# The Big Bang Theory, Season 9, Episode 19 (March 31, 2016) -- "The Solder Excursion Diversion" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 31, 2016, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-19-march-31-2016-the-solder-excursion-diversion/750786 "2016-03-31T22:03:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2016, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-19-march-31-2016-the-solder-excursion-diversion/750786/21 "2016-04-01T16:16:28Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > The Shamy story wasn’t terribly realistic, for all the reasons that people have already mentioned about how impossible it would be for Sheldon to keep such a storage facility secret. But I thought it was rather sweetly acted. Jim Parsons and Mayim Bialik have such good chemistry together. Although the ending almost felt like a message from the production team: “Okay, they had sex, so you can stop bugging us about it. But don’t expect it to ever happen again.” Yes, that (Sheldon and Amy) was my favorite part of the episode. Plus, I think Mayim Bialik (Amy) was better-looking in this episode than she’s ever been during the series. Anyone else agree? ---
**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:** [April 1, 2016, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-19-march-31-2016-the-solder-excursion-diversion/750786/22 "2016-04-01T16:53:05Z")
> [@gytalf2000](#): > > Yes, that (Sheldon and Amy) was my favorite part of the episode. Plus, I think Mayim Bialik (Amy) was better-looking in this episode than she’s ever been during the series. Anyone else agree? Yes, she’s starting to curl her hair and wear a bit more makeup. Will she ever wear more attractive clothing? ---
**Author:** ![Waltzes\_with\_Cacti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90ced4/32.png) [@Waltzes\_with\_Cacti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waltzes_with_Cacti)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2016, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-19-march-31-2016-the-solder-excursion-diversion/750786/23 "2016-04-01T17:42:14Z")
I’m wondering how this episode is going to be received in the UK when it’s shown because the word “solder” is pronounced differently there. IIRC, the “L” is heard, not silent as it is in American English. In the British Isles the word is pronounced “sold her.” The American pronunciation “sodder” has unfortunate and risible connotations. ---
**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:** [April 1, 2016, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-19-march-31-2016-the-solder-excursion-diversion/750786/24 "2016-04-01T19:52:43Z")
> [@Sir\_Prize](#): > > I do not mind the change to his character but I think this was something we hadn’t seen before. A bit of character growth. He is trusting Amy, and only Amy, with something he is ashamed of and something that someone could hurt him with. I don’t know about anybody else but I don’t go around telling people things about me or things I have done that I’m ashamed of. > [@Quimby](#): > > but logistically that storage compartment would have been impossible for him to keep a secret given his move from Texas and that he never drives. He moved from Texas before he met Leonard and the gang. And presumably he took the bus everywhere before he had Leonard to drive him around. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2016, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-19-march-31-2016-the-solder-excursion-diversion/750786/25 "2016-04-01T20:01:06Z")
> [@gytalf2000](#): > > Yes, that (Sheldon and Amy) was my favorite part of the episode. Plus, I think Mayim Bialik (Amy) was better-looking in this episode than she’s ever been during the series. Anyone else agree? Jim Parsons also seemed to have bulked up a bit, like he has been hitting the gym. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2016, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-19-march-31-2016-the-solder-excursion-diversion/750786/26 "2016-04-01T20:01:25Z")
> [@gytalf2000](#): > > YI think Mayim Bialik (Amy) was better-looking in this episode than she’s ever been during the series. Anyone else agree? Am I mistaken, or did she used to wear hip pads? ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2016, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-19-march-31-2016-the-solder-excursion-diversion/750786/27 "2016-04-01T20:28:25Z")
> [@gytalf2000](#): > > Yes, that (Sheldon and Amy) was my favorite part of the episode. Plus, I think Mayim Bialik (Amy) was better-looking in this episode than she’s ever been during the series. Anyone else agree? She looked more like Mayim Bialik and less like Amy. I don’t know whether Bialik curls her hair for public appearances, or straightens it to play Amy. > [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Am I mistaken, or did she used to wear hip pads? She pads up to play Amy, but she’s still a little heavier than Rauch and Cuoco. She’s had children, though, and I don’t think the other two have. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2016, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-19-march-31-2016-the-solder-excursion-diversion/750786/28 "2016-04-01T20:37:08Z")
> [@Waltzes\_with\_Cacti](#): > > I’m wondering how this episode is going to be received in the UK when it’s shown because the word “solder” is pronounced differently there. IIRC, the “L” is heard, not silent as it is in American English. In the British Isles the word is pronounced “sold her.” > > The American pronunciation “sodder” has unfortunate and risible connotations. Well, people in the UK can be adults about it, like Americans are when we watch a UK show where someone talks about knocking someone up, or they can be children, and then there will be a special UK edition, where the actors will have to overdub the word for that episode. Since a lot of US TV is shown in the UK, I imagine they will be adults about it. I don’t recall that there are any times when the word is used so that there are actual double entendres. For one thing, in the UK, wouldn’t it be “a” sodder, or “the” sodder, while in the US it’s “some” solder? ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2016, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-19-march-31-2016-the-solder-excursion-diversion/750786/29 "2016-04-01T21:15:48Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > She looked more like Mayim Bialik and less like Amy. I don’t know whether Bialik curls her hair for public appearances, or straightens it to play Amy. Here’s Mayim Bialik [with](http://a.abcnews.go.com/images/Lifestyle/ABC_mayim_bialik_kab_140403_4x3_992.jpg) [her](http://i2.wp.com/www.kveller.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/mayim-maccabeats-vid-1024x575.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200)[kids](http://strollertraffic.com/content/uploads/MayimBialik.jpg). Looks like her hair is naturally a bit more curly than Amy’s. ---
**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:** [April 1, 2016, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-19-march-31-2016-the-solder-excursion-diversion/750786/30 "2016-04-01T22:28:47Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > I agree. From a real-people point of view, it’s nice that Leonard and Howard knew they were wrong, and apologized. From a comedy point of view, that isn’t really funny, and I thought that storyline just kind of fizzled out. Well, it did put Raj _back_ in the closet, which is where he so obviously resides. All in all, not a bad episode. Not great, but I thought the character growth on the part of just about everybody was well done. ---
**Author:** ![Waltzes\_with\_Cacti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90ced4/32.png) [@Waltzes\_with\_Cacti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waltzes_with_Cacti)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2016, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-19-march-31-2016-the-solder-excursion-diversion/750786/31 "2016-04-01T23:39:16Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > I don’t recall that there are any times when the word is used so that there are actual double entendres. For one thing, in the UK, wouldn’t it be “a” sodder, or “the” sodder, while in the US it’s “some” solder? **Rivkah** , if you’re asking if “solder” was used as a double entendre in Thursday’s ep, then no. It was spoken straightforwardly with no intent to garner humor from the word. In the British Isles, “sod” is derived from “sodomite” and refers to buggery. You can use it as a verb, “sod off,” which is pretty much synonymous with “bugger off” and “fuck off.” “Piss off” is more or less the same, although it’s perhaps slightly less offensive than “sod off.” Other uses of “sod” are as a pejorative noun, meaning “a bugger.” As in, “My boss docked my pay for being late. He’s a right sod.” You can also use it as an adjective, as in “The sodding bus broke down so I got to my sodding job late.” I like your suggestion, **Rivkah** , that the cast may overdub the word for broadcast in the UK. May well happen. ---
**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:** [April 2, 2016, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-19-march-31-2016-the-solder-excursion-diversion/750786/32 "2016-04-02T03:09:58Z")
> [@gytalf2000](#): > > Plus, I think Mayim Bialik (Amy) was better-looking in this episode than she’s ever been during the series. Anyone else agree? She may have been wearing only one cardigan. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2016, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-19-march-31-2016-the-solder-excursion-diversion/750786/33 "2016-04-02T03:25:08Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > He moved from Texas before he met Leonard and the gang. And presumably he took the bus everywhere before he had Leonard to drive him around. That’s actually my point. A lot f the stuff in there was from his life before he had friends but somehow he was able to get it all to CA and stored away with no help and no car. Either way, like I said, just a nitpick on a pretty decent episode. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2016, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-19-march-31-2016-the-solder-excursion-diversion/750786/34 "2016-04-02T03:49:35Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > They’re doing reshoots for _Suicide Squad_ next week, so they probably aren’t pre-screening it yet. Not that that level of realism is required for a sitcom, it’s just a dumb trivial fact I know. Not unrealistic at all. Test screenings are often what lead to reshoots. Sheldon’s storage locker logistics temporarily broke my brain though. ---
**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:** [April 2, 2016, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-19-march-31-2016-the-solder-excursion-diversion/750786/35 "2016-04-02T04:39:40Z")
Why did Sheldon save the golf ball but not the hockey puck? ---
**Author:** ![LH75](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lh75/32/4438_2.png) [@LH75](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LH75)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2016, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-19-march-31-2016-the-solder-excursion-diversion/750786/36 "2016-04-02T13:20:27Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > That’s actually my point. A lot f the stuff in there was from his life before he had friends but somehow he was able to get it all to CA and stored away with no help and no car. Either way, like I said, just a nitpick on a pretty decent episode. Shipping via UPS ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2016, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-19-march-31-2016-the-solder-excursion-diversion/750786/37 "2016-04-02T15:29:15Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > That’s actually my point. A lot f the stuff in there was from his life before he had friends but somehow he was able to get it all to CA and stored away with no help and no car. Either way, like I said, just a nitpick on a pretty decent episode. Box up everything in Texas and hire a moving company to transport it all to the storage facility in Pasadena? Sheldon takes the bus. ---
**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:** [April 2, 2016, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-19-march-31-2016-the-solder-excursion-diversion/750786/38 "2016-04-02T16:01:10Z")
The puck probably landed back on the ice and was returned to play. the golf ball was just thrown at Sheldon by his brother. ---
**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:** [April 2, 2016, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-19-march-31-2016-the-solder-excursion-diversion/750786/39 "2016-04-02T23:31:34Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > The puck probably landed back on the ice and was returned to play. the golf ball was just thrown at Sheldon by his brother. I don’t see Sheldon or anyone in his family going to hockey games in Texas (is there such a thing?) unless his brother played hockey, in which case it’s much more likely that his brother also threw the hockey puck at him the same way he did the golf ball. Especially since it hit him in the back of the head. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-19-march-31-2016-the-solder-excursion-diversion/750786.md?page=1)