# Big Bang 12/8--“The Speckerman Recurrence” **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 9, 2011, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-12-8-the-speckerman-recurrence/605617 "2011-12-09T14:05:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-12-8-the-speckerman-recurrence/605617/1 "2011-12-09T14:05:25Z")
Leonard must face his fears after being contacted by his high school tormentor “ ---
**Author:** ![norvalnormal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f19dbf/32.png) [@norvalnormal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norvalnormal)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-12-8-the-speckerman-recurrence/605617/2 "2011-12-09T14:41:30Z")
[Mod: Any way to correct thread title’s date?] \ Sheldon said “less marshmallows” whereas proper usage is “fewer marshmallows” \ ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-12-8-the-speckerman-recurrence/605617/3 "2011-12-09T15:57:16Z")
> [@norvalnormal](#): > > [Mod: Any way to correct thread title’s date?] Got it. ---
**Author:** ![sachertorte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sachertorte/32/3727_2.png) [@sachertorte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sachertorte)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-12-8-the-speckerman-recurrence/605617/4 "2011-12-09T20:36:30Z")
I hated this episode. I wasn’t even bullied in high school, and I hated it. ---
**Author:** ![myskepticsight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@myskepticsight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/myskepticsight)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-12-8-the-speckerman-recurrence/605617/5 "2011-12-09T22:06:16Z")
Yeah I tend to defend this show pretty wholeheartedly…but this was crapola, and definitely not what they should have let us hanging with into 2012? Pretty sure this was the “winter finale,” no? ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-12-8-the-speckerman-recurrence/605617/6 "2011-12-10T05:45:07Z")
That was a terrible episode. The bully storyline was completely unfunny and dull. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-12-8-the-speckerman-recurrence/605617/7 "2011-12-10T05:46:37Z")
Concur. The only high note was AFF’s obvious play for Penny’s affections. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-12-8-the-speckerman-recurrence/605617/8 "2011-12-10T05:53:25Z")
I agree. What on earth did Leonard hope to gain by meeting the bully? I guess the writers felt that at some point they had to address the issue of bullying, and this was their pathetic attempt. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Violaceous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2bfe46/32.png) [@Miss\_Violaceous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Violaceous)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-12-8-the-speckerman-recurrence/605617/9 "2011-12-10T06:40:43Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Concur. The only high note was AFF’s obvious play for Penny’s affections. I disagree. I think they’ve gone way over the top with this and it just has me rolling my eyes now. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-12-8-the-speckerman-recurrence/605617/10 "2011-12-10T07:17:51Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > I agree. What on earth did Leonard hope to gain by meeting the bully? I guess the writers felt that at some point they had to address the issue of bullying, and this was their pathetic attempt. I thought they took care of that with the ‘Penny’s meathead boyfriend incident’. At least Priya is gone, that shrill harpy sucked the funny out of the room. ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-12-8-the-speckerman-recurrence/605617/11 "2011-12-10T07:27:58Z")
Yea…no. This sucked. Main plot was WTF, secondary plot was :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-12-8-the-speckerman-recurrence/605617/12 "2011-12-10T12:23:26Z")
While I agree that the episode sucked as a whole, the topic of bullying is “hot” just now and I can understand that the writers wanted to try it out on characters (whom we KNOW have been bullied lots, from prior episodes.) I did think there were some very funny lines and scenes though: the sequence about the Pope on the Harlem Globe Trotters cracked me up totally. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-12-8-the-speckerman-recurrence/605617/13 "2011-12-10T14:28:50Z")
> [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](#): > > I did think there were some very funny lines and scenes though: the sequence about the Pope on the Harlem Globe Trotters cracked me up totally. there were some good lines. this was a rare (i think) example of Sheldon’s knowledge of culture that he wasn’t personally interested in (i think), besides his religious upbringing. ---
**Author:** ![antonio107](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-12-8-the-speckerman-recurrence/605617/14 "2011-12-10T14:43:48Z")
Maybe it’s just because I’ve been studying for my torts final for the past two days, but I can’t figure out why in the hell Leonard and Sheldon fled from their own apartment at the end. Even much as a wimp as I was in high school, I would at least have had the fortitude to grab a skillet and phone the police. That bothered me more than anything. But Amy’s talk of hairy knuckles, and then swiping clothes from the goodwill box? That was pretty funny! ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-12-8-the-speckerman-recurrence/605617/15 "2011-12-10T14:46:38Z")
> [@antonio107](#): > > Even much as a wimp as I was in high school, I would at least have had the fortitude to grab a skillet and phone the police. It’s hard to do that after you punch a bully. I liked Sheldon saying “I don’t have to outrun him, I have to outrun you” ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-12-8-the-speckerman-recurrence/605617/16 "2011-12-10T15:35:43Z")
> [@antonio107](#): > > But Amy’s talk of hairy knuckles, and then swiping clothes from the goodwill box? That was pretty funny! [Wet Blanket] FYI many of those Clothes donation bins are scams. For profit companies pay the charities to use their name and logo and then shred the donated clothes into rags and sell the material. [/Wet blanket] ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2011, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-12-8-the-speckerman-recurrence/605617/17 "2011-12-11T00:06:18Z")
Boring episode with no real…anything in it. Sigh…maybe next time ---
**Author:** ![antonio107](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2011, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-12-8-the-speckerman-recurrence/605617/18 "2011-12-11T23:44:45Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > It’s hard to do that after you punch a bully. > I liked Sheldon saying “I don’t have to outrun him, I have to outrun you” I thought he shoved him…? Either way, running out of the door seems like the wrong idea! > [@Quimby](#): > > [Wet Blanket] FYI many of those Clothes donation bins are scams. For profit companies pay the charities to use their name and logo and then shred the donated clothes into rags and sell the material. [/Wet blanket] Really?!? I’ve never heard that before! Do you have a cite? Not because I don’t believe you, but I just want to read more about this; I know my mum has put a ton of old clothes and shoes at those bins before! ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-12-8-the-speckerman-recurrence/605617/19 "2011-12-12T00:14:41Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > [Wet Blanket] FYI many of those Clothes donation bins are scams. For profit companies pay the charities to use their name and logo and then shred the donated clothes into rags and sell the material. [/Wet blanket] That sounds like it would be very illegal. The word fraud springs to mind. And if a random messageboard poster knows about it, it’s hardly a secret. ---
**Author:** ![Monkey\_Chews](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/65b543/32.png) [@Monkey\_Chews](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monkey_Chews)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-12-8-the-speckerman-recurrence/605617/20 "2011-12-12T00:39:24Z")
I think this has been a consistently great season, possibly my favourite so far, but yeah… this was really weak. I’d say more but I watched it a couple of days ago now and can hardly remember any of the details, it was that uninteresting. The only real great moment I can remember was Bernadette and Amy clinging to each other in fear and staring at Penny when they realised they were in a room with… A BULLY. Their facial expressions killed me! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-12-8-the-speckerman-recurrence/605617.md?page=2)