The Big Bang Theory The Monetary Insufficiency

This episode of ‘The Big Bang Theory’ was a step up for the aging series, which I suppose is to be expected as they reach the end of the 11th season and the season’s plot-lines start to come to their conclusions. Just about every character had a few good moments and jokes, and Sheldon and Amy were highlighted (as should be the case right now, they’re the best part of the series this season).

The episode revolves around Sheldon’s realization that he can finally prove one of his new theories by forming a microscopic black hole (thanks to an experiment proposed by Leonard in the show’s opening), but the problem is the experiment would be massively expensive, somewhere around 500 million dollars or so. However, it would be a huge step forward for String Theory. Therefore, he decides to ask the university for money, and despite coaching from everyone on how to best ask for that amount, he fails miserably as he just does not seem to understand the concept of asking for a small amount and eventually asking for more.

So he decides to do his own fundraising, starting with a Kickstarter page, where he excitedly shows Leonard his “prizes,” which include things like $50,000 donors get a personalized dietary and bathroom plan, and people who donate $1 million dollars get a personal visit from Sheldon where he tells them what is wrong with them (which Leonard jokes that he has been getting for free all these years). Next, Sheldon sells some of his collectible comic-books to Stuart, clearly very sad to lose a collection he had been working on for most of his life, but desperate to get the funds needed to get started. When he finally has around $65,000, Howard suggests that Sheldon should go to Vegas and use his math skills to cheat the system, an idea that Leonard thinks is terrible but Sheldon is intrigued by. Sadly for Sheldon, he cannot keep his cool at the Casino, and he is thrown out by security who catch him trying to cheat the system before he ever gets a chance to bet.

Meanwhile, Amy takes Penny and Bernadette dress shopping, and the ladies have a great time at the store where they are treated to free champagne and finger sandwiches watching Amy try on all kinds of pretty wedding dresses, amazed at how good she looks in so many of them. When she finally announces she has found the one she loves, Penny and Bernie are taken aback when Amy comes out in a dress that looks like something out of an 18th Century royal ball, though neither can bring themselves to tell Amy they don’t like it. Of course, Amy buys it and her bridesmaids are miserable and decide they need to tell Amy the truth. But when they confront her, only Penny has the courage to actually say she dislikes the dress with Bernadette hanging her out to dry and then running away. Penny later apologizes to Amy and says it should only matter if Amy likes the dress, pointing out that they are different people after all (using Leonard as an example, as Amy would never marry him). Just when they make up Bernie calls Amy and admits she doesn’t like the dress either making Amy doubt her decision even more.

In the episode close, Amy tries on the dress at home, grimacing in the mirror just as Sheldon gets back from Vegas, and he is stunned to see her, showering her with compliments about how beautiful she looks, as he clearly likes the dress as much she does, proving once again why they are such a good couple. She decides to keep the dress and ends the episode asking Sheldon why he smells like smoke, and he begins to explain about Vegas.

QUOTES OF THE NIGHT:

RAJ: The dessert was bananas.. Sorry that was misleading. The dessert was pie.

PENNY: Ooh, this one’s pretty.
AMY: Hmm, my mother wouldn’t approve. Shows too much clavicle. Those are the bosom’s welcome mat.

AMY: Sheldon, you know, Penny’s got a point. Sometimes when you want something big from someone, you gotta be careful not to scare them away, you know? You gotta start small and build up slowly…. even if it takes eight years…. eight LONG years.
SHELDON: That’s oddly specific. Have you ever done that.
AMY: (beat) Nope.

(After Penny and Bernadette decide to be honest with Amy about her hideous dress)
AMY: What about my dress? Don’t you like it?
PENNY: I don’t-
BERNADETTE: (Simultaneously) -It’s beautiful.

PENNY: HEY! I can’t believe you just threw me under the bus!!
BERNADETTE: (playing coy) I know right? That was crazy!
PENNY: Do you know how that makes me look?
BERNADETTE: That’s an easy one – BAD.
PENNY: Why didn’t you tell her you didn’t like the dress either? What happened to our united front?
BERNADETTE: (right before she runs away) I’m sorry, is this your first day being a GIRL?

Solid episode, the Penny/ Amy moments were great, as were the Penny and Bernie angry moments. Sheldon being crazy and driven is always a fun aspect of his character, though sometimes I wonder if they play him a bit too dumb/ naive in some situations (like when he was asking for money or trying to cheat Vegas). He’s not new to the world, he’s not a kid, and he is a genius, but I get playing it up for laughs, and he is relatively innocent. Still, if things keep going the way they have been, he might be a married man by the season’s end. We’ll know soon enough – only 2 more episodes left this season!