Big Bang Theory Season Six, Episode 2: The Decoupling Fluctuation

When Penny reveals to Amy and Bernadette that she thinks she might break up with Leonard, Amy is unable to keep it from Sheldon (aka: the worst secret keeper ever), and while Sheldon may not feel much in the way of affection for Penny (Or anyone for that matter), he likes things the way they are and proceeds to do what he can to keep Leonard and Penny together.

Howard’s time aboard the space station is not the fun time he’d expected when he becomes the butt of all the jokes for the other two astronauts on board. And when he takes Bernadette’s advice to stand up for himself, things don’t go well.

Stewart has slipped into the group as a Howard replacement for the time being, and politely asks Leonard not to ruin it for him while Sheldon scientifically goes about determining whether he would work in the long term. And though he’s a far cry from Howard, Raj – of all of them – seems to genuinely like his company.

My Thoughts:

Sheldon’s desire to maintain their friend circle’s homeostasis, while seeming to be purely selfish in its motivations at first is redeemed when he quietly asks penny “Please don’t hurt my friend.” There’s something beautifully childlike about the way he says it, and that emotion is not one that you see often from Sheldon, which makes glimpses of it all the more special.

With Howard in space for the time being, it makes his and Bernadette’s portions of the episodes feel segmented and a little awkward. It feels like they’re so distant from the group and because of that I have a hard time sliding between group dynamics to their portions.

I’m interested to see how Stewart fits into the show as the episodes go on, and how he’ll cling to the group when Howard returns.

Big Bang Theory Season Six, Episode 1: The Date Night Variable

When Sheldon invites Raj along on his date with Amy, she gets upset by the lack of commitment he has, and tells Raj to leave after he doesn’t get the hint when she mentions it’s their second anniversary. In the end, Amy tells Sheldon they are over unless he can say something meaningful and from the heart. He does – though it’s a direct quote from Spiderman – and she accepts it.

Leonard has Penny over for a night that’s all about her (queue the pizza, beer and football) but nearly ruins it all by trying to force Penny to talk about their relationship. When Raj arrives, having been kicked out of Sheldon and Amy’s Date night, it seems like the relationship talk is off the table, that is until Raj finds out that Penny has never told Leonard she loves him. Urging her to do so sees Raj back on his own.

Howard is on the international space station, and between his work he’s bombarded by phone calls from his mother and his new wife both have problems he doesn’t want to deal with, and so when his mother tells him he’s not moving out, and when his wife tells him they are… he takes the easy way out and lies to both of them, vowing to stay in space for the rest of his life.

At the end of the night, with nowhere else to go except an empty apartment, Raj visits the comic book store and has a brief moment with Stewart, but before he leaves he sets up a plan to meet up the next night – and it comes off as a date – but Stewart’s down and agrees.

My Thoughts:

Sometimes I feel sorry for Amy and Sheldon, other times just for her, and yet other times I feel like they’re perfect for each other and they’ll eventually get past her relationship hang ups or he’ll find a way to conform to her ideal. I do love the one on one moments with them, as it gives us a moment to step back, look at the world as if they are the norm, and realize it’s not so terribly strange. The Spiderman speech was adorable – especially if he meant it , though I’m not sure he did – and it would be interesting to see what would happen if she actually broke up with him…. So I’ll be waiting for that episode.

Leonard and Penny do really need to work out their issues or move on. It’s adorable that, not knowing enough about sports, Leonard still tries. And I have a feeling that sort of a date is as romantic a gesture as anything Leonard could have done for Penny.

Bernadette and Howard’s relationship is the only one in this show that conforms to the general gender norms, and I always find that interesting. I love the bits with Howard, mostly for the attempt at zero gravity, and the wisecracking Russian constantly piping in. Though I always enjoy angry Bernadette it’s just so funny to see someone that small boiling mad.

I’d love to see them take a different angle with Raj and Stewart, even if they do settle into pseudo homosexual relationship; I’ll probably enjoy those bits of the show. Stewart deserves more air time, and it makes sense for Raj to find someone else to spend most of his time with now that Howard is married.