(S03E01) Thank you, thank you, thank you, Big Bang Theory. Thank you for not dragging out the "will they or won't they" thing with Leonard and Penny throughout the third season. The guys return from the North Pole looking like a pack of Teen Wolves (all except for Sheldon, whose goatee was much scarier), and the first thing that happens is Penny sticks her tongue down Leonard's throat. There is no dancing around, no skirting the issue. She missed him and had three months to realize that she wanted to give it a shot, so she did.
I especially love that the writers slyly copped to dragging the whole thing out for two seasons, with Leonard and Penny's constant interruptions. "I just can't catch a break!" Although, come on. They flew down to Texas to go after Sheldon. Are they trying to make me believe that Leonard didn't have a few spare minutes before he went to the airport?
In any case, while they did continue to tease us throughout the episode, Penny and Leonard finally became more than just friends. Now, of course things are weird, so that's going to put yet another monkey wrench into the mix, but I'm fine with more conflict.
The only thing that would piss me off is if the viewers got cheated again like we did last time the two of them got together. We waited so long for the payoff, and their relationship just ... ended. I hope they at least try to make more of a go of it, instead of just deciding that things are weird and immediately giving up.
Other things that I enjoyed about this episode was the reference back to "Soft Kitty," and the fact that whatever weird bond Penny and Sheldon have is still intact. Laurie Metcalf was wonderful, but it definitely would have been nice to see more of her.
Some of my favorite quotes from this episode:
Wolowitz: "Damn it, I should have gone over and told her we were back."
Raj: "Yeah, it was 'first come, first served.'"
Wolowitz: "Sheldon. You remember the first few weeks; we were looking for magnetic monopoles and not finding anything, and you were acting like an obnoxious, giant dictator?"
Raj: "I thought we were going to be gentle with him."
Wolowitz: "That's why I added the 'tator.'"
"Hello, Penny. I realize that you're currently at the mercy of your primitive biological urges, but as you have an entire lifetime of poor decisions ahead of you, may I interrupt this one?" - Sheldon
Penny: "You know, I do understand what you're going through."
Sheldon: "Really? Did you just have the Nobel Prize in waitressing stolen from you?"
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-22-2009 @ 2:33AM
Fullman said...
I'm glad they also got straight to the question we were all wondering during the summer hiatus!
However, I don't think the relationship "ended" right there... I have a feeling we'll see more of whatever it is they have, if they've even figured it out.
I loved the end title card with the "thank you Comic-Con!" Being one of the people who attended their panel and asked the question regarding which 'Rosanne' co-star Johnny would like to appear on the show next (he said John Goodman!) -- I had to pause and see if I was in the picture. (I don't think so :( )... glad to see the producers are thinking us us fans!
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9-22-2009 @ 9:06AM
TAG said...
I looked carefully at that picture. You'll notice that they re-used a few people in that image.
9-22-2009 @ 6:34AM
bearxor said...
This show is so lame. The "geek humor" is just so forced. I guess I can understand why non-geeks like it, as it seems to play in to every stereotype there is.
I've watched a handful of episodes from the first season and this season opener and don't think I've found the will to release a chuckle.
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9-22-2009 @ 7:53AM
Donna said...
You know, I didn't even see it. The biggest problem for me lately is simply that they moved it to 8:30 (well, it's 8:30 for me in the Central Time Zone). I get home from work at 6:30 and it was a welcome Monday wind-down at 7 p.m. But I can't move my schedule around for CBS. I don't care for the three other sitcoms on Monday night, so I watched the local news instead (which considering we had severe thunderstorms moving through, wasn't a bad idea). But by the time 8:30 came around, I was getting paperwork done, and making calls, and taking my shower and I had finished any television for the night.
It doesn't bode well for me keeping up with TBBT anymore.
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9-22-2009 @ 9:21AM
Michael said...
I can't believe you didn't even mention Wolowitz and the red cowboy hat... "Hello, I'm wearing a red turtleneck! I want to blend in" "To what, Toy Story?" Hilarious as usual...
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9-22-2009 @ 1:25PM
GL said...
The Toy Story line was perfect.
9-22-2009 @ 9:22AM
Kristi said...
This show has really grown on me, I think the writing is quirky and fun and the characters are just kooky enough. Favorite part was Sheldon's spat with his mom over Evolution . . . as a science geek in the south, I can relate. . .
http://www.orble.com/teevee-the-big-bang-theory-ep1/
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9-22-2009 @ 10:54AM
loudalmaso said...
Major point for Penny for:
a) Even going to see the new Star Trek eventhough Leonard and Co. were out of town
b) Correctly remembering the plot points of the movie and
c) accurately relating those points to Sheldon.
the only implausible part of the episode was that those four highly intelligent and technically savvy geeks would not have found a way to see the film themselves in the months in the arctic
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9-22-2009 @ 11:02AM
PurpleSlog said...
"...all except for Sheldon, whose goatee was much scarier..."
Wasn't that supposed to look Mirror-mirror world Spock's goatee?
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9-22-2009 @ 11:15AM
Preach said...
That was the first thought that came to mind, when i saw Sheldon come in. And it also fits in with Raj's comment about Sheldon's "spock hearing".
9-22-2009 @ 2:10PM
Sarah said...
I LOVED when Sheldon cried about missing Comic Con. I went to Comic with my sisters and brother and we waited forever in line to get into Ballroom 20 where the Big Bang Theory panel was going to be. We had great seats near the front and it was such an awesome experience. When Sheldon cried about missing Comic Con I yelled out, "No you didn't!" If I were an emoticon I would be a colon with a capital d. :D
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9-23-2009 @ 10:06AM
Elisabeth said...
This show has become a family favourite: it was my husband and thirteen-yr old daughter who introduced it to me.
When the "first come first served" line came up early in the episode, I turned to them and said: "That line will be quoted in TV Squad's write-up". Thanks for not disappointing! I think you (and the comments) caught them all.
Any show that makes you laugh with your family stays on my list. My only complaint is the time slot change, which means that we watch it from the DVR on Tuesday with my daughter.
Looking forward to many laughs this season!
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