Welcome to the final season premiere of ‘The Big Bang Theory!’ My hope is that with it being the 12th and final season of the acclaimed series, they will be able to bring back some of the earlier magic while managing to wrap up 12 seasons of comedy and bring all of these characters’ stories to a close, and I am happy to say the opener tonight seemed to be a step in the right direction.
The ‘A’ story of course is all about Sheldon and Amy’s honeymoon which brilliantly begins at LEGOLand where Sheldon orders “room service” for his bride which turns out to be LEGO’s in the shape of food, and reveals to her all of the coitus he has scheduled into their trip, which makes her a little uncomfortable. In New York, after he embarrasses her at the Harry Potter play by shouting at the actors things like “watch out!” he is ready for their scheduled love-making but she is not in the mood and he is perplexed by her attitude. It all comes to a head later when he is complaining during a Tesla tour they are on and she reveals she wants some spontaneity in their love-life, which Sheldon struggles with. They talk later, with Sheldon bringing Amy an offering of street hot dogs which he can barely stand to touch, and he reveals he has to schedule their love-making for fear of not doing it as physicality is not something he is great with. She offers a compromise where he makes the schedule but does not tell her about it, so she can have the illusion of surprise. When she points out that he could never have a random number generated by computers anyways Sheldon has a real spontaneous moment and whisks her back to the hotel room, enthralled by the scientific mind of his bride.
Back in LA, Leonard and Penny discover that Amy’s father has been hiding in her and Sheldon’s apartment, getting some time away from Amy’s overbearing mother, who they discover is not happy that her husband is avoiding her. Eventually, Penny and Leonard realize some of the similarities between Leonard and Amy’s father, and Leonard points out that there are some similarities between Penny and Amy’s mother as well. This really angers Penny who does not want to be like that woman. They eventually make up, assuring themselves they will not end up like Amy’s parents, but it feels like some seeds are being planted yet again to bring down the Leonard/ Penny marriage. I’m predicting a tough road for them in the 12th season.
And the final story of the night, Raj gets asked to go on the local news and speak about a meteor shower, and while Howard and Bernadette watch, he has a little bit of a meltdown on air when he learns the station’s first choice was Neil Degrasse Tyson and Raj shares some harsh criticisms of the famous scientist. Later, while Bernie counsels him to apologize, Raj starts an open Twitter war with Tyson, exchanging scientific burns with the man, exasperating Howard and Bernie who know it will not end well and know it looks bad on Raj. Eventually, Tyson gets Raj’s phone number and calls him to settle things, with Raj immediately backing down and apologizing. Feeling pumped up, Tyson then calls his next enemy, Bill Nye The Science Guy, who immediately hangs up the phone in fear.
QUOTES OF THE NIGHT:
RAJ: Is it nice having Sheldon and Amy away on their honeymoon?
PENNY: Yeah, cause now Leonard and I get all this alone time.
RAJ: But you’re not alone, we’re here.
PENNY: Yes… yes you are.
BERNADETTE: Would you like us to leave so you and Leonard could talk about all the things you have in common?
LEONARD: Ha ha, she called your bluff.
AMY: Really Sheldon? You wanna, do it again?
SHELDON: Don’t act surprised! It’s clearly marked on the schedule.
LEONARD: He wears Axe Bodyspray?
PENNY: You happy? You smell like Amy’s dad.
NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON: (intimidating Raj) Remember, next time you pick up your phone, I’m the guy who kicked Pluto out of the Solar System.
NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON: Whoa, that was fun. Let’s see who else needs a DeGrasse-kickin’.
BILL NYE: (answering his phone) Bill Nye The Science Guy.
NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON: Hey Bill, Neil Tyson. We’ve gotta talk.
BILL NYE: (Slams the phone down)
Not a bad start for the final season and I loved how many guest stars were used organically in the episode. I hope they continue to keep the focus on Sheldon and Amy for the ‘A’ stories as they are still the most interesting couple, and as always, I hope this season finds more storylines with the full gang together as the show is always at its best when everyone is bouncing off each other in scenes. See you back here soon for the next episode!
