After the major slump in TBBT over the last few years, it feels good to come back to a time when TBBT was new, fresh and exciting. "The Bat Jar Conjecture" is a fine example of what this once great sitcom could accomplish, before it had to demote itself into the standard, sitcom garbage.
When it comes to watching the newer episodes, I find myself angry and lost for words. The episodes get everything wrong, from script to direction, character to acting, that re-watching earlier episodes only confirms for myself the problems I face with later seasons. "The Bat Jar Conjecture" is certainly well acted, especially by Jim Parsons as the then fascinating Sheldon and Simon Helberg as the hormonal driven Howard.
The script for the most part is quite solid, allowing for plenty of chuckles during the scenes where Sheldon pits himself against his friends for the Physics Bowl. Although I would normally find myself rooting for Sheldon (again, in earlier seasons), I surprisingly find myself on the side of Leonard with this one. As great a character as Sheldon was, his level of ego is perhaps a tad too high in this episode for me to want to root for him here. The episode certainly has a message about arrogance and co-operation, as obvious as that message is, but it also denies one of Sheldon's assumptions: that he, in himself, is smarter than all his friends put together. Whilst this may be true if it were not for the character of Leslie, the point remains the point. Sheldon needs to accept and understand it, and is something the character often has trouble deciphering.
Arguably the best moment of the episode is the final scene, which starts off 'meh' but soon advances into great! Penny returns to Sheldon's apartment, keen to conclude who is the smarter - Sheldon or Leonard - by asking questions of cultural significance. Amusingly enough, the two have no idea how to answer any of the questions. My personal favourite response was to the question: "Which actor holds the record of being named People Magazine's sexiest man?", to which Sheldon replies, "William Shatner" and Leonard reasons that it could not be him, but rather Patrick Stewart. This was a brilliant moment that sort of manages to sum up "The Big Bang Theory" in a nutshell.
However, "The Bat Jar Conjecture" has some inconsistencies with the "lore" established in this series. Early in the episode, during a trial run of the Physics Bowl, Sheldon is seated on a wooden chair next to Howard. This is clearly not his usual seating place, and I was baffled at how the writers could not keep this consistent with most episodes of the series. I also refuse to buy the poor justification for why Raj would be able to talk in front of women during the Physics Bowl, especially considering that he is seated right next to Leslie Winkle. It does not make much sense, but this aspect probably cannot be improved upon. Although I would usually be careful as to how I nitpick something like "The Big Bang Theory", I was shocked when the writers abandoned two key character traits that have been well established at this point: Sheldon's obsession with his seat, and Raj's inability to talk in front of women. At the very least, he should have been very slightly drunk!
In spite of all this, "The Bat Jar Conjecture" is a solid episode of the first season. Nothing truly outstanding, and nothing truly terrible, it manages to entertain for its duration.
When it comes to watching the newer episodes, I find myself angry and lost for words. The episodes get everything wrong, from script to direction, character to acting, that re-watching earlier episodes only confirms for myself the problems I face with later seasons. "The Bat Jar Conjecture" is certainly well acted, especially by Jim Parsons as the then fascinating Sheldon and Simon Helberg as the hormonal driven Howard.
The script for the most part is quite solid, allowing for plenty of chuckles during the scenes where Sheldon pits himself against his friends for the Physics Bowl. Although I would normally find myself rooting for Sheldon (again, in earlier seasons), I surprisingly find myself on the side of Leonard with this one. As great a character as Sheldon was, his level of ego is perhaps a tad too high in this episode for me to want to root for him here. The episode certainly has a message about arrogance and co-operation, as obvious as that message is, but it also denies one of Sheldon's assumptions: that he, in himself, is smarter than all his friends put together. Whilst this may be true if it were not for the character of Leslie, the point remains the point. Sheldon needs to accept and understand it, and is something the character often has trouble deciphering.
Arguably the best moment of the episode is the final scene, which starts off 'meh' but soon advances into great! Penny returns to Sheldon's apartment, keen to conclude who is the smarter - Sheldon or Leonard - by asking questions of cultural significance. Amusingly enough, the two have no idea how to answer any of the questions. My personal favourite response was to the question: "Which actor holds the record of being named People Magazine's sexiest man?", to which Sheldon replies, "William Shatner" and Leonard reasons that it could not be him, but rather Patrick Stewart. This was a brilliant moment that sort of manages to sum up "The Big Bang Theory" in a nutshell.
However, "The Bat Jar Conjecture" has some inconsistencies with the "lore" established in this series. Early in the episode, during a trial run of the Physics Bowl, Sheldon is seated on a wooden chair next to Howard. This is clearly not his usual seating place, and I was baffled at how the writers could not keep this consistent with most episodes of the series. I also refuse to buy the poor justification for why Raj would be able to talk in front of women during the Physics Bowl, especially considering that he is seated right next to Leslie Winkle. It does not make much sense, but this aspect probably cannot be improved upon. Although I would usually be careful as to how I nitpick something like "The Big Bang Theory", I was shocked when the writers abandoned two key character traits that have been well established at this point: Sheldon's obsession with his seat, and Raj's inability to talk in front of women. At the very least, he should have been very slightly drunk!
In spite of all this, "The Bat Jar Conjecture" is a solid episode of the first season. Nothing truly outstanding, and nothing truly terrible, it manages to entertain for its duration.