missed and needed Amy - a similar sentiment to what was attempted to be done at the end of the last week's episode 'The Meemaw Materiaization'. I personally think it worked better here because Sheldon wasn't coerced into saying something nice and genuine about Amy like he was last week my Leonard and Penny in front of his Meemaw.

Despite having dinner reservations Leonard and Penny's wait it still going to be an hour long. Penny convinces Leonard to try and bribe the maître d', but his attempt fails. She then tries to flirt with him, but when he calls her 'ma'am' she takes it as a reference to her old age and she decides that her and Leonard should leave. As they eat takeaway in their car (that sounds like a great Valentine's Day to me) Penny expresses her concerns that time has moved so fast since they've meet and they're getting old. Leonard suggests they do something to make them feel young. After being thankful they couldn't get tickets to a 12.00am Moulin Rouge sing-a-long, the pair burst into the apartment where Sheldon and Amy where filming Fun with Flags dressed as cupid and throwing confetti everywhere wishing them a Happy Valentine's Day. It's storylines like this in which it becomes glaringly obvious to me of Leonard and Penny's differences and why I don't like them together. Leonard is a optimitic romantic, appreciating the little things, while Penny is a self-absorbed cynic, at least when things don't go her way. I don't really understand why Penny would have a mini mid-life crisis on Valentine's Day, but it's hard to watch Leonard try and fix imaginary problems Penny has caused in her own head. And I wouldn't really clarify dressing up as cupid as making one feel young again, but you know, whatever works. At least Sheldon seemed to annoy it.

At Howard and Bernadette's they are about to take a spa when they find what they initially think is a rat in the water. They fish it out inly to realise it's a rabbit and they quickly look up on Howard's phone how to make sure it's okay. While nursing it back got health they name the rabbit Valentino (it may be cliched, but I loved that they did this) and it's bites Howard. Howard is concerned that it might have rabies, and despite it not showing any symptoms, he wants to go to the emergency room just in case. As he leaves the room Bernadette tells Valentino, 'we'll have to find another time to tell him I'm pregnant.' It's been a long time coming, but there it is, awkwardly revealed to the audience by Bernadette talking to a rabbit. It was just such as odd way to reveal it, you think that the writers would want to go for something bigger but I guess I should also commend their self-control on deciding for a more subtle reveal.

Rating: 3/5

The Big Bang Theory 9.14 Review: The Meemaw Materialisation

The longer a series runs, the more opportunity viewers have to gain insight into its characters and their histories. One of the major problems of The Big Bang Theory that I've had for a while now is the writers' inability to make the most of the show's longevity by introducing more members of the characters' families. I think the only real family member that has been used to great effect up until this point is Leonard's mother to be honest. So when it was announced that Sheldon's often mentioned 'Meemaw' would be making an appearance, and was being played by June Squibb, it was hard not to get excited. Unfortunately, because of the amount of time we've had to wait to meet her character and the expectations that come with that wait I think I was always going to be disappointed.

Sheldon's grandmother randomly decided to visit her grandson in Pasadena, but as we quickly learnt she was actually there to size Amy up and ensure that she's good enough for her 'Moonpie'. Sure, Sheldon's over-protective grandmother wants to size Amy up, that's fine as a plot, but as i've often thought about some of The Big Bang Theory's most recent episodic plots - it's something that could (and probably should) have occurred five seasons ago when they started dating, or even more recently when they broke up. The timing just seemed a little odd to me, although I guess it shouldn't be that surprising that the writers were desperate to introduce a new conflict into Sheldon and Amy's relationship since they've been so happy recently. Regardless, Meemaw's two-faced nature - being the sweetest old lady imaginable to everyone, yet being hard-nosed behind their backs to Amy - was a boring cliche of a character. Once it got out that the pair weren't very find of each other the drama was wrapped-up fairly quickly. While Sheldon's declaration to his Meemaw that he's been working on improving Amy throughout their relationship (just as his Meemaw had done with his Pop-pop) may have been good for a cheap laugh, I really would have preferred if he had uttered Amy's sentiment that they have both helped each other grow into better people. It's an idea the episode seemed to ignore about Sheldon as the appearance of his Meemaw reverted him to a frustrating man-child that the character has slowly been growing out of. Ultimately, though, him telling his Meemaw this convinced her to accept Amy if Sheldon felt so strongly about her and that she would let him give her her ring (which Amy now knows about!).

It's rare that I find an episode's B-plot more intriguing then the main one but Raj's internal struggle about meeting a woman he potentially has more chemistry with than Emily was fun to watch. Him and Howard met a woman named Claire at the comic book store and she, wanting to interview Raj for his astrophysicist knowledge for a scripts she was writing, gave him her number. It was fun watching Raj ask Howard and Bernadette for advice while quite obviously ignoring them and going off into his own tangents about how it would look to have a family with Claire. Who knows if anything will come of this, B-plots are rarely used for plot development in sitcoms and are more just there to be funny, but I really wish the series would focus some more time on Raj and his relationship (whoever that may be with).

Rating 2.5/5

The Big Bang Theory 9.12 Review: The Sales Call Sublimation

It's always hard for large ensemble sitcoms to successfully navigate multiple plot-lines, but it's made even harder for The Big Bang Theory by the fact that Sheldon is the unspoken lead character in the series. This means, as exemplified by 'The Sales Call Sublimation', that even if his character is stuck with a particularly lifeless lot with no potential (sorry Raj), that that storyline will become the A plot regardless. This was really unfortunate in 'The Sales Call Sublimation' because it should have been all about Penny and Leonard and how Leonard's innocent trip to a psychiatrist (for Penny) brought up more than a few problems for them.

Since Amy was away at a neurobiology conference Sheldon was free to spend the weekend as he pleased, so as Sheldon does he agrees to help Raj go through data in the telescope lab. This resulted in them discovering a medium-sized asteroid, and apparently laughter was meant to ensue from them trying to agree on a name for it, with Sheldon trying to remove Raj from the equation all the while.

At the Wolowitzs', as Howard and Bernadette prepared for their house renovations (is this really a plot?) Stuart awkwardly announces that he's found a place of his own and is moving out. Stuart is unfortunately a character the writers of the series have never known what do do with and subsequently has become a cliche of running gags about a creepy middle-aged nerd (he watches them while they sleep!). I will be sad, because his departure probably means seeing less of him, but at the same time that's probably better for his character at this stage. Howard and Bernadette's parent-esque reaction to his departure could be seen coming a mile a away.

Penny enlists Leonard's help in trying to persuade a potential client, physiatrist Dr. Gallo (an underused Jane Kaczmarek), to purchase stress-relive pharmaceuticals on her behalf, but the plan backfires when Dr. Gallo tells Leonard that she's read his mother's book and disagreed with a lot of her theories. The fact that Penny would even ask Leonard to do such a thing is outrageous, but the fact that it delved into some of their character/ relationship problems is always welcome in my eyes. Dr. Gallo's observation that Leonard could potentially be trying to replace his mother with Penny as an unobtanable love interest is an interesting viewpoint on their relationship. The pair have never exactly 'worked' as a couple, but I've always been quick to blame Penny, but this idea goes someway to explaining why they might be together in the first place. Unfortunately, as is the problem with all sitcoms, assumedly all of this will be forgotten be next week's episode, which is a shame because it would be nice to see them try and do something (anything!) with the boringness that is Lenny, and perhaps try and do something better for Jane Kaczmarek.

Rating: 2/5

The Big Bang Theory 8.12 Review: The Space Probe Disintegration

The longer a series continues the more pressure there is on writers to come up with story ideas that feel natural and relevant to the series and to the characters they’ve created. ‘The Space Probe Disintegration’ did this perfectly, with Penny bemoaning the fact that she and Bernadette always get stuck playing the extended edition of Lord of the Rings Risk instead of them getting to enjoy activities they like to do. The only problem with a series being on as long as The Big Bang Theory and having a storyline like this is that it feels like it should have happened about five years ago, back when Penny and Leonard first started dating. The series has demonstrated time and time again that Penny is much more self-absorbed in terms of her commitment to her and Leonard’s relationship (as well as in general), so it seems quite bizarre that for the entirety of there relationship, on and off, that Penny has just willingly accepted to do whatever Leonard (which often means Sheldon) wants to do for fun.

After adjusting to this idea the episode eventually became much more enjoyable. It didn’t necessarily provide the laughs that I’d want from an episode of the series, but another pro to having such a long running series is that viewers are very much invested in the characters lives. So when Penny realises that Amy does whatever she wants in order to maintain their friendship and Penny proposes that they do what she wants for once, even if it is basket weaving at the craft museum, we go ‘Aww’ and feel all warm inside. The same can be said for Sheldon and Leonard’s discussion of compromise in their relationship as they waited for Penny and Amy as they cloths shopped. I understand it’s not what’s required, or even wanted, from a standard sitcom but I love it when writers aren’t afraid to have their characters get deeply serious with one another. Even if it was just for a second before they had to lighten the mood I enjoyed Leonard being candid with Sheldon for once and explaining to him the hindrance he can be in Leonard’s life, particularly in regards to the development of his relationship with Penny.

I feel that the writers may have been trying to garner a similar emotional response with the B-plot involving Howard’s attempt to stop Raj from worrying about the survival of a space probe he’d launched years earlier. It fell flat, however, the story seemingly materialising out of nowhere – along with Raj’s sudden interest in Hindu religion (which even Howard explicitly noted in the episode). In may have worked had it had more time to develop, but as a subplot it really ended up being pointless.

In typical The Big Bang Theory style though, the progression of Leonard and Penny’s relationship, as well as Sheldon’s own personal growth, had a well-earned development at the end of the episode. Sheldon compromised to Leonard moving out of the apartment and staying at Penny’s one night a week – with Sheldon joining him and sleeping on the couch. Things may be changing at a snail’s pace, but The Big Bang Theory is a good sitcom that will be on for at least several more years to come, so it can afford to take its time.

Rating: 2.5/5

My 2012 Emmy Predictions

Here are my picks for the 2012 Emmy's, who I think will take home the prize, and who I think should.

Outstanding Drama Series:
Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
Breaking Bad (AMC)
Downton Abbey (PBS)
Mad Men (AMC)
Homeland (Showtime)
Game of Thrones (HBO)

Who I Want to Win: Boardwalk Empire does what a lot of these nominated shows do well. It's based in the past and effectively portrays stories relevant to the present, has a distinct visual style, an anti-hero as a protagonist, and an incredible ensemble cast who each have their own story to tell. It's the combination of all these aspects together that make it so good.
Who I Think Will Win: It arguably had it's best season to date, so Breaking Bad.

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series:
Steve Buscemi as Nucky Thompson, Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
Michael C. Hall as Dexter Morgan, Dexter (Showtime)
Bryan Cranston as Walter White, Breaking Bad (AMC)
Hugh Bonneville as Robert Crawley, Downton Abbey (PBS)
Jon Hamm as Don Draper, Mad Men (AMC)
Damian Lewis as Nicholas Brody, Homeland (Showtime)

Who I Want to Win: Although I don't think Breaking Bad is the best drama on television, there's no doubt in my mind that Bryan Cranston's Walter White is the best character on television, and Cranston goes above and beyond to portray him.
Who I Think Will Win: Bryan Cranston.

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series:
Julianna Margulies as Alicia Florrick, The Good Wife (CBS)
Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary Crawley, Downton Abbey (PBS)
Elisabeth Moss as Peggy Olson, Mad Men (AMC)
Kathy Bates as Harriet Korn, Harry's Law (NBC)
Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison, Homeland (Showtime)
Glenn Close as Patty Hewes, Damages (DirecTV)

Who I Want To Win: As much as I love Glenn Close as strong-willed and manipulative Patty Hewes, Claire Danes proved all she's worth as bi-polar CIA agent Carrie Mathison.
Who I Think Will Win: Claire Danes.

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series:

Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman, Breaking Bad (AMC)
Giancarlo Esposito as Gustavo 'Gus' Fring, Breaking Bad (AMC)
Brendan Coyle as John Bates, Downton Abbey (PBS)
Jim Carter as Mr. Carson, Downton Abbey (PBS)
Jared Harris as Lane Pryce, Mad Men (AMC)
Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister, Game Of Thrones (HBO)

Who I Want To Win: It's hard to go up against Bryan Cranston on screen and outdo him, but Giancarlo Espostio did just that in the last season of Breaking Bad.
Who I Think Will Win: Giancarlo Espostio.

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series:
Archie Panjabi as Kalinda Sharma, The Good Wife (CBS)
Anna Gunn as Skyler White, Breaking Bad (PBS)
Maggie Smith as Dowager Countess of Grantham/ Violet, Downton Abbey (PBS)
Joanne Froggatt as Anna, Downton Abbey (PBS)
Christina Hendricks as Joan Holloway Harris, Mad Men (AMC)
Christine Baranski as Diane Lockhart, The Good Wife (CBS)

Who I Want To Win: Unfortunately I've only seen Breaking Bad and Downton Abbey, so from those nominations, Anna Gunn (although I think her performance this season as Skyler will be more worthy on an Emmy next year).
Who I Think Will Win: I hear Christina Hendricks year.

Outstanding Comedy Series:
Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)
Girls (HBO)
30 Rock (NBC)
Veep (HBO)
Modern Family (ABC)
The Big Bang Theory (CBS)

Who I Want to Win: I only watch 30 Rock, Modern Family and The Big Bang Theory, and based on their last seasons, I want 30 Rock to win.
Who I Think Will Win: Modern Family seems to have dominated this category since it's debut.

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series:
Larry David as Himself, Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)
Jon Cryer as Alan Harper, Two And A Half Men (CBS)
Louis C.K. as Louie, Louie (FX)
Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper, The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Don Cheadle as Marty Kaan, House Of Lies (Showtime)
Alec Baldwin as Jack Donaghy, 30 Rock (NBC)

Who I Want to Win: Alec Baldwin continues to make 30 Rock the show it is.
Who I Think Will Win: And so does Jim Parsons.

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series:
Zooey Deschanel as Jess Day, New Girl (FOX)
Lena Dunham as Hannah Horvath, Girls (HBO)
Edie Falco as Jackie Peyton, Nurse Jackie (Showtime)
Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope, Parks And Recreation (NBC)
Tina Fey as Liz Lemon, 30 Rock (NBC)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Selina Meyer, Veep (HBO)
Melissa McCarthy as Molly Flynn, Mike & Molly (CBS)

Who I Want To Win: I only watch New Girl and 30 Rock, but neither lead role is outstanding, so I'd be happy to see anyone win, perhaps Amy Poehler since she is yet to get an accolade.
Who I Think Will Win: Possibly one of leads of HBO's freshmen comedies, lets say Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series:
Ed O'Neill as Jay Pritchett, Modern Family (ABC)
Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Mitchell Pritchett, Modern Family (ABC)
Ty Burrell as Phil Dunphy, Modern Family (ABC)
Eric Stonestreet as Cameron Tucker, Modern Family (ABC)
Bill Hader as Various Characters, Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Max Greenfield as Schmidt, New Girl (FOX)

Who I Want To Win: Max Greenfield upstaged Zooey Deschanel, and made New Girl a much better show.
Who I Think Will Win: As with Jim Parsons, Ty Burrell seems to have this category in the bag.

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series:
Mayim Bialik as Amy Farrah Fowler, The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Merritt Wever as Zoey Barkow, Nurse Jackie (Showtime)
Julie Bowen as Claire Dunphy, Modern Family (ABC)
Kristen Wiig as various characters, Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Sofia Vergara as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett, Modern Family (ANC)
Kathryn Joosten as Karen McCluskey, Desperate Housewives (ABC)

Who I Want To Win: Modern Family gets a lot of critical acclaim, and the show owes a large part to Sofia Vergara's efforts, so I hope she gets it.
Who I Think Will Win: But Julie Bowen probably will.

I apologise for not previewing the entire list of categories, but my knowledge of the shows represented in them is limited and I didn't want to make any predictions without having seen majority of the programs, although I do hope Jessica Lange wins for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Mini-series or Movie, American Horror Story, FX. Tune back later in the week for my full review of the Emmy's and my thoughts on all the winners and losers.

The Big Bang Thoery Season 5 Final Recap & Review (5.24: The Countdown Reflection)

I love the fact that Howard is achieving one of his biggest dreams, yet he is so afraid to do it at the same time. It shows some depth to his character, and with him marrying Bernadette in this episode as well, he's come a long way. The scene where he gives her a star necklace is touching, but simultaneously crude as he asks her 'Close your eyes. Put out your hand I got you something special', to which she replies 'Come on, Howard, I'm not falling for that again.' Ewww!

I can't say I cared for the retelling of the wedding once Howard was already in the spaceship, but I guess the writers thought it might have been a good way to hook viewers at the beginning of the episode, despite the fact it was painfully obvious they were getting married in the episode.

I loved that Amy wore her bridesmaid dress and tiara to city hall, but I'm not so sure how much of Amy I will be able to handle as she continues to try and change the relationship her and Sheldon share. Thus far it's been amusing, but how long until Amy says enough is enough? Or the even worse possibly, how long until she changes our beloved Sheldon? Sheldon grabbing Amy's hand at the end of the episode as Howard's rocket went into space was a little of enough gesture for me to breathe easy that the writers aren't going to go too fast with this, and that Sheldon will remain as he is.

I'm annoyed Leonard and Penny have hit their rough patch already. And they're fighting over exactly the same thing that broke them up last time, Leonard being too emotionally ready, while Penny in emotionally stunned! I mean, we had to deal with all this two seasons ago, why must we go through the exact same thing again? Hopefully this is cleared up soon, and next season the writers can try and do something different with the couple.

The fact that the entire gang became ordained ministers to oversee the marriage was cliched and full of sentimentality, but what are you going to do, it's a sitcom wedding, that's what they are. I did love everyone's speeches however, similarly touching and amusing.

I was wondering how they were going to incorporate Mrs. Wolowitz into the wedding without her being seen. Having her sitting so far away was a lame idea in my opinion, surely they could have come up with something better?

It's very much a bummer feeling constantly bad for Raj, and to be honest, I'm sort of dreading the disillusion of his bromance with Howard now that he's married to Bernedtte. I always was a little annoyed that we never actually got to see too much of just Raj and Howard just hanging out together, instead we were given constant homosexual jokes about their relationship.

Overall, a pretty standard season final, but it most definitely felt like the closing of a chapter, and next season each of the three main couples will be in interesting stages of their relationships. I'm hoping writers are able to keep the dynamics of the couples, and their context within the group, fresh and interesting. And while they're at it, give Raj something to do.

Rating: 3/5

What I'm Into...

Hi all,

Before I start posting I just wanted to give everyone a general idea of what sort of television (and all things pop-culture) stuff I like so you could get an idea of what sort of things I’ll be writing about, reviewing, ranting over etc. Here they are:

Favourite Television Show:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer

  

Favourite Sitcom/ Comedy:
Friends

Favourite Reality Show:

Survivor

Guilty Pleasure:

Desperate Housewives

Favourite Television Character:

Walter White (Breaking Bad)

Favourite Couple:

Not usually a shipper, but Ned

and Chuck were pretty cute (Pushing Daisies)

Last Time I Cried Watching TV:

Unaccompanied Minor (Grey’s Anatomy)

Favourite Character Archetype:

Femme Fatale

Favourite Television/ Movie Genre:

Contemporary Science-Fiction/ Fantasy

What I’m Currently Watching On TV:

Revenge, How I Met Your Mother, Happy Endings,

Alcatraz, Ringer, The Big Bang Theory,

Californication, Desperate Housewives,

Game of Thrones

What I’m Currently Watching On DVD:

The Vampire Diaries (Season 2),

That 70’s Show (Season 8),

Sons of Anarchy (Season 1)

Favourite Television Writer:

Joss Whedon

Favourite Movies:

Inception, Alien, Watchmen,

Kick-Ass, District 9, Mean Girls, Kung Pow: Enter

The Fist, X-Men: First Class, Chronicle

Favourite Song:

Touched by VAST

Favourite Band:

Linkin Park

Favourite Artist:

Lana Del Rey

Favourite Books:

Wuthering Heights, Paradise Lost

 

So thanks for reading everyone, and feel free to let

me know what your favourite things on TV are,

I'd love to here them.