Well, as no one will be surprised to learn, the premiere picks up right where the finale left off, with Sheldon down on one knee in front of Amy, proposing. Fortunately, the episode does not focus on the whole “will she say yes” quandary, because we all knew she would. In the middle of the proposal he takes a phone call from Leonard and Penny asking where he is, leading to an explanation of how his kiss with Dr. Nowitski led to his realization that he wants no other woman but Amy for the rest of his life, all of which makes Amy love him even more, even if he won’t let her answer because he’s on the phone. She finally gets to say yes (after we learn he asked for permission from Stephen Hawking, and then her father, in that order), and we get a montage of them telling all the major characters on the show (minus Stuart, who apparently is that not important to them), the best being Sheldon’s mom, who takes credit by saying Jesus made it happen because of her prayers.
During the montage, we also learn that Bernie just took a pregnancy test and is pregnant with a second child, and is freaking out about it. She gets some comfort later from Penny, who reminds her it means Hallie will have a sibling, but they both agree its a little crazy to be having a kid again so soon. When she finally tells Howard, he has a little meltdown as well, whining “No! No!” over and over again until he finally calms down, just in time for Bernie to start crying. When they sit down with Leonard and Penny later for dinner, they suggest that their friends also have a baby so they can all go through it together, which does not go over well with Leonard or Penny, who insist they are not yet ready to have a child (yet the story seed has now been planted for the season).
Meanwhile, Sheldon decides to stay on the East Coast with his new fiance for a little while, especially after she takes him clothes shopping at a nearby Comic Book store, but first he has to go to a dinner with some colleagues of hers, who annoy Sheldon by only wanting to talk about Amy’s work and how brilliant she is. It ends with a fight between the couple, and while Amy storms off into her room, Sheldon finds himself in the bathroom skyping with Stephen Hawking, lamenting being with people who do not appreciate his brilliance and would rather drone on about their own nonsense, not recognizing the irony of the current situation even when Hawking himself points it out. Eventually, Sheldon apologizes the Amy when he realizes they are a team now and sometimes he has to let her have the spotlight, using a hilarious Avengers metaphor, and all is well between the new couple.
Raj meanwhile, true to form, does not quite know how to handle yet another of his friends being engaged, especially since no one saw Sheldon getting married before Raj. First Raj hits on Dr. Nowitski now that she has no shot with Sheldon and is turned down again. Later, he visits the Comic Book store to buy an engagement present and lets Stuart know the news, saying at least they can be alone together and is saddened to learn that Stuart actually has a date that night, meaning that even Stuart is doing better than Raj in love. If ever there was a time to bring on a permanent love interest for Raj, it is now, because the guy may be looking down a real depressing road otherwise this season.
The episode wraps up 3 months later when Amy returns to LA, and she and Sheldon meet the rest of the guys in the cafeteria, with Amy showing off her engagement ring. She spots Dr. Nowitski at a nearby table and goes to talk to her, and while the men think an epic fight is about to ensue, instead Amy gives the woman a hug and thanks her for incidentally spurring Sheldon into finally proposing.
QUOTES OF THE NIGHT:
SHELDON: (on who he asked for Amy’s hand in marriage) Stephen Hawking’s a genius. If he said no I wasn’t going to waste time asking her father.
AMY: But you did ask my father?
SHELDON: I did. He said yes. But not in a robot voice so it wasn’t nearly as cool.
PENNY: (on phone) Congratulations!
SHELDON: (on phone) We’re not engaged yet, she’s taking forever to answer.
AMY: BECAUSE YOU’RE ON THE PHONE!
SHELDON: (beat) ….(thinking) We’ll call you right back.
MARY COOPER: (when Sheldon tells the story of Dr. Nowiski’s kiss) More than one woman was interested in you? I might have prayed too hard.
AMY: I’m sad you’re leaving.
SHELDON: I came here to propose. If you had said no, I wouldn’t want to stick around here looking at your stupid face.
STUART: Who would have thought Sheldon and Amy would be the next two to tie the knot?
RAJ: Tell me about it. I’m the one who caught the bouquet at Penny and Leonard’s wedding.
BERNADETTE: (after Penny says to let them know if they need anything) You know what you could do? You could have a baby too!
PENNY: …I’m sorry, what?
LEONARD: If we’re gonna have a baby it’s gonna be when we are ready, or when I’m certain Penny is going to leave me.
PENNY: Exactly.
SHELDON: (as he sits in the bathroom Skyping with Hawking about his relationship woes with Amy) Those people were in the presence of a world-class mind. And all they wanted to talk about was their own nonsense.
STEPHEN HAWKING: …Can you see the irony in that statement? (waits for Sheldon to react) … How about now? … How about now? … I’ll wait.
PENNY: Left out? Bernadette has to grow a baby inside of her, and Amy has to marry one. My life is great!
Not a bad premiere, but a little predictable, especially since we all knew Amy was going to say yes, and things pretty much went back to status quo after she did. Bernie being pregnant again is a fun twist, especially with Howard and her reaction, but I wonder if these are the only surprises the show has left, weddings and babies, and whether that means this should truly be it for ‘The Big Bang Theory.’ Also, in keeping with my theories from last season, the episode did suffer from having the cast so separate, especially Amy and Sheldon being so far away, as they do their best nowadays when everyone is together in cohesive storylines, but hopefully next week they’ll come back with something stronger. See you then!
