The Big Bang Theory: The Focus Attenuation (8x05)

Cute episode. Funny jokes. Nothing too offensive, which is always a plus with this show.

The guys realize that they haven't tried to invent anything in a while, since they've all been distracted by their girlfriends. They decide to do something of a science retreat. However, they continually get distracted by movies, videos, pointless conversations... Leonard tries to lay down the law, but their efforts to invent something out of Back to the Future II come to nothing, as they end up watching the movie, later watching Ghostbusters, too.

The girls, due to their boys deciding to have a distraction-free weekend in which to come up with an invention, decide to go to Vegas for the weekend. When they get there, Penny gets the news that she has to study for work. Bernadette and Amy go out and get drunk without her, while she stays in and works hard. The next morning, she is perfectly fine, while the other two girls are severely hung over.

The two plots both match the theme of the title, since both involve a need to focus. In the boys' case, they can't, no matter what drastic measures they take to stay on track. In Penny's case, she's able to successfully stay focused, which shows a lot of growth and maturity in her character.

There were a lot of funny jokes in the boys' plots. I liked the attempt at enforcing their focus through duct tape on their arms, and the ways in which Sheldon continually derailed everyone, even while Leonard tried his hardest to stay on track. The funniest bit was when they analyzed Back to the Future, trying to make sense of the multiple timelines caused by the time travel.

In the Vegas plot, I liked the part where Bernadette and Amy burst into the room totally drunk, and Penny just smiled endearingly at them. I was expecting a fight to break out, or for Penny to finally cave and go out partying, but I like the way it ended up. There was nothing mean-spirited about this story. It was just a cute plot thread of the three girls having fun, and Penny showing some real maturity.

Short and sweet. Honestly, this was one of the better episodes we've had in a while. Nothing complex, nothing ambitious, but the jokes hit their marks.

9/10