Big Bang: Sheldon's Basement Office and Parking Space

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

First, Sheldon has a secret space in the basement where he plays footbag. Then, he has a parking spot that he never uses? I found it odd that two episodes in a row would look at University spaces that Sheldon superfluously occupies, but that fact aside they were a good pair of episodes. Actually, I thought that "The Parking Spot Escalation" was one of The Big Bang Theory's best episodes to date. The situations appeared very genuine and easy to believe, plus I was just laughing so hard right and left that there wasn't time for a moment to not work within the twenty-two minutes. I particularly loved how Bernadette and Amy were fighting while Penny wasn't sure what to do, ultimately getting in the way and being the one who lost the most over the issue. Now, if only we could have worked in a little Stuart... I think that would have been the icing on the cake! What about you, did you find the same hilarity?

There was a strange plot with Raj, though... His posits about mummies and zombies and werewolves were weird, but Sheldon correcting him when Leonard gives him cookies was funny in a Pavlovian way.

The Big Bang Theory "The 43 Peculiarity" (S06E08): Sheldon does something every day from 2:45-3:05pm, but nobody knows what it is. Raj and Howard follow him to a basement storage room, to which the duo later return and break-in to see a bare room with "43" written on a chalkboard. They then spend an extreme amount of time trying to figure out what it could possibly mean. [not super interesting, I gotta say.] So, they decide to put a hidden camera in the room to watch what Sheldon does, but he's wise to their snooping and acts as if he has a wormhole generator and spends twenty minutes each day checking parallel universes. [...not gonna lie, I almost believed it for a half-second!] When he pretends that an alien "eats his face" and freaks them out, he explains that he really just likes to "recharge" during that 20 minutes each day. Apparently he does this by playing hackey sack, and 43 is his highest sore. 

Meanwhile, Penny works on a school project with a British guy, worrying Leonard to the point that he stares out his peephole just to get a look at him. [um, what about Alex joining Leonard in the cafeteria? is that going anywhere?] Leonard even follows the guy downstairs to "talk up the cute blonde on 4's boyfriend," though Penny catches him. [who calls it a "frigerator"? It's either a "refrigerator" or a "fridge."] Leonard tells her that he worries because guys hit on her everywhere, but she busts out that she loves him so it's fine. Both of them are caught by surprise. [so was everyone in the room I was in! it was almost a little too Chandler-and-Monica a la Friends, tho...] 

The Big Bang Theory "The Parking Spot Escalation" (S06E09): Howard now has a new Mini Cooper and is assigned spot 294 at the University, Sheldon's former spot. Sheldon doesn't take the news well that he's being relocated, so after trying to push the car out of the space, he calls the President of the University. [I loved that he also went to the Preisdent's home!] Sheldon is told that Howard is a prominent asset to the school, so the genius decides to take Howard's Iron Man helmet in retaliation. His reasoning? It "wasn't being used and apparently those are the rules we live by now." [hahaha!] Howard takes Sheldon's diploma, then uses Sheldon's laptop while sitting in Sheldon's spot on the couch, naked. [lmao... "go ahead, that's the only doctorate you'll ever get."] The girls also start bickering about their men, with Bernadette going so far as to point out that Amy and Sheldon's sex life is theoretical. [OMG. hahahahaha!]

That evening, Sheldon spray-paints over Howard's name and stencils his own back on, then has Amy part in the spot. She agrees, though he must first see her pants-less, as she recently had her first bikini wax. [that was a bit odd. and, melted Crayolas and duct tape? BAD IDEA!] Bernadette has the car towed and it costs Amy $200 to get it back. Angry at the newlywed, Amy goes to swing her purse (with a coffee can full of coins inside) at Bernadette but hits Penny instead, so the girls calla truce to head to the emergency room. [holy cow!] Sheldon decides to work in his spot with a whiteboard, a laptop, and a desk chair, but Howard pulls in anyway, pushing Sheldon with his car. [again, I'm about doubled over in laughter!]

Monty Brinton/CBS

Leonard takes Sheldon's side while Sheldon strips and sits in Howard's car. [hahaha! I didn't know that Sheldon had that in him!] Howard asks the President to re-assign the spot to Sheldon, and Howard will park in a garage across the street. But, Sheldon doesn't like Howard being the bigger man, so he decides to let Howard have the spot until Sheldon learns to drive or gets a Batmobile. [LOVE it!]

To fix his other problem, Sheldon takes the couch cushion to a dry cleaner he found on Yelp, completely believing that the guy would have a way to check for lipids on the material. [and, omg, Sheldon selling a laptop that has "spent less than 20 minutes on an astronaut's penis" made me laugh pretty hard!]