The Big Bang Theory: Dumpling Paradox

I am thoroughly enjoying this show! The dialogue is so well written—smart and snappy and exactly right for each character.

When Wolowitz hooks up with Penny’s friend, the world according to Sheldon is momentarily bumped out of its orbit. How can they play Halo without Wolowitz?

PENNY: Hey, if you guys need a fourth, I’ll play.
LEONARD: Great idea.
SHELDON: Nooooo. The wheel was a great idea.

I also love the subtle things the writers are doing to create intimacy between Penny and Leonard. In the last episode, Penny went through Leonard’s closet, helping him pick out something to wear to the physics convention. This week she spent the night on his sofa.

But back to the dialogue, in which know-it-all Sheldon gets to pontificate, leaving lots of openings for nice-guy Leonard’s quiet zingers.

The restaurant scene was classic.


SHELDON: [lists their usual order when the four of them go to the restaurant] Do you see the problem?
LEONARD: I see a problem.
SHELDON: Our entire order is predicated on four dumplings and four entrees divided amongst four people.
LEONARD: So, we’ll just order three entrees.
SHELDON: Fine. What do you want to eliminate, and who gets the extra dumpling?

I’ve known my share of science geeks who can easily solve complex mathematical problems, yet grapple with simple things, like ordering Chinese food. And isn’t that what makes them so darned loveable?

Lee

PS: The penultimate episode of Men in Trees airs tonight. I'm still disappointed that this series has been cancelled.

Grey’s Anatomy

Seriously . . . is the old Grey’s back or what? Last night I finally got around to watching the season premiere from last week, and then I watched last night’s episode. Snappy dialogue, humor, emotion, and plenty of snark to go around. I fell in love with the characters all over again, and I think it’s safe to say I’ve signed on for the whole season.

I’m wondering if we’ll see some of Alex’s armor stripped away this season. And will Rebecca be back? Is he telling Meredith her sister is hot just to bug her? According to him to there’s no such thing as a happy family, and yet he’s so fiercely protective of the people he cares about. I’m ready to find out more about who Alex really is, and I look forward to seeing what the writers have in store for us.

Tough-as-nails Christina, assigning numbers to her interns so she doesn't have to remember their names. Bartering her wedding gifts for surgical favors. But I’m wondering when she’ll finally have a melt down. Or at least sit down and have a good cry.

McSteamy went to Seattle to get McDreamy back. Oh, to have been a fly on the wall during the read-through when those actors first read those lines. Way to go, writers. And won’t it be fun to see what happens when those two launch themselves into the dating scene? I’m feeling more than a little uneasy about Derek and Lexie, though. He wouldn’t. Would he?

I’m still totally lukewarm about George and Izzy. I’m trying not to be, but I am. At the end of last season I didn’t think the writers needed to put them together. This season I’m still not feeling it. There’s no chemistry between the two actors, and something about the two characters together doesn’t work for me. Maybe because they’re both like a couple of deer in the headlights.

Speaking of deer . . . I don’t even care that reviving the injured deer in the hospital parking lot was beyond unbelievable. It was classic Izzy. She's the polar opposite of Christina, and that was summed up so well when she was trying to convince Christina to give her the Mix Master. And Christina said no, you have nothing I want. Did I mention the snappy dialogue? The snark? Go, Christina!

I’m not missing Burke or Addison, so I guess it was time for them to go. Haven’t watched this week’s episode of Private Practice, either. Good thing this will be a long weekend. I have a lot of catching up to do!

See you tomorrow.

Lee

The Office

It’s back, and the new season begins with a bang. Poor Meredith.

Michael is rationalizing his return to the office with pure Michael Scott logic. Which makes a better boss—a dog or a fish? Always an interesting question, but since he’s run down one of his employees in the parking lot, he has much bigger issues to deal with. Like how to make it seem as though the accident wasn’t his fault or, even better, that it was actually a good thing, not just for Meredith, for the entire world. Ah, Michael.

Dwight, by contrast, feels no need to rationalize his behavior. From the moment he returned from Angela’s apartment and reported that the ailing and aging cat was dead, we knew he had a hand in it. Like Michael, he’s convinced he did the right thing. He just doesn’t need to justify it.

The similarities and differences between these two characters are brilliantly crafted, in my opinion, and skillfully interwoven into each episode. It’s because its done so well that the writers get away with being as outrageous as they are.

PB & J . . . so adorable together, just as we knew they would be. By the second half of the hour-long premiere I was already starting to want more from Pam and Jim, and I’m confident these writers will give it to us. Now that they’re truly a team, I’m looking forward to seeing them play some great practical jokes on Dwight. Can they top last season’s episode in which Jim convinces Dwight he’s been bitten by a vampire bat? Oh, I think so.

I’ll wrap by saying that I think the dialogue is as brilliant as every other aspect of the show. Even if you’re not into off-the-wall comedy, studying a script would be like a master class in dialogue. And I get the sense that the writers are constantly trying to outdo themselves by coming up with over-the-top lines for Steve Carell’s character, and then waiting to hear him deliver them. Imagine how much fun that must be.

“I’m not superstitious . . . but I’m a little stitious.”

Way to write, guys. Keep it coming.

Back tomorrow.

Lee