The Big Bang Theory does one thing well: it tells jokes. As far as sitcoms go, this is enough to consider a show a success. The storylines are bland and unengaging, and the characters are one-dimensional silhouettes, but as long as the jokes stay bountiful, I’ll continue to tune in.
This week’s episode began with Leonard, Raj and Howard deciding uncharacteristically to go camping in the desert to witness a meteor shower. Unable to cope without modern conveniences, the boys reveal a grand undertaking; a portable satellite system able to acquire both east coast and west coast feeds of HBO. Forced to choose between Dune, with its “beautiful looking deserts,” or Real Sex, which “(is always) old women putting condoms on cucumbers,” it becomes rampantly clear this will be this week’s B-storyline
Back home, Sheldon prepares for a solitary night in. Attempting to order one-quarter of a meal from his favorite Thai restaurant, his evening is interrupted by a scream from neighbor Penny. The wacky hijinks ensue. Penny has tragically slipped in the shower and dislocated her shoulder. Always focusing on the wrong aspect of situations, Sheldon berates her for not having shower mats; “(he himself) has a series of whimsical duck stickers on the bottom of (his) tub… They’re whimsical because ducks neither have a need for nor the ability to use umbrellas.” Sheldon, being the only one in the vicinity, is forced to take Penny to the hospital.
Ripping off an episode of Friends, Sheldon first must dress the incapacitated Penny, in which the two argue over clothes’ intended function, fashion, and practicality. After an unintentional amount of groping, the two proceed to Penny’s dilapidated wreckage of a car. Hearkening back to a previous episode, the unlicensed Sheldon attempts to maneuver the poor excuse for an automobile with the strictest of safety protocol. Everything taught in Driver’s Ed immediately forgotten after the average driver passes, Leonard focuses on intensely. The clashing of Sheldon’s persnickety nature and tonight’s especially frenetic circumstances make tonight’s A-storyline a winner.
Unfortunately, back at the floundering b-storyline campsite, Howard unwittingly accepts a batch of cookies from a fellow group of campers. Describing them as “not entirely unattractive middle school teachers,” he sees nothing wrong with accepting the delicious baked goods from the VW microbus driving, tie-dye wearing, Grateful Dead listening women. Hilarity soon follows as the Howard, Raj and Leonard engage in classic (by which I mean retreaded) sitcom stoner comedy.
Sheldon and Penny triumph again in the hospital emergency room. The back and forth dialogue as the pair fill out medical paperwork culminates beautifully as Sheldon tries to “take a break from being (Sheldon)” and emulate a comforting facsimile of a human being (Sheldon’s creepy Joker smile always equals funny to me). Eventually, Penny’s arm is popped back into the socket, she’s given pain medication, and Sheldon uncomfortably puts her to bed. The loopy side effects of the drugs trigger a role reversal between the straight Penny and the odd Sheldon, magnificently culminating a perfect plotline.
Meanwhile, at the campsite, the stoned-out-of-their-gourds scientists plan an attack on a nearby Cub Scout troop, anticipating a 7-11 sized treasure trove of hot dogs and smores. Suddenly, Howard discovers an emergency brisket packed by his mother. The three carnivorously devour the beef, unaware of the meteor shower occurring overhead. The episode graciously ends here.
All in all, the sharp writing of tonight’s A-storyline could not be sullied by the weak B-storyline, making tonight’s episode good overall. Good, but not great. The B-storyline, while incredibly lame and uninspired, at least benefited from several noteworthy one-liners. Perhaps the writers brainstormed too many jokes, and were unable to fit them all into a cohesive script, so they instead injected them here. An effective maneuver, but very risky. Family Guy tried the same strategy several years ago, and never recovered.
