This season of ‘The Big Bang Theory’ is really shaping up to be a roller-coaster, and not in a good way. We keep swinging back and forth between episodes that are relatively good, and then some that are more less, “meh.” Sad to say, that despite some laughs this week, I think this episode falls in the “meh” category. It’s unfortunate because it felt like they had all the ingredients this week for a solid ‘A’ story, especially since it seemed to revolve around Sheldon and Amy, but it just did not seem to come together.
Jumping in, the main story tonight starts off with Sheldon and Amy congratulating themselves on how close they are to completing their paper but realizing they still need to finish their citations. Sheldon does not want to trust the work to just anyone (Amy had suggested a grad student), so he tests Leonard with a story about him sleeping with the lunch lady to see if he can keep a secret. When successful, Sheldon and Amy ask Leonard to do their citation work.
Raj is eventually enlisted as well, though unlike Leonard, he actually believes that Sheldon slept with the lunch lady and calls her a hussy. The pair find themselves in the library where they find a Russian text that seems similar to Sheldon and Amy’s paper. They need Howard to translate, and eventually realize it is the exact same theory as Sheldon and Amy’s only the Russian scientist already disproved it. Of course Raj and Howard chicken out of telling Sheldon and Amy that all their research is now useless, leaving Leonard to do the dirty work, which he reluctantly does after a pep talk from Penny (who herself runs away before the deed is done, having a bad history with giving bad news to friends after a previous experience which left her with a hickey and a black eye on prom night).
Sheldon and Amy are devastated, and even Amy cannot manage to hold it together, as she was just as excited as Sheldon about their work, especially since they had come up with the initial idea on their wedding day. Later, Penny and Leonard check on Sheldon and Amy when they miss work and an invitation to watch the new ‘Fantastic Beasts 2‘ movie and find them depressed on the couch together, still in their pajamas. The only comfort they can offer the sad couple is their Chinese food, which still isn’t enough as they did not even get the rice that Sheldon wanted.
In the side story for the night, Bernadette is unhappy when Raj and Howard let her play ‘Fortnight’ with them and she learns that she is not a good gamer, and being very competitive, she wants to get better so she can beat them. Even after Penny points out that it should not matter to Bernadette as she can still tell Howard that she makes more money, Bernie persists and heads to the Comic Book shop where she enlists Denise’s help in learning how to play the game. Denise is a decent teacher, but it is clear that Bernadette has not really ever played video games (she doesn’t even recognize the “X” button) and though she learns a lot, Howard easily kills her character when next they play, prompting an enraged Bernie to throw it in Howard’s face that she makes more money than him before she leaves the room.
QUOTES OF THE NIGHT:
SHELDON: There’s only one woman allowed to touch my “no-no region.” (Amy puts her hand on his shoulder, and Sheldon ducks away) No, no.
DENISE: Walk up to that chest and push “X.”
BERNADETTE: Which one’s “X?”
DENISE: The one with the “X” on it!”
BERNADETTE: Take it easy I’m new at this!
DENISE: The alphabet?
SHELDON: I don’t understand why you’re not more upset, this is your paper too.
AMY: I am upset Sheldon! I’m just trying to hold it together for you! Like when that goose wouldn’t leave us alone at brunch!
SHELDON: That thing scared you too?
AMY: Well of course it did! I was wearing a down jacket!
Never a good sign when the ‘B’ story has more comedy than the ‘A’ story, made all the worse by the fact that Sheldon and Amy are usually the comedy gold these days. Not to mention the fact that writing their latest scientist theory out like this kind of ruins a piece of their wedding (an episode which was pretty amazing), so I’m kind of hoping that next week we’ll learn some new information that elevates their work once more, or at least restores it as a viable theory so they are no longer in this funk. And as always, they need to find ways to give more members of the cast storylines in every episode. The episodes are so distorted when we get storylines for one or two cast members and everyone else is just there for jokes and to stand around. Let’s hope we get at least one or two more solid episodes before the winter break.
