# The Big Bang Theory 11/17--"The Flaming Spitoon Acquisition" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 17, 2011, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-11-17-the-flaming-spitoon-acquisition/603253 "2011-11-17T19:00:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![BTEzra04](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9f8e36/32.png) [@BTEzra04](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BTEzra04)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2011, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-11-17-the-flaming-spitoon-acquisition/603253/21 "2011-11-19T03:11:41Z")
I loved Dale, haha. I thought it was great that they finally broached the subject of Sheldon and Amy together. It’ll be interesting to see how long Amy puts up with (or if she goes along with) more of Sheldon’s insane relationship rules. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2011, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-11-17-the-flaming-spitoon-acquisition/603253/22 "2011-11-19T19:54:14Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > If I ever see Jim Parsons in a cowboy hat and boots, I will not be held responsible for my actions. I would bet my life on Jim Parsons being gay. ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2011, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-11-17-the-flaming-spitoon-acquisition/603253/23 "2011-11-19T20:48:35Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > I would bet my life on Jim Parsons being gay. Hasn’t he already come out? (or was this a whoosh?) ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2011, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-11-17-the-flaming-spitoon-acquisition/603253/24 "2011-11-19T21:03:39Z")
Wow I thought this episode was really weak. Lots of cheap and easy “laugh at the Nerds” jokes the show had in abundance in its earlier, weaker episodes and they turned Stuart from a character into a cliche. Oh and on top of that they dug up the dead horse so they could beat it with more “Amy wants Penny” humor. Better luck next time. ---
**Author:** ![JoelUpchurch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f05b48/32.png) [@JoelUpchurch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoelUpchurch)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2011, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-11-17-the-flaming-spitoon-acquisition/603253/25 "2011-11-19T21:21:00Z")
> [@Morbo](#): > > Slightly off-topic, but I was watching a rerun last night from 2007 or so. It was the episode with the Physics Bee, and while they were trying to think of who to include on the team after Sheldon was thrown off, they specifically mentioned “the girl from Blossom that got a PhD.” I already mentioned that is a previous thread. Raj also mentioned the girl from **The Wonder Years** , who is Danica McKeller, who was a guest star in a later episode. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2011, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-11-17-the-flaming-spitoon-acquisition/603253/26 "2011-11-19T23:39:34Z")
> [@Sir\_Prize](#): > > I enjoyed the episode but I don’t share the Stuart love. I liked him better when he wasn’t pathetic. Agreed. In the earlier episodes, Stuart was a successful businessman with a tiny art career and an established social life. Now he’s become the whipping boy of _Sheldon_’s libido. That just ain’t right. > [@JoelUpchurch](#): > > I already mentioned that is a previous thread. Raj also mentioned the girl from **The Wonder Years** , who is Danica McKeller, who was a guest star in a later episode. And Raj and Winnie did the wild thing as well. Lucky bastard. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2011, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-11-17-the-flaming-spitoon-acquisition/603253/27 "2011-11-20T01:09:19Z")
> [@Kolga](#): > > I am starting to wonder about Penny’s drinking - it was made pretty obvious in this episode, so I wonder if it’ll be a theme of a future episode. Yeah, it’s seemed to me for awhile that the BBG people are aiming to address Penny’s drinking at some point (although the last time I remember her drinking coming up [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=625197&page=2), most people saw her alcohol consumption as completely normal.) Anyhow, solid episode all around. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2011, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-11-17-the-flaming-spitoon-acquisition/603253/28 "2011-11-20T04:04:37Z")
And note how quiet I’ve been! Honestly, _this_ episode was the one that made some of you think that maybe, just _maybe_ the character is being written as a woman with a drinking problem? Her waking up unable to recall whether or not she had had sex with someone who she would not otherwise want to have sex with, and previous almost constant drinking, was a bit too subtle of a hint? Agreed that they’ve morphed Stuart into a different, much more pathetic, character. Not the same character who once took Penny out. And agreed that AFF would never have just signed an agreement that restricted even handholding just to be able to say they are boyfriend girlfriend. She wants physical intimacy and she wants it now. ---
**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:** [November 20, 2011, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-11-17-the-flaming-spitoon-acquisition/603253/29 "2011-11-20T11:23:38Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Honestly, _this_ episode was the one that made some of you think that maybe, just _maybe_ the character is being written as a woman with a drinking problem? Her waking up unable to recall whether or not she had had sex with someone who she would not otherwise want to have sex with, and previous almost constant drinking, was a bit too subtle of a hint? Well yeah, because everyone I know does all those things. No-one I know plays Twister with red wine in hand. (You’ll get it on the carpet. Stick with the white.) But (only slightly) more seriously - it’s a sit-com, where behaviours are exaggerated for comic effect, and an excess of a behaviour is not necessarily a problem for a character in a sit-com in the same way it is in real life. It’s just a source of jokes, or of a plot being driven in a direction it wouldn’t necessarily go in real life. The drinking stuff in this episode was different - it was played up with no connection to any other parts of the plot or other jokes/situations. They were purely there to show that Penny is drinking too much. That stands out as something different. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2011, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-11-17-the-flaming-spitoon-acquisition/603253/30 "2011-11-20T13:49:40Z")
> [@Monkey\_Chews](#): > > Well yeah, because everyone I know does all those things. No-one I know plays Twister with red wine in hand. (You’ll get it on the carpet. Stick with the white.) … With white wine? No no no. Silly boy. Vodka tonic. Always should be served with a Twist. Seriously I see _this_ episode as just playing her constant drinking, already a well established aspect of her character, for a few cutesy laughs. (Awww, she fell asleep playing Twister because she’s drinking that much serving alcohol to friends in her home, and she really likes her wine, much more than do her friends, isn’t that funny?) The waking up in bed with … bit, that I saw as a potential preamble to handling it as a significant plot item, a storyline; to me this is more just like Otis coming by and locking himself in for the night again. A pretty standard bit. Shows what I know. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2011, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-11-17-the-flaming-spitoon-acquisition/603253/31 "2011-11-20T15:15:13Z")
From the vanity card: “… Thankfully, the problem was solved when Jesus joined the team. From that day on, The Human Sponge was just a sweetie… except around money-lenders. Then he could be kind of a dick.” That was the money _changers_, Chuck. Sheesh. Not much of an episode. I think this was written by someone with an anti-geek bias. Stuart’s sub at the store became annoying after .5 microseconds. I’ve mentioned Penny clearly being an alcoholic before and gotten flak for that. Does anybody doubt it now? Drunks are never funny. ---
**Author:** ![mr.jp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@mr.jp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr.jp)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2011, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-11-17-the-flaming-spitoon-acquisition/603253/32 "2011-11-20T17:24:55Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > That was the money _changers_, Chuck. Sheesh. Didn’t they do both anyways? ---
**Author:** ![Nom\_de\_Plume](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/85f322/32.png) [@Nom\_de\_Plume](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nom_de_Plume)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2011, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-11-17-the-flaming-spitoon-acquisition/603253/33 "2011-11-20T19:34:36Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Drunks are never funny. Seems like Foster Brooks made a career out of disproving that point. In real life, it’s not funny. But this is a sitcom. ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2011, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-11-17-the-flaming-spitoon-acquisition/603253/34 "2011-11-20T20:18:57Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Drunks are never funny. I laughed. 😛 ETA:I will not, however, debate she may need an intervention at some point. ---
**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:** [November 20, 2011, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-11-17-the-flaming-spitoon-acquisition/603253/35 "2011-11-20T22:08:08Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > If I ever see Jim Parsons in a cowboy hat and boots, I will not be held responsible for my actions. I agree, That pose in front of the fridge is straight out of an s&m (stand & model) gay bar. If he’s not gay, he’s a \*\*\*really \*\*\*good actor. ---
**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:** [November 21, 2011, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-11-17-the-flaming-spitoon-acquisition/603253/36 "2011-11-21T15:53:40Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > If he’s not gay, he’s a \*\*\*really \*\*\*good actor. He \*is \*gay. I thought he already came out publicly when he did **The Normal Heart** on Broadway earlier this year? I met his boyfriend at the opening night party for that show. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2011, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-11-17-the-flaming-spitoon-acquisition/603253/37 "2011-11-21T16:40:52Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Yeah, it’s seemed to me for awhile that the BBG people are aiming to address Penny’s drinking at some point (although the last time I remember her drinking coming up [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=625197&page=2), most people saw her alcohol consumption as completely normal.) > > Anyhow, solid episode all around. And I was a major part of that discussion. I still maintain that back then her drinking was not an issue. It was portrayed differently in this episode and I agree that they are taking her down that path. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2011, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-11-17-the-flaming-spitoon-acquisition/603253/38 "2011-11-22T00:01:48Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > He \*is \*gay. I thought he already came out publicly when he did **The Normal Heart** on Broadway earlier this year? I met his boyfriend at the opening night party for that show. As far as I know, he’s neither out nor closeted; he just hasn’t publicly addressed his sexuality because it’s nobody’s business. ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2011, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-11-17-the-flaming-spitoon-acquisition/603253/39 "2011-11-22T14:44:35Z")
> [@Kolga](#): > > This was a great episode IMHO. Funny tension between Amy and Sheldon regarding the nature of their relationship and how it needed to change. Good portrayal of the “ooo, look, new cards” geekiness reaction in the other guys. Yes, but a terrible portrayal of what playing a CCG is actually like. Every time they play this “game” I cringe. Obviously written by someone who thinks every card game plays like Uno. Overall I liked this episode. Perhaps there’s a human side of Sheldon somewhere after all. Just not sure when Penny became an alcoholic in need of an intervention. Nor am I sure why AFF is so interested in Sheldon, or Stuart, or even Penny’s ex, when she clearly just wants Penny herself. ---
**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:** [November 22, 2011, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-11-17-the-flaming-spitoon-acquisition/603253/40 "2011-11-22T15:54:10Z")
Our upcoming “Very Special Episode” will likely involve Sheldon being the one to spot/deal with Penny’s “problem.” That will continue his humanization, as he will actively have to care about someone other than himself even more than he does now. He and Penny have bonded over Nimoy’s DNA and he’s gotten to 2nd base with her before, so he’s the one who gets her to step back from the bottle and admit she still has feeling for Leonard. Probably in the season finale, when her showing up drunk disrupts the wedding and sends everybody off on different orbits for next season. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-11-17-the-flaming-spitoon-acquisition/603253.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-11-17-the-flaming-spitoon-acquisition/603253.md?page=3)