The Letter In The Closet

Big Bang Theory, S06E19

Howard and Bernadette threw a dinner party, and they let Sheldon organize their cluttered closet after he insulted Bernadette by bringing his own food.  Howard got upset when Sheldon found a letter from his dad and read it, and he was troubled by what it said, but couldn't bring himself to read it.  All of his friends eventually convinced Sheldon to tell them what was written without Howard's knowledge.

I think considering that Sheldon is a horrible dinner guest (or maybe just any kind of guest), leaving him occupied in their closet for some hours contributed to the best dinner party they could have thrown.  I mean, Bernadette has some kind of willpower not snapping at someone who would dare bring takeout to a party when she was cooking all day for that person's sake.  I would have grabbed his food and thrown it straight into the trash.  Or coughed on it.  Anything to spoil the dinner he thoughtlessly brought into their home.  Since he was doing an indirectly nice thing (he certainly wasn't doing it out the goodness of his heart) by making their closet tidy, I could better forget that Sheldon made an ass out of himself within less than a minute of arriving at Howard and Bernadette's.

I like that they brought up the issue about Howard's father abandoning him.  His mother is so overpowering that I never stop to think about his other absent parent.  I don't consider what kind of impact growing up without a father might have had on Howard.  There wasn't much light shed on this, but we did find out that Howard has been holding onto a letter from his father for years.  Hearing that he never got the courage to open it up after all this time really made me want to find out what his father's last words were to him.

I didn't like that Sheldon had read the letter, but I was surprised that he didn't immediately give away the information when Penny first asked him.  I guess he has some standards, even if he can easily be talked out of them.  I just feel like that was such a huge violation of privacy, and if it were Sheldon, he wouldn't have wanted anyone else to know what he didn't know.  I wish Sheldon could have put himself in Howard's shoes (a huge impossibility).

Although everyone seemed pretty terrible for learning what the letter said behind Howard's back, I loved the way that they made up for it.  It was really touching how they all said some heartfelt scenarios of what the letter could have possibly said.  I mean, except for Sheldon who was dumb enough to think that telling him it was a map from the movie Goonies was going to fool him.  Hopefully he just thinks Howard is that dumb and Sheldon isn't that dumb himself.  Regardless, it was really sweet of them all to give him those possibilities of great things his father could have said in the letter and let him have a bit of peace about it.

I also liked some lines from this story.  This was when Amy was explaining how Sheldon's behavior was normal, and it was what made him likeable:

His quirks just make you love him more.  [Silence]  Someone please agree with me.

The way everyone just exchanged glances silently really made me laugh.  It's a little sad that Amy needs to have validation from her friends about her boyfriend.  She may love him, but she's not blind to his shortcomings.

Speaking of those, he is such an asshole for throwing Amy in front of him when Howard came after him.  I doubt that Howard was going to break a bottle over his head or something, but for Sheldon's first instinct to be throwing his girlfriend in front of himself is such a cowardly move.  I wish if he were going to be the type of person that infuriates people as he does that he would back that up by having the balls to at least defend himself.  I also would have loved to see Amy grab his arm and flip him over her shoulder so Sheldon was in the front again (and possibly a little hurt).  That would have made me laugh.

One last thing, when Penny's closet was getting organized, I knew that Sheldon was going to find a vibrator.  I mean, the dead goldfish he pulled out was a greater surprise to me because I really thought the first thing he'd reveal was a sex aid.  It would have been a much bigger shock if he had found anything else peculiar (like a picture of her winning a science fair).

I liked this episode, mainly because Sheldon was kept busy with his obsession to organize.  I feel like they should always throw a box of unsorted buttons in front of him any time he starts talking or acting like a nuisance.  It would be the perfect way to handle him.  However, I would hate to leave him alone with any of my secrets because it doesn't take much for him to find a logical reason as to why he can share the information with other people.  Although Howard's friend violated his trust by finding out what the letter had said, they redeemed themselves well by giving Howard hope that his father left him a really wonderful message.  This group may be pretty nosy and terrible at keeping secrets, but I give them a lot of credit for supporting their friends when they're have a rough time.

Girls Want To Be Cinderella, Not Scientists

Big Bang Theory, S06E18

After deciding that if their committee wanted to encourage more women in the sciences, they should start at the middle school level, Leonard, Sheldon, and Howard visited Howard's old school to speak to a group of girls about their jobs and the allure of science.  Penny, Amy, and Bernadette got the idea to play hookie and go to Disneyworld while they were helping Raj decide what he should do for his first date with Lucy.  With little help from his girl friends, Raj planned a text date in the library for himself and Lucy.

From the moment that I heard what their committee was about, I didn't feel like the three of them would do a great job in acheiving their goal.  I'm sure that Leonard felt that it was a worthwhile cause, but Howard and Sheldon could have cared less.  As Leonard had suggested, it looked a whole lot like a typical forced group work: one person does all the work, while the others just slack off.  Also, I don't feel like these guys are the best people to get girls interested in science.  They should have had at least had one woman in their group to give the female perspective on the problem at hand.  It made me wonder why it took until nearly the end of the story before the scientist girlfriend and wife were consulted with their points of view.

It's hard to say which one of them bombed the biggest at the middle school.  I suppose it's a toss up between Leonard and Sheldon.  Leonard tried too hard to be cool, making himself look even lamer, and went off on a tangent about how his parents pushed him into science (and the cello) and how he wanted to be a police-friendly version of Snoop Dog.  Actually, without even bringing up Sheldon, I would say that Leonard was the one who discouraged the girls best from science with all of his whining.  Sheldon was a little graphic and certainly grim about the one female scientist he brought up as an example, but at least his incompetent presentation was short and sweet.  Plus, he redeemed himself when he put an end to Leonard's bitching and acknowledged that the girls present there were being done a disservice by them.  I loved when the girls clapped at him then.  Then Sheldon finally got Amy and Bernadette on the phone, so at least he did a little damage control.  Leonard just looked like science was the reason why he needs a lot of therapy (that and his overbearing parents).

One other part I enjoyed was when Sheldon thought he should Google how to get 12 year-old girls excited and Howard and Leonard ran over to stop him.  Wow, I don't know how that would have ended if they had simply let him do that.  Sheldon might have thrown his computer into a wall after seeing those results.

It was sort of cute that the girls all decided to play hookie together, especially since their destination was Disneyland.  I thought we might see them go on some rides or eat some crazy junk food, but instead it turned into a bit of a battle for the right to be dressed as Cinderella.  Not too surprising that Bernadette, who had suggested the Disney princess makeover in the first place, made it entirely clear that she was going to be Cinderella and the other girls would have to physically fight her if they didn't agree.  I like when Bernadette gets aggressive like that.  She has that look and sound of someone sweet and gentle, but get in her way and she'll come at you like a poisonous snake.

I thought that Amy's Snow White looked the best.  I would have never guessed.  I mean, Bernadette did make a wonderful Cinderella, but it was sort of like a no-brainer choice for her.  I don't think I could have seen her as any other princess.  Penny's Sleeping Beauty (I guess) looked a little rough.  I don't know if it was because Penny was so unhappy she couldn't be the princess she wanted or if they just did her makeover a little less special.  I don't know, but I didn't think she should have went home in that outfit.

I liked Howard's reaction to Bernadette coming home in the Cinderella getup.  It's amazing that he was already fantasizing about her being dolled up so before he even saw her.  He must have really been giving a lot of thought of her day at Disneyland because who would have guessed she'd come home looking like that?  Never underestimate Howard's dirty mind, I guess.  Leonard was about as  excited to see Penny as a princess, but Penny wasn't as into it as he was.  Sadly for Amy, who looked pretty good lying so still on the couch, Sheldon had no intention of fulfilling her fantasy of being awoken by her prince.  I would pay to see Sheldon (especially if he had to dress in a puffy prince costume) bend down and give Amy an overly romantic kiss like in that story.  Maybe if he was drunk that could be possible.

Raj did a great job on his first date with Lucy.  I didn't know how he was going to find something for them to do that wouldn't be too social nor involve too much talking.  A text date in the library was as cute as it was creative.  My favorite part of their texting was the auto-correcting.  Lucy had mistakenly written "porn" instead of "prom," but Raj was smart enough not to confess how often he visits porn sites. He dodged that well.  He was also lucky that when he was gushing about how proms were like fairytales come to life, Lucy let it slide as another auto-correct for him.  Nice save, Raj.

The kiss that almost happened between them was another good moment.  I was hopeful that Lucy would be able to go through with it, but it was more amusing to hear her yell about a panic attack and leave Raj hanging.  And while Raj didn't get a kiss on their first date, he still managed to be upbeat about it all.  I think for him and Lucy that was about as perfect of a first date as they could have.

I liked this episode.  Leonard and his "excited" committee did a poor job of encouraging young girls to pursue the same career, but it was a bit fun to see them interact with kids and do the opposite of what they intended to do.  I think it would have been much more successful if they had incorporated Amy and Bernadette from the beginning.  The girls' transformation into Disney princesses was pretty great, except Penny who looked like she had been kidnapped and forced to participate.  Although Amy's costume looked the best to me, she had the worst ending with her targeted prince.  There was a happy ending for Raj, however, who almost got a kiss after executing an excellent date for himself and Lucy.  Finally it looks like Raj is going to stop being the butt of every joke when it comes to romance.

Sheldon Gets Laid

Big Bang Theory, S06E14

Sheldon and Kripke had to work on a proposal together, and Sheldon was distraught when he noticed that Kripke's work was better than his.  Howard and Raj bought figures that were supposed to look like them, but the delivered products waere worse than they expected.  To correct it, they purchased a 3-D printer together that upset Bernadette.

What I liked most about Sheldon's story was that it just involved Kripke.  Besides the way that he talks, he's sort of the coolest of the guy's coworkers (besides that one girl who was dating Leonard at one time) and I enjoy his appearance.  He usually comes around as one of the guys' antagonist, but I end up liking him because he's got this air of confidence about him that you don't see in Leonard, Raj, and Howard.  So when he is put up against Sheldon, who's also teeming with confidence, it makes a pretty funny situation.  I wasn't surprised that Sheldon thought that working with Kripke would just slow him down, but I was surprised that Sheldon could admit to anyone that Kripke's work was above his own.  I feel like either Sheldon's sort of growing as a person that he could admit that or the devastation of losing intellectually to Kripke had put Sheldon in such a pitiful state that he couldn't bend reality to suit his own needs (as he usually does).  I'm going more towards the latter, especially since Sheldon lied about the reasons his work wasn't up to par lately.

The best thing about Sheldon being in despair was when Leonard and Penny came home to find him listening to "The Imperial March" with a blanket over his head.  If that wasn't funny enough, Leonard described the music as a warning of Sheldon's unhappiness that would lead to him destroying the planet.  I couldn't blame him for wanting to avoid Sheldon completely than do as Penny had suggested and talk to him.  But if they had just run away, we wouldn't have gotten to see Sheldon looking like a villian from Star Wars.  His overly dramatic reaction to problems sometimes end up being pretty great.

When Sheldon was explaining to Kripke about him getting laid and such, it was painful to listen to Sheldon describe what he was doing to Amy.  He might as well read from a textbook the mechanics of sex than the awkward and unnatural lies he was telling Kripke.  But it was hilarious how interested Kripke was and how excited he got to hear Sheldon "brag" about him and Amy.  He even gave Sheldon dap, to which Sheldon confusedly just grasped Kripke's fist in response.  Never did I imagine that Sheldon would get to boast about his sexual conquests, even made-up ones, to anyone.

It was interesting also that Sheldon admitted that the possibility of him becoming physical with Amy existed.  Penny was nearly squealing with excitement to hear that.  I didn't think Sheldon was lying about that (because he's the worst liar ever), but I'll believe that when I see it.  I could see Sheldon giving it a try, like he did letting Amy hug him, but I don't think he'll be able to go through with it to the end.  Speaking of that hug, I liked that Sheldon compared it to a boa constrictor but he still didn't want Amy to stop hugging him.  That was kind of cute.  At least he can always count on her hugs the next time he's ever that down again.  Sheldon might one day grow to actually love hugs (from Amy maybe).

In Howard and Raj's story, I sort of could identify with their love of figures.  I have a bit of an obsession with that myself and if I were into action figures, I might be tempted to waste money like that on a personalized one (though $500 is way to steep for me).  The money aside, I'd probably be wary of anything I have to buy like that off the internet because anyone with enough experience shopping knows that it's like playing roulette.  Of course, Howard and Raj ended up with horrible-looking figures (bordering on a little racist).  It wouldn't have been much of a story if they hadn't.  Still, I would have been so pissed to get a figure that made me look like another race or doubled the size of my nose.  I would have raised hell to the manufacturers, regardless if sales were final.  For something like that as expensive as it was, accepting shoddy work is unacceptable.  But I guess that's why they went ahead and bought that 3-D printer.

I didn't remember at first that Bernadette actually makes a good bit of money.  I suppose it's because I tend to forget what her job is, and she's classy enough to not flaunt it.  Apparently Howard's not too proud to flaunt his sugar mama and buy big ticket items without her consent.  He was lucky that Bernadette didn't kick his ass for that stunt.  But I have to say that the printer was kind of cool.  I couldn't see that machine being worth the money personally, but it would be fun to make different items from it (something a little more creative than a whistle).

I liked this episode, mainly because Sheldon was plagued by Kripke's better ideas for their proposal, while Kripke was cheering for Sheldon because of all the imaginary sex he was getting.  I sort of hope that Kripke spreads those lies around enough that it gets to Amy.  She might not be bedding Sheldon any time soon, but with him pretending he's doing it, she's gotta be at least one step closer to that being a reality.  Howard pushed it too far when making Bernadette his personal piggy bank.  I think from now on he'll be missing a lot of lunches for Pokemon and the like purchases.

Sheldon Smacked That Ass!

Big Bang Theory, S06E10

Howard had to go fishing with his father-in-law, so he went to Penny to get advice on how to fish and gut the catch.  Amy was sick and Sheldon honored their agreement by taking care of her, and Amy enjoyed the process so much, she faked being sick.

I liked seeing Howard squirm while he had to sit with his less than chatty father-in-law.  It was funny how Howard couldn't get more than a few words from him, no matter what he said.  I know that the two have very little in common, but damn--what an uncomfortable situation!  I expected that Howard might be saved for a moment when he tried to strike up a conversation with Bernadette's mother, but she was just as tight with words as her husband was.  I loved when she had a simple response to how her trip was, in a voice that reminded me of Bernadette.  I might like Howard's in-laws as much as I love Raj's parents (hope they make an appearance this season).

I don't know whether it's sadder that Raj, Leonard, and Howard had to seek help from Penny about fishing or that it was that Penny seemed so manly in this story.  I mean, Penny was in sweats, eating pizza like it was nothing to be ashamed of stuffing her face with it at the door.  Like she couldn't put it down for a second?  But seeing her like that made the point clear that Penny was going to know how to fish better than the three guys.  I didn't think she was going to show Howard how to gut a fish, though--that was pretty nasty.  I would have reacted probably like one level better than Howard's disgust.  But to be honest, it was a little impressive that Penny is so skillful about preparing a fish.  It's not something everyone knows to do, so it's nice that she could teach the geniuses for a change.

I liked that at the end of Howard's story, he and Mike sort of bonded over the fact that their wives force them to do things they don't want to do.  I also liked that while Mike defended his wife and daughter, he admitted that calling them "great" was a little too much.  I like his honesty.

Howard's story was nice, but I loved Sheldon and Amy's story the best.  I was touched that even though Sheldon complained and was impatient about taking care of her, he did it regardless.  Even if he was doing it to ensure that he would have someone to take care of him who wouldn't run away (I loved when Leonard and the rest did that) the next time he got sick, it was sweet by Sheldon's standards.  I was really happy that Amy was milking the attention from her boyfriend because I know she is one emotionally starved woman.  Anyone who is that excited to have her boyfriend rub VapoRub on her chest has not been getting a lot of action.  So I got a kick out of her enjoying the intimacy with Sheldon, while he was just seeing it as just a chore.  I was surprised that this even included helping her shower!  Wow.  He can help her do that and doesn't think more of it than probably cleaning a dish.  It was hilarious to see Amy getting to enjoy it without having to be really sick.  You can't blame her for taking advantage of the situation.

Sheldon, of course, didn't see it that way and felt that her lies were some kind of great crime.  He mentioned that ideally he would lock her in stockade!  Really, Sheldon??  You had to take care of your girlfriend a few extra days.  She didn't make you lose your job or rob a store.  He really astounds me at how highly he thinks of himself.  Amy is smart, though.  She tried to get off easy by suggesting that she be banned from the opening of the next Star Trek movie.  She would have gotten some applause if Sheldon had agreed to that.  I know good and well she would have loved to been spared seeing that movie.  Oh, well.  Instead, Amy got something a little better--a spanking.  For Sheldon to suggest that was such a brilliant conclusion.  I was like, man, is there anyway Amy can get away with pretending like she doesn't like that?  Nope.  Which made it all the more hilarious to see Amy on Sheldon's lap, getting her ass smacked by him.  And he reprimanding her not to enjoy it only made it funnier.  Amy and Sheldon are really becoming one of my favorite TV couples.

Oh, there was something so wrong that Sheldon said earlier in the episode:

Amy’s taking me to a memorial service.  It’s for one of her colleagues who is of Asian descent, so my planned conversational gambit is to casually remark that no matter how deep they dig his grave, he’ll never make his way back to China.

How I would love him to say that so someone could punch him in the face, or escort him out of the memorial service.  He's lucky that Amy was sick for more than not wanting to wear a suit.

Great episode.  I think that Howard is becoming possibly my favorite character, after maybe Amy and Raj who sort of compete for first.  I definitely want to see him struggle to get along with Mike again--it's just too funny.  But, of course, nothing can be funnier than Amy trying to cling onto the slightest bit of affection from her boyfriend Sheldon.  Sheldon spanking Amy is in my top ten favorite moments for this couple.  That was just great.  This show keeps making this couple better and better.

Oh No, Bernadette Didn't!

Big Bang Theory, S06E09

 Sheldon and Howard began a war over territory and possessions when Howard was assigned Sheldon's unused parking space.  Amy and Bernadette also began to fight, both wanting to stick up for their men.

I knew there would be trouble once Sheldon made it known that Howard was occupying his old parking spot.  While I was thinking about Sheldon and his most famous territorial stake, his spot on the couch, I was delighted to see Howard sitting at said spot completely naked.  This was not just a funny response to Sheldon taking his Iron Man helmet, but a rightful one.  I mean, Sheldon was sort of being a bully.  I'm sure in Sheldon world it looked like Howard was coming along and taking things that were his, but the rest of the world would have to agree that Sheldon taking Howard's things is pretty childish (and a little illegal).  But then again, Howard playing along with his childish games makes him just as much a child.  I don't blame Howard, though--you gotta beat Sheldon at his own game or Sheldon will own your ass forever.  I was less surprised that Howard had to give up his parking space before Sheldon would allow him there than I was that Sheldon retaliated at one point by sitting naked in Howard's car.  Wow.  Somehow it was grosser than Howard on the couch.  I guess it's because I would never expect a germaphobe like Sheldon to sit his naked ass on anything that was disinfected first.

The boys' battle was pretty good, but it had nothing on the residual fight between Amy and Bernadette.  You could sense that a storm was brewing between them, but I still had hope that they would be mature enough not to let their emotions get in the way.  However, once one of them suggested that their man wasn't worth as much as the other, the cat fight began!  The best thing was how vicious Bernadette got, which I loved because she wasn't about to let someone talk trash about Howard.  Not only did she have Amy's car towed, she admitted to scratching it as well with not an ounce of shame.  But Bernadette really took out her claws when she told Amy the following:

Gosh, Amy, I'm sensing a little hostility.  Is it maybe because like Sheldon's work your sex life is also theoretical?

Wow!  That had my jaw dropping that was such a good burn.  Amy may have gotten a jab in suggesting that Howard and his mother were so close that it was like he wanted to be back in her womb, but Bernadette really brought the heat and could have unabashedly snapped her fingers after bringing up Sheldon and Amy's sex life.  If I was Penny at that moment, I would have been like, "It's over--just bow out, Amy."

Penny got a bruised nose out of the fight, even though she was just in the middle.  I think that's more of a hazard of being friends with someone who carries a can of change in her purse rather than the fight, really.  Amy's nutty and obviously not afraid to swing her heavy purse if you push her far enough.  I feel a little bad for Penny.  It was hard for them to stop fighting even after Penny had gotten hurt in the crossfire.  Penny should probably rethink the advantages of having the two around.

I liked this episode a lot, but I would have liked to see Raj doing something better than arguing about zombies and mummies.  It is cute that he keeps bringing up that topic, but come on.  It could have been funny to see him help Howard get back at Sheldon or something.  Although, maybe Raj is too smart to get involved in that pointless squabble (he's learned his lesson sharing an office with Sheldon).

Sheldon at least pretended to be the bigger man, and that's all we can ask of him, so it was a great ending.  Penny got the raw deal being neutral in Amy and Bernadette's fight, but she probably got off easy because making an enemy of Bernadette is obviously not something you do lightly.  I'd love to see Bernadette tell someone how it is again.  That sort of thing is almost as good as watching Sheldon getting his just desserts.

The Science Ninjas And The Number 43

Big Bang Theory, S06E08

Raj and Howard tried to find out what Sheldon was doing every day for 20 minutes in secret.  Leonard was jealous of Penny's new partner for class.

I was pretty happy to see Howard and Raj kicking it like old times.  It's been a while since the two of them were on an "adventure" together.  I've missed the vibe they have when they're together.  For instance, when Raj put his ear to the door next to Howard and their faces were dangerously close to one another.  That's the kind of stuff I missed about them.  Also, there was this one line of Raj where he made you think he was saying something sexual, but it went in the total opposite direction:

Boy, what I wouldn't give to get her out of those pants...and into something a little more stylish.

Oh, Raj.  It's probably comments like that that make it hard for him to attract a girl.  But at least that was pretty funny.

I knew that the two "science ninjas" would never figure out what Sheldon was up to, so I was a little annoyed at them slamming their forwards against the walls trying to decode the mystery of 43.  Knowing Sheldon, I figured it had to be something silly, but hacky sack was way off what I could have imagined.  He must be as stressed as he said, having to act human all day for the sake of others (insert eye roll).  I was most disappointed in the two ninjas when they were fooled by Sheldon's wormhole performance.  These guys are so smart and yet...  They have watched way too many sci-fi movies or something.  Sheldon isn't so dumb that he wouldn't realize that someone was trying to figure out his "secret," so if it was me, I would expect that he might mess with the video feed.  But sometimes I do think that Raj and Howard become a little dumber when they are together.  You would think their brainpower would be combined, but instead they feed into each others fantasies (almost like middle school boys or something).  I mean, I love that they are so stupid together, but come on.  There's no way that video of Sheldon was real.

Not much to say about Penny and Leonard.  I was going to be pissed that there was just another story about Leonard being jealous of any guy coming within 100 feet of Penny until the story ended up being pretty significant.  Penny finally told Leonard that she loved him without even realizing it.  Well, about damn time.  I still don't really like them as a couple, but maybe hearing that will calm Leonard down.  And if things don't work out, he always has Sheldon's assistant who is nearly beating him over the head with flirting.  I'd like to see her finally get through to Leonard and have him give Penny more of a taste of what he's been going through for seasons and seasons.

This was pretty good episode.  I have really missed Raj and Howard teaming up to do something.  It's been way too long.  I also liked that there was minimum Sheldon because I tend to just get angry at him when he's not paired with Amy.  Leonard finally got to hear the words he was longing to hear, but I'm any more convinced that Penny and Leonard will make it than I ever was.  Hopefully, Leonard will go for the new woman on the scene and I can stop sighing each time I see him fretting about losing Penny every other week.

Amy's Honor Defended

Big Bang Theory, S06E07

 Amy felt like Wil Wheaton insulted her, but Sheldon didn't have her back.  Howard still had his things at his mother's house, and Bernadette wanted him to completely move into their place.

I was happy to see not Wil Wheaton (because he's a little arrogant for someone who's only slightly famous), but Amy together with Sheldon because that meant it might possible be a story about them.  It also meant I was probably going to get angry at Sheldon, and that was definitely true because I can't get past his inability to understand social cues.  My sympathy for Amy outweighs the knowledge that Sheldon doesn't understand human emotions.  I don't care.  He needed to get his ass kicked for putting Wheaton ahead of his own girlfriend.  It was so like him to misunderstand her and think she wanted him to ditch her for dinner and go out with Wheaton instead.  Sheldon is so damn lucky because another girl would have ended it right there.  He's also lucky Leonard let him know he was in the doghouse because Amy surely would have gotten to the breaking point if that issue had been left unattended for long.

I think my favorite part was when Sheldon got drunk (thanks to Penny--I'll give her some props for once) and went to fight Wheaton at his house.  Also, I just liked how he finally mentioned all the great things he loves about Amy, but has probably never told her.  I was gratified by his near showdown with Wheaton, even if there was no way Sheldon would have won.  Without alcohol he would have never gotten to that point, but I feel like if a few drinks would make him act like a real boyfriend, somewhere inside of him are real feelings for Amy.  It was about as sweet as I could expect Sheldon to be.

I don't know why Amy is such a demanding director, but I loved seeing LeVar Burton at the end of the episode.  I don't care much for Star Trek, but I heart him for his work on Reading Rainbow for sure.  And at least he didn't mind Amy being overbearing--he was just there for his payment.  Haha.

I don't have much to say about Howard's story except how gross it was that he wanted to pleasure himself one last time in his room while his friends waited at the U-Haul for him.  So glad that Leonard didn't agree to that.  Ugh. Bernadette is sweet that she didn't want Howard to break his mother's heart by completely moving out.  She really makes a lot of concessions for him.  That's love.

I liked this episode.  I mean, you can't really go wrong with an episode about Amy and Sheldon, really.  They are just too interesting as a couple.  Almost like watching a new species of animals interact with each other.  I like there is more and more evidence that Sheldon does care for Amy somewhere in that heart he has, but it just hasn't registered in his brain yet.  Although, since Sheldon is crazy with just about anything, I don't know if I'd be ready to see what he'd be like if he realized he was in love.  I might enjoy how happy it would make Amy, though.  Can't wait to see more of them!

Penny Less Raggedy, Sheldon More Raggedy

Big Bang Theory, S06E05

Howard was annoying everyone with his incessant talk about being an astronaut.  Sheldon and Amy tried to compromise on a theme for a couple's costume.  Raj helped Stuart with his Halloween party.  Penny finally made an effort to learn about Leonard's work.

I have to be honest that I, too, was just as fed up with Howard working the topic of space into every conversation as his friends were.  But I can sympathize with him because I feel like I sort of do that nowadays with a different subject.  Even so, I recognize that it's a horrible habit and should be suppressed as much as possible.  I was most annoyed with him when he was pouting about not speaking about his greatest achievement while dressed in an awesome costume of Papa Smurf.  He and Bernadette were rocking their couple's costume and all he could think about was how it sucked no one was giving him props about his astronaut days.  Geez.  So glad that Raj gave him that video of Buzz Aldrin to put things in to hilarious perspective for him.  I would sock Howard if he got as bad as that guy was with handing out candy.

The best story in this episode was Sheldon and Amy's for sure.  As soon as Sheldon suggested that they dress as R2D2 and CP30, I knew that there was little hope for Amy to get the kind of costume she'd want.  But I loved when they were making a Venn diagram of their ideas but getting nowhere.  Sheldon had ideas like Batman and Robin and Kirk and Spock, while Amy's were nothing alike.  She had ideas like Dharma and Greg (who would get that?) and the funnier couple of Blossom and Joey!  Oh, my God!  How I wished Sheldon would have liked that one.  My favorite part of all was when Sheldon explained why he didn't want anything to do with her Raggedy Ann idea:

Those dolls represent three things I do not care for:  clowns, children and raggediness.

"Raggediness" was the part that really had me rolling.  Only Sheldon.

I thought that "Raggedy CP30" was the best compromise that anyone could expect out of Sheldon (and Amy was thrilled), so I guess it was a win for her.  She did almost get a hickey from Sheldon until he figured out what it was.  Haha.  Watching him put one on Amy would have been pretty damn hilarious, though.

Another win that happened was for Leonard.  I mean, for once Penny decided to act like a decent girlfriend and step a little into his world.  It was really nice to see her impressed by the work he did and for Leonard to get some sex that wasn't out of pity, haha.  It did make me like Penny slightly more than I have before.  But I still think Leonard could do better.

Not much to say about Raj except that he is such a dork with his little puns for the food names.  But at least his party planning was a success.  It's just too bad that it was getting Stuart the girls and not Raj.  He could have used that victory.

Pretty good episode.  I'm just happy that from now on we don't have to listen to Howard go on about being an astronaut, and Amy is one step closer to living her dream as having a real boyfriend (as real as Sheldon can be in that capacity).  Penny seems like less of a "raggedy" girlfriend, but she still has some work to do.  Crossing my fingers that she won't backslide and will keep trying to make Leonard a little happier from here on.

Losers

Big Bang Theory, S06E04

Howard returned home from space, but didn't get the big astronaut welcome he had hoped for, finding no one to celebrate his glory with him.  Sheldon and Leonard lost to Penny and Amy at pictionary, which sparked a battle of different games to prove who was superior after all.

Well, it was no surprise that Howard didn't come home a changed man (save the few inches he grew from being in zero gravity) in the sense that being an astronaut didn't make his life any better once coming home.  He couldn't get any from his wife with her shooting snot from her nose and passed out from Benadryl, his mother was too busy screwing the dentist to have time for him, Raj had moved on with his new bestie Stuart, and the rest of his friends were too busy trying to beat each other to have a second for him.  I don't know if he was more of a loser coming back home or before he left.  I suppose he was more after because he had done something really great, but the only accolade he could reap from that experience was a free piece of cheesecake (which I'd take--it's better than nothing).  I felt bad for him, but you couldn't be too surprised with the kind of luck Howard has.

The funnier losers of Thursday night were definitely Sheldon and Leonard.  I just loved seeing Penny and Amy take them to school on a variety of games.  It was just nice to see Penny be able to hold her head higher than Sheldon.  One of my favorite moments was during pictionary when Penny was just taking her sweet time drawing nail polish because Sheldon was way off (even if it had been Polish as he had mistaken it for).  But it was great that she and Amy didn't just excel at drawing cookies and presents, but they were also masters of finding Waldo with impaired vision and solving long division while dizzy.  But I think my favorite victory for the girls was when Penny easily pinned Sheldon on the ground and then began kissing him to make him even more annoyed!  And then Amy just joined in when Sheldon begged for her help!  Hilarious.  I also loved when Leonard, tired of losing, demanded that Sheldon participate in the pie-eating contest:

Now, you either stick your face in that pie or I’m gonna stick that pie in your face.

I wish every episode could be this kind of game night.  I need the reminder that Sheldon is not skilled in many things outside of science and mathematics.  I even didn't think about how much I dislike Penny because she was being really good about giving Sheldon the business.

This is my favorite episode of the season so far.  I don't know if Howard is going to let Raj be best friends with someone else forever, but he is a married man now, so he might not feel as put out by that as he seemed to be in this episode.  I would love to see a story where Stuart and Howard would have to compete for Raj's friendship in the future.  And any time they can show what a loser Sheldon is again, I'm all for that.  It's just too funny.

Take That Penny!

Big Bang Theory, S06E03

Sheldon hired a new assistant to look through his old journals and papers to see if there was anything brilliant in there, and Amy felt threatened by a woman working closely with him.  However, when Amy dragged Penny along to spy on the assistant, Penny was the one who became worried about her and Leonard.  Howard was getting antsy and unraveled during his final days of space and getting worse with the news his return home would be delayed.

After last week, I was questioning whether I really liked the little side story about Howard in space until he started to go insane this time.  I liked how it was sort of a turn on or something for him to see people drop pencils for him, and it had made Raj uncomfortable when Howard had asked him to do that for him numerous times.  But my favorite thing was when Howard was trying to make a secret code for him and Bernadette to speak in:

We should probably talk in code. From now on, "frog" is me, "sandwich" means you and "lemon" means rocket.  So, come on, sandwich, build me a lemon 'cause froggy wants to come home!

That was probably my favorite line of the episode.

Another notable quote was when Amy and Penny were putting on makeup and Amy remarked how the eyelash curler looked:

[Amy] Looks like something used by Tinker Bell's gynecologist.[Amy] Who I hope for her sake is not Captain Hook, so...

A little gross, but pretty clever.  I don't think I'll look at an eyelash curler the same again.

What I liked most about this episode was that Penny finally got a little payback for stringing along Leonard when she saw that Alex and he were having a pretty good conversation.  Maybe Leonard's not the most desirable guy, but it's nice to see them do a story where Penny is reminded that Leonard does have options if he were to stop blinding himself with his love for her (which can't possibly last if she keeps treating him like a charity case).  I really hope that sort of thing continues on in the next episode.  Oh, and I liked how Leonard sort of set up Raj so he could easily chat with Alex, but in Raj's condition of being unable to speak to women he just moved to a different table.  That was a great moment too.  Almost as good as Penny experiencing some jealousy.

For once I sort of want to see what happens next.  It would be interesting if Alex wanted to date one of the guys, no matter who it was.  Although, I would most like to see her get with Raj because he really hasn't had any luck with girls at all.  Like I've said many times, it's way past due for someone to throw him a bone!  Come on, when are we going to see Raj find love??

The New Howard, The Same Ol' Penny and Leonard

Big Bang Theory, S06E02

Raj invited Stuart to hang with him and others, and Sheldon wanted him to act as a stand-in for Howard.  Amy told Sheldon about how Penny really felt about Leonard, and Sheldon struggled to keep the secret.  Howard was upset that the other astronauts treated him badly.

Not that I'm a huge fan of Stuart filling the void of Howard, but I was a little annoyed by Sheldon not wanting to accept Stuart in any capacity unless he was going to do things exactly as Howard would have done them.  Of course, I can't blame him because it's Sheldon's way to control things and stamp out any kind of change in his life.  However, I just feel bad for a new guy to come in and have to take his abuse.  The others are pretty numb to it by now, and I don't think they even care.  Then again, I think that Stuart was more than happy to do whatever Sheldon wanted just to be part of the group.  It's funny that there is a more desperate level than Leonard and company.

I knew as soon as Amy told Sheldon something that she wasn't supposed to that Sheldon would be burdened by the task of keeping his mouth shut.  It is nice to be reminded of how stupid he can be, despite being a genius.  And I'm not sure if he's just more awkward or somehow feels some kind of guilt from lying when he knows the full truth.  I'm not quite convinced that he possesses a real conscience.

However, it's interesting that he went to Penny's room to talk about it.  He seemed to only want to keep things the same, but he said that he didn't want Penny to hurt his friend.  Maybe even Sheldon doesn't realize it himself and that was the real reason he couldn't ignore the fact that Penny doesn't care that deeply about Leonard.  But I'm not going to completely be sold upon that just because he said it.  Sheldon is far from capable about worrying about others beyond on a superficial level.

But I have to say that Penny is really such a terrible person.  I don't know how long she intends to keep stringing along Leonard just because she feels guilty!  She's not such a prize that she's doing him a favor.  I really think that Leonard could do better no matter how badly he thinks he's hung up on her now.  I feel like if she doesn't get some balls and dump him or Leonard realizes it's over himself, I'm going to throw an object through my TV.  Someone put that Ol' Yeller of a relationship out of its misery!

I think I will enjoy the new Howard replacement, as long as Stuart can at some time stop kissing Sheldon's ass so much to fit in and assert himself as a real member of their circle.  And maybe next time Sheldon will spill the beans about Penny and Leonard to get the ball rolling on the end of their relationship again.  I don't have the patience to watch Penny drag him around like a 3 month-old corpse.  Let's bury this couple already!

Raj, The Third Wheel

Big Bang Theory, S06E01

Amy and Sheldon went on their anniversary dinner, but were joined by Raj to Amy's dismay.  Leonard wanted to hang out with Penny to discuss their relationship, but were also joined by Raj to Leonard's dismay.  Howard couldn't decide whether to please his mother or his wife, so he lied to both of them about whether he was moving out of his mother's house.

The worst story, of course, was Leonard and Penny.  Leonard is so transparent about wanting to talk about things that it was sad.  I was really glad when a drunk Raj came along and killed their little date.  I especially liked how he told them how it was with their stupid back and forth relationship.  I hadn't noticed, though, that Penny had never admitted that she loved Leonard.  I actually did want her to look him in the eyes and tell him as such.  Even if I don't want them back together, I would like her to admit she's hung up on him as much as he is on her.  Seriously, will the two of them just stop?  Either they move on for real or they get back together already.

Raj's best intrusion, of course, was when he was at Sheldon's date that Sheldon had "outsourced" him for.  My God, Sheldon takes being a bad boyfriend to such new levels each time.  And as delusional as Amy is about Sheldon (who would latch her ovaries on him if he proposed to her during sex--ha), I feel bad that she cannot get any real emotions out of that robot.  I mean, we wouldn't expect Sheldon to really emote, and yet I still want him to because I am a girl and I feel like a girlfriend should at least sometimes feel special when she's around her supposed boyfriend.  But I can't blame her for accepting Sheldon's quote from Spiderman as a meaningful expression of his love.  You take what you can get from Sheldon.

Speaking of him, he was quite funny when he said that the only sea creature he would want to be eaten by is a Krakken.  I had to agree with his reason because the last thing you would hear would be "Release the Krakken!" which is pretty damn cool.  I used to have an inside joke about that with some of my co-workers, so it was a random, but welcome reference.

Howard's story was kind of funny too because you can't really go wrong with him being bugged by his mother in space.  I mean, her son is doing something that only a handful of qualified people get to do and she's on his case about silly things like moving out of the house and such.  There is no place on earth or outside of earth that Howard can go to escape his smothering mother.  But it was a dick move of him to lie to Bernadette when I can't imagine how difficult it is for her being a newlywed without her husband, but living with his crazy-ass mother.  For that, Howard should be doing every single thing he can do to make her happy.  But he'll pay for it later.  What I really liked, though, was how Dimitri was kind of putting his own two-cents about the situation.  In a place like that there can be no privacy, so you can't blame the guy for being in Howard's business.  And I welcome the intrusion because he's a funny guy.

Finally, there was that scene where Raj and Stewart where kind of having a little moment together while listening to Latin music and drinking coffee liquor.  What??  Then, despite that Raj felt like things were getting weird, he invited Stewart out to hang sometime.  I didn't expect that after Raj quickly decided he needed to leave in the first place.  Huh.  Although, I'm not sure if it's because he doesn't have Howard to fall back on (or his other friends) and just wants someone available to do things with.  And when you think about it, Raj and Howard's relationship has always been a little bordering on a romantic relationship.  However, when Stewart commented that he could do worse by "hanging" with Raj, I felt like if Raj were to be interested in Stewart as more than a friend, Raj could do better!  I definitely think that Raj would be much more successful if he ended up being a gay man.  But I wouldn't want to see him do that with Stewart.  Eww.

This was a pretty good episode, the best being the Sheldon and Amy date.  But I'd like to see Raj do more than be a third wheel for the rest of the season, even if it means that Stewart is going to be his new best friend.  I'd like less of the Penny and Leonard stories--how much longer can we watch them bounce back and forth?  And Howard really is going to have to stay in space because Bernadette is going to kill him.  He needs to come to his senses real quick and realize that he'd be a fool to ruin his marriage before it has barely even started.

How To Make Sheldon Fall In Love

Big Bang Theory, S05E23

Howard was delighted to find out his mission to space had been cancelled, but he panicked later when they told him it had been rescheduled for an earlier date that conflicted with his wedding.  He hoped that Bernadette's father would bully him out of going to space, but he instead encouraged him and made it seem that his respect of Howard was dependent upon him becoming an astronaut.  Amy started using very effective techniques to get Sheldon to love her by making him incredibly happy.  Leonard mistakenly asked Penny to marry him during sex, ruining the good place their relationship was in.

It was funny to see how happy Howard was to not go to space.  I thought he was really excited about going, so it came as a surprise to me.  What was even funnier was that he continued to brag to his friends that he was an astronaut even when he thought he wasn't going to go to space.  I liked when Leonard and Raj told him that they were relieved he wasn't going to space, considering that he would be on a Russian-made rocket.  Raj' using the Russians' inability to capture Rocky and Bullwinkle to discredit their intelligence was great.  Nice cultural reference, Raj.

I found it weird that Howard couldn't admit to his fiancee or his friends that he was terrified of going to space, but he could admit it to his scary father-in-law-to-be.  Bernadette would have surely understood.  His friends would have surely made fun of him, but they would have encouraged him to go where none of them may go.  Then again, sometimes it's easier to tell some truths to people you hardly know than those who know you the best and can hurt your feelings with their reactions.

The best thing in the episode hands down was Amy's experiment to make Sheldon like her better.  The date she set up with Mario theme music, strawberry Quik, and spaghetti is scarily one that I would thoroughly enjoy myself!  Who knew that I had so much in common with Sheldon?  It was just a perfect scene of her pleasing Sheldon and him quickly realizing that Amy was indeed winning his heart as she predicted she would.  You can see that wonderful video below:

It was a bit adorable how Sheldon was bitching to Leonard how it was just awful that Amy was making him so happy, and he had started thinking about Amy during inappropriate times.  I also enjoyed them mentioning this book on women Leonard had given Sheldon, which had given him nightmares.  I would love to see his reactions as he read said book.  Amy was pretty cute too when she was dressed in Star Trek gear, examining Sheldon as if she were a doctor.  Sheldon claimed he was in hell, but he looked like he was having fun (probably not as much as Amy who was probably thrilled at having his full attention for once).

Leonard and Penny, on the other hand, were just annoying to watch.  I had just wished that Leonard's proposal had convinced her to break up with him, so I wouldn't have to see them as a couple again.  There's nothing too interesting about their off-and-on relationship for the most part.

This episode definitely goes down in one of my favorites for this show.  I can't wait to see what Amy does next to keep Sheldon thinking about her.  I wonder if Sheldon will be crazy enough to try to stop her "experiment," so that he can go back to seeming indifferent to his girlfriend?  I love that they are becoming closer with Amy making him happier, and yet Sheldon makes it seem like he's becoming more miserable.  Amy really is the best girlfriend I could imagine Sheldon with ever.

Strippers Before Secret-Sharing Speeches

The Big Bang Theory, S05E22

Howard had his bachelor party where the main entertainment wasn't strippers (due to Bernadette's wishes) but the random speeches by his friends.  In particular, Raj told everyone several of Howard's secrets concerning his sexual experiences.  Howard had no idea that Will Wheaton had filmed the whole thing and Bernadette had seen it before she picked him up that night.  Since she hadn't known about these things before watching the video, she wondered if she really knew the kind of man she was about to marry.  Howard later convinced her that he wasn't the same person who would do those things Raj talked about ever since he met her.

I assumed that their boys-night out at a vineyard or whatever silly thing they ended up doing instead of strippers was just going to be embarrassingly lame and nothing more.  That's why I think that Bernadette probably should have allowed Howard to have some strippers there anyway.  The odds of any of the men in attendance getting into trouble with them would have been slim (except possibly Wheaton since he's been on TV).  But I liked that Howard, who usually has the filthiest mind, didn't seem to mind at all listening to what Bernadette preferred.  That was refreshing not just for him, but in general as a man who could have been easily pressured by all the other men in attendance who wanted strippers.  Plus, it would have been funny to see strippers around Sheldon, a man who could barely take a sip of whiskey without a Robin-esq  swear.

Besides all of the horrible speeches, I liked that Kripke seemed to only be there in order to see strippers.  When it was his moment to give a few words about Howard, he remarked that it was basically false advertising to have a bachelor party and not have strippers of any kind.  I really like Kripke because you know if he's around that it's either to cause trouble or any other motive besides actually wanting to hang with Leonard and the gang.  I respect his honesty.

So the speeches, as I said, were terrible.  Leonard made it about himself, only wanting to boast about how he had sex with Penny on the beach (wow--who gives a damn).  Stuart's speech was so full of underlining jealousy, I was surprised he didn't stab Howard and try to assume his life as his own.  It was a little funny that he later stole a dollar from Raj that Kripke had given him.  Sheldon's speech was just annoying with his failure jokes and confidence that he was giving the best speech ever.  I was ready for him to sit down after his first "zinger."  What I did like about Sheldon was that he was miffed that Will Wheaton was in attendance because he thought Wheaton was exclusively his own friend, not Howard's or the others'.  Ha.  I wouldn't mind if they became enemies again.  Sheldon has the dumbest but amusing enemies.  Raj had the best speech because he did actually talk about Howard from the heart (maybe too much like a former girlfriend) and the fact that he revealed the secrets that no one needed to know.  Raj seemed pretty pleased that he had a threesome with Howard with an overweight girl dressed as Sailor Moon.  That image is hilarious.  Only Raj would be proud of that.  Then again, with Raj's record with women that probably is the best thing he could expect to brag about.

I think that Bernadette got too upset about the things she found out about Howard.  I mean, he is disgusting, but she knew that when she started dating him.  I think that she was just nervous about the wedding in general and was easily influenced by the tiniest thing that wasn't right.  Thankfully, Howard went to her and said the right words to fix things.  It's true that he has changed since meeting Bernadette--he's nowhere as near revolting as he was in the earlier seasons.  He's pretty pleasant.  I'm glad that it didn't take much for him to be forgiven because it wasn't that big of a deal (though I wouldn't want to have sex with him for a while after hearing about him and his cousin--eww).

Good episode.  Strippers would have been nice than the string of inappropriate speeches from Howard's friends, but they were effective in getting out the truth that Bernadette didn't know about her husband-to-be and that's important.  I'd hate for that to come out when they were walking down the aisle.  As their wedding fast approaches, I have to say that I'm a little more excited to see them hitched than I thought I would be. They're pretty perfect for each other, and I think they will be an amusing married couple as well.

Howard Is A Nicer Guy Than Sheldon Deserves

Big Bang Theory, S05E21

Howard was able to have the honor of using his engineering skills to do a little maintenance on Stephen Hawking's wheelchair.  He fully intended to spread the good fortune with Sheldon, who looked upon Hawking as an intellectual equal, but Sheldon ruined it by being his usual condescending self.  Howard then agreed to set up a meeting between the two if Sheldon would perform a few tasks for him.  He would have probably milked this rare opportunity for as long as he could, but Bernadette convinced him to stop being so mean (since Sheldon isn't purposely a dick--just socially inept) and end it quickly (after letting Sheldon do a task for her).  Sheldon finally got to meet Hawking at the end, but Sheldon didn't exactly sweep him off his feet as he planned (in fact, it was literally the other way around).

Sometimes I think that Howard is a petty and a bit of a jerk sometimes, but I think at heart he is a good friend.  Obviously, he was able to look past Sheldon's flaws and respect a fellow nerd's desire to meet one of their own heroes.  This is surprising for a guy who thinks it's a given that his fiancee should be doing things like making him breakfast and doing his laundry.  If only Sheldon could have kept his mouth shut about how stupid he seems to think Howard is.

Howard (and the others) are supposedly very intelligent men, so I thought he would pull out all the stops while having Sheldon as his slave.  Then again, only Sheldon is the one who is nearly certified as a future evil genius.  Getting revenge that really packs a punch may not be the forte of Howard (or Raj and Leonard, for that matter).  I would say the worst thing he did to Sheldon that we got to see was make him wear the maid costume to work.  Just gotta say that Sheldon is not cute in such outfits.  But the tasks Howard came up with were on the level of pranks or the losing end of a bet--not very vicious.  I appreciate, though, that Howard may have taken advantage of Sheldon (rightly), but he didn't take it too far, I think.  He simply wanted to humble Sheldon a bit (moot attempt) and force him to compliment him (Howard's apparently good at what he does, but what he does isn't worth doing--wow).  And while he was jerking Sheldon around, he had already given Sheldon's paper to Hawking.  So no matter what, Howard always intended to do the right thing.  Aww, you do like Sheldon after all!  Or you're just too nice for your own good.

When Sheldon met Hawking, I was worried it was going a little too well.  Hawking liked his paper, and I didn't want Sheldon to have his dream come true when he didn't learn anything from Howard's mistreatment of him.  Thankfully, Hawking told him that Sheldon had made an arithmetic mistake in the paper.  Sheldon, being the super-genius that he thinks himself to be, was right to faint from that.  He meets the person he thought was the only other "human" in a world full of "dogs," and he gives Hawking a paper that showed him he was a "dog" too.  Love it.  It's a happy ending for all, I say.

I don't have many complaints at all about this episode.  It was nice to see Sheldon desperate and under Howard's command for a little while.  It would have been even better if he could have learned something (like when Penny tried to tell him how inferior he always makes everyone), but that would be a miracle.  At least Sheldon acknowledges that Howard is good at his job.  Maybe one day he might believe that his job is a little less insignificant.