The Big Bang Theory: The Valentino Submergence (9x15)

I really didn't like this episode. There was only one plot thread that had actual promise, and even it wasn't great. Let's take a look.

Cons:

Penny and Leonard's plot involved them going out to dinner for Valentine's Day. When the wait at the restaurant is too long, Penny tires to flirt with the Maitre D' to get a table, but he calls her "ma'am," causing her to have a crisis about her age. Leonard and Penny decide they have to do something fun and young, so they end up dressing up in weird Valentine's Day cupid outfits and throwing confetti around in Sheldon's apartment. This plot thread wasn't fun or original in any way. So Penny is upset because somebody called her "ma'am." That's not necessarily a sign that you're getting old... and their weird way of being "young" was to cause a mess in Sheldon's apartment? I just didn't get what was funny about that.

Meanwhile, Raj finally decides to break up with Emily. He has been wondering if he should do it for a while now, and he finally pulls the plug. He then calls Claire and asks her out, only to discover that she's just gotten back together with her boyfriend. Raj goes to Emily and begs her to take him back, but she says no. Raj then calls Sheldon and Amy on their live edition of "Fun with Flags" and talks about how lonely he is. This plot thread is really not endearing me to Raj. He dumps Emily because she's not right for him - okay, fair enough. But then when he finds out that Claire isn't available, he rushes back to Emily because he's afraid of being alone. I can understand that. But what I don't like is the implication that Raj only sees women as either datable objects, or the spouses/girlfriends of his friends. He seems to be unable to imagine that women might be valuable for friendship. His weird insistence on forming romantic connections with everybody is rather unsettling.

On top of that, Emily is such a baffling character. I feel like this show hasn't known what to do with her from the very beginning. Her unceremonious exit is in keeping with how sporadic her appearances have been thus far on the show, but I can't help feeling cheated.

Sheldon and Amy decide to do a special live edition of "Fun with Flags" for Valentine's Day. I thought this concept had a lot of promise, but unfortunately after a few funny moments, this plot was totally commandeered by Raj and Barry Kripke whining about how they were alone on Valentine's Day, and all of the funny fell right out.

Pros:

Howard and Bernadette's plot wasn't great, but it was okay. Basically, the two of them want to spend a romantic Valentine's Day together, but they find a rabbit in their hot tub and it derails their plan. They rescue the rabbit, but when it bites Howard, he becomes paranoid about rabies. As he rushes off to the doctor's to make sure, Bernadette tells the little rabbit that she's pregnant, and that she'll tell Howard later. Like I said, there wasn't anything great about this plot thread... but at least it offered an advancement of the slow-burn baby arc that Howard and Bernadette have been on for a while. Also, I loved the moment when they realized that the only reliable rabies test was to chop the rabbit's head off. That was an appropriately gruesome and funny moment.

And there were a few other good jokes scattered throughout a rather lackluster installment. I loved the stuff with Fun with Flags, especially when Sheldon decides to rename it in honor of Amy: "Dr. Sheldon Cooper and Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler present Sheldon Cooper's Fun with Flags."

In Penny and Leonard's plot, the Maitre D' character got a big laugh out of me when Penny said that they were probably around the same age and he actually snorted and said "right." I also liked Penny euphorically eating a hamburger after leaving the restaurant.

Honestly, that's all I've got for this one. I just didn't get a lot of joy out of watching it. A few funny jokes couldn't make up for a fairly pointless episode.

5/10