Is costume designer on "The Big Bang Theory" the coolest job in showbiz?

In a splendid episode of The Big Bang Theory, this week's "The Love Car Displacement," the image I can't get out of my head is superphysicist Sheldon Cooper "dressed up" for his big science conference gig. If you have the patience to bear the commercials, you can watch the full episode here and see Sheldon's glad rags in their full splendor a little after 18:00. (Sorry, while I was trolling for a time cue, I allowed my attention to be diverted, having already watched the episode twice. I discovered too late that I couldn't "rewind.") Sitting next to Sheldon are Howard and his girlfriend, getting pseudo-scientifically personal in public.

by Ken

This was the best I could do for a photo showing our Dr. Cooper in the, er, distinctive getup he's outfitted himself in for the big science conference at Big Sur. To see it in all its splendor -- the plaid sport jacket seeming almost discreet alongside the raucously mismatched striped shirt and eye-popping diamond-patterned tie -- I encourage you to watch the full episode, a really swell one (I've already declared my unexpected attachment to the show), cleverly built around each of the "boys" being quintessentially himself: Sheldon (Jim Parsons), the ultimate supergeek; Leonard (Johnny Galecki), the science nerd who longs to be a real boy; Howard (Simon Helberg), the horny gnome who knows deep down that he never will be; and Raj (Kunal Nayyar), the hopelessly shy soul who can't talk to a woman unless he's drunk.

It's also a splendid episode for Penny (Kaley Cuoco), as she agrees to be the "plus-one" of Sheldon's non-girlfriend Amy Farrah Fowler (Mayim Balik, Blossom all grown up) for the sake of the free Big Sur spa weekend. I like to think Penny came away having learned the crucial life lesson that "free" isn't necessarily a bargain. Come to think of it, we know that she did come away with Bernadette's ex-boyfriend, six-foot-seven superstud Glenn (Rick Fox), at least for the ride back to L.A. It will be interesting to see whether anything more came of that!

This getup of Sheldon's isn't just comical, though it's surely that. I can't help thinking that it would tell someone who's never seen the show more than mere words could about his character. As a matter of fact, scavenging for photos online, I was reminded that there was an earlier episode in which he got "dressed up," but that time, as we see, he had the assistance of a normal human person:

This week we got to see what happens when Sheldon dresses himself.

The costume designer for Big Bang Theory, I see, is Mary T. Quigley, who serves in the same capacity on producer Chuck Lorre's even-longer-running Two and a Half Men (having previously dressed her way up to costume supervisor on Roseanne). Outfitting the Big Bang Theory "boys" must be a costumer's dream carnival. I would love to hear Mary talk about what's gone through her head when she's learned that she had to produce a "dressed up" look for Sheldon.

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