Tonight’s ‘Big Bang Theory’ episode centered around the guys finally having to deal with the man from the Air Force and what exactly the military wants from their guidance system. After a disastrous meeting in which they tried to force Sheldon to keep his mouth shut, he of course finally speaks after the officer challenges them by saying a team at MIT can finish the miniaturization of their project in 4 months, with Sheldon making the claim the guys can finish it in 2 months. Everyone is mad at Sheldon for making that claim, and since none of the other guys refuted him in the meeting due to the awkwardness of the moment, they are now in bed with the US government, which is not somewhere they necessarily wanted to be. Fortunately, they do get to work in the classified building on campus for the next 2 months, and they have a good time testing the optic scanner outside their lab, though Raj is saddened that he is not part of the team and will not be seeing much of his friends for the next 2 months.
At Penny’s apartment, Bernadette is pissed that someone told everyone at work that she was pregnant, as she is worried she will not get a research project because they will not want a pregnant woman working on it. Once she leaves Penny reveals that it was her that accidentally spilled the beans, while Amy is fascinated by how well Penny lied to Bernadette, and wants to scan her brain the next she time she fibs. As Penny struggles to tell Bernadette, Bernie plots revenge on the woman she thinks screwed her over, and eventually Penny comes clean. Bernadette throws Penny out of her office, but after a visit and a heart-to-heart with Amy, Bernie realizes that Penny made an honest mistake. She threatens to sue her company if they discriminate against her for being pregnant, and she makes up with Penny, realizing her new child is truly her priority.
Definitely a bridge episode, and while it had some great moments, especially when Sheldon was not allowed to talk, felt a little short on plot and jokes. They are definitely building toward the air force officer potentially being Howard’s dad, especially as we learned that he is an engineer that went to MIT, and seems to have a lot in common with Howard. We will just have to wait and see where they go with the season and hope for some stronger episodes as the show progresses.
QUOTES OF THE NIGHT:
HOWARD: (baffled by Sheldon’s willingness to join the military industrial complex) Sheldon we could be contributing to a weapon that oppresses mankind for the next 1,000 years!
SHELDON: Ok Howard’s on board, how ’bout you Leonard?
RAJ: Surely you must know someone who is a lawyer.
HOWARD: Why because I’m Jewish? That’s like me saying you’re Indian you must have a cousin who works in a call center.
RAJ: (Beat) I DO have a cousin who works in a call center!
MARTY the Lawyer: (complaining to cousin Howard) Thanks for going to outer space. Now no matter what my mom will be disappointed in me.
BERNADETTE: (looking for revenge) Do you think using her work computer to Google “How to be a prostitute?” is over the line?
SHELDON: I don’t understand why I can’t talk at this meeting.
LEONARD: Because when you talk it enrages people.
COLONEL WILLIAMS: (as Sheldon is forced to stand by without speaking, shaking in rage) Look guys, its just a guidance system. It’s not like you’re handing me the Death Star from ‘Star Trek.’
SHELDON (moments later): I’m Dr. Sheldon Cooper. I’m the actual brains behind this project. Also, engineers aren’t real scientists, MIT is a trade school, and the Death Star is from ‘Star Wars,’ not ‘Star Trek.’ Otherwise, thank you for your service.
AMY: I spent my day alone in a lab waiting for a rat to die of anthrax.
BERNADETTE: You come here to gloat?
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).
