Definitely a step in the right direction for the show, I loved the opening, I really enjoyed how much time almost all of the cast spent together, even going old-school and having the four guys together discussing things in the cafeteria, it just felt like a well rounded episode, and yes, it did clock in at almost 21 minutes, meaning they knew they had a lot of good comedy.
The episode revolves around the fact that Amy’s apartment is ready, but she does not want to tell Sheldon just yet, as she is enjoying living with him. The news comes out while Amy, Bernie and Leonard are watching the latest edition of ‘Fun with Flags” which now features Raj and Howard as the house band backing up Amy and Sheldon (which made for some hilarious moments). Later in the episode, as Leonard decides to tell Sheldon the truth, Howard informs Leonard that Penny has been secretly moving his collectibles into storage, to demonstrate to Sheldon the value of keeping a secret and revealing it at the opportune moment. 
With Sheldon and Leonard angered at their women, they heard home to confront them, checking the apartment and confirming that Penny has indeed been getting rid of stuff, including Leonard’s Klingon word-a-day calendar. Meanwhile on the way home Penny finally gets Amy to admit that the apartment is ready, and they walk into the apartment where Sheldon demands to know what is going on with her apartment repairs. Penny immediately covers for her friend, confusing the guys, who start to converse in Klingon, wondering if they got it wrong. Confused themselves, Amy and Penny switch to their own secret language to try to figure out if Sheldon actually knows about her apartment (it is an amazing moments as the two groups converse in 2 different made-up languages across the room). Eventually they revert to English and it all comes out, just as Raj, Howard and Bernadette come over, and everyone blames Bernadette for spilling the bean. She apologizes, and we learn that Sheldon is actually open to continuing to live with Amy. She almost makes an emotional scene about how happy she is, but Penny tells her to be cool in their secret language and Amy plays it off.
The rest of the episode is Leonard coming to grips with Penny boxing up his collectibles, and even letting her redecorate the bedroom so she is comfortable, though I was personally sad to see all of his nerdy stuff go at the end when she decorated it her way and made it entirely girly. I was hoping she would bring a nice mix of both of their stuff, but I suppose that is just not realistic. As for Sheldon, he needed some time to get used to the idea of leaving his room behind, and even a lullaby from Amy of the ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ music was not enough to prevent a wild nightmare of Penny and Leonard turning his old bedroom in a sex dungeon. Fortunately for him, Amy has more than one trick up her sleeve. The next day, as Sheldon stands helplessly between his old apartment and his new life with Amy she comes home and finds him trapped between the two. She gives him an eggplant and oh so subtlety lures him back to their apartment with a discussion about the anti-Aristotelianism of some scientist after he brings up Buridan’s Donkey. It’s a quiet, and smart moment for the show, and I was happy that they went with something so small for him choosing to stay with Amy in their living situation, especially after all the over-the-top moments their relationship has had this season.
QUOTES OF THE NIGHT:
SHELDON: We’re coming to you live from our friend Penny’s apartment. You may remember her from the episode “Flags and the people who don’t understand them.”
AMY: (trying to keep Sheldon away from her apartment) What about your fear of stray nails and butt-cracks?
SHELDON: I am terrified of falling into a nail and a butt-crack.
PENNY: Is Sheldon really believing all this crap?
AMY: He started to question it but then I fake sneezed on him and he ran to take a shower.
PENNY: (when Leonard calls her out for moving his collectibles) Oh so you believe your friend, and your friend’s wife, and your own eyes, over me?!?
AMY: Thank you for understanding.
SHELDON: Hey I get it, everybody wants to spend more time with me. I’m like a man made of sugar in a world of ants.
LEONARD: I got you this pink Power Ranger. You can put it anywhere you like.
PENNY: Okay, but you may feel some discomfort.
Definitely my favorite episode of the season, as it felt like an episode from seasons of yore. The whole cast was there, they visited all my favorite locations (the comic-book store, the cafeteria, both apartments), the 4 guys had a lot of screen time with just them, there was a lot of story and plot going on, and a lot of character progression, and some just plain great moments. From the ‘Fun With Flags” bit, to the language arguments, all the way to the Buridan Donkey moment, the episode felt well-thought out, and I hope they manage to keep that kind of thing going this season, though I have to admit, this might have just been a special episode.
Nick is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles, who belongs to the privileged few who enjoyed the ending to ‘Lost.’ For more of Nick’s thoughts and articles, follow him on Twitter (@starfro67)
