The Jerusalem Duality
So Sheldon and Leonard are having another one of their über-scientific conversations in the school cafeteria. I don't mean to make it sound like a yawner.
Jim Parsons delivers science doublespeak dialogue brilliantly, and the word I get from folks who've attended tapings is that he's a one-taker.
Uh oh, here comes trouble. Dr. Gablehauser escorts a kid named Dennis Kim over to their table, and suddenly Sheldon is no longer the center of the scientific universe. Dennis is being recruited, at age 15, to join the university's physics program. Sheldon's confidence is quickly being stripped away by a teenager (who dismantles Sheldon's research to his face.) Then there's the prestigious Stevenson Award. Is Sheldon the youngest to ever win it? Nope! Guess who is? Oh yeah, this is going to be good.
Cut to the best animation/music sequence on television today. Thank you,
Barenaked Ladies.
Even before precocious Dennis starts day one as a student, demoralized Sheldon tries to find some other science project to focus on and noses in on Leonard, Howard and Rejesh in their laboratories while getting all "here's how I would do this" on them. He's promptly and loudly told to "Go away!" Reminded me of growing up when our dog was sprayed by a skunk and, short of admitting defeat (and post-tomato sauce bathtub spa treatment), tried to sneak into all of our bedrooms before being banished to the garage. Even dear Penny has had it with Sheldon.
And another of Sheldon's pet projects to prove his brilliance is to build an exact replica of Jerusalem in Mexico (hence the episode title) for Jews to claim as their own. Will they come? "We'll make it nice,"
Sheldon says. "Put out a spread." Nice, indeed.
So how do the others in the physics foursome save their friend from this desperation? Hot girls, of course. But it's not what you think. Let's invite a bunch of attractive 15-year-olds to Dennis's welcoming reception to distract the kid and shift his kinetic energy a smidge. Not that any of them exactly know how to meet girls, but it's worth a try. If only they knew there is no formula for meeting women.
Before they can find a girl to introduce to Dennis, the kid scores (ahem, he seems to have befriended a nice girl) and blows off giving a speech so he can go to the mall with her.
Sheldon rattles off scientific theories and such to those at the reception in Dennis's absence. Welcome back, Sheldon.
"The kid got a girl," a confused Leonard sighs. Sure, they accomplished their goal, but why couldn't they get girls so easily when they were that age and so into physics? Ah, yes, the daily internal struggle of Leonard, Howard and Rejesh. Not so much for Sheldon, who sees the kid (who apparently dropped out of the program) making out with the girl in the park. "Screw him. He was weak!"
An intimidated and demoralized Sheldon is fun to watch, but I hope they keep it to one episode. I miss seeing the guys (and especially Leonard) scheming to win Penny's affection. And there was not enough Penny this week.
Anyone catch Chuck Lorre's vanity card at the end of the show? It turns out an over-confident Lorre played guitar for a living in Miami back in the 1970s thinking he was the you-know-what. So while auditing a college music class, in walks a sluggish kid who barely spoke to anyone. That kid was Pat Metheny. Upon hearing the first notes Metheny played, a voice in Lorre's head said to go into television because "nobody's a prodigy there." Brilliant.
