The Big Bang Theory: The First Pitch Insufficiency (8x03)

Cute episode, nothing special, with a dash of more serious concerns thrown in. I think they sort of blew it on one of the punchlines, but it was an okay episode over all. Let's talk about it.

Howard is asked to throw the first pitch at a baseball game. He tries to practice, but eventually decides that he's not going to be successful. So, he decides to let a model of the Mars rover deliver the pitch. However, it moves so slowly that people in the stadium start booing him.

Since Sheldon missed a lot of contractually obligated dates with Amy while he was away, he has been going on tons of dates since his return. He invites Leonard and Penny to join them for a double date. While there, Penny and Leonard are shocked to discover that Sheldon and Amy believe they are a stronger couple. Apparently, there's a compatibility test that has very accurate results, and Sheldon and Amy scored very high on it. Penny doesn't want to take the test, however. These leads Leonard and Penny to have a frank discussion about their relationship. They are both scared about getting married, because they have very little in common. However, Leonard eventually says that it's okay to be scared, and he wants to go through this journey by her side.

So... the biggest complaint I have about this episode is the punchline to the Howard plot. It would have been so much cooler if the pitch had actually worked. Or what if it had worked too well, and the model of the Mars rover had blasted forward so quickly that it tore up the turf? As it was, it was pretty boring to see it edge along the ground like that, and it certainly didn't make me laugh.

The other plot, with the two couples, was actually fantastic. I liked all the jokes about Sheldon and Amy being a good couple. In particular, Sheldon saying this to Leonard made me giggle: "Are you so jealous of our relationship that you want Amy to die?" Too funny! And yet, at the same time, there was a more serious tone to this episode. We got to see that Leonard and Penny aren't a perfect couple, and that they do have some doubts. But they love each other - and they want to fight their way through those doubts together. That's a really sweet way of looking at it!

I think I'll leave it off there. Cute episode. A wasted opportunity in Howard's plot, though.

7/10