Summoned to traffic court having been caught on camera driving without a license, Sheldon misses a chance to meet Stan Lee at the comic book store. On one hand, Sheldon blames Penny for his predicament. Her dislocated shoulder forced him to drive to the the hospital earlier this season. On the other hand, he expects leniency from the court because his driving was a matter of humanitarian necessity.
It was interesting to see a few more of Sheldon’s quirks. (He hasn’t cashed several of his paychecks because most of the things he’d buy haven’t been invented yet.) Overall, though, I found the main events of this episode predictable. In fact, as soon as the guys learned Sheldon was going to court, Howard predicted that Sheldon would insult the judge and wind up in jail. He also predicted that Raj–obsessed with Stan Lee’s character names (Peter Parker, Reed Richards, Bruce Banner, etc.)–would insult Lee.
As a fan of mystery shows as well as comedy shows, I would have preferred these plot twists not to be telegraphed, but Howard’s predictions were a nod to how intelligent the guys are. I was surprised by Penny’s effort to make it up to Sheldon, going so far as to agree to attend a wedding with Stuart in exchange for Stan Lee’s home address.
The version of Stan Lee that met Penny and Sheldon wasn’t very sympathetic–similar to “evil Wil Wheaton” earlier this season, but then, most people wouldn’t want strangers showing up at their doors seeking autographs. After almost three seasons, I’m not sure I understand Sheldon’s character. He was upset with Penny over a traffic ticket, yet he had no qualms about Stan Lee filing a restraining order against him. He framed the order next to one from Leonard Nimoy. While that lack of understanding into his character could be nice, I wish it would manifest as plotlines that are not so predictable.
