“I assure you, you’ll be sorry you wasted your money on an iPod when Microsoft comes out with theirs.” – Sheldon
I don’t know. Maybe it’s me. Perhaps I’m old and jaded. The flashback episode has been a bit overdone in sitcoms during the past ten or twenty years. Each time the more current shows flashback, the changes seem more exaggerated. I mean, really … have clothing styles and mens’ hairstyles changed all that much in the last seven years? No, Sheldon’s hair doesn’t change. I wouldn’t have expected it to. After all, Sheldon has always been the Sheldon package.
Clothing styles and haircuts aside, this episode was a bit of a letdown. My sights were set a bit higher thinking of the season wrapping up soon. I wanted epic. I wanted a guffaw fest! Although there were some cute bits, the half-hour fell short for me.
We did find out why the elevator is (and has been) broken. Gee, it’s been broken for seven years and it’s all Sheldon’s fault. Why am I not surprised? It was the result of one of his experiments gone wrong. Apparently, his science skills used to be a bit lacking.
The flashback started as Leonard reminisced while painting Penny’s toenails after having a fight with Sheldon over the thermostat. Hmm. Now I’m all confused. They were lovers, now they’re more than friends. After all, to paint toenails it takes a certain relationship, doesn’t it? Oh, well — as long as I don’t have to see them cuddling in bed anymore.
As I said, there were cute bits in the flashback. A big black transvestite lived in Penny’s current apartment. That must have made for some interesting hall encounters with Sheldon. But we didn’t see that. We saw the roommate agreement, at least a part of it. I get the feeling that the contract is constantly in motion during the season. There were some funny moments with technology changes since 2003. But, overall, I felt a bit let down. I expected much more from Sheldon and Leonard’s initial contact. Sigh.
Clacked by Jackie Schnoop 
on May 18, 2010 @ 10:00 EST5EDT
The broken elevator was Leonard’s fault.
Overall, I thought it was a decent episode.
Wow, you completely missed the point of the episode. Seriously!
It wasn’t Sheldon’s fault, it wasn’t his experiment. It was Leonard’s fuel experiment. Sheldon saved Leonard’s life by pulling him out of the elevator, which was a major reason why Leonard decided to stay with him.
You really should rewatch the episode and rewrite this review, because what you have now makes no sense whatsoever.
I agree. No this episode wasn’t perfect, but your review was way harsh and inaccurate. I can never figure out why you review this show, because you never seem to enjoy it.
*POST AUTHOR*
I had Sheldon on my mind and accidentally typed his name instead of Leonard. I actually like the show, but have been vocal about not liking the Penny/Leonard coupling. I stand by not being blown away by this episode, though.
I thought it was one of the best of the season, even in spite of the anachronistic clothing and hair styles for 2003. Amusing enough on its own, but packed with running gags and callbacks that reward the regular viewer. I have to agree with others that the recitation of the time-travel clause of the roommate agreement, followed by both Sheldon and Leonard looking around the room expectantly, was the funniest bit of the night.
And I am personally, deeply satisfied by Sheldon’s Babylon 5 disdain. “I would hardly call that dialogue,” indeed.
I liked this episode, on the whole I thought it was pretty good with some classic Sheldon lines. This review however feels a bit rushed tbh.