The Big Bang Theory: The Holiday Summation (10x12)

There was actually a lot of creative thought and energy that went into this episode. It didn't get it right always, but the material here was actually both funny and emotionally poignant.

Cons:

This episode uses sort of an odd framing device, in that the holidays are over, and everybody is getting together to tell stories of their various adventures. I don't object to the concept, but it just wasn't utilized that well, and I kept thinking that it wouldn't really make a difference to see these stories play out normally, without adding the flashback element.

Penny and Leonard's story of the week was fine, but it was just comic relief: apparently they got into a big fight over Penny watching Luke Cage without Leonard, even though they were watching it together. This fight was apparently also started by the adventure of going to get their Christmas Tree, which went terribly wrong in various ways. I actually wanted to see the two of them fight over the TV show, because the physical gags with the Christmas Tree didn't really add up. The fact that they talked about this fight and then we didn't see it was sort of confusing and felt like lazy writing.

Pros:

Sheldon and Amy go to Texas for Christmas, and decide to tell Sheldon's mother that they are living together. She takes the news well, saying that she's just glad Sheldon found somebody. Sheldon is annoyed that his mother didn't think he'd ever be with somebody, and he's even more annoyed when he learns that Amy actually told her that they were living together beforehand, because she wanted to ease some of the emotional tension. Sheldon is frustrated that his mother and his girlfriend think so little of him.

I wish this plot thread could have been pushed just a little further, as we don't get to see the total resolution here. However, I quite like that Amy calls Sheldon out on the fact that while he's excellent in some areas, emotional availability is not one of them. Sheldon can't key in to how Amy is feeling, and doesn't even seem bothered to try. Sheldon has improved tremendously in his relationship with Amy, but that doesn't mean that all problems between them have gone away.

In my favorite plot thread of the night, Bernadette and Howard are getting used to parenthood. Raj and Stuart are helping, but Bernadette is having a hard time. It seems she has a mild case of postpartum depression. She has a support system around her, though, and things are going to be okay.

This plot thread was unusually astute and lovely. I like how Sheldon googles what to do for a distressed new mother, and I like how Howard tells Bernadette that he's proud of her. We're also starting a new gag where we never actually see the baby on screen, much like we never saw Howard's mother. That could be really fun - it's a creative way to keep the kid a part of the show without having to worry about child actors in the potential coming seasons.

That's where I'll leave things. A surprisingly great episode of The Big Bang Theory. Quite the rarity nowadays, but I'll take it!

9/10