Category: Television

“You’re in my spot.”

From: The Big Bang Theory

Genre: Television

Who said it?: Sheldon Cooper

The story behind the quote: The quote comes the very successful sitcom, The Big Bang Theory. The story revolves around a group of four nerds/geeks who love nerdy/geeky things. Among the four, Sheldon Cooper (played by Jim Parsons) proved to be the show’s breakout star due to all of his quirky mannerisms and obsessive-compulsive behavior.

One of results of this obsessive-compulsive behavior is the need to sit on a certain part of the sofa. While he does have valid reasons for liking this spot (it’s never too cold/hot, great viewing angle of the television, etc.), Sheldon made it a rule that no one else is allowed to sit on it and he will chastise anyone if they do attempt to take his appointed seat. In fact, he says the quote so many times it’s become one of his more popular catchphrases.

Geek wisdom: We all have our own routines and we do get settled in our own ways. Sometimes, these little consistencies help us go through the turbulent and ever-changing world.

Yes, change may be a good thing. But there is something to be said about being able to return to something familiar as well.

“Stupid sexy Flanders”

From: The Simpsons

Genre: Cartoons, Television

Who said it?: Homer Simpson

The story behind the quote: The quote comes from The Simpsons’ episode entitled Little Big Mom, which was first aired way back in January 9, 2000.

In a memorable scene, Homer sees Ned Flanders in a very skintight skiing outfit and Flanders innocently mentions that it feels like he’s wearing “nothing at all.” When Homer loses control while skiing downhill, he desperately tries to remember what his instructor told him to do when he does get into trouble… but he just can’t get the image of Flanders shaking his tuckus.

Geek wisdom: Our mind will tend to wander to different things throughout the day. This habit can easily distract us from what were supposed to be doing, making it difficult to focus. It’s very difficult to overcome this interference as it can even take over when we’re trying to remember something important.

During times like this, it may be better to try not to think about the thing we want to remember. Rather, just relax and let your mind wander back to what it’s supposed to be thinking off in the first place.

“You know what really grinds my gears?”

From: Family Guy

Genre: Television, Cartoons

Who said it?: Peter Griffin

The story behind the quote: The quote comes from the extremely popular cartoon Family Guy. Fun fact: the show was initially cancelled after three seasons due to poor ratings. However, after the show started being aired on Cartoon Network and DVD sales went through the roof, Fox quickly pushed through with a new season… four years after it was initially cancelled.

The quote comes from the first part of the two-part series, Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story. In the episode, Stewie has a near-death experience and decides to become good. His future self goes back in time to tell him what happens to him if he goes down that path.

However, the quote does not come from Stewie Griffin but actually from Peter Griffin. In the side story for the episode, Peter gets hired by a local news program after he delivers an angry tirade at a video store. Peter gets his own segment where he rants about everything that upsets him…

Geek wisdom: There will always be somethings that will upset you. It could be really something huge that affects the entire world. It also could be something really small and minute that other people will question why it bugs you so much. The thing you have to do, however, is not let the small stuff get you so riled up.

“Better call Saul!”

From: Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul

Genre: Television

Who said it?: Saul Goodman

The story behind the quote: This week’s quote comes from not one, but two television shows. These shows being the phenomenal Breaking Bad and its spin-off, Better Call Saul. Breaking Bad follows Walter White, a nerdy chemistry teacher who gets cancer and decides to manufacture and sell meth in the hopes he will secure his family’s financial future. This starts his downward spiral into a life of crime. One of the more popular characters of Breaking Bad is Saul Goodman (played by Bob Odenkirk), a smarmy lawyer who is familiar with the criminal underworld.

In Breaking Bad, Saul uses the quote as a catchphrase for his commercials.

While it remains to be seen if the quote/catchphrase will be used in the new show or if we’ll see how Saul Goodman comes up with it, it is the title of the show…

Geek wisdom: Everyone needs a little help nowadays but there are times when we can be stubborn and try to tough it out. There is no shame asking for assistance, especially if you know another person will be better at resolving your issue for you.

“No sir. I don’t like it.”

From: The Ren & Stimpy Show

Genre: Cartoons, Television

Who said it?: Mr. Horse

The story behind the quote: The quote comes from the 90’s Nickelodeon cartoon The Ren & Stimpy Show. Ren is frail Chihuahua who is prone to violent outbursts. He’s usually accompanied by Stimpy, a dim-witted and cheerful cat. Although targeted at kids (it is a cartoon after all), the show became controversial because they would show some adult humor which would go over children’s heads.

The quote comes from one of the supporting cast, Mr. Horse. The quote is actually Mr. Horse’s catchphrase of sorts. Generally, whenever Mr. Horse is asked to give his opinion about anything, he would express his negative feelings regarding it.

Geek wisdom: You can’t always be agreeable with everything and/or everyone. Each of us has his own opinions regarding various topics. However, even though something goes against popular opinion, that doesn’t mean that person’s viewpoint is invalid.

We like and dislike things to different degrees. We have to be tolerant with how other people feel on certain topics.

“‘Maybe, Christmas,” he thought, “doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas, in fact, means a little bit more.”

From: How The Grinch Stole Christmas

Genre: Cartoons, Television

Who said it?: The Narrator

The story behind the quote: The quote comes from the Dr. Seuss’ classic How The Grinch Stole Christmas. Dr. Seuss’ book was already very popular but what catapulted it into the public consciousness was the 1966 animated version. It’s been repeated on television ever since.

The quote comes from the very end of the story. The Grinch after stealing all of the Christmas gifts down in Whoville, waits upon a mountaintop, hoping to hear the villagers wait out in sadness as all their gifts have been stolen. However, instead of crying, The Grinch sees the citizens of Whoville singing for joy. After pondering as to why they’re celebrating, The Grinch comes to a realization about the holiday.

Geek wisdom: Every Christmas, we all get wrapped up with all of the gift buying and all of the gifts we’re going to receive. But, like the Grinch realized at the end of the story, Christmas is much more than that. Christmas is about spreading good cheer to your fellow man, regardless of race, religion and gender. It’s a time to get together with others.

Merry Christmas!

“I love it when a plan comes together!”

From: The A-Team

Genre: Television

Who said it?: John “Hannibal” Smith

The story behind the quote: The quote comes from the 80s television show, The A-Team. The basic story of the show is actually told in the intro of the show. Essentially, a special commando unit was tried unjustly of a crime they didn’t commit. After escaping the group, consisting of John “Hannibal” Smith (leader and master of disguise), Templeton “Face” Peck (suave con man), “Howling Mad” Murdoch (delusional ace pilot) and BA Baracus (the team’s strong man), now lends their services as soliders of fortune called The A-Team. The show was a massive success, partly because of the entertaining interactions between the characters as well as Mr. T’s charisma and popularity at the time.

The quote is actually Hannibal’s catchphrase. As he’s the one who lays out the schemes and works them to suit each team member’s individual strengths, he’s able to create ingenious and unorthodox strategies that, against all logic, work out in the end.

Geek wisdom: We like to rush things out and hope for the best, hence, we love to just fly by the seat of our pants and let the chips fall where they may at times. Of course, when something goes wrong, we have to keep improvising quick fixes instead of finding solutions. This can prove to be costly and a waste of time when, if you actually tried to resolve the issue by creating meticulous plans, these problems could’ve been avoided.

“Winging it” may work sometimes but nothing beats a good plan.

“The truth is out there.”

From: The X-Files

Genre: Television

Who said it?: No one. It’s the tagline from the show.

The story behind the quote: The quote comes from The X-Files, one of the most iconic modern science fiction shows. It was a huge hit for the new Fox Network and actually put it on the map.

The X-Files deals with a special investigative branch of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The higher ups of the FBI want the X-Files division closed as well as disprove Special Agent Fox Mulder’s claims of paranormal activities that are being covered up by the government. To facilitate this, they assign physicist Dana Scully to the same branch and to provide scientific explanations to Mulder in the hopes he will give up.

The quote does pop up from time to time and is actually said by members of the cast at certain times. However, most viewers remember the quote as the tagline from the show as seen during the opening credits of each episode.

Geek wisdom: We don’t know everything. As much as we want this to be true, we’re still growing and learning about how the universe works. Even if you don’t believe in any religion, science cannot explain everything that happens in the world and the universe. In fact, the things that we believe to be fact right this very moment may turn out to be wrong once we discover the truth on how something actually works.

We shouldn’t be complacent and be confident in what we currently know. We should always be searching for knowledge.

“I don’t like to smile unless I have a reason.”

From: Daria

Genre: Cartoons, Television

Who said it?: Daria Morgendorffer

The story behind the quote: Daria was one of my favorite cartoon on MTV, back when the channel would actually show some pretty cool and creative programming. Instead of having a perky teenager headline the show, Daria was a pessimistic, intelligent and sarcastic girl who saw the world for what it was. The show was a huge hit for MTV and garnered a loyal following during its run on the network.

The quote comes from the episode entitled Misery Chick. Daria’s parents got their hands on her yearbook photos and comment on why she doesn’t even try to smile in any one of them. Daria replies to them in the only way she can: intelligently and objectively.

Geek wisdom: People have the tendency to tell you how you should react to a certain topic. They’ll tell you that you shouldn’t be upset when something goes wrong. Or they’ll tell you that they just don’t understand why you feel a certain way since they wouldn’t feel that way if the same thing happened to them.No one should tell you how to feel on a certain topic. They have no idea of how it actually feels. How you choose to feel on a certain topic is entirely your own.

When this happens to others, try to understand why they feel that way. Don’t deny them the freedom to act a certain way.

“Where’s the beef?”

From: 80’s Wendy’s commercial

Genre: Television

Who said it?: Old Lady/Clara Peller

The story behind the quote: The quote comes from a successful series of commercials made by Wendy’s. The reason why these ads were so successful was because people still remember its slogan.

The first ad shows three elderly ladies marveling at the size of the “fluffy” bun offered by Wendy’s competitors. However, after taking the top bun off, we actually see that the size of the hamburger patty is very small. While two of the ladies keep their mouth shut, the third old lady (Clara Peller) disgruntledly delivers the quote, which has become some sort of a catchphrase for her.

Geek wisdom: Like in the commercial, the bun may make the burger look big. But in reality, since the meat patty isn’t that big, you’re actually being shortchanged. Unfortunately, it’s easy to be fooled by appearances. In fact, sometimes, we only concern ourselves with appearances.

People these days are more concerned style over substance. We tend to forget that substance is definitely more important than superficial features.