The Guitarist Amplification

Last updated
"The Guitarist Amplification"
The Big Bang Theory episode
Episode no.Season 3
Episode 7
Directed by Mark Cendrowski
Story by
Teleplay by
Production code3X5557
Original air dateNovember 9, 2009 (2009-11-09)
Guest appearance
Episode chronology
← Previous
"The Cornhusker Vortex"		Next →
"The Adhesive Duck Deficiency"
The Big Bang Theory season 3
List of episodes

"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.

Contents

Production

The story and concept were created by series co-creator Chuck Lorre and writer Lee Aronsohn. The teleplay was written by co-creator Bill Prady, and writers Richard Rosenstock and Jim Reynolds, and was directed by Mark Cendrowski. [1] During the filming of a comic book store sequence, Stuart Bloom (Kevin Sussman) ad-libbed a muttered "I love you" towards Penny (Kaley Cuoco) as she walked away. [2] The scene was included despite the The Big Bang Theory's prohibition of improvisation, [3] and Sussman's character subsequently appeared more often as the show's writers used the moment in future episodes to regress Stuart into desperation and depression. [4] [5]

Plot

Sheldon creates and tests a board game titled "Research Lab" with Leonard and Penny. The game is interrupted when Penny mentions that she plans to pick up her ex, Justin, from the airport and let him stay at her apartment for weeks. Leonard is uncomfortable with the decision, leading to the two arguing. Sheldon tries to ignore the fight by making a snow cone, and Penny eventually leaves. On the way to work, Leonard complains about Penny again, causing Sheldon to jump out of the car and walk. Later, at the comic book store, Howard and Raj weigh in on the situation, the two taking separate sides and arguing. As tension rises, Sheldon has a flashback to his parents' fights and leaves overwhelmed.

Sheldon later goes to the Cheesecake Factory to convince Penny to apologize, but she refuses. In the process, he reveals several complaints Leonard has about her, angering Penny even more. She storms over to Leonard's apartment to confront him. As they argue, Sheldon runs away again, ending up at Raj's apartment where Raj is also in a fight with his parents, and Howard's house where Howard is fighting with his mother. Leonard and Penny eventually find Sheldon at the comic book store, where he has isolated himself to escape their drama. After Leonard and Penny assume parental roles and try to reassure him, they reconcile their relationship, though the issue with Justin remains unresolved. The episode closes with Sheldon lying on Leonard's couch next to Justin, regretting not asking for more than the toy and comic book Penny bought to appease him.

Reception

Ratings

On the night of its first broadcast on September 28, 2009, the episode was watched by 12.80 million households. Based on Nielsen ratings, the episode received a 7.9 rating/12 share. Between viewers aged between 18 and 49, it received a 4.7 rating/11 share. [6]

Reviews

Robin Pierson of The TV Critic rated the episode 58 out of 100, praising its handling of various insecurities and quick flow through fighting sequences, while criticizing the lack of a serious conclusion in favor of a "lame punch line" and Stuart's character reduction in comparison to a previous portrayal as "a nice port of sanity in the sea of geekdom". [7] Noel Murray of The A.V. Club rated the episode a B+, complimenting Jim Parsons' performance of Sheldon suffering through childhood trauma but lamenting Leonard and Penny's "hoary" plot of "girl's ex-boyfriend comes for a visit, rattling insecure new boyfriend". [8] David Caballero of Collider ranked the episode eighth of underrated The Big Bang Theory episodes, commending Sheldon's "visceral reaction" to fighting and his dynamic with Leonard and Penny. [9]

Related Research Articles

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leonard Hofstadter</span> Fictional character in The Big Bang Theory

Leonard Leakey Hofstadter, Ph.D., is a fictional character portrayed by Johnny Galecki and one of the main protagonists in the CBS sitcom, The Big Bang Theory. Leonard is an experimental physicist who shares an apartment with his colleague and best friend, Dr. Sheldon Cooper. For his portrayal, Galecki was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheldon Cooper</span> Fictional character in The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon

Sheldon Lee Cooper, Ph.D., Sc.D., is a fictional character and one of the main protagonists in the CBS television series The Big Bang Theory and its spinoff series Young Sheldon, portrayed by actors Jim Parsons and Iain Armitage respectively. For his portrayal, Parsons won four Primetime Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, a TCA Award, and two Critics' Choice Television Awards. The character's childhood is the focus of Young Sheldon, in which he grows up in East Texas with his family Missy Cooper, George Cooper Sr., George Cooper Jr., Mary Cooper and his grandmother, Connie Tucker, as a child prodigy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Howard Wolowitz</span> Fictional character on the television series The Big Bang Theory

Howard Joel Wolowitz is a fictional character on the CBS television series The Big Bang Theory, portrayed by actor Simon Helberg. Among the four main male characters in the show, Howard is distinctive for being an engineer—rather than a physicist—and lacking a PhD. He is named after and based on a computer programmer known by the show's co-creator; Bill Prady. Howard is the only starring character who has been to the International Space Station. Along with Sheldon Cooper, Leonard Hofstadter, and Raj Koothrappali, Howard is part of the central cast of the show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raj Koothrappali</span> Fictional character on the television series The Big Bang Theory

Rajesh Ramayan "Raj" Koothrappali, Ph.D. is a fictional character on the CBS television series The Big Bang Theory, portrayed by British actor Kunal Nayyar. He is one of four main male characters in the show, alongside Sheldon Cooper, Leonard Hofstadter and Howard Wolowitz to appear in every episode of The Big Bang Theory. Raj is based on a computer programmer that the show's co-creator, Bill Prady, knew when he was a programmer.

Penny (<i>The Big Bang Theory</i>) Fictional character on The Big Bang Theory

Penelope "Penny" Hofstadter is a fictional character from the American CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory, portrayed by actress Kaley Cuoco. She is the primary female character in the series, befriending her neighbors Sheldon Cooper and Leonard Hofstadter, two physicists employed at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).

"The Roommate Transmogrification" is the fourth season finale of the television series The Big Bang Theory that first aired on CBS on May 19, 2011. It is the twenty-fourth episode of the fourth season of the series and the eighty-seventh episode overall. Aarti Mann continues her recurring role of Priya Koothrappali while Brian George and Alice Amter reprise their roles of Dr. and Mrs. Koothrappali.

"The Flaming Spittoon Acquisition" is the tenth episode of the fifth season of The Big Bang Theory that first aired on CBS on November 17, 2011. It is the ninety-seventh episode overall.

"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 Santa Simulation" is the eleventh episode of the sixth season of the American comedy television series The Big Bang Theory. The episode was originally aired on the CBS television network on December 13, 2012. The story was created by Chuck Lorre, Eric Kaplan and Steve Holland, and turned into a teleplay by Steven Molaro, Jim Reynolds, and Maria Ferrari. Mark Cendrowski directed the episode.

"The Skank Reflex Analysis" is the first episode of the fifth season of The Big Bang Theory that first aired on CBS on September 22, 2011. It is the 88th episode overall.

"The Jiminy Conjecture" is the second episode of the third season of the American television sitcom The Big Bang Theory. It first aired on CBS in the United States on September 28, 2009. It is the 42nd episode overall. The episode features a guest appearance by American comedian Lewis Black.

"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.

"The Toast Derivation" is the 17th episode of the fourth season of the US sitcom The Big Bang Theory and the 80th episode of the show overall. It first aired on CBS on February 24, 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 Comic Book Store Regeneration" is the fifteenth episode of the eighth season of The Big Bang Theory, which first aired on CBS on February 19, 2015. It is the 174th episode overall. "The Comic Book Store Regeneration" is dedicated to Carol Ann Susi, who played Howard's mother, Debbie Wolowitz.

"The Stockholm Syndrome" is the series finale of the American television sitcom The Big Bang Theory. It is the twenty-fourth episode of the twelfth season and the 279th overall episode of the series. Written by series co-creators Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, with Steve Holland, Steven Molaro, Dave Goetsch, Eric Kaplan, Maria Ferrari, Andy Gordon, Anthony Del Broccolo, Tara Hernandez, Jeremy Howe and Adam Faberman. The episode was directed by Mark Cendrowski. The episode originally aired on CBS on May 16, 2019 in the United States. The episode finds Sheldon and Amy receive a Nobel Prize in Physics, and Penny reveals she is pregnant. Sarah Michelle Gellar guest stars as herself. The Stockholm Syndrome was watched by 24.75 million total viewers in the United States and garnered positive reviews from critics.

The Big Bang Theory is an American sitcom media franchise created by Steven Molaro, Bill Prady and Chuck Lorre. It began with the Brady and Lorre television series The Big Bang Theory (2007–2019), and includes Young Sheldon (2017–2024) and Stuart, Denise & Bert (2025), both spin-offs of the first series, as well as Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage (2024–present), a spin-off of Young Sheldon. The fictional universe is informally referred to as the "Big-Bang-verse" or simply the "Bang-verse".

References

  1. ↑ "The Big Bang Theory - 'The Guitarist Amplification' Episode Info". MSN TV . November 9, 2009. Archived from the original on November 15, 2009. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  2. ↑ Pooley, Jack (January 3, 2022). "The Big Bang Theory: 8 Moments That Were Completely Unscripted". WhatCulture . Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  3. ↑ Rajput, Laxmi (September 12, 2024). "Only Reason Kevin Sussman Got a Bigger Role as Stuart in The Big Bang Theory Was Due to a Legendary Ad-Lib Scene That Should've Never Happened". Fandomwire. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  4. ↑ Alexandre (November 10, 2021). "The Big Bang Theory: Kevin Sussman talks about Stuart". Roster Con. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  5. ↑ Tramel, Jimmie (November 1, 2019). "Tulsa Pop Culture Expo: Before 'Big Bang Theory,' actor Kevin Sussman worked at 'real' comic store". Tulsa World . Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  6. ↑ "CBS Wins the Week in Viewers". The Futon Critic. November 18, 2009. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  7. ↑ Pierson, Robin (November 12, 2009). "The Big Bang Theory, Season 3, Episode 7: The Guitarist Amplification". The TV Critic. Archived from the original on April 14, 2011. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  8. ↑ Murray, Noel (November 10, 2009). "The Big Bang Theory: "The Guitarist Amplification"". The A.V. Club . Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  9. ↑ Caballero, David (March 6, 2023). "10 Underrated The Big Bang Theory Episodes That Deserve More Love". Collider . Retrieved October 14, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.