The Big Bang Theory: The Hook-Up Reverberation (8x04)

Not sure what to make of this episode. I thought one of the plot threads had promise, which it then squandered. Another of the threads was somewhat enjoyable, but also had some questionable moments in it. Let's take a look.

Raj is ready to introduce his girlfriend Emily to the group. She seems to get along with everyone, but Penny worries that Emily doesn't like her. When she goes to Emily's office to practice a sales pitch for the pharmaceutical company on her, Penny continues to notice that Emily is cold to her. She asks Emily why, and Emily says it's because Penny and Raj hooked up. Penny is mad at Raj for telling Emily. She invites Emily and Raj over to clear the air. While it seems that things will be fine, the minute Emily leaves the apartment, we see both Emily and Penny saying "I hate her" about each other.

So, I wanted to like this plot, because I like Emily. But Raj is just so sexist! They try to play it off as if it's just his lack of experience with women, but he's so disrespectful to Penny and to Emily both in this episode. It's hard for me to find any of this funny, when I'm so uncomfortable with Raj' behavior.

That being said, this thread did have one of the funniest jokes in the episode. When Amy and Bernadette are over at Penny's talking over the problem with her, Amy suggests that Penny just keep acting like Emily's friend until she worms her way in. Penny says that won't ever work, but then she realizes, slowly, that Amy has done the same thing to her: "Oh my God, I didn't used to like you!" That made me laugh quite a bit. I hope that they continue the thread of Penny and Emily not liking each other, so that this episode leads to something more.

Stuart is still living with Mrs. Wolowitz, to Howard's displeasure. When the guys think about putting money down to finance Stuart's comic book store, Howard is especially interested because he thinks it will be the end of Stuart living with his mom. However, when Bernadette insists on talking to Stuart about the specifics of the deal, Stuart surprises Howard by saying that Mrs. Wolowitz has already given Howard the money for the shop. The guys hang out at Sheldon and Leonard's apartment, lamenting their loss. They think it would have been cool to have a place where they could relax and read comic books, none of them realizing that they already have that space, and that's what they're doing right now.

I liked this thread a great deal, on the whole, but I was annoyed by how it ended. I wish we could have seen them actually invest money in the comic book store. It would have been a new direction for the show to take - something could actually happen for once! I could see a lot of comedic possibility with Sheldon and the others owning the store. But this show likes to keep things status quo, so I guess we won't be going down that route.

Also, I was really annoyed by Amy's reaction to Sheldon wanting to invest his money. The recurring theme of comic books being treated as silly and juvenile will never cease to irritate me. People sink millions of dollars into comic book movies - this sort of stuff is mainstream, now. It's not funny or clever to treat it as some backwards, niche hobby. Comic books are cool, dammit!

But this plot line also had good things to offer. For example, I liked the recurring theme of Sheldon talking about a social science study: apparently, when people get a new significant other, they lose two close friends. Sheldon keeps speculating about who Raj will lose as friends, until Raj, snapping, tells Sheldon it will be him. Sheldon pauses for a moment, considering this, and then replies: "No, you're crazy about me!"

Sheldon also had a moment of rare insight, when he reminded Leonard and Howard that they had to check with Penny and Bernadette before they made any big financial decisions. He even checks in with Amy, although he does make it clear that Amy's opinion is basically meaningless in terms of Sheldon's final decision.

So... this one didn't impress me very much. I thought it had promise, but now that I know the comic book store thing isn't going anywhere, it all feels like a waste.

6.5/10