There was a collective sigh among The Big Bang Theory viewers Thursday night (or maybe that was just my household) when Raj finally met a girl in the form of Kate Micucci’s Lucy.
After all the deaf gold-diggers, comic convention weirdos and one-night stands with Penny, it’s far from about time the show introduced a female counterpart for the show’s resident Lonely Boy (I couldn’t handle anymore “Let’s question Raj’s sexuality!” gags), and I’m behind their choice in a character like Lucy.
When Micucci’s casting was first announced, I was worried writers might go down the Sheldon/Amy route and make her another socially inept smarty-pants. What’s brilliant about Lucy is that she’s even more socially awkward than Raj (I suspect Asperger’s, since she alluded to problems with social settings), but obviously has a good heart, since she came back to the comic book store to apologize. I like that her return was left open-ended and the two are going on a date, but they obviously have a long way to go until relationship territory.
Thursday also marked the return of the instant classic web show “Fun With Flags. This bit finally put Sheldon and Penny back together, and allowed Penny to give Sheldon some acting lessons. More often than not, I forget Penny’s aspirations to become an actress. Not only did the storyline pairing give us some new physical comedy, via Sheldon’s body language, but we finally got to see Penny act in something other than a hemorrhoids commercial. (Poor Sheldon is probably still waiting for that streetcar.)
Something else to note is the fact that Sheldon is taking more and more social cues from Amy rather than Penny, which not only speaks to how their relationship is growing, but sort of diminishes the need for Penny and Sheldon to interact. I didn’t hate Amy’s Skype interactions with her cigarette-smoking monkeys, but it’s always fun when Penny teaches Sheldon something because you know he’s going to take it to the extreme.
Best moments of the night:
- Anything involving lobster, other than Raj eating it in his underwear. I pulled a Bernadette and wanted some Red Lobster too. I settled for sushi instead.
- Sheldon demonstrating his newly obtained body language skills to Amy, and then heading over to Penny’s to thank her for being helpful — right in the middle of his conversation with Amy.
- Smallish point, but I enjoy that Penny was actually GOOD in A Streetcar Named Desiree and that her friends acknowledged that. It means there could be more movement on that front at some time in the near future.
Worst moments of the night:
- Raj’s moping. I’m over it. I think audiences are over it. Let’s hope after Thursday’s episode the writers are over it too.
- Sheldon saying he’s been “itching to pull that trigger” on never leaving his apartment again, but didn’t he already do that in a past episode, when he build a Shel-bot and missed an opportunity to meet Steve Wozniak?
Best quotes of the night:
“My apologies that this episode is coming late. I did shoot one last week in honour of Black History Month. But I was informed by my roommate that my spot-on impression of George Washington Carver could be considered wildly racist.” – Sheldon, introducing Fun With Flags
“Well geez, Penny. What you have for breakfast, a big glass of good question juice?” – Sheldon, trying to be relatable after some coaching on Fun With Flags
“Sorry. We’ve cut the monkeys down to one cigarette a day, so things are a little intense. Makes me miss my marijuana abusing flatworms — those guys were mellow!” – Amy, explaining the monkey noise in the background of her Skype chat with Sheldon
“How can she remember all those lines, but she can’t remember no tomato on my hamburger?” – Sheldon, on Penny’s acting skills
Chuck Lorre’s vanity card:
The papal jury may still be out on Pope Chuck, but I’d throw my chalice his way if I had one.
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The Big Bang Theory airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on CTV/CBS.
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