# The Big Bang Theory 2/3--"The Thespian Catalyst" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 3, 2011, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-2-3-the-thespian-catalyst/570046 "2011-02-03T17:02:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-2-3-the-thespian-catalyst/570046/21 "2011-02-04T18:26:04Z")
laser beam -\> brain -\> accidentally damage too much -\> become an engineer are they alienating part of their audience? ---
**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:** [February 4, 2011, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-2-3-the-thespian-catalyst/570046/22 "2011-02-04T18:37:34Z")
Nah. I doubt any engineers got the joke in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-2-3-the-thespian-catalyst/570046/23 "2011-02-04T19:35:37Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > laser beam -\> brain -\> accidentally damage too much -\> become an engineer > > are they alienating part of their audience? Naw, Sheldon’s contempt for non-theorists has been established. He is always making for of Howard. ---
**Author:** ![Shadowfyre](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfyre/32/9972_2.png) [@Shadowfyre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shadowfyre)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-2-3-the-thespian-catalyst/570046/24 "2011-02-04T19:45:18Z")
Then there was Leonard’s whole SyFy discussion with Raj. It reminded me of the Dope. "It should be pronounced “Siffy”. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Tully\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7ab992/32.png) [@Tully\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tully_Mars)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-2-3-the-thespian-catalyst/570046/25 "2011-02-04T20:06:19Z")
Sheldon’s “setting the scene” in East Texas did make me a little homesick. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-2-3-the-thespian-catalyst/570046/26 "2011-02-04T20:11:04Z")
> [@Tully\_Mars](#): > > Sheldon’s “setting the scene” in East Texas did make me a little homesick. Yeah that part proves he could be a good entertaining teacher, even if he is only acting, if he was really interested in it like he is with Star Trek ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-2-3-the-thespian-catalyst/570046/27 "2011-02-04T20:56:59Z")
Yes, when Sheldon was setting the scene in Texas, he was really getting into it. I was expecting to see Penny be impressed by his sudden ability to create a mood. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-2-3-the-thespian-catalyst/570046/28 "2011-02-04T21:47:30Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > Was Penny’s portrayal of Spock supposed to be ‘bad acting’ that would explain why she doesn’t get any acting jobs? > \ I have a feeling that Penny isn’t actually a very good actress (we already know she can’t sing). She really was a terrible Spock. You wouldn’t think Sheldon would be bothered by the opinions of students; he would just disregard them as irrelevant. ETA: Amy Farrah Fowler trying to cheer Sheldon up was a VERY boyfriend/girlfriend moment. Suggesting cutting part of his brain out was also a nice touch. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2011, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-2-3-the-thespian-catalyst/570046/29 "2011-02-05T00:30:56Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I have a feeling that Penny isn’t actually a very good actress (we already know she can’t sing). She really was a terrible Spock… AFAIK Penny hasn’t gotten a single acting job the entire time she’s been in LA. Not even a commercial or training video or as a background extra. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2011, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-2-3-the-thespian-catalyst/570046/30 "2011-02-05T00:43:14Z")
Well, Penny’s psychic told her she’d get an acting job if she cut her hair short, and she hasn’t done that yet. Clearly, that’s what’s holding her back. For that matter, it would have made her a more convincing Spock, too. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2011, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-2-3-the-thespian-catalyst/570046/31 "2011-02-05T01:18:44Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > Was Penny’s portrayal of Spock supposed to be ‘bad acting’ that would explain why she doesn’t get any acting jobs? Or that she has no idea how to act like Spock 'cause she’s never watched the show. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2011, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-2-3-the-thespian-catalyst/570046/32 "2011-02-05T02:20:28Z")
If it makes any difference, actors who portrayed other Vulcans didn’t seem to be able to nail it the way Leonard Nimoy did. It’s a very particular portrayal, that wasn’t so much emotionless as minimal, whereas other actors tended to go all cold and stiff. Except for Zachary Quinto in the recent film. My point being, Penny’s portrayal is no worse than Tim Russ’s Tuvok. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2011, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-2-3-the-thespian-catalyst/570046/33 "2011-02-05T02:21:30Z")
Penny has seen the 2009 Star Trek reboot. I think she was channeling Zachary Quinto’s version of Spock. She did a half-hearted one eyebrow raise (which looked like she was winking), so I’d say she knows the character. Penny was impatient (and unimpressed) with Sheldon’s setting of the scene, because she had already been subjected to countless, repeated “it was a warm summer night in Greece” monologues when she asked Sheldon to teach her Physics. Now, can anyone fill us in on Bernadette’s messed up sexual predilections, or at least Raj’s fevered imaginings of them? I’m thinking it has something to do with glass beakers and petri dishes. If anyone can make graduated cylinders and Erlenmeyer flasks sexy, it’d be Melissa Rauch. ---
**Author:** ![JoelUpchurch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f05b48/32.png) [@JoelUpchurch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoelUpchurch)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2011, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-2-3-the-thespian-catalyst/570046/34 "2011-02-05T05:32:19Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > laser beam -\> brain -\> accidentally damage too much -\> become an engineer > > are they alienating part of their audience? You mean more than calling Engineers the Umpa Lumpas of science? I remember one guy telling me that he went to Georgia Tech and I responded that I heard it was a fine trade school. ---
**Author:** ![Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uosdwis_R.Dewoh)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2011, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-2-3-the-thespian-catalyst/570046/35 "2011-02-05T07:59:54Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > If it makes any difference, actors who portrayed other Vulcans didn’t seem to be able to nail it the way Leonard Nimoy did. It’s a very particular portrayal, that wasn’t so much emotionless as minimal, whereas other actors tended to go all cold and stiff. Except for Zachary Quinto in the recent film. The guy who portrayed Sisko’s Starfleet academy nemesis on DS9 was pretty good. He had that smug superior sneering vulcan attitude shtick down pat. ---
**Author:** ![carlb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carlb/32/5930_2.png) [@carlb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carlb)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2011, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-2-3-the-thespian-catalyst/570046/36 "2011-02-05T15:25:42Z")
> [@The\_Controvert](#): > > Now, can anyone fill us in on Bernadette’s messed up sexual predilections, or at least Raj’s fevered imaginings of them? I’m thinking it has something to do with glass beakers and petri dishes. If anyone can make graduated cylinders and Erlenmeyer flasks sexy, it’d be Melissa Rauch. I think that says more about Raj than Bernadette. Remember, that was a fantasy sequence, so what we were seeing was what Raj _wanted_ Bernadette to say. So, basically, he wants a nice, smart, cute girl who’s a little freaky in the sack. I can understand that. Now, who knows? Maybe Bernadette really is that way, although if she is I would think that Howard would have made it quite well known before now. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2011, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-2-3-the-thespian-catalyst/570046/37 "2011-02-05T16:13:03Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Why would AFF being looking to her right when talking to Sheldon? She’s a smart person, she’d be looking straight at her computer’s camera. Of course, this assumes she has a single display and was monotasking to chat. It’s exactly what you’d expect if she was using her main display to tweak her neural network simulation, and Sheldon’s chat window was up on a little 640x480 usb display on the side. She’s aware of where the camera is, because she looks at it when she’s pretending to swim. Maybe just a lampshade, but it makes sense with her character. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2011, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-2-3-the-thespian-catalyst/570046/38 "2011-02-05T16:25:05Z")
> [@carlb](#): > > I think that says more about Raj than Bernadette. Remember, that was a fantasy sequence, so what we were seeing was what Raj _wanted_ Bernadette to say. So, basically, he wants a nice, smart, cute girl who’s a little freaky in the sack. I can understand that. > > Now, who knows? Maybe Bernadette really is that way, although if she is I would think that Howard would have made it quite well known before now. Have Howard and Bernadette done “it” at this point? I’d think we’d know if they had. . . ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2011, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-2-3-the-thespian-catalyst/570046/39 "2011-02-05T16:32:20Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > If it makes any difference, actors who portrayed other Vulcans didn’t seem to be able to nail it the way Leonard Nimoy did. It’s a very particular portrayal, that wasn’t so much emotionless as minimal, whereas other actors tended to go all cold and stiff. Except for Zachary Quinto in the recent film. > > My point being, Penny’s portrayal is no worse than Tim Russ’s Tuvok. This is off topic but while I gave up on Voyager about 3/4 into its run, I always thought Tim Russ did a good job playing a Vulcan. ---
**Author:** ![JoelUpchurch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f05b48/32.png) [@JoelUpchurch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoelUpchurch)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2011, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-2-3-the-thespian-catalyst/570046/40 "2011-02-05T21:24:11Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > If it makes any difference, actors who portrayed other Vulcans didn’t seem to be able to nail it the way Leonard Nimoy did. It’s a very particular portrayal, that wasn’t so much emotionless as minimal, whereas other actors tended to go all cold and stiff. Except for Zachary Quinto in the recent film. I should point out that Leonard Nimoy nailed it in the sense in that he fired a shot and drew the bullseye around it. Every actor performing a part as a Vulcan are trying to imitate Leonard Nimoy, because he defined what a Vulcan is supposed to act like. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-2-3-the-thespian-catalyst/570046.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-2-3-the-thespian-catalyst/570046.md?page=3)