HIMYM/TBBT --- quick thoughts
Quick thoughts on both shows ...
HIMYM -- Seriously, I think this show is losing me. I barely laughed tonight. I chuckled a few times, but that's it. The smoking thing was annoying, not because it's unrealistic -- after all, we know that future Ted edits stuff out all the time -- but because I am anti-smoking ridiculously so. And Harvey Fierstein-voice, coughing, out-of-breath-stairs-climbing or not, it wasn't fun seeing all of these characters I like puffing away practically the whole damn episode.
Surprisingly, I like Don. I would like him more if TPTB hadn't shat all over Robin/Barney in a few short episodes. Overall, I was just meh.
TBBT -- And here I was surprised because even when I have a few issues with the episode (pretty much any L/P, I knew that Beverly kissed Sheldon), I overall love the episode or at least have more than a few hilarious laugh out loud moments. It didn't happen tonight. It was just not very funny. It had some laughs, but overall, it just seemed to be trying too hard. Things I did like:
- Penny's "I'm adorable." She was totally adorable there.
- The fact that Penny did want Sheldon to join in trimming the tree.
- Sheldon's little Newton ornament was so cute.
- The continued correspondence between Sheldon and Beverly; it was sweet.
- Sheldon went to comfort Leonard with the actual intent of comforting him and happily thought he'd done so.
- Sheldon did not respond even slightly to Beverly's overture.
- It is clear that there's nothing there at all between Beverly and Sheldon. Period.
And that's about it. I do love Christine Baranski, but the tics she was doing during the drinking scene? It was like she was trying too hard to do some of the Jim Parsons-style of facial tics and it just didn't work. It felt so forced and just not funny. Leonard was once again an ass! WRITERS, PLEASE! The egging on Howard was just mean, and, no, I don't buy that he didn't tell Beverly about Penny because he doesn't like her. He didn't tell Beverly about Penny because he was embarrassed. If he was dating someone like his brother's fiancee, he would have crowed it to her rooftops, hoping she'd be proud of him. But, eh, that's a win for S/P in that once again it shows how lame L/P are.
Overall, I was very disappointed. Unlike a lot of S/P fans, I LOVED "The Maternal Capacitance," and thought it was one of the funniest, best-written episodes they'd ever done. This? Just no. Again, there were a few chuckles, but no laugh-out loud moments. Sheldon was barely in it; Raj and Howard were barely in it. And Leonard and Penny's relationship was the primary thrust of the mechanics behind the plot, and thus, of course, fell flat. I'm disappointed.
ETA: Or not. I rewatched the episode this morning for my breakdown and was quite surprised at how much more I liked it. This was my review I wrote for it:
Upon a first viewing, this episode was a complete letdown. However, upon a rewatch, I found that the first three-quarters of it (and the final scene) were fabulous. There weren't any major guffaws to be found, but there were plenty of chuckles, and a gentle, bittersweet humor in the interactions between Beverly and the other characters. Unfortunately, this was all pretty much shot to hell once Beverly got drunk. Christine Baranski is a wonderful actress, but her drunk Beverly was too over-the-top and just did not work. Any time that she wasn't drunk, however, the episode was golden. I wouldn't mind seeing Beverly again -- just make sure she stays sober, please. Oh, and also, please to be keeping Beverly and Sheldon in the mother/son mold; they're adorable as such. Hopefully, the events in this episode have put an end to that other notion forever.
HIMYM -- Seriously, I think this show is losing me. I barely laughed tonight. I chuckled a few times, but that's it. The smoking thing was annoying, not because it's unrealistic -- after all, we know that future Ted edits stuff out all the time -- but because I am anti-smoking ridiculously so. And Harvey Fierstein-voice, coughing, out-of-breath-stairs-climbing or not, it wasn't fun seeing all of these characters I like puffing away practically the whole damn episode.
Surprisingly, I like Don. I would like him more if TPTB hadn't shat all over Robin/Barney in a few short episodes. Overall, I was just meh.
TBBT -- And here I was surprised because even when I have a few issues with the episode (pretty much any L/P, I knew that Beverly kissed Sheldon), I overall love the episode or at least have more than a few hilarious laugh out loud moments. It didn't happen tonight. It was just not very funny. It had some laughs, but overall, it just seemed to be trying too hard. Things I did like:
- Penny's "I'm adorable." She was totally adorable there.
- The fact that Penny did want Sheldon to join in trimming the tree.
- Sheldon's little Newton ornament was so cute.
- The continued correspondence between Sheldon and Beverly; it was sweet.
- Sheldon went to comfort Leonard with the actual intent of comforting him and happily thought he'd done so.
- Sheldon did not respond even slightly to Beverly's overture.
- It is clear that there's nothing there at all between Beverly and Sheldon. Period.
And that's about it. I do love Christine Baranski, but the tics she was doing during the drinking scene? It was like she was trying too hard to do some of the Jim Parsons-style of facial tics and it just didn't work. It felt so forced and just not funny. Leonard was once again an ass! WRITERS, PLEASE! The egging on Howard was just mean, and, no, I don't buy that he didn't tell Beverly about Penny because he doesn't like her. He didn't tell Beverly about Penny because he was embarrassed. If he was dating someone like his brother's fiancee, he would have crowed it to her rooftops, hoping she'd be proud of him. But, eh, that's a win for S/P in that once again it shows how lame L/P are.
Overall, I was very disappointed. Unlike a lot of S/P fans, I LOVED "The Maternal Capacitance," and thought it was one of the funniest, best-written episodes they'd ever done. This? Just no. Again, there were a few chuckles, but no laugh-out loud moments. Sheldon was barely in it; Raj and Howard were barely in it. And Leonard and Penny's relationship was the primary thrust of the mechanics behind the plot, and thus, of course, fell flat. I'm disappointed.
ETA: Or not. I rewatched the episode this morning for my breakdown and was quite surprised at how much more I liked it. This was my review I wrote for it:
Upon a first viewing, this episode was a complete letdown. However, upon a rewatch, I found that the first three-quarters of it (and the final scene) were fabulous. There weren't any major guffaws to be found, but there were plenty of chuckles, and a gentle, bittersweet humor in the interactions between Beverly and the other characters. Unfortunately, this was all pretty much shot to hell once Beverly got drunk. Christine Baranski is a wonderful actress, but her drunk Beverly was too over-the-top and just did not work. Any time that she wasn't drunk, however, the episode was golden. I wouldn't mind seeing Beverly again -- just make sure she stays sober, please. Oh, and also, please to be keeping Beverly and Sheldon in the mother/son mold; they're adorable as such. Hopefully, the events in this episode have put an end to that other notion forever.