# The Big Bang Theory 3/144--The Closet Reconfiguration **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 14, 2013, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-3-144-the-closet-reconfiguration/652947 "2013-03-14T20:12:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [March 15, 2013, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-3-144-the-closet-reconfiguration/652947/21 "2013-03-15T15:00:14Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > I think that’s the actual answer, with the exception of Sheldon’s pirate map story. I note that none of the other 5 stories told are contradictory. I noticed that too. When they started, I assumed that half of them would be ‘bad’. As in something along the lines of “I just couldn’t handle having a kid” or “I met someone else and ran off with her” or “I just didn’t love your mom”. But they were all basically good. Varying degrees of good, but it’s not like half of them were “He loves me but had to leave” and the other half were “He hates me/mom and wanted to leave” and Howard could chose his adventure. The basically told him what it said. At the very least, they could have made them wildly different. Howard could have had no idea at all what the letter said. So one person could have said “I had to leave, but I was at your graduation” and someone else could have said “I was young and scared and didn’t know what to do so I ran” and another could have said “I was called to duty and if you got this, I was killed in action”. Someone else could say “Here’s my contact information, call me and we’ll talk” etc etc. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-3-144-the-closet-reconfiguration/652947/22 "2013-03-15T15:01:07Z")
Howard must have shown some smarts as a kid. Unless he was doing poorly in school for social reasons why would his father be proud of him? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-3-144-the-closet-reconfiguration/652947/23 "2013-03-15T15:08:58Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > Howard must have shown some smarts as a kid. Unless he was doing poorly in school for social reasons why would his father be proud of him? Huh? Why wouldn’t his father be proud of him? ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-3-144-the-closet-reconfiguration/652947/24 "2013-03-15T16:12:55Z")
> [@rsat3acr](#): > > I graduated from high school at 17. Nothing special, birthday is in July. So around here assuming you didn’t fail a grade you graduate from high school at seventeen if your birthday falls between end of May and September 1st. Starting school as a kid was based on age on September 1st. That’s about one fourth of everyone. I also graduated from high school at 17. My birthday is in November, so I was always one of the youngest in my class. ---
**Author:** ![tim-n-va](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim-n-va/32/3001_2.png) [@tim-n-va](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim-n-va)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-3-144-the-closet-reconfiguration/652947/25 "2013-03-15T16:19:38Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > … > Also kinda doubt that Penny really buried her vibrator in the back of a closet. I’d expect her to know exactly where it was. Perv that I am, I also imagine that Amy has a collection of them. And probably at least one that has to be kick started… > … I could see Penny having more than one vibrator and if it isn’t the current favorite it could have made it to the closet. But yes, she has at least one that she knows exactly where it is. ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-3-144-the-closet-reconfiguration/652947/26 "2013-03-15T16:22:17Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > It was a clever episode. But it was short on laughs. Too much maudlin stuff from Howard. I hope they stop that. I feel like this wasn’t the writer’s best stuff. That’s what I was thinking! This show isn’t a drama – it’s supposed to make us laugh! I guess the writers wanted to showcase Howard’s “I was abandoned by my father as a child” predicament at the expense of the usual mirth and merriment that we expect. ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-3-144-the-closet-reconfiguration/652947/27 "2013-03-15T16:23:17Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Huh? Why wouldn’t his father be proud of him? He’s too skinny / short / nerdy? Possible reasons in a sitcom… ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-3-144-the-closet-reconfiguration/652947/28 "2013-03-15T16:28:28Z")
> [@gytalf2000](#): > > That’s what I was thinking! This show isn’t a drama – it’s supposed to make us laugh! I guess the writers wanted to showcase Howard’s “I was abandoned by my father as a child” predicament at the expense of the usual mirth and merriment that we expect. Yes, I hate character development in comedies. But that’s just my preference, comedy for comedy’s sake. Possibly the timing is factor here, February sweeps are over, they’ve just highlighted their best stuff but they have some weaker stuff in the can that still has to be aired. One episode that I didn’t prefer isn’t going to turn me off from this show though, or even several more. I just hope Bernadette doesn’t end up pregnant. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-3-144-the-closet-reconfiguration/652947/29 "2013-03-15T16:30:02Z")
> [@gytalf2000](#): > > He’s too skinny / short / nerdy? Possible reasons in a sitcom… Well, OK. In sitcom logic anything goes. ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-3-144-the-closet-reconfiguration/652947/30 "2013-03-15T17:03:43Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Yes, I hate character development in comedies. But that’s just my preference, comedy for comedy’s sake. Possibly the timing is factor here, February sweeps are over, they’ve just highlighted their best stuff but they have some weaker stuff in the can that still has to be aired. One episode that I didn’t prefer isn’t going to turn me off from this show though, or even several more. I just hope Bernadette doesn’t end up pregnant. Oh, I definitely wouldn’t want that, either! Didn’t her character express a dislike for children in a previous episode? ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-3-144-the-closet-reconfiguration/652947/31 "2013-03-15T17:11:12Z")
Bernie was responsible for lots of care to her younger siblings. So she did have a blow up about kids. She is also becoming more Howard’s mom like in statements made. i think that started with the marriage announcement episode. ---
**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:** [March 15, 2013, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-3-144-the-closet-reconfiguration/652947/32 "2013-03-15T17:15:16Z")
“You can tell me what to do or you can tell me how to do it. You can’t do both. This isn’t sex.” For that line alone I will tolerate all manner of character development. ---
**Author:** ![hiebram](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5fc32e/32.png) [@hiebram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hiebram)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-3-144-the-closet-reconfiguration/652947/33 "2013-03-15T17:33:16Z")
I definitely felt like the writers were leading us to accept Bernie’s story as the one true version. I like the possibility that others have raised that all five of the serious ones were part of the whole, but I don’t think that jives well with Sheldon’s part, or with the way it seemed Raj added his details about the card on the fly. It seems more believable to me that the friends did just what they told Howard they were going to do. And about Sheldon’s not having a tic: is it possible to lie to someone when you tell them beforehand that you are presenting the truth ambiguously? I think that if the writers ever felt the need to explain Sheldon’s relative ease with his part of the fiction, they could construct some kind of logical loophole around that question for him to use. Oh, and it should have been: > [@notfrommensa](#): > > Sheldon - Map, leading to lost treasure of famous pirate, [del]One Eyed Willie[/del] Peg-Leg Antonio IIRC. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-3-144-the-closet-reconfiguration/652947/34 "2013-03-15T17:56:34Z")
Good episode. Some laughs, interesting character development, and hot Penny. 😃 ---
**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:** [March 15, 2013, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-3-144-the-closet-reconfiguration/652947/35 "2013-03-15T18:11:49Z")
I did comment to the wife that they had to have stitched that button on _really solid_. There was more tension on that button than there is on a whole season of _Survivor_. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-3-144-the-closet-reconfiguration/652947/36 "2013-03-15T18:31:13Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > It bothered me that Howard had that really awful bowl-style haircut. Was that ever reasonably fashionable? It is plausible that he would have such a terrible haircut, or that his wife would allow it? It kinda has an early Beatles vibe to it, which sorta meshes with his retro clothes. ---
**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:** [March 15, 2013, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-3-144-the-closet-reconfiguration/652947/37 "2013-03-15T19:52:42Z")
> [@SuperNelson](#): > > I graduated from high school the same week as my 18th birthday, and I was not started early, nor did I skip a grade. It all depends on what month you were born on. If you were 5 years old before August 1st, my school district recommended you started in school (although they allowed exceptions), so I had several classmates who graduated before their 18th birthday. My graduating class has several 17 yr olds, and one 19 yr old. Three if you count the exchange students. ---
**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:** [March 15, 2013, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-3-144-the-closet-reconfiguration/652947/38 "2013-03-15T20:51:30Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > I think that’s the actual answer, with the exception of Sheldon’s pirate map story. I note that none of the other 5 stories told are contradictory. Well, strictly speaking, none of the 6 stories are contradictory. ---
**Author:** ![Fugazi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f08c70/32.png) [@Fugazi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fugazi)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-3-144-the-closet-reconfiguration/652947/39 "2013-03-15T21:55:15Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > It bothered me that Howard had that really awful bowl-style haircut. Was that ever reasonably fashionable? It is plausible that he would have such a terrible haircut, or that his wife would allow it? I was thinking at the time that he looks just like a mushroom. My favorite line of the night was when Amy and Raj were sitting on the couch and she looks at him and says, “If you let me pierce your brain with a hot needle in the right place, you’d be happy all the time.” ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-3-144-the-closet-reconfiguration/652947/40 "2013-03-15T23:26:23Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > OK, I suppose it’s possible to graduate from high school when you’re 17, but this is Howard - he only has a Master’s… 😉 It’s completely possible to graduate from high school when you’re 17. In fact, it’s completely normal, depending on when your birthday is, and how your school district decides you’re old enough for first grade. Where I grew up, a birthday after the last day of classes pretty much guaranteed you’d be 17 when you graduated (and, if your birthday was after the first day of classes, when you started college). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-3-144-the-closet-reconfiguration/652947.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-3-144-the-closet-reconfiguration/652947.md?page=3)