@znexyish said:

The role they gave Walter Goggins, the ex-husband who first seems threatening to Raj then goes out to dinner with him, reminded me of the role that Michael Rapaport played in "The Helium Insufficency", the helium dealer who the boys find scary and then sit down to watch "Ernest Goes to Jail" with. Anyone else ?

I can see that parallel although I did not make the connection at the time. Kind of like the Rottweiler who first chased Sheldon for his hot dogs and then later helped him solve string theory. If that had happened.

I guess it's the writers' way of framing our main characters as being lovable despite their flaws.

@Lemons said:

@znexyish said:

The role they gave Walter Goggins, the ex-husband who first seems threatening to Raj then goes out to dinner with him, reminded me of the role that Michael Rapaport played in "The Helium Insufficency", the helium dealer who the boys find scary and then sit down to watch "Ernest Goes to Jail" with. Anyone else ?

I can see that parallel although I did not make the connection at the time. Kind of like the Rottweiler who first chased Sheldon for his hot dogs and then later helped him solve string theory. If that had happened.

I guess it's the writers' way of framing our main characters as being lovable despite their flaws.

"Tyler the Rotweiller Solves String Theory at the Zoo" is the follow up book to "Stu the Cockatoo is new at the Zoo" in case you did not know.

@znexyish said:

@Lemons said:

@znexyish said:

The role they gave Walter Goggins, the ex-husband who first seems threatening to Raj then goes out to dinner with him, reminded me of the role that Michael Rapaport played in "The Helium Insufficency", the helium dealer who the boys find scary and then sit down to watch "Ernest Goes to Jail" with. Anyone else ?

I can see that parallel although I did not make the connection at the time. Kind of like the Rottweiler who first chased Sheldon for his hot dogs and then later helped him solve string theory. If that had happened.

I guess it's the writers' way of framing our main characters as being lovable despite their flaws.

"Tyler the Rotweiller Solves String Theory at the Zoo" is the follow up book to "Stu the Cockatoo is new at the Zoo" in case you did not know.

Znex your goofiness is a thing of beauty and for it I am very thankful.

The only thing I really thought was "he isn't good-looking enough for her, she could do a lot better." And not just Raj.

@znexyish said:

The role they gave Walter Goggins, the ex-husband who first seems threatening to Raj then goes out to dinner with him, reminded me of the role that Michael Rapaport played in "The Helium Insufficency", the helium dealer who the boys find scary and then sit down to watch "Ernest Goes to Jail" with.

Anyone else?

No. Not really. Never thought of the helium guy as scary.

For me, it was more about Leonard and Sheldon being frighten-of-their-own-shadow because they were out-of-their-element.

Well, the helium guy did "suggest" that certain people/problems could be "dealt with." But mostly it was Sheldon's and Leonard's - mostly Sheldon's - imagination running wild.

Either way, Raj and Leonard/Sheldon thought they came across a "tough guy" who turned out to be not so tough after all.

@znexyish said:

The role they gave Walter Goggins, the ex-husband who first seems threatening to Raj then goes out to dinner with him, reminded me of the role that Michael Rapaport played in "The Helium Insufficency", the helium dealer who the boys find scary and then sit down to watch "Ernest Goes to Jail" with. Anyone else ?

Great connection, I believe the trope of the "good guys" befriending the "bad guy" is referred to as "Karting with Bowser".

Very common trope in comedy.

@CalabrianQueen said:

@znexyish said:

The role they gave Walter Goggins, the ex-husband who first seems threatening to Raj then goes out to dinner with him, reminded me of the role that Michael Rapaport played in "The Helium Insufficency", the helium dealer who the boys find scary and then sit down to watch "Ernest Goes to Jail" with. Anyone else ?

Great connection, I believe the trope of the "good guys" befriending the "bad guy" is referred to as "Karting with Bowser".

Very common trope in comedy.

I had to look this up. It's Go-Karting with Bowser as in Mario and Bowser. This trope is a hero/villain pairing and in neither situation did our guys know enough to think the other was a villain. Sheldon hanging out with Kripke seems to more fit the Go-Karting with Bowser scenario. I am sure there is a trope to fit the Raj/Oliver meeting.

@znexyish said:

Either way, Raj and Leonard/Sheldon thought they came across a "tough guy" who turned out to be not so tough after all.

Somehow, I didn't get the impression that he was "not so tough after all".

Got the impression that under the right circumstances he could be as tough as the situation needed him to be. Otherwise, he wouldn't last long in his "line-of-work" - every Tom, Dick, and Harriet would be trying to rip him off.

I'm thinking: "Speak softly and carry a big stick".

@znexyish said:

@CalabrianQueen said:

@znexyish said:

The role they gave Walter Goggins, the ex-husband who first seems threatening to Raj then goes out to dinner with him, reminded me of the role that Michael Rapaport played in "The Helium Insufficency", the helium dealer who the boys find scary and then sit down to watch "Ernest Goes to Jail" with. Anyone else ?

Great connection, I believe the trope of the "good guys" befriending the "bad guy" is referred to as "Karting with Bowser".

Very common trope in comedy.

I had to look this up. It's Go-Karting with Bowser as in Mario and Bowser. This trope is a hero/villain pairing and in neither situation did our guys know enough to think the other was a villain. Sheldon hanging out with Kripke seems to more fit the Go-Karting with Bowser scenario. I am sure there is a trope to fit the Raj/Oliver meeting.

It's more a hero interacting cordially with a villain in some activity. You see it in a lot of Bond movies like when he plays poker against the villian.

@Knixon said:

The only thing I really thought was "he isn't good-looking enough for her, she could do a lot better." And not just Raj.

Every since Julia Roberts married Lyle Lovett I’ve learned not to judge….

Well, Julia and Lyle weren't together much longer than Kaley and her second (?) husband. But in any event, it could be seen as an exception that proves the rule.

@Knixon said:

Well, Julia and Lyle weren't together much longer than Kaley and her second (?) husband. But in any event, it could be seen as an exception that proves the rule.

It may be a lot of things - but an exception, it ain't.

Maybe your experiences are different. But I wouldn't even put Nell (Beth Behrs) and Oliver (Walton Goggins) in the same category as Julia Roberts and Lyle Lovett.