Well, tonight I was pleasantly surprised by ‘The Big Bang Theory.’ When the episode started I immediately looked at the run-time, saw it was only about 18 minutes, and immediately assumed it was going to be a poor showing. Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be yet another surprisingly good turn for the long-running series, the only low point being the fact that Penny and Leonard don’t have much to do, and then Bernadette and Howard have very little story, which is forgivable considering the fact that I’m sure we’re soon going to have an episode with Bernadette giving birth, which should focus a lot on them.
The main plot of the episode revolves around Sheldon and Amy incubating brains cells grown from combining their own skin cells, which Sheldon grows very fond of, especially once those brain cells start testing at the higher percentiles. He starts comparing the new brain cells to Bernadette’s baby, who points out the difference in that her baby is a new life, and Sheldon insists that they are similar. Eventually, he decides that combining his and Amy’s DNA clearly is capable of producing amazing results, and wants to make a baby with Amy, which freaks her out, but is the best comedy of the episode. When Sheldon drops a pen and bends over to show his “bottom” to Amy to get her in the mood, it is one of the most hilariously awkward moments of the episode, maybe of the season, and really shows off how far Sheldon has come as a character. 
However, Amy’s mind is made up that they are not ready for a baby, so Sheldon spends the rest of the episode trying to seduce her, to hilarious results. The best of it is when Amy comes home to rose petals leading to the apartment to find Sheldon waiting for her in a half worn tuxedo, a brandy in hand (that he finds disgusting but sips on for effect) with sexy jazz music playing, to which she flees to Penny and Leonard’s apartment. Sheldon eventually follows her there with his final plan, and dances the Flamenco for her, which he has been assured is the sexiest dance form. She resists his charms and leaves the apartment, but after she leaves we learn that she is mighty tempted, but is only resisting because she knows they are not ready for a baby, and scientific progression is not the right reason to have a child.
Meanwhile Raj falls in love with the cleaning woman at his office, in what turned out to be a somewhat interesting storyline, although at times it felt a little awkward and weird, especially as the woman is slightly older and has a child in college, and he is embarrassed about her profession. When Penny guesses that he is interested in a new lady when Raj starts eating broccoli, he does not tell his friends that she is a cleaning lady, which comes back to haunt him when Howard meets her and assumes she is an astronomer and she gets offended. Fortunately, she seems into Raj so he still has a chance, but I am not sure how I feel about the relationship as it feels a little forced, and kind of desperate for Raj, only thing saving it for me is that I like the actress playing the cleaning woman, and she plays her character with a lot of strength.
QUOTES OF THE NIGHT:
RAJ: Oh my God, I just got it, fun onions, ‘Funions.’
PENNY: How come you never eat broccoli?
LEONARD: (as he slurps up noodles) I’m married, I don’t have to be attractive.
BERNADETTE: I can’t believe you can turn ordinary skin cells into functioning brain cells.
AMY: (nodding at Sheldon) I turned this one into a functioning boyfriend, so the sky’s the limit.
AMY: (as she spots rose petals going toward her apartment) Ah man!!
LEONARD: Well, have fun with whatever nightmare is behind door number two!
SHELDON: Who’s trying to seduce you? After a long day I always turn on smooth jazz and spray deer musk on my inner thighs.
AMY: I thought it smelled like a petting zoo in here.
PENNY: So were you turned on even a little bit?
AMY: It was like being hit on by rat-pack Pee-Wee Herman.
LEONARD: Sorry, is that a yes?
AMY: NO!
Definitely a strong episode, especially for a short one, and it made a lot of moves to carry the plot of the season forward. I have a feeling we will see Sheldon and Amy trying for that child soon enough, and Raj might just have another girlfriend again, though I am not sure this one is really going to last that long, but who knows? I really like the switch to where now Sheldon has a reason for wanting sex and Amy is telling him no, even though she clearly is still super attracted to Sheldon, and feels the heat, but is being the mature member of their relationship. I like that the show is finding ways for their relationship to evolve, definitely working hard to make sure it is not stagnant. Here’s hoping the show is able to keep up this good streak and hit the winter break on a high note. See you back here next week!
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).
