The Big Bang Theory: The Closure Alternative (6x21)

I'm really glad that we got this episode of The Big Bang Theory. I've been pretty down on this show in recent weeks, and I think I needed an episode like this one to remind me why I watch in the first place. There were three subplots going on at the same time, as is often the case. For me, two of them really hit home runs in terms of creativity and humor. One of them was a little bit less impressive, but still not a total dud. Let's look at them each in turn:

Sheldon, upset that Alphas has been cancelled, freaks out and tries to reinstate it by calling the network and impersonating  different people. Amy takes this as an opportunity to discuss Sheldon's need for closure, and how she can help that using behavioral tests.This sparked a whole series of funny jokes, such as playing a game of tic-tac-toe but erasing it before it could end, or setting up dominoes and then packing them up before knocking them over. I liked this plot thread because it dealt with an actual mental condition and managed to make it funny without trivializing it. The ending was also humorous, as we see Sheldon go back and finish all the tasks after Amy is gone.

My favorite quotes here were these: when Amy asks how he feels after she stops him from getting closure with a game of tic-tac-toe, he replies "Same way any normal person would. I feel like I want to peel off my own face and tear it in two and then again and again until I have a handful of Sheldon face confetti!" Earlier, when talking about TV shows getting cancelled, he sites a few examples. Buffy gave us comics, Firefly did a movie, and Heroes "gradually lowered the quality season by season until we were grateful it ended!" That made me laugh out loud. 

Then, we have Penny and Leonard. Leonard tries to get Penny excited about Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but she is rather lackluster about it, calling the show "cute." This leads Penny to realize that she never gets passionate about anything. At first, she's upset, but then she realizes that she's passionate about her friends and about Leonard, and that she doesn't have to wait to be a superstar in order to be happy. I liked this plot because it gave me what I've been wanting for a while - a Penny-centric thread. She has more of a personality than just being the hot girl, and I'm glad that this week allowed that to come out. I think my favorite quote from this section was when Penny says "I liked it! I'm excited!" about Buffy, to which Leonard responds "Well then, tell your face!" Also, after Penny's realization, Leonard asks if they can go to comic con and dress up now that she's decided to be excited about life. Penny responds: "Leonard, I had an epiphany, not a stroke."

The third thread was the weakest in my opinion, but it was just sort of generic-weak, not terrible-weak. Raj finds Lucy's blog online and reads from it, but he learns that Lucy thinks he's feminine. He tries to act all butch on their next date, but Lucy tells him that she likes his sensitive side. I appreciated this portion of the episode a bit, because Raj did something ridiculous, was then called out on it, and then came clean about why he was acting weird. It was reasonable, and I enjoyed the opportunity to see a relationship stay stable, even though sometimes there are problems. 

Best quotes: "I always thought if I had a white name, it would be Gavin." - Raj. "It's almost like I'm reading her diary!" "That's exactly what it's like. Keep reading." - Raj and Howard. "I gotta go be butch. Toodles!" - Raj.

In all, this episode was pretty satisfying. It did a lot more for me than any other recent episode of this show.

8/10