# The Big Bang Theory, Season 8, Ep. 4 (October 6, 2014) -- "The Hook-up Reverberation" \[ed. title\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 7, 2014, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-8-ep-4-october-6-2014-the-hook-up-reverberation-ed-title/700605 "2014-10-07T00:49:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 4
**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:** [October 11, 2014, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-8-ep-4-october-6-2014-the-hook-up-reverberation-ed-title/700605/61 "2014-10-11T20:27:53Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > The question is not if a real life woman who likes slasher movies has some sort of psychlogical problems but if the writers would make that one of this character’s few defining features without planning on using it later. Bernadette has been telling “funny” work injury stories for years. ---
**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:** [October 11, 2014, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-8-ep-4-october-6-2014-the-hook-up-reverberation-ed-title/700605/62 "2014-10-11T20:55:51Z")
Yup. And there is an understandable reason the writers did that, having first estabished her as a squeaky voiced sweet little thing the incongruity of that, just like the incongruity of people being afraid of her, is thought to be funny. That reason does not apply to Emily. But as noted, having that now be a feature of Bernadette and having Bernadette be taken aback … Now maybe the writers just find “pretty” and “slasher” to be a potentially funny combination … maybe. I am just pointing out that the speculation is not based on thinking that there actually _is_ something disturbed about a woman liking slasher movies, but with predictions as to whether or not the writers are planning to go anywhere with it in this fictional universe. Or even have it as an escape hatch if the character does not gel as they go along (they can have her grow her disturbed side and turn into a lethal attraction and then have Raj double back to a former interest … and I do not see Yvette geling as part of the gang either). ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2014, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-8-ep-4-october-6-2014-the-hook-up-reverberation-ed-title/700605/63 "2014-10-12T00:56:41Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > What’s the problem with horror movies? Everyone has a nerdy thing and liking horror movies is Redhead’s. Honestly, it’s more surprising that none of the _seven_ main characters has any interest in them. Surely you remember the “Why do people watch torture porn?” threads from a few years ago. This is a common feeling (or at least, not an unusual one) from dopers, and by extension wouldn’t be unusual to find in the BBT characters either. In terms of the BBT guys, my default assumption is that their view of torture porn can be summed up in posts like [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=14370274&postcount=72) or [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=14369110&postcount=52). So it doesn’t surprise me at all to see dopers wondering (again) about the mental stability of a person who enjoys torture porn. ---
**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:** [October 12, 2014, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-8-ep-4-october-6-2014-the-hook-up-reverberation-ed-title/700605/64 "2014-10-12T20:47:59Z")
Emily was into _extreme_ gore movies. Not your typical slasher stuff. I’m not sure if “torture porn” is the right term, but it might fit. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2014, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-8-ep-4-october-6-2014-the-hook-up-reverberation-ed-title/700605/65 "2014-10-12T22:28:17Z")
I usually don’t complain about this show, I just sort of go with it. But I’m really having a hard time believing that a good-looking doctor is that hung up over a one-night-stand between her new boyfriend and one of his friends. That happened quite a while before he met the girlfriend. And now the friend is engaged to another friend. I can totally see Emily not getting on with Penny naturally, as she got to know Penny. But being that pissed about that one interaction? That’s pretty far out there. ---
**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:** [October 13, 2014, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-8-ep-4-october-6-2014-the-hook-up-reverberation-ed-title/700605/66 "2014-10-13T18:01:51Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Emily was into _extreme_ gore movies. Not your typical slasher stuff. I’m not sure if “torture porn” is the right term, but it might fit. No. The only movie Emily mentions by name is [House of 1000 Corpses](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_1000_Corpses), a horror film released by a mainstream studio (Lionsgate) that stars Chris Hardwick and Rainn Wilson. It is fairly gory, but it’s a regular movie. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2014, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-8-ep-4-october-6-2014-the-hook-up-reverberation-ed-title/700605/67 "2014-10-13T18:13:52Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > I’m not sure if “torture porn” is the right term, but it might fit. To clarify, “torture porn” isn’t porn, much like “real estate porn” (eg: house hunters) and “food porn” (cooking shows) aren’t porn. The term “torture porn” refers to slasher movies that focus more on the slashing than on the suspense or scares. Rob Zombie movies generally qualify as torture porn, including House of 1000 Corpses. The term was originally coined for the Saw and Hostel franchises, I think, but the genre itself predates those movies. ---
**Author:** ![magnusblitz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@magnusblitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magnusblitz)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2014, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-8-ep-4-october-6-2014-the-hook-up-reverberation-ed-title/700605/68 "2014-10-13T18:55:01Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > I don’t like Raj’s girlfriend only because she doesn’t like Penny. Penny is my friend and this woman is Raj’s little piece of red-head and not a true BB buddy. … Raj’s Readhead hasn’t done anything except not like Penny. Well, Emily did get some time last season, that made her seem like a cool person. I agree though, not really any good reason to dislike Penny. Now, if she disliked Bernadette… > [@Oakminster](#): > > Not getting why Raj and Howard were oblivious to potential problems with the van and candy to lure kids to a any-damn-thing. Seems like a season or two ago, Sheldon was about to google “how to excite young girls” for some university outreach type program, and they were quick to stop him. Just a sign of poor writing, or at least, a sign that ‘for the laughs’ is more important than consistency. The show is definitely at the point where the characters will act as smart or dumb as required for the joke/setup. This was clearly a “only one person gets it” scenario as opposed to the “only Sheldon doesn’t get it” one. > [@johnspartan](#): > > If they do move forward with her and Leonard getting married, it’ll be interesting to see how they write around never mentioning her last name. Quite easily, I would think. I just recently attended a wedding were the vows were basically along the lines of “Leonard, do you take Penny to be your wife, forever and blah blah blah”, “Penny, do you take Leonard to be your husband, forever and blah blah blah,” “I now pronounce you Mr. and Mrs. Hofstadter.” And I can’t think of any other pre-wedding scene that might require her last name… ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2014, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-8-ep-4-october-6-2014-the-hook-up-reverberation-ed-title/700605/69 "2014-10-13T23:36:36Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > Not getting why Raj and Howard were oblivious to potential problems with the van and candy to lure kids to a any-damn-thing. Seems like a season or two ago, Sheldon was about to google “how to excite young girls” for some university outreach type program, and they were quick to stop him. > [@magnusblitz](#): > > Just a sign of poor writing, or at least, a sign that ‘for the laughs’ is more important than consistency. The show is definitely at the point where the characters will act as smart or dumb as required for the joke/setup. This was clearly a “only one person gets it” scenario as opposed to the “only Sheldon doesn’t get it” one. Exactly. From Season 7 Episode 20 “The Relationship Diremption.” \*Emily: Have we met before? Howard: Uh, no. I, I don’t, I don’t think so. Emily: You sure? You look familiar. Howard: Well, you sure don’t. You I know, you I know, you? Total stranger. Even if you had yummy candy, I would not get in your van.\* ---
**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:** [October 14, 2014, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-8-ep-4-october-6-2014-the-hook-up-reverberation-ed-title/700605/70 "2014-10-14T00:05:50Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > Not getting why Raj and Howard were oblivious to potential problems with the van and candy to lure kids to a any-damn-thing. a) It’s a sitcom joke. But b) the “forest for the trees” kind of obliviousness can happen to anyone; even if you’re familiar with a concept, you can be blind to it if you’re too focused on a different approach. The world is full of bone-headed mistakes made for that reason, every week the SDMB has a thread dedicated to a new one. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-8-ep-4-october-6-2014-the-hook-up-reverberation-ed-title/700605.md?page=3)