The Werewolf Transformation

Last updated

"The Werewolf Transformation"
The Big Bang Theory episode
Episode no.Season 5
Episode 18
Directed by Mark Cendrowski
Story by
Teleplay by
Production code3X6868 [1]
Original air dateFebruary 23, 2012 (2012-02-23)
Running time21 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"The Rothman Disintegration"		Next →
"The Weekend Vortex"
The Big Bang Theory season 5
List of episodes

"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. [1]

Contents

In the episode, Sheldon (Jim Parsons) abandons his methodical approach to life after failing to get a haircut from his usual barber, while Howard (Simon Helberg) has a rough time in his astronaut training. The episode was submitted for Parsons' Emmy nomination, but received mixed reactions from critics.

Plot

Sheldon goes to get a haircut; his usual barber Mr. D'Onofrio is in a coma, so the barber's nephew Angelo is there instead. Sheldon is uncomfortable with the situation and runs away. Later, he talks to his friends; Penny offers to cut his hair while Raj and Amy suggest other barbers. He rejects all of their ideas.

Sheldon goes to visit Mr. D'Onofrio in hospital. When the nurse sees him with scissors, expecting to get a haircut, she calls security and he has to leave. He accepts that he is not going to get a haircut, but also abandons all of his meticulous planning (for example, his bowel movement spreadsheet), realizing it has been a waste of time.

Early in the morning, Leonard and Penny wake up to find Sheldon playing a bongo drum, as Richard Feynman played bongos. They try to make him stop but he leaves the apartment, eventually falling asleep on Amy's couch. The next morning, Penny convinces him to let her cut his hair, but she accidentally shaves off part of the back of his hair.

Meanwhile, Howard is summoned for astronaut training by NASA. After his first day of training, he talks to Bernadette via webcam; he vomited while experiencing near-weightlessness. Next, he is forced to go on overnight survival training, where he is spooned by an armadillo during a sandstorm. Bernadette goes to visit Howard in Houston, but finds his mother already there, taking care of him.

Production

Jim Parsons at PaleyFest in 2013. Jim Parsons at PaleyFest 2013.jpg
Jim Parsons at PaleyFest in 2013.

At the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards, Jim Parsons received a nomination for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. He submitted "The Werewolf Transformation" for consideration. [2] Alan Sepinwall predicted on HitFix that Parsons would win, which would have been the third time in a row Parsons had won the award. [3] However, he lost to Jon Cryer, who played Dr. Alan Harper in Two and a Half Men . [2]

Vernee Watson-Johnson, who has appeared on several episodes of the show including the pilot, appeared briefly in the episode as Mr. D'Onofrio's nurse. [4]

Reception

Ratings

"The Werewolf Transformation" was first broadcast in the U.S. on CBS on February 23, 2012 at 8 p.m., and was watched by 16.2 million viewers, the highest viewing figure that night, and ranking #5 for the week. [5] It earned a 5.3 rating and a 16 share in the 18-49 demographic. [6] On the same night in Canada, the episode garnered 3.513 million viewers on CTV Total, making it the second-most watched television show that week. [7]

In Australia, the episode aired on the Nine Network on March 12, 2012. It was watched by 1.312 million households and came third in the nightly rank. [8] In the UK on E4, "The Werewolf Transformation" was first broadcast on April 26, 2012; the episode garnered 1.609 million viewers, along with 0.377 million watches on the timeshift channel E4 +1. It was first on the weekly ratings for both channels. [9]

Reviews

Will Harris from The A.V. Club gave the episode a B+, describing it as "relatively strong" while claiming there were "some imperfections in characterization" of Sheldon and that "Raj had little more than cameo status" in the episode. Harris was "actually moved" when Bernadette arrived at Howard's hotel room in Houston. [4] R. L. Shaffer of IGN gave "The Werewolf Transformation" 6.5 out of 10 and described it as a "good filler episode"; however, the subplot was criticized as viewers never see Howard experiencing hardships in training, and due to the "sour end" where Howard's mother is revealed to be staying with him in the hotel. Shaffer also suggested that episode would have been a good opportunity for Sheldon to have sex with Amy. [10] Jim Garner of TV Fanatic gave the episode 3.8 out of 5 stars, saying that while it "wasn't the most hysterically funny episode of the season, it did explore some fun areas of our favorite geeks". However, Garner criticized the Howard subplot, saying that it had been "lingering" for too long and that "we [should] go ahead and shoot Howard in to space and be done with it". [11]

Robin Pierson of The TV Critic rated the episode 43 out of 100. Pierson had "mixed feelings" about Howard's storyline, but described Sheldon's plot as "tedious". When Sheldon abandoned the systematic organization of his life, "the episode was half over already", so he did not have a chance to "question anything seriously". [12] Jill Mader from Inside Pulse described the episode as "solidly average", commenting that Sheldon's reaction was not surprising given his "strong signs of Autism Spectrum". Howard's subplot was described as "pretty funny", although Mrs. Wolowitz's appearance was described as an "easy joke". [13]

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">Jim Parsons</span> American actor (born 1973)

James Joseph Parsons is an American actor. From 2007 to 2019, Parsons played Sheldon Cooper in the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory. He has received various awards, including four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Series Musical or Comedy. From 2015 to 2018, Forbes named him the world's highest-paid television actor.

<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 MeeMaw as a child prodigy.

<i>The Big Bang Theory</i> season 1 Season of television series

The first season of the American television sitcom The Big Bang Theory aired on CBS from September 24, 2007 to May 19, 2008. The Season 1 DVD came without a gag reel and is, so far, the only Big Bang Theory DVD set not to have one. The reissued Blu-ray, which was released on July 10, 2012, includes a gag reel that is exclusive to the set. The episodes on Blu-ray are all in remastered surround sound, whereas the DVD version had stereo. Two of the main characters, Sheldon and Leonard, are named after actor, director, and producer Sheldon Leonard.

<i>The Big Bang Theory</i> season 2 Season of television series

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.

<i>The Big Bang Theory</i> season 5 Season of television series

The fifth season of the American television sitcom The Big Bang Theory aired on CBS from September 22, 2011 to May 10, 2012. The season includes the 100th episode of the series.

"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 Hofstadter Insufficiency" is the first episode of the seventh season of The Big Bang Theory and the 136th episode in total. It aired on September 26, 2013, on CBS.

"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 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 Wiggly Finger Catalyst" is the fourth episode of the fifth season of The Big Bang Theory that first aired on CBS on October 6, 2011. It is the 91st episode overall.

"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 Shiny Trinket Maneuver" is the 12th episode of the fifth season of the US sitcom The Big Bang Theory and the 99th episode of the show overall. It first aired on CBS on January 12, 2012.

<i>Young Sheldon</i> American television sitcom (2017–2024)

Young Sheldon is an American coming-of-age sitcom television series created by Chuck Lorre and Steven Molaro that aired on CBS from September 25, 2017, to May 16, 2024. The series is a spin-off prequel to The Big Bang Theory that takes place during the late 1980s and early-to-mid-1990s, and follows child prodigy Sheldon Cooper as he grows up with his family in East Texas. Iain Armitage stars as Sheldon, alongside Zoe Perry, Lance Barber, Montana Jordan, Raegan Revord, and Annie Potts. Jim Parsons, who portrayed the adult Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory, narrated the series and was also an executive producer.

References

  1. 1 2 "Listings – Big Bang Theory, The| The Werewolf Transformation". The Futon Critic . Futon Media. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
  2. 1 2 "64th Primetime Emmys Nominees and Winners". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on December 23, 2014. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
  3. ↑ Sepinwall, Alan (September 20, 2012). "Will Jim Parsons and Bryan Cranston maintain their winning streaks?". HitFix . Archived from the original on December 22, 2014. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
  4. 1 2 Harris, Will (February 23, 2012). "The Big Bang Theory: "The Werewolf Transformation"". The A.V. Club . Onion Inc. Archived from the original on December 22, 2014. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Nielsen Ratings: Week of Feb. 20-26". March 2012. Archived from the original on 2021-11-04. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
  6. ↑ Bibel, Sara (February 24, 2012). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'Big Bang Theory,' 'American Idol,' 'The Mentalist' Adjusted Up; 'Rob,' 'Private Practice,' 'Up All Night' Adjusted Down". Archived from the original on February 27, 2012. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  7. ↑ "Top Programs – Total Canada (English) February 20 – February 26, 2012" (PDF). bbm.ca. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 1, 2014. Retrieved May 24, 2012.
  8. ↑ Knox, David (March 13, 2012). "Monday 12 March 2012". TV Tonight. Archived from the original on March 14, 2012. Retrieved March 13, 2012.
  9. ↑ "Top 10 Programmes". BARB. Archived from the original on July 18, 2014. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
    • To view the E4 viewing figures, select "E4" as the channel, "2012" and "April" as the year and month and choose the week "Apr 23 - Apr 29". Click "view figures"; "The Werewolf Transformation" aired on Thursday at 20:02.
    • To view the E4 +1 figures, select "E4 +1" as the channel, "2012" and "April" as the year and month and choose the week "Apr 23 - Apr 29". Click "view figures"; "The Werewolf Transformation" aired on Thursday at 21:02.
  10. ↑ Shaffer, R. L. (February 23, 2012). "The Big Bang Theory: "The Werewolf Transformation" Review". IGN . Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on October 23, 2014. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
  11. ↑ Garner, Jim (February 24, 2012). "The Big Bang Theory Review: Call of the Wild Sheldon". TV Fanatic. Mediavine Inc. Archived from the original on February 5, 2015. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
  12. ↑ Pierson, Robin (March 7, 2012). "Episode 18 - The Werewolf Transformation". The TV Critic. Archived from the original on December 22, 2014. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
  13. ↑ Mader, Jill (February 27, 2012). "The Big Bang Theory – Episode 5-18 Review – "Shave And A Haircut..."". Inside Pulse. Archived from the original on December 22, 2014. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
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.