The Big Bang Theory: The Sales Call Sublimation (9x12)

This episode was full of very cliche and predictable plot threads. I mean, that often happens with this show, but for whatever reason I really noticed it this time. Let's jump in.

Cons:

Bernadette and Howard's plot line was all about Stuart finally moving out of the house. He leaves without much ceremony, and while Bernadette and Howard are discussing what to do with his now-vacant room, they reminisce about him, talking about him as if he were their child who has moved out of the house. They realize they miss him. This is just... well, it's clearly part of the half-assed story line about Bernadette and Howard having kids some day, but it didn't pack a punch, didn't get a lot of laughs, and felt totally obvious from the second Stuart said he was moving out.

Similarly, Leonard and Penny's plot line offered no real surprises. Penny has had a hard time getting in to see a psychiatrist about a new drug her company is selling, so she gets Leonard to sign up for a session with the woman so he can pretend to be a patient, and lay the groundwork for Penny making her sale. Inevitably, Leonard ends up getting a lot of meaning out of his session, as he talks about his relationship with his mother, his problems with Sheldon, his marriage to Penny, etc. When Penny comes in to do her sales presentation, the psychiatrist ends up giving her an impromptu session as well, where they begin to unpack Penny's issues. People who don't think they need psychiatrists actually needing to talk to somebody is a tired cliche and most sitcoms have used it at some point or another. Off the top of my head, I can think of an episode in Scrubs and an entire plot thread from How I Met Your Mother that employ this same setup.

Pros:

That being said, there were a few funny moments in Bernadette and Howard's thread. I loved how Stuart walked in to their bedroom and remarked that this was the first time he'd been in there while Howard and Bernadette were awake. His delivery is so casual that you almost don't notice that it's creepy for a couple of seconds.

Sheldon hangs out with Raj at work and helps him to discover a medium-sized asteroid. He and Raj get to name it, and they decide to name it after their girlfriends. Sheldon wants it to be the "Am" from "Amy" and the "y" from "Emily." Just Amy. Later, Sheldon tells Amy that he's named an asteroid after her, but that he had to promise Raj that all Sheldon and Amy's hypothetical future children had to be named Rajesh. Even the girls.

This was pretty funny, actually. I mean I think it could have been a lot funnier, and there could have been more opportunities with the idea of Sheldon and Raj working together, but I did appreciate what we got. The punchline about Amy and Sheldon's future kids was great, as was Sheldon's fantasy about ruling his own planet as an overlord. I think my favorite moment was when Sheldon discovered a pattern in Raj's data. Raj asks him how he discovered it so quickly, and Sheldon says something like "you know how prime numbers are red and double primes are pink?" And Raj is all confused, and Sheldon realizes that it's just his crazy mind. I love the idea that Sheldon's senses correlate in strange ways and that's part of what makes him so brilliant.

That's all I've got! Not a great episode.

5.5/10