Oh, Bill. Sigh. You know you don't have to do this, right?
Cons:
I mean, this episode wasn't any better than the average fare, just because there were famous people in it. The Big Bang Theory has always been able to pull out all the stops with its celebrity cameos, and it's kind of fun to see famous people playing themselves sometimes, but this show doesn't know how to properly utilize a cameo in a creative way. I know for a fact that Wil Wheaton and Joe Manganiello actually play D&D, because I've seen them on Critical Role. Why didn't we get to see anybody actually playing the game?
There's actually been something of a D&D revolution in recent years, spearheaded largely by women. This show would of course be entirely unaware of that. There's no indication whatsoever that they know how D&D actually works, and that it's not just something that nerdy guys play in their mother's basements. I know it would be difficult to fully appreciate the scope of the game in a sitcom format, but once again this show has chosen to go with the laziest option.
I hate it when Howard makes jokes about how he used to be a creepy stalker. It just reminds me that this show is sexist as all get out.
Pros:
That said, I'll admit that it was kind of fun to see such a random collection of celebrities playing D&D together. Joe Manganiello was especially delightful, and yeah, I'll always love William Shatner. Hopefully if I ever get to meet him I won't throw up like Sheldon, but I would totally want him to give me a rank and talk to me like a crewman. I also liked that Leonard was excited about the celebrities, but he didn't know who some of them were, and his interest in Manganiello wasn't based on Magic Mike. That did add some comedy to the situation.
I also just think the idea of Stuart playing D&D with all of these celebrities is pretty hilarious, and it's great that the girls get to play with the famous folks, but that Sheldon, Leonard, Raj, and Howard are left out. Wil and Sheldon's animosity towards each other has been one of the show's longest running gags, and it is still kind of great to see Wil playing this highly fictionalized version of himself. Since we're rounding down on this show and there are only a few more episodes left, this may have been Wil Wheaton's last guest appearance. If so, it was a pretty high note for him to go out on (even if I think he's too good to be wasting his time with this show in the first place).
Once again, there's just not much for me to say about The Big Bang Theory. This episode was heavy with celebrities, which I'm sure cost them a pretty penny, but there wasn't really any heart to it. Even Wil's anger at being used for his status was undercut by humor immediately. Once again, we see The Big Bang Theory relying on premise with no follow-through. It's fun to see some of these people, but there's really not much more to it than that.
7/10
lmao so true
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