# The Big Bang Theory ep 3.18 03/22/2010 "The Pants Alternative"



## TiMo Tim (Jul 20, 2001)

This is the episode in which TCF user Tangent attended the taping. The episode name was changed from the name Tangent supplied ("The Medal Resistance").

Will we see Sheldon drink again?


----------



## Idearat (Nov 26, 2000)

I wish we'd seen him finish the Elements song





Loved Chuck Lorre's vanity card regarding the laugh track.


----------



## Satchel (Dec 8, 2001)

I thought his speech was going to be painful, but it turned out to be hilarious. I think those scientists would have laughed at those jokes...I did.


----------



## JYoung (Jan 16, 2002)

Hey!
How did Raj manage to talk aloud at the dinner with Penny sitting at the same table?

(Did he drink?)



Idearat said:


> I wish we'd seen him finish the Elements song


I'm surprised that Sheldon would have heard that song before.


----------



## Ment (Mar 27, 2008)

JYoung said:


> Hey!
> How did Raj manage to talk aloud at the dinner with Penny sitting at the same table?
> 
> (Did he drink?)


At least Raj thinks he did!

Sheldon's speech was great. Loved the Chicken-Möbius Strip joke.


----------



## busyba (Feb 5, 2003)

TiMo Tim said:


> This is the episode in which TCF user Tangent attended the taping.





Idearat said:


> Loved Chuck Lorre's vanity card regarding the laugh track.


I wonder if Tangent was in that picture.

I also wonder if Kaley is pregnant.


----------



## Ment (Mar 27, 2008)

busyba said:


> I also wonder if Kaley is pregnant.


Geez I hope not, I do not want that story arc in BBT. Can barely stand the current 'we are an old couple' status now for which I partially blame this Sheldon-centric season, although tonight was good. Kaley looks like she was just wearing her 'fat' clothes. She'll look better next EP.


----------



## ScubaCat (Jun 26, 2003)

JYoung said:


> Hey!
> How did Raj manage to talk aloud at the dinner with Penny sitting at the same table?
> 
> (Did he drink?)


I'm pretty sure he had a glass of wine in his hand.

Penny: "So what do you say, Sheldon, are we your X-Men?"
Sheldon: "No, the X-Men were named for the "X" in "Charles Xavier." Since I am Sheldon Cooper, you will be my "C-Men."


----------



## LifeIsABeach (Feb 28, 2001)

Satchel said:


> I thought his speech was going to be painful, but it turned out to be hilarious. I think those scientists would have laughed at those jokes...I did.


+1 Thought it was strange that no one was laughing.


----------



## ScubaCat (Jun 26, 2003)

I did notice one lady singing along with Sheldon's song and a few others laughing.


----------



## Todd (Oct 7, 1999)

Loved the SimCity discussion...


----------



## 6079 Smith W (Oct 2, 2000)

"For the astronomers in the audience, now you get to see the dark side of the moon."

"And there's Uranus!"

[paraphrased]


----------



## Steveknj (Mar 10, 2003)

Todd said:


> Loved the SimCity discussion...


I said to my son....Suddenly I have this strange urge to play SimCity (which I have)


----------



## betts4 (Dec 27, 2005)

+2 as to why no one was laughing. I mean even the guys at his table. They tell worse jokes than he was.

+1 they should have let Sheldon finish the song. Maybe they will on the dvd. Tom Lehrer's Element Song is awesome! Well, Tom Lehrer is awesome. I have a friend that can sing the Element song and many others.


----------



## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

Wow, I'm amazed that so many people found Sheldon's speech funny. I was right with the audience (the audience in the show, that is)...I found it painful and embarrassing. And endless. His jokes weren't the least bit funny; it was like the geek equivalent of kindergarten humor. If I were one of the people in that room, I would have felt pretty much the way I did in the living room...wishing I were somewhere else.


----------



## Alfer (Aug 7, 2003)

Rob Helmerichs said:


> Wow, I'm amazed that so many people found Sheldon's speech funny. I was right with the audience (the audience in the show, that is)...I found it painful and embarrassing. And endless. His jokes weren't the least bit funny; it was like the geek equivalent of kindergarten humor. If I were one of the people in that room, I would have felt pretty much the way I did in the living room...wishing I were somewhere else.


I guess because I'm not into the whole science/geek speak like the target audience that the show goes after, I'd have to say the speech was pretty much not amusing to watch...about the only funny part (and you saw it coming btw) was the "Uranus" bit.

The rest of the show was pretty good though...


----------



## Fish Man (Mar 4, 2002)

Rob Helmerichs said:


> Wow, I'm amazed that so many people found Sheldon's speech funny. I was right with the audience (the audience in the show, that is)...I found it painful and embarrassing. And endless. His jokes weren't the least bit funny; it was like the geek equivalent of kindergarten humor. If I were one of the people in that room, I would have felt pretty much the way I did in the living room...wishing I were somewhere else.


I'm with you that his jokes were childish and lame, but...

*"The Elements Song!!!" * :up: :up: :up:

The entire room should have been singing along!


----------



## astrohip (Jan 7, 2003)

ScubaCat said:


> Since I am Sheldon Cooper, you will be my "C-Men."


Best line of the night!


----------



## JYoung (Jan 16, 2002)

Rob Helmerichs said:


> Wow, I'm amazed that so many people found Sheldon's speech funny. I was right with the audience (the audience in the show, that is)...I found it painful and embarrassing. And endless. His jokes weren't the least bit funny; it was like the geek equivalent of kindergarten humor. If I were one of the people in that room, I would have felt pretty much the way I did in the living room...wishing I were somewhere else.


I agree and I thought that was the the point of his whole speech.
It _was_ supposed to be painful and embarrassing.


----------



## Stormspace (Apr 13, 2004)

Sorry guys I thought it(The speech) was hilarious. I especially liked the neutron joke since it seemed to come out of no where. The whole thing was so unsheldonlike that it was funny. I am glad they saved the pants thing for the end since that would have ruined the joy of the speech. I did want him to finish the song, so he would get back to the jokes though.


----------



## Tangent (Feb 25, 2005)

Yup, this was the one I saw. It was interesting to see which gags they went with when they tried a couple of different ones, and that they even cut an entire little scene out.

A few things I remember:

The opening scene with the "birds and horses should be nervous around James Cameron" line had an alternative along the lines of "In India we aren't even allowed to touch a cow, but here movies are showing wild monkey love with birds and horses"

They cut a scene just after Sheldon passing out and the "intervention". Leonard and Penny are in bed, clearly just getting started with kissing when Penny stops and says she can't stop thinking about Sheldon. Leonard comments about how he's clearly doing something wrong. Penny feels they need to help Sheldon because he's their friend, and Leonard finally convinces her to talk about it later. They start kissing again but after a few moments Leonard stops with a look of disgust on his face and says "now _I_ can't stop thinking about Sheldon"

Sheldon's "I'm re-ady!" shout was something that confused me at the taping. The awards ceremony was a pre-filmed scene that didn't include that line. After all filming was done they just had Sheldon stand in the middle of the set and say that line a couple of times.

During the awards ceremony they originally had one gag much more obvious: When Sheldon's singing the elements song and says "just the Asians!" you could clearly see the one Asian lady enthusiastically join in instead of just barely seeing her behind Penny as it aired.

Also during the awards ceremony when Raj says the "his C-Men are here!" they cut out the bit where he suddenly realizes what everyone else noticed from the start and says "Oh! That really _isn't_ a good name."

It would have been cool to be in that picture on the vanity card, but unfortunately it must have been taken at a different taping. It's clearly the same place I was, but they just never had us wave for a camera during that episode's filming...


----------



## vikingguy (Aug 12, 2005)

I thought it was pretty damn funny. I wish the writers would use the other characters more instead of spotlighting sheldon every episode.


----------



## Alfer (Aug 7, 2003)

vikingguy said:


> I thought it was pretty damn funny. I wish the writers would use the other characters more instead of spotlighting sheldon every episode.


Yeah he's become what Fonzie was in Happy Day's..went from a bit part to the main star.


----------



## JYoung (Jan 16, 2002)

Alfer said:


> Yeah he's become what Fonzie was in Happy Day's..went from a bit part to the main star.


Except for the fact that Sheldon was always a main star from day one.

Jim Parson's name has always been the second one in the credits.


----------



## Steveknj (Mar 10, 2003)

JYoung said:


> Except for the fact that Sheldon was always a main star from day one.


He was A main star, but has become THE main star. The rest seem to be his supporting cast now. I think the original intent was either to make Leonard the main star or equal with Sheldon. It's definitely gone in a different direction.


----------



## Michael S (Jan 12, 2004)

I wished the writers would have setup a real youtube account to post the video. I went to ob1 on youtube and it had nothing to do with the show.


----------



## fmowry (Apr 30, 2002)

Tangent said:


> During the awards ceremony they originally had one gag much more obvious: When Sheldon's singing the elements song and says "just the Asians!" you could clearly see the one Asian lady enthusiastically join in instead of just barely seeing her behind Penny as it aired.


I thought that was the funniest part for some reason and noticed the Asian lady join in.

Frank


----------



## Hunter Green (Feb 22, 2002)

Satchel said:


> I thought his speech was going to be painful, but it turned out to be hilarious. I think those scientists would have laughed at those jokes...I did.


I kept doing the punch lines before Sheldon did. I mean, who hasn't heard that neutron in a bar joke? (There are about five followup jokes to that one, too.)



JYoung said:


> Hey!
> How did Raj manage to talk aloud at the dinner with Penny sitting at the same table?
> 
> (Did he drink?)


He had a wine glass in his hand while he was talking, it was featured prominently. I thought they were drawing attention to the wine by having him talk just to set up the wine serving the same purpose for Sheldon (especially considering the earlier allusion during the meditation training).


----------



## Polcamilla (Nov 7, 2001)

JYoung said:


> I'm surprised that Sheldon would have heard that song before.


Why is that surprising?

Sheldon baffles me because he is the absolute archetype of the kids I went to high school with----brilliant but utterly misplaced in a small Texas town and rather confused as to the purpose of their existence until they found their way into a pure academic setting. The baffling part is---how the heck did Chuck Lorre create the character when, nerdy though his background may be, it doesn't at all seem to lend itself to having been exposed to that kind of individual?

We all passed the same Tom Lehrer albums around in high school and memorized The Elements, although it is in absolutely no way scientifically useful (pretty much the best use I found for it was annoying everyone on the College Bowl team every time there was a Periodic Table question).

The other song we memorized for "academic" reasons was Monty Python's Philosopher's Song. I don't doubt that both are *still* being passed around that school for the same reason, infecting more and more Texas hick nerds with each incoming class of juniors.


----------



## JYoung (Jan 16, 2002)

Polcamilla said:


> Why is that surprising?
> 
> Sheldon baffles me because he is the absolute archetype of the kids I went to high school with----brilliant but utterly misplaced in a small Texas town and rather confused as to the purpose of their existence until they found their way into a pure academic setting. The baffling part is---how the heck did Chuck Lorre create the character when, nerdy though his background may be, it doesn't at all seem to lend itself to having been exposed to that kind of individual?
> 
> ...


Because Sheldon has no sense of humor for starters.

And while I knew who Tom Leher was, most of my classmates in High School didn't.
And I kind of doubt Sheldon had friends who would lend him the album/CD.

I also can't picture him listening to Dr. Demento.


----------



## Fish Man (Mar 4, 2002)

JYoung said:


> Because Sheldon has no sense of humor for starters.
> 
> And while I knew who Tom Leher was, most of my classmates in High School didn't.
> And I kind of doubt Sheldon had friends who would lend him the album/CD.
> ...


I graduated high school in 1980 and college in 1984. I most certainly know who Tom Leher was, and am familiar with his songs (at least the more popular ones, which "The Elements" certainly is).

I would not have expected Tom Leher's songs to have faded into oblivion by the time Sheldon would have been in college, especially for a nerd like him. Leher is a quintessential "nerd's" musician, after all.

In fact, I find it totally fitting that he's familiar with that song. In fact, if Sheldon knew any songs by memory I'd expect them to be something like a Tom Leher song, rather than some pop song. (He might know a few from other "Nerd" artists like "They Might Be Giants" or "Barenaked Ladies".  )


----------



## SeanC (Dec 30, 2003)

Fish Man said:


> I graduated high school in 1980 and college in 1984. I most certainly know who Tom Leher was, and am familiar with his songs (at least the more popular ones, which "The Elements" certainly is).


I graduated HS in 88. Doctor Demento was a Sunday staple for me growing up, and I loved Tom Leher.


----------



## betts4 (Dec 27, 2005)

Fish Man said:


> I would not have expected Tom Leher's songs to have faded into oblivion by the time Sheldon would have been in college, especially for a nerd like him. Leher is a quintessential "nerd's" musician, after all.


I wasn't surprised he knew it at all. Not because of the scientist side, but rather the geek that goes to comic con and other media cons and collects action figures and the like.


----------



## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

Tangent said:


> During the awards ceremony they originally had one gag much more obvious: When Sheldon's singing the elements song and says "just the Asians!" you could clearly see the one Asian lady enthusiastically join in instead of just barely seeing her behind Penny as it aired.


I didn't notice it when I watched it in a group last night, but one person mentioned that if you watched it in High Def, you could see the Asian woman singing. (I didn't notice her at all on the 4:3 DirecTV recording we were watching.)


----------



## Robin (Dec 6, 2001)

JYoung said:


> Hey!
> How did Raj manage to talk aloud at the dinner with Penny sitting at the same table?
> 
> (Did he drink?)


They all had glasses of wine, so I'd say yes.


----------



## JYoung (Jan 16, 2002)

Fish Man said:


> I graduated high school in 1980 and college in 1984. I most certainly know who Tom Leher was, and am familiar with his songs (at least the more popular ones, which "The Elements" certainly is).


How many of your classmates knew who he was?

(I stopped making Lobachevsky jokes when no one got them.)

All though, I'll grant that Sheldon may have heard it once and thought "Well that's a jaunty little tune".


----------



## dianebrat (Jul 6, 2002)

Fish Man said:


> I graduated high school in 1980 and college in 1984. I most certainly know who Tom Leher was, and am familiar with his songs (at least the more popular ones, which "The Elements" certainly is).
> 
> I would not have expected Tom Leher's songs to have faded into oblivion by the time Sheldon would have been in college, especially for a nerd like him. Leher is a quintessential "nerd's" musician, after all.


I'm familiar with Tom Leher from multiple sources, like many geeks it seems I always knew about his music, and that did not include any Dr Demento in the mix.

I also got to enjoy hearing him on the Electric Company, so yes, that pegs me as a child of the 70's.

And the 3rd even more trivial Tom Leher factoid is that he owned the house next to my Dad's place in Cambridge MA in the 70's.

Diane


----------



## Polcamilla (Nov 7, 2001)

JYoung said:


> Because Sheldon has no sense of humor for starters.
> 
> And while I knew who Tom Leher was, most of my classmates in High School didn't.
> And I kind of doubt Sheldon had friends who would lend him the album/CD.
> ...


Yeah, but I'll bet you went to a regular high school.

I went to a concentrated nerd high school that specialized in finding Sheldons. It makes a difference. (Think of it this way----Sheldon has friends NOW.....so it's reasonable he found SOMEONE then.)

(And Sheldon absolutely has a sense of humor. He makes jokes regularly on the show.)


----------



## Polcamilla (Nov 7, 2001)

JYoung said:


> How many of your classmates knew who he was?
> 
> (I stopped making Lobachevsky jokes when no one got them.)
> 
> All though, I'll grant that Sheldon may have heard it once and thought "Well that's a jaunty little tune".


Oh, they got them. They just didn't laugh so that when they shamelessly plagarized them later, they could plausibly claim to have made them up on the spot.


----------



## Hunter Green (Feb 22, 2002)

JYoung said:


> All though, I'll grant that Sheldon may have heard it once and thought "Well that's a jaunty little tune".


Not only do I feel that Sheldon would know the Tom Lehrer song, I think Sheldon would also recognize the original source for the tune. (After all, of all the people in the world, who more than Sheldon would have many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse?)


----------



## JYoung (Jan 16, 2002)

Polcamilla said:


> Yeah, but I'll bet you went to a regular high school.


Sheldon was in college by the time he was 14. I'm going to guess he didn't have much of a social life.



Polcamilla said:


> (Think of it this way----Sheldon has friends NOW.....so it's reasonable he found SOMEONE then.)


Penny: "Why are you friends with Sheldon?
Howard: "We like Leonard."



Polcamilla said:


> (And Sheldon absolutely has a sense of humor. He makes jokes regularly on the show.)


And most of them are not deliberate.
It's something of a running bit that he doesn't get other people's jokes or he does a minute later and explains the humor out loud.


----------



## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

I think it's silly to be surprised that Sheldon knows _anything_, since it's been repeatedly established that he knows an astonishing variety of things. Like football. And chicken-fried meat.

It would be surprising if he DIDN'T know certain things. Like the full spectrum of Green Lantern colors and their emotional equivalents. But I don't think a Tom Lehrer song would be on that list.

And yes, any sense of humor Sheldon has is pretty much limited to humor as defined by Sheldon, not as defined by humans.


----------



## MikeCC (Jun 19, 2004)

Hunter Green said:


> Not only do I feel that Sheldon would know the Tom Lehrer song, I think Sheldon would also recognize the original source for the tune. (After all, of all the people in the world, who more than Sheldon would have many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse?)


Thank you! A nod to the _true _source of the amusing song. Tom Lehrer is undeniably funny, and his absurd and satirical observations on education and then-contemporary life are classic. But for sure inventive, and clever lyrics, W.S. Gilbert, the lyricist half of Gibert and Sullivan, has no peer.

To continue the rapid patter of the modern Major-General:



> _I'm very good at integral and differential calculus,
> I know the scientific names of beings animalculous;
> In short, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral,
> I am the very model of a modern Major-General_.


----------



## TeighVaux (May 31, 2005)

JYoung said:


> Hey!
> How did Raj manage to talk aloud at the dinner with Penny sitting at the same table?


I'd put the answer in the same category of how, on Family Guy, sometimes people can understand Stewie talking and other times they can't. Whatever works for the scene.

I thought the speech was a riot. I also didn't get why the audience of scientists was not laughing.

I am a bit disappointed with the episodes in the second part of this season. It seems the show is bifurcated between featuring Sheldon or featuring the improbably Penny/Leonard relationship.

I think there are plenty of ways to seamlessly work Penny into the scenes without having the plot contrivance of her being Leonard's GF.

It looks like the series will last for at least five years, probably more. At what point do the writers stop portraying Penny as an "actress" who happens to be waitressing to just being a waitress or growing somehow? It seems now like becoming Mrs. Leonard Hofstadter is going to be her career path. When a series goes on for a long time, and a character doesn't progress "charming" can become a bit sad.

I didn't think Kaley looked pregnant, I don't see any news stories that she is, but I will start looking more closely. Wardrobe ought to get on the ball if they are dressing her and she looks pregnant.


----------



## JYoung (Jan 16, 2002)

Rob Helmerichs said:


> I think it's silly to be surprised that Sheldon knows _anything_, since it's been repeatedly established that he knows an astonishing variety of things. Like football. And chicken-fried meat.


Except Sheldon grew up in Texas and Football was a big deal to his father.
It was stated that he tried to get Sheldon interested in Football but it didn't work.
While Sheldon may know all the rules, I'd bet that he doesn't know who was in the playoffs last year as he has no interest in the sport.
(Growing up in Texas probably also explains the chicken-fried meat thing too  )



Rob Helmerichs said:


> It would be surprising if he DIDN'T know certain things. Like the full spectrum of Green Lantern colors and their emotional equivalents. But I don't think a Tom Lehrer song would be on that list.


What Sheldon is ignorant of is pop culture, as Penny loves to point out from time to time. I'm not sure if he really has an interest in novelty songs.


----------



## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

TeighVaux said:


> I think there are plenty of ways to seamlessly work Penny into the scenes without having the plot contrivance of her being Leonard's GF.


Funny thing is that I think it's *better* plotwise for her to be Leonard's GF, rather than being "the hot girl next door that the nerds pine after".


----------



## TeighVaux (May 31, 2005)

mattack said:


> Funny thing is that I think it's *better* plotwise for her to be Leonard's GF, rather than being "the hot girl next door that the nerds pine after".


I was thinking some sort of Three's Company where she ends up being a roommate (of course they'd have to get a new apt).


----------



## Polcamilla (Nov 7, 2001)

JYoung said:


> Sheldon was in college by the time he was 14. I'm going to guess he didn't have much of a social life.


Yeah...that would be my friend Shelley at the school I mentioned above. I mean, she was 13 when she started the school but her birthday is in September, so she turned 14 right away. The rest of us were only starting college at the age of 16. Much less impressive.....but the thing that was awesome about that school is that it gave nerds like us a social life for the first time ever.

(And seriously, if you're in college as a teenager and it's difficult enough that it's sucking up ALL your free time, then you're really not ready to be in college yet. There HAS to be some time left for all-night D&D campaigns, messing around with the computers in the computer lab in inappropriate ways, and trying to find a way around the school's 'no dangerous scientific equipment' rule.)


----------



## Polcamilla (Nov 7, 2001)

JYoung said:


> And most of them are not deliberate.
> It's something of a running bit that he doesn't get other people's jokes or he does a minute later and explains the humor out loud.


The snarky cutdowns are very much deliberate and he finds them very funny. He may not get all of everyone else's jokes, but it's just that his jokes are different. He finds his own jokes funny and there are other people who do too. In point of fact, the *other* running bit is that he'll make a joke that no one else will get and when he fails to get a reaction, he'll explain his joke in the same detail.

Seriously. I KNEW this guy---there are dozens of him.

As for the football and the fried meat----he usually knows the HOW about all sorts of things without grasping the WHY (and quite often doesn't care about the 'why'). Still, he's pretty well-versed in nerd counter-culture and Tom Lehrer and Dr. Demento are very much part of that.


----------



## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

Polcamilla said:


> (And Sheldon absolutely has a sense of humor. He makes jokes regularly on the show.)


Bazinga!


----------



## YCantAngieRead (Nov 5, 2003)

http://instantbazinga.com/


----------

