of course people make the argument comic books are for 12-year olds. I mean for goodness sake some people still think folks on internet message board live in their mom’s basements and eat Cheetos all day. At least the show actually showed not that they comic book obsession was stupid but the opposite, that “adults” can enjoy their intricacies as much as anyone, even the most doubtful.
You got it.
I think it was totally appropriate that the background was faked. Their costumes and makeup were, to varying degrees, merely an imperfect approximation of the originals. So why wouldn’t the background be the same . . . looking like a comic book background?
I was very saddened by Sheldon’s rejection of nerdom and surprised that it was Raj whose geekitude was bone deep. I guess always being shit on, even by his nerd friends, has made Raj immune to having garbage thrown at him.
The other guys figured they had a sympathetic ear waiting for them at home. Raj has Stuart, but Stuart would have wanted to persevere and continue to ComicCon if he could have afforded to go.
That reminds me of another thing that bugs me a bit in this show: they always end up at the apartment when they return from somewhere. I know that’s the only way the show can work, but really? They spend 3 months at the North (Magnetic) Pole, almost kill each other, and when they get back to town Howard and Raj head for the apartment rather than their own places? Oppressed by Bakersfield hillbillies and rather than slinking off to a hot shower and costume removal they elect to stay in costume for another couple of hours? Doesn’t ring even slightly true. A good writing team could find a way around things like that.
It’s not only that, the women all have their own places to live but they’re sitting around Sheldon and Leonards apartment when the guys come back unexpectedly. I forget if they went in to get a comic book or something, but I think they’d at least go back to Penny’s place after that.
They did. They went next door to find more comics to try to settle their argument.
They took Leonard’s car, which means that their place was the staging area for the trip. They typically show Howard giving Raj a life to Leonard and Sheldon’s, so it’s reasonable to assume that they’d go there to retrieve his Countryman and then split up.
Like what? Have Howard & Bernadette and Raj all move into (presumably seperate) apartments in the building?
Got me. They aren’t paying me the big bucks to solve these problems. But it isn’t an “all the time” thing. Just on occasion. For example, when they got back from the pole, they didn’t really need to show them all staggering in with their bags and equipment. It easily could have been just Leonard and Sheldon, with the other two showing up the next day. It would have required being a bit more creative is all. Believe me, I know they are constrained by the necessities of a TV show and 22 minutes, but it just bugs me.
If that’s the biggest complaint I have about a show, I classify it as must-watch TV.
I thought the joke was going to be that they opened and read one of Sheldon or Leonard’s collectible comic books; one of the ones they would have had in a ziploc bag or protective sleeve.
If they had 1 more minute of run-time they could have done that.
Sheldon: “They’re touching my copy of Spiderman #23!”
Leonard: “Set phasers on Kill.”
I see what you did there.
But actually, Howard drove a VESPA until recently. Typically, I think it was Raj who was giving Howard a Lift.
Not me, darned iPad and it’s auto-spell.
Hmm, I dunno. On the one hand, Raj clinging to the back of the Vespa makes sense and he’s never directly mentioned a car, but I seem to recall him carting Sheldon around when no one else could, so he may have one. Even so, it seems clear they all left from Leonard and Sheldon’s place and would have to return there to get home.
They only have space for so many stage sets, and in this case they have the permanent sets of the apartments up, they used the comic book store, the car, and a rather extensive Vasquez Rocks desert road set (in front of greenscreen I think). Returning to Leonard and Sheldon’s is just practical.
And is it just me, or are we getting to “hammer of Thor” levels of geekiness trying to explain a fairly minor plot-point?
There’s no debate about Mjolnir by the way: the spell by Odin says the hammer can’t be lifted by anyone who’s not worthy. Even Thor can’t if he’s no longer worthy, pretty much the point of the whole movie. So if he’s touching it while you try to lift it, it’s not budging unless you’re worthy. I stopped reading comics 20 years ago, but at that time only one other person had ever picked it up (Beta Ray Bill, later give his own hammer).
“You don’t know my life!”
In the first half of the episode I was finally noticing - and getting annoyed by - the lack of true female geeks on the show. Comic books and sci-fi are fine for the boys, but the girls? Ho no! We’re above that sort of thing! Heavens forbid!
The later argument/s about Thor’s hammer were awesome. Despite their feelings that comic books were “stupid” they got sucked in anyhow. It’s about time! Though I doubt it’ll be permanent.
Show writers: Girls can be geeks too. All my friends are geeks, including the female ones. We may have slowed down our comics reading, but we’re watching genre shows like Doctor Who and Fringe and Game of Thrones.
The comic book store scene annoyed me a bit. It may have been that way 15 years ago, but I’m not sure comic books stores aren’t more accepting of women now. Someone with more recent experience jump in please. 
This makes you a geek? Then all the geeks I know are over 40.