FilmLover73

On the plus side, Mayim Bialik is a good actress with lots of experience. That really is a very small plus, however, as her character in this classic TV series is, without a doubt, the most "forced" fit I have ever seen in all of the modern entertainment landscape.

I know the decision was made by Chuck Lorre to move the series toward a modern-day "Friends." Actually, I believe this was what he had in mind all along. The show would never have gotten off the ground starting off like that however, but with the strength of Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco, and the many other excellent professionals in the original cast, along with a great start-up story line, we all got hooked. Then the bait and switch took place.

OK, so if Sheldon needed a girlfriend, how could Chuck Lorre really think this was the best option he had? Sheldon's character could be summed up with a lot of different words - but obnoxious has never been one of them. This word fits the Amy character, and Bialik's perfect portrayal of her, "to a T." Leonard described Sheldon as "quirky." That is pretty accurate - not just for Sheldon but for almost all of the others. However, the obnoxious description only fits one character: Amy.

It is obvious that Bialik's entry into the show was long planned - with earlier references to her character Blossom mentioned in previous episodes. Her selection among all of the other available actresses could not have been her real-life scientific background, as Chuck Lorre has tried to explain - to head off, I believe, what he knew would be the resulting criticism of his choice. Jim Parsons, who stands at the top of the show's scientific pyramid, has admitted many times in interviews that he knows nothing about science or technology. So why this whiny, self-absorbed actress and her perfectly matched character?

As for the Friends plot swap, someone may say that "you can't argue with success," but to prove that that success was primarily based on the Friends-swap it would require an analysis with a very long, long path down a lot of decision trees. The show was a success when it was still about this daffy waitress with no last name and her relationship with bunch of nerds across the hall. It would have remained a success with the addition of few minor characters and guests along the way - sparing us the weekly pain of putting up with Amy.

The writers on this show must have very little imagination as we get episode after episode based on some aspect of Maris. She filed for divorce many episodes ago and Niles appears to be moving on only to have the plot returns to Maris. For an imaginary character she has way to much staying power. No one cares any more and this Maris fascination quit being funny a long time ago. Just...stop it!

The title should be "When Will This Movie End?" What a waste of time. You would not think someone could make a chick flick about a road trip and then find a way to extend it to almost two hours...but they did.