The Big Bang Theory: The Colonization Application (8x17)

The past couple of weeks have had surprisingly funny and clever episodes. This week wasn't quite up to snuff, but it also wasn't terrible. Let's go through the three plot threads separately, as there really wasn't any overlap.

Sheldon and Amy announce that they are ready to take the next step in their relationship, and get a pet turtle. However, as they are getting ready to pick out the turtle, Sheldon happens to mention that he applied to be a colonizer on Mars. Amy is upset that Sheldon applied to leave the planet, and didn't even tell her about it. Sheldon eventually realizes how angry Amy really is, and asks her if she would like to move to Mars with him. They decide to submit another application, this time as a couple, and Amy even gets Sheldon to consider "procreation," on the grounds that their kids would be Martians.

This plot thread was lackluster in certain ways. On this show, I'm always noticing wasted potential. In this case, we've got the idea of Amy and Sheldon adopting a turtle together. That seems like it would offer a lot of potential, and at first it does, with the jokes about Amy and Sheldon being the first to "start a family," and their search for the right name. But quickly, the plot is abandoned for this Mars colony thing. Again, another plot with potential, but it didn't really go anywhere. Even Sheldon's application video only offered a few laughs. The pie in Leonard's face was funny, and the dramatic zoom whenever Sheldon said "Mars" made me chuckle. But I just felt like we could have had so much more! So, this plot thread, while not bad or anything, left me feeling a bit let down.
 

Leonard has a sexy present for Penny - a canvas and body paint. The idea is that they put the paint on and then have sex to create their own masterpiece. The first time they try, they are depressed to discover that they don't move around much when having sex. They decide to try again. Penny doesn't want to hang up their masterpiece, because it has prints of their butts all over it. She suggests that they give it to Sheldon and tell him that William Shatner painted it.

Another plot thread with potential, but which didn't get utilized nearly as much as it could have. I was laughing so hard when, after their first attempt, you see basically a butt imprint and two hand imprints, and that's it. Their second attempt is a lot more creative and fun. It all could have culminated in a really funny joke, but instead we got that business about William Shatner, which I didn't even really understand. Why is that funny? Again, good buildup and potential, but a shrug-worthy final moment.

Lastly, there's Raj and Emily's plot thread. The two of them are hanging out at Emily's place, when she gets called in to work. She says she won't stay long, so Raj hangs out in her apartment. He ends up opening up a drawer in her bedside table, and the drawer breaks. He video calls Howard and Bernadette to ask for advice, but they are unable to help him fix the drawer. When Emily gets back, Raj is forced to tell the truth. She is upset at first, but she forgives him. However, she makes him promise that he didn't snoop in the closet. Raj is left to wonder what could be in there...

This was the plot thread that made the episode for me. So. Funny. Last week I was a little annoyed that Emily's weirdness wasn't utilized properly, but here we get it in full force. First of all, I just found out that Emily's last name is Sweeney, which seems like a rather cheeky reference to a certain murderous barber. Even though the concept of this plot thread was very simple - Raj accidentally breaks a drawer - they were able to milk it for every comedic possibility. Howard's helpful advice over the phone was funny, as was Bernadette saying "I'm going to miss her" upon hearing what Raj had done to Emily's drawer. The funniest thing, of course, was the whole recurring joke about Emily killing her roommate. Raj says they have an agreement - Emily can make jokes about killing people if she says "just kidding" afterwards. At the end of the episode, Emily sort of implies that there might be a dead body in her closet, and then as Raj looks fearfully in that direction, we see Emily give a smug smile.

Okay. That's where I'll leave things. Another totally unoffensive episode of The Big Bang Theory! Not as good as some of the stuff we've gotten recently, but not bad either!

7/10