# The Big Bang Theory, October 24, 2013 -- "The Romance Resonance" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 24, 2013, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-october-24-2013-the-romance-resonance/672103 "2013-10-24T12:32:29Z")\ **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:** [October 25, 2013, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-october-24-2013-the-romance-resonance/672103/21 "2013-10-25T15:03:25Z")
this episode was romantic even while Bernie’s lab is being decontaminated. there is a character inconsistency. Penny has always been on Leonard to not say ‘thank you’ for sex or send ‘thank you’ cards. here she kept an eleven page ‘thank you’ letter. ---
**Author:** ![yellowjacketcoder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4bbf92/32.png) [@yellowjacketcoder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowjacketcoder)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2013, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-october-24-2013-the-romance-resonance/672103/22 "2013-10-25T15:05:52Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > there is a character inconsistency. Penny has always been on Leonard to not say ‘thank you’ for sex or send ‘thank you’ cards. here she kept an eleven page ‘thank you’ letter. I don’t think it’s that inconsistent. It’s one thing to not want someone to fawn over you in the post-coital haze. It’s another to keep a memento of the first time you made love to someone. ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2013, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-october-24-2013-the-romance-resonance/672103/23 "2013-10-25T15:06:01Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > this episode was romantic even while Bernie’s lab is being decontaminated. > > there is a character inconsistency. Penny has always been on Leonard to not say ‘thank you’ for sex or send ‘thank you’ cards. here she kept an eleven page ‘thank you’ letter. That was for their\* first\* time. I’d guess that the annoyance at the practice started when he _kept_ doing it. ---
**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:** [October 25, 2013, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-october-24-2013-the-romance-resonance/672103/24 "2013-10-25T15:06:16Z")
> [@yellowjacketcoder](#): > > I’m not saying that playing a string instrument instantly makes you a world-class opera singer, but anyone classically trained in a non-vocal instrument is going to be a better singer than the random guy off the street. I’d like to see a study that confirms that. Not that I’m seriously doubting it, just because the musician will know about harmony and the like. But vocal _ability_ scaling with musical _ability_? That I’ll need evidence for. ---
**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:** [October 25, 2013, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-october-24-2013-the-romance-resonance/672103/25 "2013-10-25T15:15:35Z")
> [@epbrown01](#): > > I’ve always loved how cavalier Bernadette is about the dangers of her work - some great laughs from her. I don’t know if there’s a trope for it but it seems to be a theme in TV when someone works with experimental or early phases of new drugs that they’ll mention what it does but then immediately mention some terrible side effect. “We’re working on a new drug that can cure the common cold, but it has the side effect of anal bleeding/growing an extra toe/hair growing inside your mouth etc” Bernie’s “I’d be throwing up from my eyes by know” was a new one though. I’m sure it comes from the little inserts from meds with all the bizarre side effects that they have to list and gained a lot of popularity when potato chips with Olestra contained the “May cause anal leakage” warning. ---
**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:** [October 25, 2013, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-october-24-2013-the-romance-resonance/672103/26 "2013-10-25T15:31:03Z")
It’s also a hilarious Jeff Foxworthy bit. ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2013, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-october-24-2013-the-romance-resonance/672103/27 "2013-10-25T15:41:34Z")
> [@Lightnin](#): > > In a slightly more serious show, Bernadette would have passed out mid-song and then died. I was actually cringing in expectation. Funny (or perhaps not!) you should say that; I was thinking the same thing. ---
**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:** [October 25, 2013, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-october-24-2013-the-romance-resonance/672103/28 "2013-10-25T15:43:25Z")
On a Whedon show, she would pass out and recover just in time to see Howard impaled by a piece of medical equipment being rushed to her aid. ---
**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:** [October 25, 2013, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-october-24-2013-the-romance-resonance/672103/29 "2013-10-25T16:05:50Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > On a Whedon show, she would pass out and recover just in time to see Howard impaled by a piece of medical equipment being rushed to her aid. She didn’t even cry when Wash died. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2013, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-october-24-2013-the-romance-resonance/672103/30 "2013-10-25T16:26:52Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > A good episode. I’ve been searching to find the song lyrics online, but no luck yet. > > However, I did find out who is guest-starring on next week’s episode:Bob Newhart and Bill NyeThis could bring on a veritable singularity of geekiness. Just for clarification. Not next week (Its a repeat, presumably because it is Halloween). November 7th episode, during Sweeps month. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2013, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-october-24-2013-the-romance-resonance/672103/31 "2013-10-25T16:38:11Z")
> [@Mr\_Shine](#): > > As described, what would be the practical benefits of “Sheldonium”? It would make Sheldon’s self-centered arrogance ever so slightly justified, while at the same time the accidental nature of it might humble him some. Although mistakes are often the basis of scientific advancement. ---
**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:** [October 25, 2013, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-october-24-2013-the-romance-resonance/672103/32 "2013-10-25T16:56:50Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > It would make Sheldon’s self-centered arrogance ever so slightly justified, while at the same time the accidental nature of it might humble him some. Although mistakes are often the basis of scientific advancement. It bugged me that of all the people around the world that looked at his paper no one else caught the mistake. Surely his ‘peers’ would have checked his work and found his mistake. I also figured AFF would have suggested that he run the equations again using the correct numbers (m instead of cm) and see if it still works out. If it does he could probably come up with some kind of explanation for why the paper was published the way it was but he still got the right answer at the end. Just a matter of a slipped decimal point somewhere along the lines. Happens to the best of us. ---
**Author:** ![yellowjacketcoder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4bbf92/32.png) [@yellowjacketcoder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowjacketcoder)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2013, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-october-24-2013-the-romance-resonance/672103/33 "2013-10-25T17:37:38Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > I’d like to see a study that confirms that. Not that I’m seriously doubting it, just because the musician will know about harmony and the like. But vocal _ability_ scaling with musical _ability_? That I’ll need evidence for. I’m not saying there’s a direct scaling. In fact I explicitly say that. I’m just saying that someone who has practiced some kind of music, will be able to hear the harmonies involved much easier than a random person off the street, and therefore be a better singer than said random joe. I don’t know why this is controversial, or why you’re asking for evidence of something I haven’t stated. ---
**Author:** ![yellowjacketcoder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4bbf92/32.png) [@yellowjacketcoder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowjacketcoder)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2013, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-october-24-2013-the-romance-resonance/672103/34 "2013-10-25T17:38:57Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > It bugged me that of all the people around the world that looked at his paper no one else caught the mistake. Surely his ‘peers’ would have checked his work and found his mistake. > > I also figured AFF would have suggested that he run the equations again using the correct numbers (m instead of cm) and see if it still works out. If it does he could probably come up with some kind of explanation for why the paper was published the way it was but he still got the right answer at the end. Just a matter of a slipped decimal point somewhere along the lines. Happens to the best of us. I was waiting for some other researcher to start calling it the “Cooper effect”, some previously unknown effect that makes up for the error factor, thus making Sheldon even more famous and even less deserving of it. Bonus points if that other researcher is Leonard. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2013, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-october-24-2013-the-romance-resonance/672103/35 "2013-10-25T17:48:01Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > I also loved the song. And the little stinger at the end made me very, very uncomfortable as I watched. For a very long while now I’ve been on Amy’s side about becoming more intimate but that scene was all kinds of wrong. Sheldon needs to keep is tongue to himself. My wretched DVR recorder terminated the recording just a few seconds into the last scene. What happened? ---
**Author:** ![yellowjacketcoder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4bbf92/32.png) [@yellowjacketcoder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowjacketcoder)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2013, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-october-24-2013-the-romance-resonance/672103/36 "2013-10-25T18:00:08Z")
> [@teela\_brown](#): > > My wretched DVR recorder terminated the recording just a few seconds into the last scene. What happened? Sheldon and Amy are sitting in his apartment. Sheldon points out how all the attention has made him realize something. That he wants to kiss Amy. He wants to kiss her on the mouth. Like Mommies and Daddies do. And as he leans in, their mouths open, their heartbeats fluttering… cut to Cheesecake Factory where Amy is staring into space. Sheldon starts to ask her something and is cut off with “Can’t talk, in the Zone”. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2013, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-october-24-2013-the-romance-resonance/672103/37 "2013-10-25T18:10:34Z")
> [@yellowjacketcoder](#): > > Sheldon and Amy are sitting in his apartment. Sheldon points out how all the attention has made him realize something. That he wants to kiss Amy. He wants to kiss her on the mouth. Like Mommies and Daddies do. And as he leans in, their mouths open, their heartbeats fluttering… cut to Cheesecake Factory where Amy is staring into space. Sheldon starts to ask her something and is cut off with “Can’t talk, in the Zone”. It started out so believable with Sheldon blaming Amy for his making the mistake in calculation. It was all her fault— and then dipped totally into the wrong and icky zone with “Because all I could think about is your mouth. . .” ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2013, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-october-24-2013-the-romance-resonance/672103/38 "2013-10-25T18:26:22Z")
Definitely the best episode of the season. OK, that’s a ridiculously low bar. A really good episode, even by past standards. Now that we know for sure that romance plays better than hate, maybe they’ll get back to making the characters likable. What a concept for a sitcom! I’m saving this for my wife. She doesn’t usually like BBT but we’re both big fans of Garfunkle & Oates. And romance. And of mommy and daddy kisses. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2013, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-october-24-2013-the-romance-resonance/672103/39 "2013-10-25T22:56:23Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > She didn’t even cry when Wash died. why would you say that? i’m sure bernadette got some dust in her eye when wash died. i thought that the song was very well done; sentimental and scientific. ---
**Author:** ![Tapiotar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3be4f8/32.png) [@Tapiotar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapiotar)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2013, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-october-24-2013-the-romance-resonance/672103/40 "2013-10-25T22:58:37Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > It bugged me that of all the people around the world that looked at his paper no one else caught the mistake. Surely his ‘peers’ would have checked his work and found his mistake. > > I also figured AFF would have suggested that he run the equations again using the correct numbers (m instead of cm) and see if it still works out. If it does he could probably come up with some kind of explanation for why the paper was published the way it was but he still got the right answer at the end. Just a matter of a slipped decimal point somewhere along the lines. Happens to the best of us. I think the published paper had the correct figures. Sheldon just didn’t realize it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-october-24-2013-the-romance-resonance/672103.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-october-24-2013-the-romance-resonance/672103.md?page=3)