The Big Bang Theory 12/6--The Fish Guts Displacement

[GuanoLad]

I think Amy has been slowly changed by what she sees in Penny and Bernadette's lives.

[notfrommensa]

Originally Posted by standingwave

I agree. But he made a commitment in writing and the relationship agreement is sacred. It might have been a nice touch had they had him in surgical mask/gloves and spraying Lysol everywhere.

He did have a little bottle of purell to disinfect his hands. Which he did after he took her temperature.

[johnpost]

Originally Posted by jackdavinci

Did they ever address why Amy changed her tune? Originally she tried holding Sheldon's hand and declared that they had no chemistry. But now she gets ridiculously hot and bothered by him.

i think it's been bit by but. she did tell the other girls she had a five year plan.

[Exapno Mapcase]

The writers of the show are living in a world where 60 million women have bought the 50 Shades of Grey trilogy. I know that any BDSM activity, however consensual, is a problem for some people but it seems silly for the writers to ignore the most popular sex book in the history of the world on a show with a sex pun in the title. They also gave it the best treatment we'll probably ever see on a sitcom. Compared to the crushingly boring cliches of the Howard/Mike half of the show, Amy's manipulation of Sheldon was a masterpiece of character.

Still a poor episode overall, but I'm giving the writers credit for trying.

[GuanoLad]

Originally Posted by Exapno Mapcase

...but I'm giving the writers credit for trying.

One thing I noticed was the the opening prologue*, with the Spider-Man theme jokes, did not work very well at all. It seemed like it might've been a quick-fix replacement scene for whatever used to be there.

*Not sure if that's the right term to use.

[adhemar]

I guess I am clueless, what is the sexual pun in Fish guts displacement?

[TriPolar]

Originally Posted by adhemar

I guess I am clueless, what is the sexual pun in Fish guts displacement?

Is this whoosh? It's the name of the show, not the episode.

[adhemar]

no woosh, just more clueless than I thought. I thought when he said title, he was referencing the episode not the series.

[friedo]

Originally Posted by GuanoLad

One thing I noticed was the the opening prologue*, with the Spider-Man theme jokes, did not work very well at all. It seemed like it might've been a quick-fix replacement scene for whatever used to be there.

*Not sure if that's the right term to use.

"Cold open," if you want to sound all hip and with it.

[GuanoLad]

Originally Posted by friedo

"Cold open," if you want to sound all hip and with it.

That's the bunny! I knew I knew it, but my mind went blank. "Coda" was the only word that popped into my head, and, it turns out, is the bit at the end.

[Digital is the new Analog]

Originally Posted by Mean Mr. Mustard

I know I'm in the minority here, but I have never found the AFF character the slightest bit amusing, and IMO Balik's acting abilities, such as they are, are an embarrassment. Her chances of receiving an Emmy lie somewhere between the kid who plays Carl on The Walking Dead and the wooden immunity idol on Survivor.

I get nostalgic for the days when it was just the guys and Penny (although I do like Bernadette); I still watch the show because there are still such moments sprinkled within Amy's never ending quest to seek out opportunities to remind us how badly she Gotsta Get Her Some. She plays one note, and she plays it badly.

My name is D/a, and I approve this message.


-D/a

[kaylasdad99]

Originally Posted by adhemar

I guess I am clueless, what is the sexual pun in Fish guts displacement?

Originally Posted by TriPolar

Is this whoosh? It's the name of the show, not the episode.

Originally Posted by adhemar

no woosh, just more clueless than I thought. I thought when he said title, he was referencing the episode not the series.

Don't feel bad. I was thisclose to going to Urban Dictionary to type in "Fish Guts."

[Robot Arm]

Originally Posted by kaylasdad99

Don't feel bad. I was thisclose to going to Urban Dictionary to type in "Fish Guts."

"Tuna town", on the other hand...

[AboutAsWeirdAsYouCanGet]

It's the spanking that bothered me. I won't go into why it does. but it does. to assume that most women like to be "disciplined' by men is just repellent

AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It reminded me of the spanking scene in Kiss Me Kate....very misogenetic (sp?)

[silenus]

I, for one, loved the episode and the whole spanking scene. As for it being "out of character," it's called "character growth." Look it up.

All Sheldon needs to do now is walk in on Bernie in the shower and he will have seen all three of the gals nekkid.

[Shakes]

Originally Posted by silenus

I, for one, loved the episode and the whole spanking scene. As for it being "out of character," it's called "character growth." Look it up.

All Sheldon needs to do now is walk in on Bernie in the shower and he will have seen all three of the gals nekkid.

I just watched this episode last night.

Maybe it was the two beers I already had in my belly but I thought this was a classic episode. Very seldom does an episode make me laugh from start to finish. (OK the Spiderman gag was weak but at least we got that out of the way at the beginning.)

My take on the spanking scene was Sheldon is being conditioned. Perhaps AFF's experiment is working.

And maybe I'm reading too much into this but I think underneath it all Sheldon was enjoying the spanking bit. At least on a subconscious level.

[HeyHomie]

As regards the spanking- 50 Shades of Grey notwithstanding, there are mature women who enjoy spanking as sexual play. Mrs. Homie, for one, loves it. And I don't mind obliging her.

And not to put too fine a point on it, but I was definitely sporting a chubby during the spanking scene. AFF is the hottest woman on the show, followed by Bernadette. Penny is a distant third.

Awesome episode.

[smokey78]

I think it would have been more skeevy if not for the talent of the two actors. BTW, did anyone think Sheldon looked hot in his suit? And just the shirt and pants dayum! I didn't think he could pull it off! No wonder AFF was getting all hot!

Regarding 50 shades, it has spilled over to other genres....in X-Men comics, Rogue mentioned Gambit and her when they used to date did kinky bondage, with readers critizicing that he'd be more gentle with her due to her past. (I think it involved gang rape, in the 1980s).

[Exapno Mapcase]

Originally Posted by AboutAsWeirdAsYouCanGet

misogenetic (sp?)

misogenetic, n. soup made from a paste of genetically modified soybeans.

misogynistic, n. hating women, especially women who serve you soup made from a paste of genetically modified soybeans.

[alphaboi867]

Not to hijack, but I just watched a rerun of the episode where Leonard's mother made her first appreance. How cool would it be if they had her meet Amy?

[panache45]

Originally Posted by well he's back

It's the spanking that bothered me. I won't go into why it does. but it does.

Sheldon is from Texas. That's probably the way he was disciplined.

To assume that most women like to be "disciplined' by men is just repellent. Has no place in a comedy.

It's not "most women," it's this particular woman.

I don't find handcuffs or any sort of bondage funny.

I agree, I'm very serious about my handcuffs and bondage.

[pancakes3]

Raj talked openly to Penny without a beer in hand. A bottle was on the counter, and Leonard was between Raj and the beer. I think Raj finally being able to talk to Penny without booze is going to come up this season.

[GuanoLad]

Originally Posted by pancakes3

Raj talked openly to Penny without a beer in hand. A bottle was on the counter, and Leonard was between Raj and the beer.

He was holding the beer at the beginning of the fish scenes.

[Tapiotar]

Originally Posted by panache45

Sheldon is from Texas. That's probably the way he was disciplined.

It's not "most women," it's this particular woman.

Agreed. Sheldon is frequently portrayed as childlike, and to him, spanking is a sexually innocent form of punishment.
For Amy, it isn't about domination, as she is quite a dominant woman and is in control of that spanking, nor is it about pain being transmuted into pleasure. It's more about increasing blood flow to the right places, and getting body contact with Sheldon.

[Turek]

Originally Posted by pancakes3

Raj talked openly to Penny without a beer in hand. A bottle was on the counter, and Leonard was between Raj and the beer. I think Raj finally being able to talk to Penny without booze is going to come up this season.

He doesn't have to have a beer in his hand. It's not a talisman.

He just has to have alcohol in his system, or at least think he does.

[FairyChatMom]

One thing bugged me about the Vaporub scene - in an older episode where Sheldon was sick and Amy had to take care of him, he asked her to put Vaporub on his chest and he wouldn't do it because it made his hands smell funny. So why didn't he don latex gloves before putting in on Amy?? Let's keep our stories straight, people!

[stanger]

I love this show, and the characters and all, but the sexual aspect with Sheldon seems a little too odd.

I can believe that Sheldon is more interested in his academics and personal interests than girls and sex, and for that reason, has not had any real interest in a girlfriend or intimacy with one, but I am sure he is at least familiar with the basics as such, if for no other reason, then as a study on humans and their lifestyles and motivations.

While I can understand that a relationship with a girl, both romantically and sexually, may be considered a waste of his intellectual time and energy, I would think there would be some kind of sexual interest inside him, even if it was repressed and ignored. He does have other common emotions that he seems to repress on the show as wasteful and unproductive.

I would expect him to realize that, in effect, massaging AFF's boobs and bathing her would have decidedly sexual connotations for AFF, and possibly some for him. Is he so totally asexual that he has no sexual feelings or responses at all? Even his role model, Mr. Spock, had urges that couldn't be ignored. Even if those urges were not part of Spock's normal lifestyle, it was still a natural and inevitable part of Vulcan nature.

I always thought that Sheldon would eventually come around (so to speak) to some kind of interest and the romantic and physical aspects of a girlfriend/boyfriend relationship, and although such things would not be as big of a part of his relationship with AFF, she would slowly break him down and introduce this aspect of human interaction with him.

Then again, I over-think a silly TV show and mistakenly expect too much reality from it.

[pancakes3]

Originally Posted by Turek

He doesn't have to have a beer in his hand. It's not a talisman.

He just has to have alcohol in his system, or at least think he does.

I was merely pointing out that in previous episodes the writers took greater strides to show that he was drinking when communicating. In recent episodes, especially this one, they're seeing that it was handcuffing the humor so the mutism aspect, at least around Penny, has been pushed further into the background.

Still confused?

[Enright3]

Originally Posted by jackdavinci

Did they ever address why Amy changed her tune? Originally she tried holding Sheldon's hand and declared that they had no chemistry. But now she gets ridiculously hot and bothered by him.

While she finds him sexy; my take on it is that she's getting ridiculously hot and bothered because of her hormones. The fact that Sheldon is her boyfriend gets her hornyness aimed at him.

I still laugh just thinking about that scene a season or two ago; when she saw the hot guy (One of Penny's exes?) at the bar and she made that dove cooing sound; and then was surprised that she made it. Her "what the hell was that?" look on her face was hilarious.

[muldoonthief]

Originally Posted by pancakes3

I was merely pointing out that in previous episodes the writers took greater strides to show that he was drinking when communicating. In recent episodes, especially this one, they're seeing that it was handcuffing the humor so the mutism aspect, at least around Penny, has been pushed further into the background.

Still confused?

He had a beer in his hand at the beginning of the scene with hook baiting. Then they cut away to Sheldon & AFF (or Bernadette with AFF). Then came back to Penny & the guys cleaning fish. It was obviously a continuation of the scene - they had the same clothes on. So the presence of the beer carried on through the whole scenario.

[Annie-Xmas]

Originally Posted by FairyChatMom

One thing bugged me about the Vaporub scene - in an older episode where Sheldon was sick and Amy had to take care of him, he asked her to put Vaporub on his chest and he wouldn't do it because it made his hands smell funny. So why didn't he don latex gloves before putting in on Amy?? Let's keep our stories straight, people!

Nitpick: Penny took care of him. That was the episode that introduced "Soft Kitty." I'm surprised Sheldon didn't sing it to Amy.

[TriPolar]

Originally Posted by Annie-Xmas

Nitpick: Penny took care of him. That was the episode that introduced "Soft Kitty." I'm surprised Sheldon didn't sing it to Amy.

I was waiting for this to happen. I suppose they wanted to concentrate on the sex.

I was a little touched by Sheldon's modicum of concern for Amy's well being. It was a big step for him.

[muldoonthief]

Originally Posted by TriPolar

I was a little touched by Sheldon's modicum of concern for Amy's well being. It was a big step for him.

Do you think it was actual concern or just a Data-esque lookup on the "Expected behavior for a boyfriend for given situations" table? I'm leaning towards the latter.

[silenus]

Probably a combination of the two. Sheldon started out in the relationship as a robot, but AFF is slowly humanizing him. He's feeling emotions he never knew he had. Eventually he'll become a real boy.

[johnpost]

and AFF is changing too. she started as a female Sheldon. then a strong attraction to Penny and Bernie. changing to a nonphysical relationship to Sheldon.

[TriPolar]

Originally Posted by silenus

Probably a combination of the two. Sheldon started out in the relationship as a robot, but AFF is slowly humanizing him. He's feeling emotions he never knew he had. Eventually he'll become a real boy.

I'd say that was about right. Right now he's probably more than 50% motivated by selfishness, but anything less than 100% is a breakthrough for him.

[control-z]

Decent episode, but I think Sheldon acted mostly out of character. I still say the show needs more nerdy and less sexy.

[FairyChatMom]

Originally Posted by Annie-Xmas

Nitpick: Penny took care of him. That was the episode that introduced "Soft Kitty." I'm surprised Sheldon didn't sing it to Amy.

Yeah, I know it was Penny - I blame a defective keyboard...

[TruCelt]

I think AFF's first foray into her own sexuality occurred on the "Hoo!" episode when she found herself extremely atracted to Penny's ex.

Count me in the number who found the spanking gross. A call back to Penny's comment about not saying "Ew!" because that's what I was thinking. They've pushed the Penny crush thing too far in the past as well; I feel like they are in a game of chicken with the writers on How I met Your Mother. (the Lily/Robin curiosity) This could have stopped with the discussion and her encouragement of the idea-nothing more was gained by going through with it. Forget Jumping the Shark, this was BBT's Lemmewinks moment.

The major surprise for me in this episode though was when Sheldon said " . . . and beside you are my girlfriend and I care about your well-being." That was some pretty forthright language for Sheldon, and AFF should have reacted more IMO.

B's Mom was wonderful. She hit the tone just right with "Oh no, if he didn't like it, he wouldn't go."

Disagree completely about Mayim's acting ability. I think she's acheived some startlingly nuanced responses that perfectly reflect her character.

I predict Sheldon admits to having felt a stirring during the baths, but hid it in a gentlemanly manner becuase he thought AFF was sick.

[JSexton]

I thought they were going to take it a bit farther, actually. I expected Amy to say something like "If that's not working, you could try pulling my hair a bit."

[SecretaryofEvil]

Originally Posted by well he's back

yeah we're watching the same show, jackdavinci. I do understand the title and I can handle the coitus jokes and the masturbation jokes. It's the spanking that bothered me. I won't go into why it does. but it does. to assume that most women like to be "disciplined' by men is just repellent. Has no place in a comedy. I don't find handcuffs or any sort of bondage funny. But that's just me. As I said before, the show can go whatever direction it wants. I don't have to follow

You do realize that a lot of women (and a lot of men too) genuinely do obtain sexual enjoyment from being spanked, right?

[kaylasdad99]

Originally Posted by stanger

I can believe that Sheldon is more interested in his academics and personal interests than girls and sex, and for that reason, has not had any real interest in a girlfriend or intimacy with one, but I am sure he is at least familiar with the basics as such, if for no other reason, then as a study on humans and their lifestyles and motivations.

While I can understand that a relationship with a girl, both romantically and sexually, may be considered a waste of his intellectual time and energy, I would think there would be some kind of sexual interest inside him, even if it was repressed and ignored. He does have other common emotions that he seems to repress on the show as wasteful and unproductive.

I would expect him to realize that, in effect, massaging AFF's boobs and bathing her would have decidedly sexual connotations for AFF, and possibly some for him. Is he so totally asexual that he has no sexual feelings or responses at all? Even his role model, Mr. Spock, had urges that couldn't be ignored. Even if those urges were not part of Spock's normal lifestyle, it was still a natural and inevitable part of Vulcan nature.

There was an episode in a prior season (IIRC) in which the guys got a bit of a giggle at accusing Sheldon of not having genitals. His retort at the end of the scene was "Yes, I do have genitals, and they are both functional and aesthetically pleasing."

Ever since seeing that scene, I've kinda been waiting for another shoe to drop, so to speak.

[muldoonthief]

Originally Posted by TruCelt

I think AFF's first foray into her own sexuality occurred on the "Hoo!" episode when she found herself extremely atracted to Penny's ex.

One thing they've never really called back to was AFF's admission that she's had 128 electrically induced orgasms. For science.

[well he's back]

yes SecretaryofEvil - I realize people get off on things that I don't. I think I made it clear that I was only stating my own opinion. I would be surprised however if I'm not the only one who wished they would dial back the "sex" and go back to the "nerdy" aspects of the show. If it's just going to become another filthy joke extravaganza like Mike & Molly, Two Broke Girls, and Two and a Half Men, there really is no reason for me to watch any more.

[TruCelt]

Originally Posted by SecretaryofEvil

You do realize that a lot of women (and a lot of men too) genuinely do obtain sexual enjoyment from being spanked, right?

Yes, and I am further given to understand that there are people who enjoy watching video tapes of it ocurring.

But I had previously expected such things to be accessible through the back rooms of video stores and newstands, not on network television.

[silenus]

Won't somebody think of the children?

[alphaboi867]

Originally Posted by muldoonthief

One thing they've never really called back to was AFF's admission that she's had 128 electrically induced orgasms. For science.

Don't forget the "stress relief techniques for ladies" AFF devoloped & offered to share with Penny.

[silenus]

"I call mine Gerard."

[well he's back]

TruCelt - I'm agreeing with you, assuming you're not joking. I didn't put it that way cause I've been called a prude, and worse, too many times here. There are many things that consenting adults do that I'm perfectly fine with, but I do not expect to see on prime time tv, or on what was once a fairly family-friendly sitcom.

[alphaboi867]

Originally Posted by well he's back

...but I do not expect to see on prime time tv, or on what was once a fairly family-friendly sitcom.

Didn't the pilot have Leonard & Sheldon selling their sperm at a clinic?