| |
|
 
|
THE BIG BANG THEORY -
THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON |
 |
 |
| Actors: Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar |
| Creators: Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady |
|
Studio: Warner |
| DVD release: 15 September 2009 |
|
Runtime: 481 minutes
(4 discs) |
| Format: Box set, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC |
| Features:Aspect ratio 1.78:1, Audio tracks (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround - English, Portugese), Subtitles (English SDH, Chinese, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai), Physicist to the Stars, Testing the Infinite Hilarity Hypothesis in Relation to The Big Bang Theory, Gag reel |
|
Rock. Paper. Scissors. Lizards. Spock!
With the proliferation of "Reality TV" being the way networks fill out their programming schedule, it might seem like scripted shows were on their way to extinction. Television certainly is changing, and the prime-time drama certainly has some uphill battles. The half-hour situation comedy, or sit-com, is proving to be the scripted cockroach that survives all changes in popular culture. One of the best on television today is CBS's The Big Bang Theory.
Big Bang delivers a different wrinkle to the group-of-friends paradigm as Penny (Kelly Cuoco), a struggling actress and waitress, moves next door to two hyperintelligent but socially awkward physicists, Leonard Hofstadter (Johnny Galecki of Roseanne fame) and the highly idiosyncratic Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons). Their physicist buddies - the ever horny Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg) and Rajesh "Raj" Koothrappali (Kunal Nayyar) - fill out the whole gang. Season two is a four-disc set containing all twenty-three episodes. They are in order:
- Disc1: Bad Fish Paradigm, The Codpiece Topology, The Barbarian Sublimation, The Griffin Equivalency, The Euclid Alternative, The Cooper-Nowitzki Theorem.
- Disc 2: The Panty Pinata Polarization, The Lizard-Spock Expansion, The White Asparagus Triangulation, The Vartabedian Conundrum, The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis, The Killer Robot Instability.
- Disc 3: The Friendship Algorithm, The Financial Permeability, The Maternal Capacitance, The Cushion Saturation, The Terminator Decoupling, The Work Song Nanocluster.
- Disc 4: The Dead Hooker Juxtaposition, The Hofstadter Isotope, The Vegas Renormalization, The Classified Materials Turbulence, The Monopolar Experience, Special Features; Physicist to the Stars, Testing the Infinite Hilarity Hypothesis, and gag reel.
One of the strong points of the show is the writing. It flirts with stereotypes, but before it falls into cliché it creates comical moments, everything from light slapstick to quick-witted barbs. And thank god for that. Penny, though beautiful and golden-haired, is not the typical "dumb blonde" ala Chrissy Snow. Love'em or hate'em, they're also spot-on perfect in their depictions of the nerds. Though the show can at times bombard you with technical scientific references, it is all accurate; physicist and UCLA professor David Saltzberg acts as the show's consultant.
As for this season itself, despite it being a sitcom, there is an overall arc to the show with the kinda-sorta relationship between Penny and Leonard. In between are a lot of fantastically funny moments. Maybe not all-time classic moments like Lucy at the candy factory or Marcia getting hit in the nose with a football, but over the twenty-three episodes you get more than your money's worth of laughs, and they are well-distributed throughout the cast. Everyone gets a highlight, which is great for keeping the show from getting stale, and for the fans as well.
|
|
|
