dragonfire88's Full Review: Big Bang Theory - The Complete Second Season
During the last couple of years, a few more television shows have started airing that I have been watching on a regular basis and really enjoying. I first started watching The Big Bang Theory in the fall of 2007 because there wasn't anything else on that time that I wanted to see. I quickly came to love the show and have been watching it ever since. I just picked up The Big Bang Theory - The Complete Second Season.
The Big Bang Theory airs on CBS. Over the summer of 2009, the show's Monday night time slot was changed and it is now airing at 9:30 PM EST. The third season of the series starts on September 21. The show is a half hour comedy about genius scientists and how they deal or attempt to deal with certain situations.
Leonard Hofstadter is an experimental physicist working at Caltech. His roommate is Sheldon Cooper, a theoretical physicist who also works at Caltech. Sheldon is a former child prodigy who was in college by eleven. The two men get along well, though Leonard is frequently irritated by Sheldon and all his issues. Sheldon does have trouble in social situations and he can't seem to grasp what irony and sarcasm are. He constantly points out how smart he is and is surprised when people get annoyed. A beautiful young woman named Penny lives across the hall. She is frequently clueless about what Leonard and Sheldon are talking about, but she has become a friend. Howard Wolowitz, an engineer, and Rajesh Koothrappali, a particle astrophysicist, are friends with Leonard and Sheldon and frequently at the apartment. Penny has interactions with all four guys in every episode.
Of the four friends, Leonard seems the most normal and most able to deal with certain things even though he has a few issues of his own. Howard lives at home with his mother who is only heard yelling in the background, usually when the phone rings. Howard thinks he is irresistible to women when he isn't, though he has had some success with a few women. Raj is so incredibly shy around attractive women that he can't talk to them unless he is drunk or under the influence of some kind of experimental drug for social anxiety. Sheldon has all sorts of issues that pop up in basically every situation he is in. He has a very precise schedule, down to the time of day he uses the bathroom, and if something disrupts the schedule, he has trouble coping. He always has to sit in the same spot in the apartment and he has to have certain meals on certain days. Sheldon's issues play a fairly big part in the series.
The four guys are geeks - or nerds depending on your definition - in addition to being intelligent. They all have collections of comic books, action figures, and various movie related collectibles. They can have long discussions over which Star Trek movie is the worst. During a conversation with Leonard, Sheldon claims that he could be Batman if he just had enough money. The guys bring up references to different movies or television shows in their everyday conversations. Sheldon frequently wears different superhero related t-shirts and even turns up in his Flash costume at one point when he is having a caffeine buzz. Different things like Sheldon's Batman cookie jar can be seen in the background of scenes set in the apartment. I love all the references to the different movies and television shows. The four guys still play video games frequently. One episode features their Wii bowling night, and they even have bowling shirts for the occasion. The video game obsession does pull in Penny during one episode when Sheldon introduces to her an online game. She also goes along with them to play paint ball once. The comic book store that the guys mention is shown in a few episodes, complete with a guy they call Captain Sweatpants. Summer Glau from Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles turns up in one episode and sets all the guys off in a frenzy trying think up ways to talk to her. Penny has basically become the fifth member of their group, and she has started picking up on things from them. At one point, she starts talking about something from Star Trek. Penny also manages to sort of influence the guys by getting them interested in America's Next Top Model, which leads to Howard and Raj trying to track down the house where the women are living.
All the episodes in the second season of The Big Bang Theory have different plots and there aren't any two part episodes. Some things do build on previous events though, so I do think that some things will make more sense if the episodes are watched in order. During the last episode of the first season, Leonard and Penny go out on their first date. The second season picks up immediately after that as they are getting home. Things went well, but Penny starts to have some doubts and the romance seems to be over at that point. It pops up again throughout the season and the potential is still there. The things tied to the development of the relationship between Penny and Leonard are the biggest things that build over the course of the season.
Several very entertaining things happen over the course of the second season of The Big Bang Theory. Once it seems like all hope for a relationship with Penny ends, Leonard decides he is moving on and dates Leslie Winkle, a woman he has been briefly involved with before. Leonard then gets involved with a doctor named Stephanie, but that doesn't last long either. Howard and even Sheldon sort of get girlfriends, which is very interesting to see. Raj receives some recognition for his work that goes to his head and he is able to say something to Penny when he is sober. Howard faces a crisis with his work on two different occasions that causes him to turn to his friends for help. Penny violates one of Sheldon's rules, which sets off a war between the two of them that ends once Penny gains access to Sheldon's kryptonite. Leonard's mother comes for a visit and she is basically a female version of Sheldon. The interactions between her and Sheldon are very entertaining. The season ends with the four guys heading to the North Pole for three months to do research.
Science things come up at least briefly in all the episodes during the second season of The Big Bang Theory. All four of the guys talk about different projects they are working on for work. Sheldon continues to seem to be the most obsessed about his work and it is because of him that they go to the North Pole for the research. All of the science stuff is well above my head, but they do sound accurate. A physicist serves as a consultant for the show to make sure the science things are accurate. Some people that the guys work with at Caltech turn up in some episodes and they also discuss some scientific stuff. I do think the science things that turn up are interesting even though they are confusing and I don't understand much of it. The guys are shown at work in some episodes and the work related things do make for entertaining episodes, like in The Classified MaterialsTurbulence when Howard has a massive work related problem.
I think that The Big Bang Theory is hilarious and the most consistently funny comedy currently airing. I personally think it is one of the funniest comedies I've ever seen. The show started off being very funny during the first season and that has continued with the second season. The humor continues to come from the various situations the guys and Penny end up in and how they react to those situations. I think Sheldon provides the most humor. He is highly intelligent but has trouble coping with some more normal situations. He tends to freak out if he can't sit in his spot or if one of his rather bizarre house rules are violated. He has his own special way of knocking when he goes to Penny's. He is so flustered when she interrupts his knock that he doesn't know what to do, which ends up being one of the funniest moments of the season. At one point, Leonard isn't able to drive Sheldon to work, so he has to get a ride from Penny which ends when she kicks him out of the car. Howard and Raj don't deal any better, so the group decides it is time for Sheldon to learn how to drive with hilarious results. During the Christmas episode Penny gives Sheldon what is the perfect gift for him and his reaction makes me laugh just thinking about it. Every single episode in the second season made me laugh out loud numerous times. I really can't pick a funniest episode since all of them are so funny.
Romance is not a driving force for the stories in The Big Bang Theory, but it does pop up every so often. Leonard and Penny have to deal with the aftermath of their date and things don't work out as expected, especially as far as Leonard is concerned. He then quickly rebounds and starts spending time with Leslie, though that doesn't last long. They are shown during their few dates, though nothing much happens. A bit later in the season, Leonard starts dating Stephanie which lasts a few episodes. Penny goes out with a few different guys again, with things progressing rather fast with one guy before she discovers something that causes her to end things. From one thing she said, it sounds like they were getting intimate even though they hadn't been dating that long. Howard basically becomes a sex toy for his sort of girlfriend during their odd relationship. Even though it isn't a true relationship, Howard is very upset when she ends things. To cheer him up, Leonard and Raj decide to hire a prostitute for him. Raj actually goes home with a woman he picks up in a bar for what I think is a one night stand, though it is never referred to again. Leonard and Penny end up sharing another moment or two during the season, though their relationship doesn't move forward to them having sex. No actual sex scenes are in the episodes, though it is made clear that some characters are sexually active. Penny does wear some skimpy outfits, so she shows off a lot of skin at times. There are a few sexual remarks made every so often.
Of the main characters in The Big Bang Theory, Leonard, Sheldon, and Penny receive the most attention. Leonard and Sheldon have been roommates for a while, though it hasn't been said for how long or even how long they have known each other. The two of them do have things in common, but they are also very different, with Leonard being a bit more normal. Leonard does get frustrated with Sheldon, but he goes out of his way to do things the way Sheldon likes. Sheldon still doesn't understand some things, though he has made some improvements in a few areas. Johnny Galecki and Jim Parsons are wonderful in the parts. Parsons has started to receive some attention for his performance, including a well deserved Emmy nomination.
Penny is still working at The Cheesecake Factory as a waitress and she mentions being an actress every so often, though nothing seems to be coming of that for her yet. She is intimidated by how smart the guys are at times, though she usually doesn't show it. She is becoming a member of the group and while she is still befuddled by some of what they do, she is understanding more. She does decide to stand up to Sheldon at one point, which is what leads to their war. Penny isn't as smart as the guys, but that doesn't mean that she is stupid. She tends to deal with the guys, especially Sheldon, well. Kaley Cuoco does really well with the part. There is good chemistry between Penny and Leonard and also Penny and Sheldon, though that is a different sort of chemistry. Some of the funniest things happen when the two of them are forced to deal with each other in some situation.
Howard is still living with his mother. Howard continues to try to hit on Penny even though she has made it clear on more than one occasion that she isn't interested. He does act creepy at times, but he is somehow an entertaining, likable character despite that. Simon Helberg does well with the part. He also had a small part in Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. Howard's mother is sort of around every so often even though she isn't seen. She is just heard yelling at Howard about something every so often. Raj is frequently silent even though he is around since he still can't talk when a woman is around. He did manage to say something to Penny once without being drunk, so that would be a little bit of progress for him. He is a really nice guy, but when he starts drinking to be able to talk to women, he can end up acting like a jerk. Kunal Nayyar does well with the part. Raj's parents turn up once or twice through a web video chat.
Leslie Winkle is another physicist at Caltech who turns up every so often. She loves to make jokes at Sheldon's expense and the two of them do not get along at all. Sheldon considers her his arch nemesis. She is an interesting character, though she isn't around that much. Sarah Gilbert does well with the part. Stephanie is the doctor that Leonard dates for a while. She is nice enough, but I didn't like her that much for some reason. I'm still not sure exactly why I feel that way about her. Leonard's mother turns up for a visit during one episode. She is very distant and actually a lot like Sheldon. Christine Baranski does well with the part. Some other people the guys work with turn up every so often without having much to do. The owner of the comic book store they go to every Wednesday is in a few episodes as well.
Main Cast
Kaley Cuoco - Penny Johnny Galecki - Leonard Hofstadter Simon Helberg - Howard Wolowitz Kunal Nayyar - Rajesh Koothrappali Jim Parsons - Sheldon Cooper
DVD Information
The Big Bang Theory - The Complete Second Season was released on DVD on September 2009. The set has the twenty-three season two episodes on four discs. The case is like the one used for the first season, with the disc holders being sort of like pages that can be turned to get to the other discs. There is a small booklet with the set that lists out which episodes are on each disc. There are also short plot summaries for the episodes along with the original air dates and information on the writing. The episodes all have titles that sort of sound scientific like was done for the first season.
There still aren't a lot of extras included in The Big Bang Theory - The Complete Second Season, but there are two more than there were for the first season. Physicist to the Stars: Real-Life Physicist/UCLA Professor David Saltzberg's Consulting Relationship With the Show has Saltzberg talking about how he makes sure all the science stuff is accurate. He also mentions that he knows other scientists who love the show. The creators of the show and some of the cast are included during this featurette as well. It is very interesting.
Testing the Infinite Hilarity Hypothesis in Relation to The Big Bang Theory: Season Two's Unique Characters and Characteristics is focused on sharing things about the characters. The creators and cast talk about the characters and how they interact with each other. The changes to some of the characters are talked about, like how Penny understands the guys more and is basically a member of their group now. This featurette is entertaining and interesting. The final extra is a Gag Reel that lasts for almost nine minutes. There are some really funny things in this and I would have enjoyed seeing more of the goofs since they are so entertaining.
Episode List
The Bad Fish Paradigm The Codpiece Topology The Barbarian Sublimation The Griffin Equivalency The Euclid Alternative The Cooper-Nowitzki Theorem The Panty Piñata Polarization The Lizard-Spock Expansion The White Asparagus Triangulation The Vartabedian Conundrum The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis The Killer Robot Instability The Friendship Algorithm The Financial Permeability The Maternal Capacitance The Cushion Saturation The Terminator Decoupling The Work Song Nanocluster The Dead Hooker Juxtaposition The Hofstadter Isotope The Vegas Renormalization The Classified Materials Turbulence The Monopolar Expedition
The Big Bang Theory is a wonderfully entertaining comedy that is consistently funny in every episode. The blend of science, comic book and movie references along with the issues of the characters has made for a very fun, enjoyable show. The Big Bang Theory - The Complete Second Season is a must have DVD set for fans of the show.
I have decided to include a few quotes from the second season that I think help to illustrate the type of humor used in the show.
Sheldon: I believe the appropriate metaphor here involves a river of excrement and a Native American water vessel without any means of propulsion.
Sheldon: What exactly does that expression mean, 'friends with benefits?' Does he provide her with health insurance?
Sheldon: I'm sorry but I'm not going to watch the Clone Wars TV Series until I've seen the Clone Wars movie. I prefer to let George Lucas disappoint me in the order he intended.
Sheldon: A fear of heights is illogical. A fear of falling, on the other hand, is prudent and evolutionary.
Sheldon: You know, it's amazing how many super villains have advanced degrees. Graduate schools should do a better job of screening those people out.
Sheldon: I'm not insane, my mother had me tested!
Sheldon: Three tines is not a fork. Three tines is a trident. Forks are for eating; tridents are for ruling the seven seas.
Leonard: We're here to see Koothrappali, not kill Batman!
Leonard: How can 5 not be worse than 1? Rajesh: Yeah, Star Trek 5 worse than 1. Sheldon: Ok, first of all that is a comparison of quality not intensity. Secondly, Star Trek 1 is orders of magnitude worse than Star Trek 5. Rajesh: Are you joking? Star Trek 5 is the standard against which all badness is measured!
Howard: If it's "creepy" to use the Internet, military satellites, and robot aircraft to find a house full of gorgeous young models so I can drop in on them unexpected, then FINE, I'm "creepy".
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