Let’s hope that was simply a rough first episode to get its bearings this season because if not, even Penny’s boobs won’t be enough to keep me watching.
Care to elaborate, or are we supposed to guess? Cuz Penny’s boobs would keep me watching them watch paint dry.
It held a lot of promise…
the guys tricked Sheldon to think his experiment was a success so he’d be in a good mood, Penny greeted Leonard with mucho passion, Sheldon ran back to his Mom’s house, Penny & Leonard end up in bed together- YEP, that’s right
but they didn’t seem to go anywhere. Hopefully it was just a rocky start to set up the new premises.
On the plus side,
the dick comments,
Penny cleavage,
Penny being the only one who cared about Sheldon’s feelings,
Sheldon’s response to Penny,
Penny having seen the new Star Trek film WHEN THE BOYS HAVEN’T!,
Raj & Howard’s expectations of Texas.
I still like Mrs. Cooper, but she’s getting a bit too cartoonish. Still, she was great with Wolowitz!
I loved hearing “post hoc ergo propter hoc” in a sitcom dialogue. I don’t think any other sitcom on the air would do that.
Also Sheldon’s “I’m going to come back to Texas and get a job teaching evolution to creationists” moment of clarity. And Laurie Metcalfe is always a plus on any show and regardless of who she’s playing.
Biggest regret: Penny and Leonard became lovers yet it was very anti-climactic (no “climax” pun intended). We don’t even know if the sex was good, plus it’s NEVER a good sign for a sitcom when the sexual tension is eased.
Though of course I’d rather have seen the nude slumber party in flashback (Raj and Leonard anyway).
I liked that Penny remembered the Kitty song.
I trust Lorre not to screw up the balance. I have a feeling that the sex wasn’t that great, based on the expression on Penny’s face.
The fact that Penny saw the new Star Trek without the guys dragging her to it says a lot.
Best line: That’s why I added to “tator.”
I have to take 2 points away on account of the beards though. 1 point is subtracted for Raj, Howard and Leonard’s beards all looking “70s made-for-TV Bible movie” fake, and the other for no comment about Sheldon’s resemblance to Mirror Mirror Spock.
I just thought so much of it seemed more “forced” and less subtle than before. Even the laugh track seemed to have been ramped up a tad.
The “dick” jokes were funny - before they explained that they had added the endings. I really don’t care for the Laurie Metcalf character. And I really dislike the lisper. The lack of content is reflected by the number of times they had to go back to the not-too-funny-in-the-first-place nude sleeping well. And “I can’t catch a break” isn’t exactly the most cutting edge punchline I’ve ever encountered.
Bottomline, I can’t remember a single thing I found funny, but I CAN remember a number of things I found awkward. Not the batting average I expect from one of my favorite shows.
I’ve a feeling “such a Dickensian” will become this TV season’s “I want to go to there”.
I too thought it was a weak opening. It wasn’t bad, but not up to their standards. However, it was good enough that I will continue watching - especially for Penny’s boobs.
As someone pointed out, it is interesting that Penny went to Star Trek without the boys.
I totally agree that the man with the speech impediment is annoying. I had hoped that he was a fluke the first two times and that they would drop him for good. He is enough for me to quit watching - despite Penny’s boobs.
The STAR TREK movie wasn’t just for Trekkies, it was a major event unto itself, so it’s not necessarily indicative of anything that Penny went. I hope they do an episode where the guys watch it once it’s on DVD though; I’m curious how they’d accept the new actors in such sacred roles.
I enjoyed it (especially the dic- jokes) and I’m glad they didn’t go with the “Leonard and Penny have sex and Leonard finds it boring” storyline the producers were hinting at in interviews over the Summer. Having it just be awkward “we were friends and now we did it” has much more room for humor.
Oh, wait, I know this. After hoc, therefor something else… hoc.
Penny went to see Star Trek both to shove it in Sheldon’s face and to get geek cred with Leonard.
I don’t think the sex will kill the dynamic, both of them felt weird about it.
I was supremely disappointed by the post-coital discussion. I was hoping for a “Nerds” reference, or at least for them to grin and turn toward each other after acknowledging the awkwardness.
Please, please, don’t let’s get all Woody Allen and start having to feel neurotic after every episode!
I thought Sheldon did an amazing job of showing his anger. That little twitch of the jaw was masterful.
“Don’t tell me prayer doesn’t work!” was also great. Sheldon’s Mom is the quintessential sweet, loving, religious, little Southern Machiavelli who is so seldom portrayed. It’s about time the rest of the Country got a look at these ladies. ::Shiver::
ETA: I will continue to watch, despite having no interest whatsoever in Penny’s boobs.
I dunno, the episode wasn’t totally hilarious but I love this show; it would have to get pretty bad before I don’t want to watch it.
I am a huge sucker for TV character relationships…I was always the one rooting for Grissom and Sara, Jim and Pam, etc. So it dismayed me a bit to see that Leonard/Penny sex didn’t work out so well. I guess I know that if their “thing” worked out it wouldn’t be very funny so for the show to continue it has to get weird. But I still wish it would work out. I am not sure where the writers are planning on going with all this, but I guess the whole point is to get me to watch and find out, so I will.
While I don’t agree that it “sucked,” it surely wasn’t their best effort to date.
I was really hoping to see more of the boys at the North Pole. The short bit at the end of last season was pretty funny, and it seems there would have been lots of material to be found in that situation. The Penny-Leonard thing could have waited a few episodes.
Instead, it was like they couldn’t wait to get back and hit the reset button.
Plus, I kept waiting for a Joaquin Phoenix joke at Leonard’s expense. 
They did “damn his Vulcan hearing” at some point in the episode.
Actually, they did it at least twice.
I thought it was a good episode. The whole thing where Sheldon runs away back home to Texas, the guys fly out and bring him back in 5 minutes was sorta rushed and unlikely though.
If we’re supposed to be reading after-sex expressions I’d say the sex wasn’t bad, wasn’t great, was just ok.