The Convention Conundrum

Last updated
"The Convention Conundrum"
The Big Bang Theory episode
Episode no.Season 7
Episode 14
Directed by Mark Cendrowski
Story by
Teleplay by
Production code4X5315 [1]
Original air dateJanuary 30, 2014 (2014-01-30)
Running time21 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
 Previous
"The Occupation Recalibration"
Next 
"The Locomotive Manipulation"
The Big Bang Theory season 7
List of episodes

"The Convention Conundrum" is the 14th episode of the seventh season of the U.S. sitcom The Big Bang Theory and the 149th episode of the show overall. It first aired on CBS on January 30, 2014. [1]

Contents

The episode was filmed nine days before airing. It features guest appearances by James Earl Jones and Carrie Fisher. In contrast to previous guest stars, Jones takes a liking to Sheldon (Jim Parsons) and the main plot is focused on the two having a night out together. Fisher appears when Jones suggests they knock on her door and run away. The episode received high ratings and mainly positive reviews, with many complimenting the cameo appearances.

Plot

Leonard (Johnny Galecki), Sheldon, Raj (Kunal Nayyar) and Howard (Simon Helberg) are in Leonard and Sheldon's apartment, waiting for Comic-Con tickets to go on sale online. After ten minutes of trying, tickets run out and the four men are disappointed that they will not be able to attend, especially as they had spent so much time on their costumes, intending to go as different versions of the Hulk as portrayed by Lou Ferrigno, Eric Bana, Edward Norton, and Mark Ruffalo.

Sheldon decides to set up his own Comic-Con, and tries to convince several celebrities to appear, including Stan Lee, Bill Nye the Science Guy, Leonard Nimoy, and Wil Wheaton. Since Wil is unavailable and Sheldon has restraining orders from Lee, Nimoy, and Nye, he asks Leonard to contact them. [2] Leonard, Raj, and Howard attempt to solve their Comic-Con problem by illegally buying scalped tickets. After arranging for a scalper to come to the apartment, they begin to get worried, remembering Sheldon's warning that they could get charged for petty theft, then have to disclose the crime in the future. When the scalper is heard arriving, they quickly turn off the lights and stay silent.

Sheldon discovers James Earl Jones, whom he reveres for voicing the Star Wars villain Darth Vader, is going to a sushi restaurant, where Sheldon meets him. Unlike many celebrities Sheldon has met, Jones eagerly welcomes his company. Sheldon asks Jones questions about himself and he confirms that he was functionally mute for eight years, he was a pre-med in college, and that sound designer Ben Burtt used scuba equipment to create the sound of Darth Vader's breathing. The two spend the night doing various activities at an ice-cream parlor, a carnival, a strip club, singing at a karaoke club, pranking Carrie Fisher by knocking on her door and running away, and finish the night by going to a sauna. When Jones learns that Sheldon and his friends failed to get Comic-Con tickets, he invites them along as his guests.

Penny (Kaley Cuoco), Amy (Mayim Bialik) and Bernadette (Melissa Rauch) go for afternoon tea at a tea parlor in an attempt to feel more like adults. Once they arrive, they see that only mothers and their children are there; they decide to hit the lobby bar instead. They discuss how they do not feel grown up and how being an adult is not necessarily a good thing.

Production

Carrie Fisher, who played Princess Leia in the Star Wars franchise, makes a guest appearance in "The Convention Conundrum" Carrie Fisher 2013-a straightened.jpg
Carrie Fisher, who played Princess Leia in the Star Wars franchise, makes a guest appearance in "The Convention Conundrum"

The episode features guest stars James Earl Jones and Carrie Fisher, actors from the Star Wars film series. [3] It was first announced that they would be appearing on the show on January 12, 2014. [4] The day after, Steve Molaro revealed the basic plot outline for the episode, although he refused to explain exactly what Fisher's "very small, very funny, very weird part" would be. [5] [6] The episode was filmed on January 21, 2014. [note 1] In real life, James Earl Jones is said to be a "good sport" when meeting Star Wars fans, similar to his character in the episode. Jim Parsons described having James Earl Jones around as "pretty insane" and said "there's no way ever you can even realize the amount of work he's done." [8]

"The Convention Conundrum" is the first episode to credit Kaley Cuoco, who plays Penny, as Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting. [note 2] She married Ryan Sweeting on December 31, 2013; [11] this was the third episode to air after their wedding. [note 3]

Reception

Ratings

On the night of its first broadcast on January 30, 2014 at 8 p.m., the episode was watched by 19.05 million households in the U.S. [14] Including 5.70 million viewers watching on DVR, the episode was watched by 24.75 million viewers in total. [15] It received a Nielsen rating of 11.3/14 overall, [16] and 5.2/15 for viewers aged 18 to 49. [14] The episode was the most watched episode that night. [14]

In Canada, the episode aired at the same time as in America, on CTV Television Network and was watched by 4.38 million viewers, ranking it third on both Canadian television and CTV that week. [17] Australia first broadcast the episode on Nine Network on March 25, 2014, and was watched by 994,000 households. It was ranked third on the network that night and eighth on cable. [18] In the UK, it aired on May 1, 2014 on E4. The episode received 1.84 million viewers (according to BARB), ranking it number 1 that week on the channel; the episode had 0.46 million viewers on E4 +1, giving it a total of 2.31 million viewers. [19]

Reviews

James Earl Jones' performance was well received James Earl Jones (8516667383).jpg
James Earl Jones' performance was well received

The episode received mostly positive reviews, with many critics complimenting James Earl Jones and Carrie Fisher's cameo appearances. Jesse Schedeen of IGN rated it eight out of 10, summarizing that "When it comes to celebrity guest stars, James Earl Jones raised the bar on this week's Big Bang Theory." [20] Oliver Sava of The A.V. Club gave the episode a B, complimenting the show for having enough "nerd currency" to secure two high-profile guest stars in one episode; [21] Jason Hughes of The Huffington Post agreed, describing the episode as "one of the best uses of celebrity guest stars playing themselves we've seen on television". [22] Billy Nilles from Zap2it said "Jones has proven himself a powerful comedy performer". [23]

Carla Day from TV Fanatic gave the episode a very positive review, describing it as "by far the funniest episode of the season" and giving it an editor rating of 4.9 out of 5. [24] Tom Eames of Digital Spy gave it a mixed review. He complimented the cold opening, and described Carrie Fisher's "surprise cameo appearance" as "pretty cool". However, he said the girls' subplot of acting like grown-ups was "used a bit too often" and thought the scalper ticket subplot being "dropped without a conclusion" was "a shame". [25]

However, Robin Pierson of The TV Critic rated the episode 40 out of 100, describing it as "classic bad Big Bang Theory". [26] Pierson said "a story like this makes it a bit harder to believe in Sheldon" and suggested that Sheldon should "take something from this experience". [26] Pierson also disliked the girls' subplot as it did not "go anywhere" and described the guys as "cowards". [26]

Notes

  1. The episode, per the production code, was the 15th to be filmed in the season. "1/21/14" was the 15th date listed on TVTickets for season 7 of The Big Bang Theory. [7]
  2. She was credited as "Kaley Cuoco" in "The Occupation Recalibration" (the previous episode) [9] and credited as "Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting" in "The Convention Conundrum" (this episode). [10]
  3. "The Hesitation Ramification" aired on January 2, 2014, [12] and "The Occupation Recalibration" aired on January 9, 2014. [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaley Cuoco</span> American actress (born 1985)

Kaley Christine Cuoco is an American actress. She is known for starring as Penny on the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory (2007–2019) and as the title character in the HBO Max comedic thriller The Flight Attendant (2020–2022). The latter earned her nominations for Primetime Emmy Awards and Golden Globe Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Galecki</span> American actor

John Mark Galecki is an American actor. He played Leonard Hofstadter in the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory (2007–2019) for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination, and David Healy in the ABC sitcoms Roseanne and The Conners (2018–2019). Galecki also appeared in the films Prancer (1989), National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989), Suicide Kings (1997), I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), Bookies (2003), In Time (2011), and Rings (2017).

<i>The Big Bang Theory</i> American television sitcom (2007–2019)

The Big Bang Theory is an American television sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, both of whom served as executive producers and head writers on the series, along with Steven Molaro. It aired on CBS from September 24, 2007, to May 16, 2019, running for 12 seasons and 279 episodes.

"The Terminator Decoupling" is an episode of the American comedy television series The Big Bang Theory. It first aired on CBS in the United States on March 9, 2009. It is the seventeenth episode of the second season of the series and the thirty-fourth episode overall. The episode features guest appearances by actress Summer Glau and cosmologist George Smoot.

<i>The Big Bang Theory</i> season 4 Season of television series

The fourth season of the American sitcom The Big Bang Theory aired on CBS from September 23, 2010 to May 19, 2011. Melissa Rauch and Mayim Bialik auditioned and were promoted to the main cast during this season as Dr. Bernadette Rostenkowski and Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler respectively.

"The Love Car Displacement" is an episode of the television series The Big Bang Theory that first aired on CBS on January 20, 2011. It is the thirteenth episode of the fourth season of the series and the seventy-sixth episode overall. The episode features a guest appearance by former professional basketball player Rick Fox.

"The Stag Convergence" is the 22nd episode of the fifth season of the American sitcom The Big Bang Theory. The episode premiered on April 26, 2012, on CBS. In it, the main characters go to the bachelor party to celebrate Howard and Bernadette's upcoming marriage. At the party, a drunk Raj reveals some information about Howard's past sexual encounters. When Bernadette picks them up from the party, Howard and Rajesh find out that Bernadette learned about Howard's sexual history from a video posted on the internet.

<i>The Big Bang Theory</i> season 7 Season of television series

The seventh season of the American sitcom The Big Bang Theory aired on CBS from September 26, 2013 to May 15, 2014.

<i>The Carrie Diaries</i> season 2 Season of television series

The second and final season of the American comedy-drama television series The Carrie Diaries premiered on The CW on October 25, 2013, and concluded on January 31, 2014, consisting of 13 episodes. The series serves as a prequel to the HBO series Sex and the City.

<i>The Big Bang Theory</i> season 8 2014 American television season

The eighth season of the American sitcom The Big Bang Theory aired on CBS from September 22, 2014 to May 7, 2015. The series returned to its regular Thursday night time slot on October 30, 2014, beginning with the eighth season's seventh episode. On March 12, 2014, The Big Bang Theory was renewed for an additional three years, extending it through the 2016–17 television season for a total of ten seasons.

"The Hawking Excitation" is the 21st episode of the fifth season of The Big Bang Theory that first aired on CBS on April 5, 2012. It is the 108th episode overall. After learning that Stephen Hawking is coming to lecture at Caltech, Howard is hired to maintain his wheelchair equipment. When Sheldon discovers this, he is desperate to meet Hawking. Howard says he can, but only if he completes a humiliating series of tasks.

"The Hot Troll Deviation" is the fourth episode of the fourth season of the US sitcom The Big Bang Theory and the 67th episode of the show overall. It first aired on CBS on October 14, 2010. In the episode, Howard and Bernadette go on a date following their breakup a few months prior. Sheldon and Raj engage in a series of "tit for tat" exchanges when working together. The title refers to Howard's virtual affair with a troll on World of Warcraft.

"The Infestation Hypothesis" is the second episode of the fifth season of The Big Bang Theory that first aired on CBS on September 22, 2011. It is the 89th episode overall. In it, Sheldon becomes worried when Penny acquires a new chair, while Leonard tries to make his long distance relationship with Priya work. The episode was watched by nearly 12 million viewers in the U.S. and received mixed reviews.

"The Russian Rocket Reaction" is the fifth episode of the fifth season of The Big Bang Theory and the 92nd episode overall. It first aired on CBS on October 13, 2011.

"The Good Guy Fluctuation" is the seventh episode of the fifth season of the US sitcom The Big Bang Theory and the 94th episode of the show overall. It first aired on CBS on October 27, 2011.

"The Isolation Permutation" is the eighth episode of the fifth season of the US sitcom The Big Bang Theory and the 95th episode of the show overall. It first aired on CBS on November 3, 2011.

"The Locomotion Interruption" is the first episode of the eighth season of The Big Bang Theory, which first aired on CBS on September 22, 2014. It is the 160th episode overall. In "The Locomotion Interruption", Sheldon returns to Pasadena, Penny has a job interview for a pharmaceutical sales position, and Stuart living with Howard's mother begins to make Howard uncomfortable.

"The Werewolf Transformation" is the 18th episode of the fifth season of the U.S. sitcom The Big Bang Theory and the 105th episode of the show overall. It first aired on CBS on February 23, 2012.

"The Platonic Permutation" is the ninth episode of the ninth season of The Big Bang Theory. The 192nd episode overall, it first aired on CBS on November 19, 2015. The story follows the characters throughout Thanksgiving. The first storyline explores Sheldon and Amy's relationship as they meet-up, after being broken up. The next subplot follows Bernadette, Raj, Emily and Howard where they volunteer at a soup kitchen and the last follows Leonard and Penny after they have a minor conflict as Penny forgets Leonard's birthday.

"The D&D Vortex" is the sixteenth episode of the twelfth and final season, and 271st episode overall of The Big Bang Theory. It first aired on CBS on February 21, 2019. The episode features several guests playing themselves, including William Shatner.

References

  1. 1 2 "Listings Big Bang Theory, The| The Convention Conundrum". The Futon Critic . Futon Media. Retrieved May 2, 2014.
  2. Block, Sheri (January 30, 2014). "Star Wars legends James Earl Jones, Carrie Fisher to guest star on 'Big Bang Theory'". CTV . Bell Media. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved May 3, 2014.
  3. Mitovich, Matt Webb (January 12, 2014). "Exclusive: The Big Bang Theory Books Out-of-This-World Star Wars Cameos". TVLine . Penske Media Corporation . Retrieved June 25, 2014.
  4. Abrams, Natalie (January 13, 2014). "Big Bang Theory Scoop: Details on James Earl Jones and Carrie Fisher's Guest Roles". TV Guide . CBS Interactive . Retrieved June 25, 2014.
  5. "Here's How Carrie Fisher and James Earl Jones Will Appear on The Big Bang Theory". The Huffington Post . AOL Inc. January 14, 2014. Retrieved June 25, 2014.
  6. "Future Show Dates". TVTickets. Audiences Unlimited. December 8, 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-12-08. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
  7. Bueno, Antoinette (January 28, 2014). "Big Bang Cast Is Starstruck at James Earl Jones". Entertainment Tonight . CBS Television Studios . Retrieved June 25, 2014.
  8. "The Occupation Recalibration". TVGuide.co.uk . Imano. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
  9. "The Convention Conundrum". TVGuide.co.uk . Imano. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
  10. "'Big Bang Theory' star Kaley Cuoco gets married". Newsday . Santa Susana, California: Cablevision. Associated Press. January 2, 2014. Archived from the original on January 2, 2014. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
  11. "Listings Big Bang Theory, The| The Hesitation Ramification". The Futon Critic . Futon Media. Retrieved June 25, 2014.
  12. "Listings Big Bang Theory, The| The Occupation Recalibration". The Futon Critic . Futon Media. Retrieved June 25, 2014.
  13. 1 2 3 Kondolojy, Amanda (January 31, 2014). "Thursday Final Ratings: Big Bang Theory, American Idol, The Taste, Vampire Diaries, Parks & Recreation, Two and a Half Men Adjusted Up; The Millers, Elementary, & Reign Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers . Tribune Digital Ventures. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
  14. Bibel, Sara (January 21, 2014). "Live+7 DVR Ratings: The Big Bang Theory Has Biggest 18–49 Ratings & Total Viewership Increase, Elementary Tops Percentage Gains in Week 15". TV by the Numbers . Tribune Digital Ventures. Archived from the original on January 23, 2014. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
  15. Porter, Rick (January 31, 2014). "TV ratings: Big Bang Theory falls, but dominates Thursday, Idol dips slightly". Zap2it . Tribune Media Services . Retrieved January 31, 2014.
  16. "Top Programs – Total Canada (English) January 27 – February 2, 2014" (PDF). BBM Canada. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 22, 2014. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
  17. Knox, David (March 26, 2014). "Resurrection rises to 1.91m viewers for Seven". TV Tonight. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
  18. "Top 10 Programmes". BARB. Archived from the original on January 13, 2013. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
  19. Schedeen, Jesse (January 31, 2014). "The Big Bang Theory: "The Convention Conundrum" Review". IGN . Ziff Davis . Retrieved May 2, 2014.
  20. Sava, Oliver (January 30, 2014). "Episode 14 – The Convention Conundrum". The A.V. Club . Onion Inc. Retrieved May 2, 2014.
  21. Hughes, Jason (January 31, 2014). "James Earl Jones Is Hilarious on The Big Bang Theory". The Huffington Post . AOL Inc. Retrieved June 25, 2014.
  22. Nilles, Billy (January 30, 2014). "Big Bang Theory Season 7, episode 14: 12 best moments from James Earl Jones and 'The Convention Conundrum'". Zap2it . Tribune Media Services . Retrieved May 3, 2014.
  23. "The Big Bang Theory Review: Lion Sleeps Tonight". TV Fanatic. Mediavine. January 30, 2014. Retrieved June 25, 2014.
  24. Eames, Tom (January 31, 2014). "The Big Bang Theory recap: Darth Vader's actually quite nice". Digital Spy . Hearst Magazines UK . Retrieved May 3, 2014.
  25. 1 2 3 Pierson, Robin (February 3, 2014). "Episode 14 – The Convention Conundrum". The TV Critic. Retrieved May 2, 2014.