The return of Leonard's mother on last night's "Big Bang Theory" wasn't quite as strong as her original appearance last year, I thought. Inherently funny as Christine Baranski is, and as good as she is with Jim Parsons, it felt a bit one-note - or, at least, like it was repeating the same note we heard last year. Funny in spots, particularly in the car ride back from the airport, but not one of the season's best. What did everybody else think?
Yeah, it felt a little done.
ReplyDeleteI did however, howl loudly when Leonard's mom laid that kiss on Sheldon!
I was very disappointed by last night's episode. I had been so looking forward to Christine Baranski returning, but it wasn't good. I rewatched it and realized that Sheldon was particularly abrasive the whole time. And (as you've stated) parts of it were just a rehash of the first episode where Leonard's mother visits. I did not laugh once and normally this show has me cracking up the whole time.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to see them do an episode with both Leonard and Sheldon's mothers together. Possibly a Thanksgiving episode? That would be funny.
I was bored within the first few minutes. The waitress thing was overdone, as well as all the Leonard/Mom lack of emotion. Might have been a better episode if I didn't see the "kiss" on commercials for Bing Bang.
ReplyDeleteI would pay to hear Sheldon deliver DVD commentaries for classic holiday TV specials.
ReplyDeleteI was laughing loudly at Sheldon's Holiday show comments (I would pay cash to hear Sheldon discuss Charlie Brown Christmas).
ReplyDeletePenny was hilarious during her drinking with Leonard's Mom. Their bonding felt forced, but it made me laugh.
The whole "latent homosexuality" bit with Howard and Raj had me laughing so much that I had tears rolling down my eyes. Especially the part where Leonard did the "Yes, he 'has a girlfriend'".
ReplyDeleteI think this episode tied nicely with something (I think) Alan talked about on here a week or so back; Johnny Galiecki is the weakest link and any episode that focuses on him feels weaker than the others.
ReplyDeleteConsidering it was Leonard's mother that was visiting, doesn't it seem odd that Penny and Sheldon had more interaction with her? And the thing is, I didn't mind it at all.
Not my fav episode, but ok.
All worked fine for me, emphatically including Galecki.
ReplyDeleteWorked for me even if it was old ground.
ReplyDeleteOn another note - anyone catch Jim Parsons on Craig Ferguson the other night? (I record Craig nightly.) Parsons was very, very funny. He came off as a more playful, less egghead version of Sheldon.
By the way, Craig Ferguson is why God invented ivo...
I can't believe that no one has mentioned the funniest, most outrageous line of the night, from Leonard's Mom to Penny, "So how did his penis turn out?"
ReplyDeleteAs for the weakest link discussion, count me as a big Galecki fan.
Sheldon's comments on X'mas Classics remind me of how Barney in HIMYM roots for the villains in movies
ReplyDeleteAdd me to the pro-Galecki side. I think he does a great job as Leonard. As much as I love Sheldon and Jim Parsons, he wouldn't be as much fun without Leonard and Penny.
ReplyDeleteLeonard is the least funny among the 5 but not much is given to his character anyway especially that he's with Penny now but he is still fine
ReplyDeleteAs for the episode, yup it was mostly a rehash of the first appearance but the "latent homosexuality" and "how did his penis turnout" got me laughing so hard
Inherently funny as Christine Baranski is, and as good as she is with Jim Parsons, it felt a bit one-note - or, at least, like it was repeating the same note we heard last year.
ReplyDeleteAh, but what a note it is. I just love the way that Penny doesn't take a lot of crap off Sheldon, but when it comes to Leonard's mother, the relentless sociopathy reduces her to a wreck. :)
think this episode tied nicely with something (I think) Alan talked about on here a week or so back; Johnny Galiecki is the weakest link and any episode that focuses on him feels weaker than the others.
Meh... The straight man is always hell to write for and I don't blame Galiecki for that, any more than I hold Josh Radnor responsible for all the times I've found Ted-centric episodes of HIMYM... less than engaging.
Parts of this episode were brilliant and hilarious, but I have several disappointments:
ReplyDelete• There is nothing funny about drinking and driving
• The running gag about the Check Engine light is old
• What were the writers thinking when Leonard's mother, who apparently has Narcissistic Personality Disorder, accused Leonard of having it, even though he obviously doesn't? When she misdiagnosed Raj and Wolowitz as latent homosexuals, that was funny, and helped us understand why everybody (except Sheldon) hates her. But calling Leonard a narcissist made me hate her.
• Masturbation jokes are cheap laughs. This episode must have a record number of them.
• In a similar vein, having Leonard's father cheat on her is lazy writing. Who can blame him for leaving her?
• Chuck Lorre isn't always trying hard on the Vanity Cards any more.
I'm a big fan of this show, but this season has been uneven. The first two seasons were almost uniformly excellent.
Tehy took a cab back from the bar---no drinking and driving--first episode of this show that I actually found worth watching
ReplyDeleteI watched it again last night. You're right. I missed the line about the taxi.
ReplyDeleteBut I have found every episode worth watching, even when they have annoying parts.