The Big Bang Theory: The Earworm Reverberation (9x10)

At first glance, there are a lot of things to praise about this episode, but there are unfortunately some overlaying problems that cloud my ability to be totally complimentary. Let's take a look.

Cons:

Well, the big thing this week is that Amy and Sheldon have gotten back together. While I liked the way this episode portrayed the reunion, I'm a little disappointed that the show didn't try to get more out of the separation. We were starting to see hints that Sheldon understood his mistakes of the past, and that Amy was starting to learn to stand up for herself. But I could have done with a lot more of that before the inevitable reunion. The Big Bang Theory has been notoriously bad at prolonging A-plots, so I guess this was as good as we could hope to get. But still. There was more that could have been done.

The other "Con" is a bit more nebulous. Has anybody else noticed that Penny and Leonard have had nothing to do since the beginning of the season? They've become comedic side characters, with less screen time than Raj and Howard. I hope that the second half of this season focuses on them again. I'd like to see them actually settling in to married life and perhaps getting away from Sheldon once and for all.

Pros:

Despite thinking the reunion was a bit hasty, I do admit to loving the way they portrayed it. Sheldon spends most of the episode with a song stuck in his head, but he can't figure out what the song is. He's worried he's descending into madness, and films messages to his future crazy self while Penny and Leonard look on and roll their eyes. Eventually, Sheldon realizes that the song is "Darlin'" by the Beach Boys. He realizes that the song is a message from his subconscious about his feelings for Amy. The lyrics reference how she made him a better man. He rushes off to go find her, determined to get her back.

Meanwhile, Amy has decided to give Dave another chance, despite his Sheldon-obsessed behavior the last time they went out. He comes over to her apartment. Bernadette warns Amy beforehand that this could lead to "intimacy," but Amy says maybe that's exactly what she needs. I mean, what's she waiting for anyway? As Dave and Amy consider taking the next step, Sheldon's patented three-time-knock comes at the door. Amy rushes to open it, and Sheldon confesses his continued love for her, saying that he wants her back. Amy says she wants to be with him too, and the two share a passionate kiss after a hint from Dave, who is so thrilled at meeting Sheldon Cooper that he doesn't seem at all phased by Amy's rejection.

There are a lot of things to love about this. I was actually touched by Sheldon's realization of Amy's importance to him. She has made him a better man, and it was nice to acknowledge her importance in that way. The super long kiss was also hilarious. At one point Sheldon breaks away and says to Amy: "I'll let you get back to your date." It's so funny because it's kind of like he's joking - or it would be, if this were anybody other than Sheldon Cooper.

There were a lot of humorous moments along the way, especially during Sheldon's video making adventures. He tells his future self about Penny and Leonard, noting that Penny is his friend, and that if she offers him food, it's safe to take. He probably paid for it anyway. Sheldon also tells his future self that Leonard is his best friend, and that he does more for him that he could ever know. That was actually very sweet, and just the right level of humor was mixed in as well. Sheldon breaks the moment by snickering as Leonard takes a drink out of his cup. Apparently Sheldon pulled some sort of prank on him earlier by putting something in his drink.

Then there's Dave. His character worked on the merits of his enthusiasm and optimism even in the face of clear defeat. I loved the fact that even after watching his date suck face with Sheldon Cooper, he still leaves Amy's apartment saying that the evening had been a success. He got to meet one of his heroes, after all! I hope that Dave's character can make future appearances on the show. I'd love to see what Sheldon's reaction would be to a man who idolizes him, but who also went out with Amy. Quite a conflict there!

Raj and Howard's subplot was a bit underwhelming, but it still worked well enough to make it into the "Pros" section. They discover the one and only fan of their band "Footprints on the Moon." They end up cyber-stalking this guy, and then find him in a coffee shop. Before they can go and talk to him though, they see him picking his nose and then eating it. This plot thread had a lot of laughs leading up to the ending. I loved Raj and Howard's not at all ironic belief that their band is actually cool, and their growing obsession with the one online fan they have. Bernadette points out that they're stalking this guy, but they both brush it off. I wish things could have gone a bit farther at the end, though. How funny would it have been to see the boys actually meet this fan and find out that he's actually a crazy stalker? Or maybe he posted that comment ironically and he actually thinks they suck. Or Howard and Raj could have performed a new song in the coffee shop to cap off the episode. As it was, all the forward progress kind of fizzled out at the end of this subplot, which was a shame, because I was very amused with everything I'd seen to that point.

I think that's all I've got for this review. While there were certainly disappointing aspects to be found here, all in all I found this installment very enjoyable.

7.5/10