The Big Bang Theory: The Shiksa Indeterminancy
By fred | May 6, 2008
(S01E15) There’s a thing about The Big Bang Theory, it’s a show that does rely on clichés and stereotypes quite a lot. I won’t say it’s a good thing, cause clearly it isn’t, but it usually isn’t a bad thing either because they somehow found a way to make it work, to make us laugh, without really caring that a few things are a bit of a cliché here and there.
And it’s all to the credit of the show to succeed at that. But, with that said, that doesn’t mean that no matter what they do, they’ll actually succeed at making us forget, or at least not care, about how common it is. Case in point, in this episode they didn’t always managed to achieve that.
I’m willing to close my eyes on a few things, just because I like this show and it is funny, but there are things for which it simply doesn’t work. For instance, the fact that Rajesh cannot talk to girls just because, well, they’re girls, is something that from day one I found pretty stupid. Completely stupid in fact. I understand that it is just meant to be funny, and an exaggeration of having difficulties to talk and be himself with the opposite sex, but it still doesn’t do it for me.
Also, as we’ve seen this week, if they would drop this stupid thing he could actually have a lot more to do or, well, say, than he usually does, and clearly that might be a good thing. Anyways, I’m used to it now, and so I liked that when first introduced to Missy, Sheldon’s hot twin sister, he “couldn’t” speak and just walked away, but not without taking the flyer from the pharmacology department, looking for test subjects suffering of the “Rajesh-symptom”, basically.
But I didn’t like so much the idea that taking a drug would allow him to suddenly talk without any problem to whomever he’d like to, girls or not, but that once the medication effect would fade away he’d just be actually, like physically, unable to say any words out loud. That was meant to be funny and I’m thinking it probably did made people laugh, but not me. It’s just too much, too “stupid”, I wish they’d come up with something a bit better for Rajesh to do.
I’m also not a fan of things like having those two idiots fighting in the living room on the floor like they were 5 years old. I know it’s the idea, they’re “geniuses” yet still immature, but I don’t find that funny. And stupid & highly predictable jokes like the Superman underwear just doesn’t make me laugh, either.
Moving on, despite such flaws this episode was a pretty good one, and I would say it was, not surprisingly, much to the credit of the one and only Sheldon, and his typical behavior which is, always, guaranteed to make one laugh. Take this for example, as everyone was busy trying to “impress” Missy while Sheldon was working on his laptop as he would do any other day, guest or no guest, when Penny asked him : “Sheldon, why are you ignoring your sister ? – I’m not ignoring my sister, I’ve ignored all of you!” Exactly, and that’s why we love him!
It’s no wonder that all the best lines revolved around Sheldon, for example :
From very early on, Sheldon was who he is today :
“
- Sheldon doesn’t like company. Even as a little boy, he’d send his imaginary friends home at the end on the day.
- They were not friends, they were imaginary colleagues !
”
And still to this date, his social skills haven’t improved much :
“
- And what do you mean, mediocre stock ?
- That would be you.
”
- That said, others have great lines as well : “Is it cause I’m Jewish, because I’d kill my Rabbi with a pork chop to be with your sister !”
- And oh-so geeky of them to actually believe that, since Leonard won the game, Missy would of course go out with him, I mean did I mention he won, playing the wii ?
- I would also like to say that I really liked Penny this week, and how for most of the episode she seemed also to have fun with all the geeks around, seeing them trying to impress the other girl, not really sure what to do, and always playing the geek-card one way or another. It seems she always had that little smile on her face the entire time, and that sure was fun…
Posted in Reviews
Shows: The Big Bang Theory
