Tonight’s episode of ‘The Big Bang Theory’ really let Sheldon and Amy shine as they explored the depths of their relationship sparked by the decision to purchase a turtle. As Leonard said, “I never thought you guys would be the first of our friends to start a family!” Once again the group spent the majority of the episode on independent adventures, so I’ll recap each couple (s) story this week separately.

SHELDON AND AMY:

Penny and Leonard enter the apartment to find Sheldon and Amy waiting for them, ready to announce big news and the next phase of their relationship. That’s right, you guessed it, as Leonard and Penny clench hands together to brace themselves for the big news, Sheldon informs them that he and his lady are going to buy a turtle. They head over to the pet-shop, and after a harrowing encounter with what Sheldon describes as “….a lot of puppies,” they finally make it to the turtle section. While discussing names, (Sheldon wants to name their new turtle Giuseppe because of his Italian features), they begin telling the turtle about his shared parentage, spending nights split between Sheldon and Amy’s apartment, with Amy taking care of him full time when Sheldon is at Comic-Con or if his application to go to Mars is accepted. Amy is shocked to hear Sheldon applied to leave the planet, with Sheldon defending himself by saying her attitude toward the idea is why he did not tell her.

Back at the apartment, we learn that Giuseppe is not a fan of the old ‘got your nose’ bit, and the bite he gave Sheldon’s finger caused him to lose his new parental figures. Sheldon and Amy continue to discuss Mars, with Sheldon showing her a video he sent in as part of his application explaining why he would like to go. In the video, we see Sheldon display his intelligence and his humor, the best part being the can of spring snakes gag where Leonard begrudgingly opens the can and finds no spring snakes within. Before he can ask what’s going on, Sheldon creams him in the face with a pie, proving that the pie in the face gag is always funnier than the spring snake gag. The video does little to win over Amy to the idea, and she storms out, followed by Sheldon who struggles to make her understand why he would want to go. Eventually, he invites her to join him, and they head back upstairs to make a couples application, Amy is touched that Sheldon invited her to join him on the adventure. She opens up the idea of their children being the first Martians, which Sheldon seems excited at the prospect of. Is this the first time that he’s thought of the post-coital rewards such as a family? I’m not sure, but it’s definitely another stepping stone along Sheldon’s journey to the bedroom with Amy.

RAJ, EMILY, HOWARD and BERNADETTE:

Raj and Emily are hanging out at her apartment, because she says they never get to sleep there because her roommate is always around, and since she just killed her roommate, they now have alone time. No you didn’t read that wrong, it seems Emily has a running joke with Raj of being a murderer, a joke she uses so often that Raj has established a rule with her that she always has to say “just kidding” each time she jokes about death. In the midst of the morbid humor, Emily is called away to the hospital, leaving Raj alone in the apartment. Naturally he calls Howard, who is busy playing video games while Bernadette manages their taxes, trying to justify a $200 R2D2 Lego as a business expense. As he makes fun of Howard for letting Bernadette do his taxes, Raj is snooping in Emily’s bedroom and accidentally breaks one of Emily’s nightstand drawers. With Howard’s help, he manages to piece the drawer back together, but he does not finish before Emily returns. They have their first fight, with Howard and Bernadette eavesdropping on the phone, but eventually the couple gets past the snooping. While laying in bed that night, Emily asks Raj if he looked in her closet, and when he says no, she is visibly (jokingly) relieved and turns over to go to bed, leaving a gullible Raj with wide eyes in bed, wondering if her dead roommate was hanging from a hook inside the closet.

LEONARD and PENNY:

Leonard reveals to Penny that he bought her a naughty gift for Valentine’s Day, but was too nervous to actually give it to her on the holiday. Intrigued, and a little hurt that she was not invited to the dirty store, Penny asks for the gift, which is a white canvas that a couple is supposed to have sex on after painting their bodies. She and Leonard try it out, but find they only made a small, “X” shaped mark on the canvas. Penny cannot believe their love-making is so boring, and they paint up to go at it again. When next we see the canvas, it is smeared with all the colors, with some paints leaking out on the actual bedspread. Satisfied, Leonard asks if they are going to get it framed, with Penny disgusted that the canvas has impressions of their bodies on it, claiming she would never hang it up. Instead, they decide to give it to Sheldon and tell him that William Shatner painted it, a course of action that leaves them both satisfied.

QUOTES OF THE NIGHT:

PENNY: (on hearing the news of Sheldon and Amy buying a turtle together) See this is why I said we should keep champagne on ice!
SHELDON: Sarcasm?
AMY: Yes:
SHELDON: That one was tricky cause when it comes to alcohol she generally means business.

PENNY: (to Leonard when presents her with a dirty gift) You went to the dirty store without me?!

BERNADETTE: (eavesdropping on Howard’s phone call with Raj) What’s happening?
HOWARD: Raj was snooping through Emily’s drawers and broke one.
BERNADETTE: Ahh. I’m gonna miss her.

SHELDON: (soothing an angry Amy) Is there anything I can do to cheer you up? What if I play the ‘Star Trek’ theme on my nose?
AMY: Please don’t.

SHELDON: (amused after he and Amy watch the video where he smashed pie in Leonard’s face) Afterward, Leonard blew his nose and pie came out!

I definitely felt this week was a step-up after the previous week, but I can’t help but think the show really shines when the whole cast is together, instead of all these independent story lines. Despite her weird death jokes (or maybe because of them?), I’m growing to like Emily more and more, and I hope she and Raj work out, as I don’t really want to see Raj go back to the poor pathetic single member of the group. Here’s hoping the episodes continue to improve as they get closer and closer to the end of the season!