"The Convention Conundrum" | |
---|---|
The Big Bang Theory episode | |
Episode no. | Season 7 Episode 14 |
Directed by | Mark Cendrowski |
Story by |
|
Teleplay by |
|
Production code | 4X5315 [1] |
Original air date | January 30, 2014 |
Running time | 21 minutes |
Guest appearances | |
| |
"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]
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.
Leonard, Sheldon, Raj and Howard 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, Amy and Bernadette 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.
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]
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]
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]
Kaley Christine Cuoco is an American actress. She is known for starring as Bridget Hennessy on the ABC sitcom 8 Simple Rules (2002–2005), 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 last earned her nominations for Primetime Emmy Awards and Golden Globe Awards.
John Mark Galecki is an American actor. The accolades he has received include a Satellite Award, alongside nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award, Golden Globe Award, and six Screen Actors Guild Awards.
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 second season of the American television sitcom The Big Bang Theory aired on CBS from September 22, 2008 to May 11, 2009. A DVD consisting of all 23 episodes of the season was released on September 15, 2009, and a Blu-ray version was reissued on July 10, 2012, with remastered surround sound audio, whereas the DVD version only had stereo.
The fourth season of the American television 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.
"The Countdown Reflection" is the 24th and final episode of the fifth season of The Big Bang Theory. It first aired on CBS on May 10, 2012. It is the 111th episode overall. In the episode, featuring astronaut Mike Massimino, Howard and Bernadette get married before Howard goes to space. "The Countdown Reflection" received 13.72 million views in the U.S. and garnered mostly positive reviews.
The seventh season of the American television sitcom The Big Bang Theory aired on CBS from September 26, 2013 to May 15, 2014.
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.
"The Guitarist Amplification" is the seventh episode of the third season and 47th episode overall of the American television sitcom The Big Bang Theory. It premiered on CBS in the United States on September 28, 2009. The episode features a guest appearance by American comedian Kevin Sussman.
The eighth season of the American television 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 Isolation Permutation" is the eighth episode of the fifth season of the American 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 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.