(S02E20) Don't you hate it when a show is so great for the first 29 minutes, but then in minute 30 it all seems to fall apart? That's what happens on this episode of The Big Bang Theory. Penny falls for a comic book guy and all of the characters show actual growth and development -- until minute 30. That's when they go for the fat joke.
The joke, which was basically just a sight gag that had Raj making out with a rotund woman in a tight pink dress, was obvious and lazy. In and of it self, it makes me roll my eyes, but doesn't really bother me. What bothers me about it is BBT is better than that. Why would a show that spends so much time humanizing and making us love a group of people who generally gets made fun of, make a thoughtless fat joke?
Fat joke aside, let's talk about the preceding 29 minutes. Leonard is obviously still hung up on Penny, and if I had to venture a guess, I would say that she's still hung up on him, as well. Regardless, she's moving forward for the time being and ends up going out with Stuart, a guy who's legitimately smart and charming, and not just for a "comic book guy." Leonard, of course, hates this, but is mature enough not to do anything stupid to ruin it for Penny. Sheldon's the one who actually ruins it for her, though there is, of course, no malice behind it.
The fact that Penny would not only set foot into a comic book store, but date the owner of one instead of dismissing him outright, shows a lot of growth for her character. Also showing a lot of growth is Sheldon, who actually picked up on the fact that Penny dating Stuart bothered Leonard. He's still not able to give him actual advice, but the fact that he noticed Leonard was going through something is huge.
Wolowitz and Raj are still Wolowitz and Raj, but Wolowitz was definitely at the top of his game funny-wise. Most of my favorite lines from this episode come from Wolowitz. Other than the fat joke at the end, which was slightly mitigated by Raj snuggling with her at the very end, this was a really funny episode.
Some of my favorite lines from this episode:
"In bars, all across this great nation of ours, Thursday night is Ladies Night. Which means that as the evening progresses, we will get better looking courtesy of 99 cent margaritas and 2-for-1 Jello shots." -- Wolowitz
"I'm a horny engineer, Leonard. I never joke about math or sex." -- Wolowitz
"You're probably thinking, 'the comic book store, on a Thursday? Why I've fallen down the rabbit hole and into a land of madness.' What you have failed to take into account, Penny, is that this is 'Anything Can Happen' Thursday." -- Sheldon
Wolowitz: "Okay! Let me just go inside and slip off my underwear."
Leonard: "Why?"
Wolowitz: "Well if I get lucky, I certainly don't want to be caught in my Aquaman briefs."
"First we let the lawyers and the jocks thin the herd, then we go for the week, the old, and the lame." -- Wolowitz
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
4-14-2009 @ 6:24AM
Bruce Bromley said...
What was the big deal. Are you saying there shouldn't be any overweight people on sitcoms because they'll allways be the punchline of a joke. I think it shows them in a great light. Wolowitz and Sheldon didn't make any insulting remarks about the woman's size, unlike most of the other sitcoms would have. Another show would have had Raj jumping out of the women's bed at the end. Not one of those guys would care what size a women was. I myself am only 5' 5" and weigh over 400 pounds and know a fat joke when I see one no matter how subtle. I found nothing offensive about it.
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4-14-2009 @ 10:27AM
Maria T C G said...
Hey Bruce-what does being morbidly obese have anything to do with knowing a fat joke? (Besides you are a obese man-90% of the fat jokes go to fat WOMEN) I agree with Kona. It wasn’t said but it certainly was implied that it was the end of the night fat chick joke. I thought they were better than that too. I was mildly disappointed, and mildly surprised that they would sink to something so stupid.
Fat people are one of the few prejudices on TV that is allowed and used repeatedly. So excuse me for assuming that this fat person in a tight bright pink, ill-fitting, non flattering dress making out with him meant anything but a joke. NOT making a big deal out of it, but sad and disappointed just the same.
4-14-2009 @ 7:06AM
Lisa said...
I'm with Bruce, the guys were jealous of Raj as he got the girl no matter her size and Raj's instant wake-up reaction was likely about where he was not who he was with. He drinks to get comfortable with women, remember? He snuggles in for happy once it all comes back to him.
They didn't pursue it but I personally think Sheldon (in his own way) ruined the liaison for Steve and Penny deliberately.
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4-14-2009 @ 12:30PM
RIFRAF said...
Lisa, I agree with you on Sheldon. I think he planned it. I was hoping that when they walked out he'd would have hinted to it.
4-14-2009 @ 1:55PM
WhoElseButME said...
Good thinking on Sheldon ruining Penny's date on purpose. Could be possible, atleast on some subconscious level. Moreover, he is a good friend ie after you discount his 'Sheldon-ness'
I don't get the big deal about the fat joke. Why are we getting so touchy about it? There is no excuse for being fat except for Gluttony and Sloth, aside for medical reasons which applies to an infinitesimal proportion.
First you inhale supersized Big Macs for breakfast and then expect not be made fun of. Oh no you didn't!
4-14-2009 @ 7:33AM
Matt said...
I agree with you Lisa, I felt that Sheldon was keeping Steve occupied to protect Leonard. I was hoping that the last scene of the episode would cover that rather than Raj waking up with this "date". Maybe we are giving him too much credit and he truly wanted to argue about comics but I want to think Sheldon is maturing a little.
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4-14-2009 @ 8:18AM
Xolus said...
The joke was that Raj wasn't drunk any longer and couldn't talk to the girl.
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4-14-2009 @ 9:12AM
Martin said...
Yeah the fact that he couldn't get out and couldn't say anything was the joke, not a fat joke. Maybe he had to get up and go to the bathroom, but couldn't because she was holding him down and he couldn't say anything, I know after a night of drinking I always have to get up and go. He didn't look so much mortified that he slept with a "fat" girl, but that he couldn't get out of bed.....
Leonard and Walowitz actually cheered for him when he was making out.
4-14-2009 @ 11:18AM
Wintermute said...
The other part of the joke was that despite all of Wolowitz's talk, Raj is getting more play than him.
4-14-2009 @ 8:27AM
litehousebeacon said...
You misspelled w-e-a-k.
Now, on to the show...
Jason Todd?! Is Steve nuts?! The reason Jason was originally killed off is because the majority of fans didn't like him.
Of course, I did see his point about Dick being Nightwing, and agreed with him on that.
But the bottom line is that any assumption that Batman really is dead should be purely hypothetical, because while they were able to kill off Hal Jordan, Oliver Queen or Barry Allen for years, they couldn't do it to Superman and they can't do it to Batman.
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4-14-2009 @ 11:10AM
Alicia R. said...
NICE... my husband and I had the same conversation when it was over.
God I love this show.
4-14-2009 @ 8:39AM
Shary said...
I haven't watched this episode yet but I just don't really expect that they would have made this into a big joke. When Sheldon dated Stephanie (Sara Rue) with her beautiful curves earlier this season nothing was ever said about her size. It was also refreshing to see someone of a different size than the stick thin Penny.
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4-14-2009 @ 12:36PM
RTMS said...
Leonard dated Stephanie not Sheldon, that man has never been on a date I think.
4-14-2009 @ 9:17AM
Jimmy said...
As others have said: The joke was on Wolowitz, not the fat girl. He was jealous that Raj was hooking up.
Another great exchange was when Wolowitz told Leonard he was dragging down his game. The coffee lines were good too.
A great show, in spite of Kona's sensitivities to humor.
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4-14-2009 @ 9:40AM
Peter Lynn said...
Who's Steve? The comic book store guy was named Stewart. Steves are cool; Stewarts are not. Of course, being named Stewart and dating Penny is a big step up for Kevin Sussman from being named Walter and dating Betty Suarez.
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4-14-2009 @ 9:52AM
Kona Gallagher said...
You're absolutely right. My brain told me "Steve" for some reason, but it's Stuart. I made the changes.
4-14-2009 @ 12:24PM
Dan said...
Is this a reference to "The Tao of Steve"?
4-14-2009 @ 5:29PM
Peter Lynn said...
It's sort of an accidental reference to The Tao of Steve, yes. But I'd argue that that movie stole the idea from Gordon Korman's seminal young-adult novel Don't Care High, in which an inherent cool Steve was held in contrast to a protagonist named -- wait for it -- Sheldon.
4-14-2009 @ 2:09PM
Chadwick said...
Fat joke? Eh. It was a really funny episode except for the whole Leonard pity party. Blah, blah, blah. Wolowitz had some terrific lines early on but Sheldon's character still rules. This show rocks.
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4-14-2009 @ 12:27PM
CeCe said...
I'm a fat chick and I was not offended by the ending at all. Plus I saw it as part of the Howard's theory about the number of drinks and the size of the woman, I don't remember the exact quote. Raj didn't seem upset about the size of the woman but that he was sober, and we all know how Sober Raj behaves around women. All in all a great ep that may be an opening for the 5some to go to ComCon.
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