Thanks to a visit from Penny’s dad (a show-stealing Keith Carradine), we were given a little more insight as to why the Leonard/Penny relationship didn’t work out.
Penny seems to go for the unsophisticated sort, which is the complete opposite of Leonard’s personality. Playing armchair psychologist for a moment, it seems that Penny only goes out with men to rebel against her father while also seeking, and failing, to win his approval. But, of course, I could be wrong about that.
This week, we learned that the Penny/Leonard relationship might not be over as Penny may still have feelings for Leonard. I doubt they’ll get back together this season – that would be too easy. Instead, it looks like Penny will regain interest while Leonard loses his. Time will tell.
Kaley Cuoco must be healing nicely from her broken leg. It was hard to tell that she was even injured. It was nice to see all the girlfriends (and ex-girlfriends, and whatever the ShAmy relationship is) of our protagonists chatting together and throwing a slumber party. The look on Penny’s face when Amy invited herself over was priceless. The girls’ slumber party was just as funny as watching the guys deal with “Evil” Wil Wheaton. The girls could star in their own sitcom (though it does seem unfair that the deaf woman that Raj is supposedly dating wasn’t invited).
Penny is back! Well, sorta. Her appearance behind the bar (likely to hide Kaley Cuoco’s broken leg) was more of an extended cameo, but the interplay between her and Sheldon made me realize how much I missed seeing them on the show together.
Eliza Dushku followed in Summer Glau’s footsteps, becoming the second beautiful woman with Joss Whedon geek cred to appear on the show. Who’s next, Sarah Michelle Gellar? Despite Dushku’s fun guest appearance and Penny’s return, this episode didn’t really do much for me. There were plenty of funny lines, but it just didn’t shine like most of this season’s earlier eps. Are the writers saving their best material for later in the season when Cuoco returns full-time? I hope so.
With Kaley Cuoco still missing from the show (episode count without Penny: 2), we got to meet Raj’s sister Priya (Aarti Mankad) in last night’s episode of The Big Bang Theory. Naturally, one of the nerds had to have a fling with her, and Leonard was the only one who was single and interested. This seemed to be a continuation of a previous relationship that started five years ago. It’s surprising that the show hasn’t brought this up before (lascivious laughter).
The past few weeks have been pretty Leonard-lite, so putting him at the center of the story was a welcome change. Still, the ep itself was a little weak.
The Big Bang Theory has been better than ever this season. Now in its fourth year, the show has become one of the best and funniest multi-camera sitcoms on the air. Sure, it still tends to coast a bit (Remember the fart jokes and the silly robot arm plot earlier this season?), but the show delivers enough laughs and memorable over-the-top character beats (like Sheldon scrambling down the stairs repeating Leonard’s name over and over) to make up for that.
A few weeks ago, we saw the return of Wolowitz’s nerdy ex-girlfriend Bernadette, played by the funny and lovely Melissa Rauch. It was a welcome return for a couple of reasons. (more…)
Let’s start at the end of the episode and work our way back to the beginning …
The Sheldon-Amy Farrah Fowler relationship continues to amuse me. Just like so many children before her, Amy decided to rebel against her conservative mother by faking a sexual relationship with Sheldon. The faux sex talk scene was weird and hilarious, but it reminded us that Sheldon and Amy don’t exactly have a real relationship (a fact the show reiterated here ad infinitum).
So how long can their non-relationship possibly last? A full season at least? Here’s hoping.
Both Amy and Sheldon wanted to keep things as-is, proving again that they’re exactly right for each other. Prediction: They’ll break up the moment they realize they’re meant to be together.
If The Big Bang Theory ever gets a spin-off, I hope it stars Mayim Bialik as Amy Farrah Fowler. All she needs is a group of girls to act as her “straight people.” Or perhaps she could just become a regular cast member on the show. The quality jokes always start flying whenever she shares the screen with Sheldon.
As you can tell, I’m quite happy that “Shamy” is still going strong. Seeing Sheldon in a relationship is still pretty funny, and it reminds us that he doesn’t really know much despite all of his degrees. The same can be said for Amy. Once Sheldon’s mother got involved in their conflict last night, you knew they were getting back together — she’s got the sort of smarts to handle smart people.
Maybe I’m growing immune to the show’s charm after watching so many episodes, but tonight’s installment of The Big Bang Theory didn’t really strike me as laugh-out-loud funny. There were a few chuckle-worthy moments, but nothing here was nearly as funny as last week’s dinner scene with Sheldon, Penny and Amy. But, BBT is one of those shows I love to watch over and over again, so perhaps I’ll find this ep hilarious the second time around.
A recurring theme this season so far has been Sheldon’s belief that his presence truly enriches the world. He tried to continue himself through procreation last week and this week he made a bid for immortality via cybernetics. His plan involved eating right, staying in shape and, of course, transferring his consciousness to a robot.
Despite his thinness, Sheldon doesn’t seem too out of shape. His need to suddenly eat right and exercise in an effort to obtain immortality didn’t really seem like something he needed to worry about. On the other hand, the stretching scene gave him an excuse to wear an outfit that looked like a set of goofy hi-tech Underoos — not that he needed any excuse to wear his Flash T-shirt.
What’s better than watching the interplay between Penny and Sheldon on the season premiere of The Big Bang Theory? Watching the interplay between Penny and two Sheldons. That online dating service from last season certainly hit the mark by finding a female Sheldon in Amy Farrah Fowler.
I was a little concerned when the writers actually decided to allow Sheldon to date, but it’s turned out for the best so far with some great dialogue and good jokes coming out of the “relationship.” Still, I don’t see the coupling lasting very long. Sheldon and Amy don’t seem properly equipped to deal with the real problems and issues that real couples face, which are eventually bound to creep in down the line.
This was a very strong premiere episode with many good “bazingers.” Most of the humor came from Sheldon’s “first date” with Amy and the involvement of Penny. The B-plot with Wolowitz and the robot hand seemed to pale by comparison, but it had its funny moments. What happened to Wolowitz was certainly predictable when you consider the things that only he would do with an artificial arm and hand. It was a very IT Crowd moment when the ER nurse rebooted the computer in an effort to free Wolowitz from captivity.
DVDs and Blu-Rays exist. They come out every week, actually. So here are six new releases you should nab (or put on your Christmas wish list) this week …
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