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May 27, 2012

'The Big Bang Theory' - 'The Excelsior Acquisition' Recap

by Kona Gallagher, posted Mar 2nd 2010 12:30AM

big bang theory, stan lee
(S03E16) I've got to say, I would have enjoyed a little bit more of Stan Lee in this episode. He didn't really get to interact with anyone except for Penny. Even though Sheldon was in the scene, he just kind of hung back before dashing into Stan Lee's house. Instead of seeing another, "what crazy situation can we put Sheldon in" scene, I would have much preferred seeing the events that transpired that ended up leading to Wolowitz and Leonard having gelato with the comic book legend.

In fact, the episode left me with more questions about Stan Lee than it answered. Namely, would he really answer his own door, and do he and Hugh Hefner go pajama shopping together? Because that is a reality show I would be interested in watching.

When a show like 'The Big Bang Theory' has a guest star as huge as Stan Lee, we really shouldn't have an episode that not only centers on Sheldon, but centers on a completely different storyline from the one Stan Lee is in. Take, for instance, Wil Wheaton. He wasn't in the episode very much, but he at least seemed like he was part of the action instead of a random famous guy wedged into the show.

While I wouldn't say that this episode was bad (I'd be hard-pressed to find more than one or two actual bad episodes from the series' entire run), it wasn't one of my favorites. The writers have done a great job with Sheldon, and Jim Parsons absolutely deserved his Emmy nomination.

However, they seem to be leaning on him more and more, at the expense of the rest of the cast. This episode veered dangerously close into the category of, "we have a bunch of people on the show who just set up jokes for Sheldon" territory this week. I sincerely hope that they can back away from this and find their way back to the ensemble comedy that we all fell in love with. Otherwise, I'm not sure how much I'll really look forward to season four.

Some of my favorite lines from this episode:

"How can I possibly discuss with Stan Lee the scientific foundations for inter-stellar flight on a silver surfboard when part of my brain will be scanning his face for signs of contagious skin disease?" - Sheldon

Wolowitz: "Damn paper cut. Nothing worse than a paper cut!"
Raj: "Obviously you don't remember your circumcision."

Wolowitz: "Why do you have all of these unopened paychecks in your desk?"
Sheldon: "Because most of the things I'm planning to buy haven't been invented yet."

"I don't trust banks. I believe that when the robots rise up, ATMs will lead the charge." - Sheldon

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renee

my biggest question was why did they make Stan Lee out to be such a big jerk? And i think this episode leaned more toward Sheldon because there have been a lot of Leonard/Penny episodes.

March 03 2010 at 9:19 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Mark

No one's going to talk about how funny Raj was with his massive list of alliterative Stan Lee character names?

March 02 2010 at 5:47 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
jitpleecheep

Though I agree that it certainly wasn't the best episode, the t-shirt was a nice gimmick.

Speaking of which, does anyone know what the sound was Raj played BEFORE the Law & Order "doink doink"-sound? I know it's one of the most famous movie sounds, but I have absolutely no clue where it originates. You know, the one going "pam pam paam". Sound like Dragnet or something.

March 02 2010 at 3:07 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
charleswheeler

Had the great pleasure of escorting Stan Lee around Tacoma WA back in the early 70s. (He was speaking at our university that night.) We took him to the zoo, we took him to dinner, we even took him to our rented house (think Animal House with a less stringent hygiene regime.)

He was gracious, interesting (and interested), engaging and generally fun to hang around with. In other words, he is absolutely the kind of guy who would go out for gelato with fans.

BTW, nice shout out with "Judge J. Kirby." Guess there was no way to write a king into the episode ...

March 02 2010 at 11:48 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
beergas

Guys mentioned some of the goodies, like Law & Order sound.
Agree that laying on the Sheldon centeric routines just a little too much at expense of others. Whole jail scene could have been cut down. We got it.
Penny was well used tho putting her in the court approval
outfit. Good setup with her comic book deal to attend the
marriage. Give show a B for effort. And do hope they learn to play down Sheldon before gets stale. Take a lesson from
Rules of Engagement where they balance the play.

March 02 2010 at 10:10 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
charles melrose III

You totally missed it. Stan Lee was no more than a prop. Wouldn't have mattered if we hadn't seen him for a second. Could have been a cardboard cutout. It's the role that the concept and legend of Stan Lee plays in the four guys' minds that's essential to the episode. The half hour could have been written just as well--maybe better--without any onscreen Lee. It's all about their reactions to the anticipation and experience of meeting him. And you missed the shirt.

March 02 2010 at 10:06 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Kristi

I liked this episode, but I do know where you're coming from, it seems to be an all Sheldon all the time show compared to maybe the first season when it was more balanced.

I, too, would have loved to see how they got Stan Lee out for gelato, especially since he didn't seem to like Raj, but maybe they would have had to pay Stan Lee much more to do it!

http://www.orble.com/teevee-himym-big-bang-theory-31/

March 02 2010 at 9:48 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
delois

I agree about Raj's shirt. That was hilarious and not one mention of it in this review. My favorite was the Law & Order music clip.

March 02 2010 at 9:21 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
mike

Oh come on, Sheldon didn't steal this episode. If anyone did, Raj did with his shirt. Now I've got to google and find me one of them.

March 02 2010 at 8:03 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to mike's comment
Jesse

Think geek sells them. In fact since last weeks episode they have a big "As seen on the Big Bang Theory" added to the job description.

http://www.thinkgeek.com/tshirts-apparel/interactive/a5bf/

March 02 2010 at 8:34 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply

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