Welcome to our first recap of the ‘The Big Bang Theory!” This week’s episode found the gang split up for most of the episode, so we’ll tackle each storyline separately here in the recap. Jumping in….
The episode opens with Sheldon, Amy, Raj, Leonard and Penny discussing an article that Amy found claiming that two people could fall in love after answering a series a questions and then staring into each other’s eyes for 4 minutes. Sheldon (clearly) is skeptical, and proposes they find two “street people” to kidnap and perform the experiment on. The gang stops him from acting out his plan (which might have been hilarious to watch), and instead suggest he act as the subject. Penny agrees to run the experiment with him, and the pair head over to Penny’s place to attempt to fall in love, leaving Raj, Leonard and Amy alone in the apartment. They attempt to try the test with Amy and Leonard, but soon realize they have no interest in going through the questions with each other. Instead, Raj suggests they meet up with Emily and figure out something for the 4 of them to do.
PENNY and SHELDON
To start off, Sheldon tells Penny that if they do fall in love, he would like for her to take him to Gary Con, a celebration of the creator of ‘Dungeons and Dragons,’ Gary Gygax. They begin the test, Penny making sure to grab a glass of wine, and the first question is about who their ideal dinner guest is. Naturally, Sheldon chooses himself, claiming that although they say you shouldn’t meet your heroes, he doesn’t see how he could disappoint. Penny chooses Robert Downey Jr., and Sheldon kicks himself for not thinking of Iron Man, though he asks if he and himself could join Penny and Robert Downey Jr. for dessert after their dinner.
The questions continue, with the card asking if they could suddenly have a new ability/ power, what would it be. Penny says she’d love to have the biblical power of turning water into wine, but Sheldon takes umbrage at the comment, claiming that Penny is using humor to avoid the questions. She then reveals that she would want to be as smart as the guys, and Sheldon tells her he wishes he could read minds so he would instantly understand what people were feeling, as he has a terrible time with social cues. Feeling sorry for him, Penny than says she would want her ability to be helping Sheldon with his social awkwardness burden.
A later question, asked while the pair enjoy ice-cream (Sheldon out of bowl, with Penny eating it straight from the carton), asks what each would regret not telling someone if they were to die that day. Sheldon reveals that it would be sad if he died on his birthday, and Penny is shocked that he told her when his birthday was, as not even Amy knew. He reminds her that he hates the idea of presents, and dreads the idea of people jumping out to yell “surprise!” almost as much as the words “George Lucas director’s cut.”
They make it to the final stage, staring into each other’s eyes for 4 minutes, and both admit that the eye contact is a little creepy. However it gets Sheldon to admit that he often sees Penny as a kind of sister, and sometimes mother, after she admits that she often feels like Sheldon is her little brother. The test finishes, both admitting that while they know each other better now, they are clearly not in love. Still, Sheldon still thinks they should go to Gary Con, and starts a discussion about whether or not they should wear costumes, and if they do, who would get to be ‘Gary.’
RAJ, LEONARD, AMY and EMILY
The foursome decide to try an Escape Room, an interactive experience where they have to solve puzzles to escape. The room they choose contains a “zombie” who they have to work around, though after the initial fright when it bursts out and scares Raj, the Zombie doesn’t really present any kind of threat, just there for comic-relief as he mumbles for them to slow down. With 4 PhD’s in the room, they fly through the clues, much to the zombie’s chagrin, who warns them there is no refund and no prize for finishing early. The plot was definitely not one of the funnier aspects of the episode, and luckily the show did not spend much time in the Escape room.
HOWARD and BERNADETTE
Howard and Bernadette spend the whole episode at the airport, as the airline has misplaced Howard’s bag which has the ashes of his mother within. He freaks out over not knowing where the bag could have gone, even going so far as to call her the only woman who ever loved him, correcting himself when he saw Bernadette’s face with “the first woman who ever loved me.” His anger gets to the female airline agent, who eventually starts crying every time Howard talks to her. Howard admits to Bernadette that he feels guilty that the last favor his mother asked of him was a ride to the airport and he made her take a cab. Bernadette, feeling for her husband, turns into dark Bernadette, and goes to the airline agent and demands she find the bag, as “one way or another we’re walking out of here with a woman’s body!” Gotta love dark Bernadette, as she gets results. They find Howard’s bag, and he cradles his mother’s ashes in his arms, while Bernadette realizes that urn is probably going to end up in her bedroom.
At the end of the episode, Penny walks Sheldon home (across the hallway separating their apartments), and when he opens the door, the whole gang jumps out and yells surprise, much to Penny’s delight and Sheldon’s horror, as his birthday secret is finally out.
QUOTES OF THE NIGHT:
HOWARD: It’s your entire job to find lost baggage and you’ve narrowed it down to the planet earth?
ZOMBIE: Just saying… no refund for finish early! (spoken while he watches the guys rush through the puzzles)
SHELDON: Psychology has once again proved itself the doofus of the sciences. (Sheldon’s musing about the test results)
SHELDON: And after I let you be Gary! (after Penny tells everyone about his birthday and the gangs surprises him)
Definitely not one of the best episodes of the season, but all in all not terrible either. Great Penny and Sheldon moments, as well as Howard and Bernadette, both couples bringing a lot of heart to the episode.
