The Big Bang Theory: The Procreation Calculation (12x03)

Usually The Big Bang Theory pisses me off for being just kind of dumb, or it's so dull that I can't muster up a single interesting emotion. This week, I actually have some FEELINGS to explore.

Cons:

So... I hope that Bernadette and Amy apologize to Penny for being total jerks to her about not wanting to have kids. I have some things to say about this plot thread that go in the "pros" section too, but I've just got to say, Bernadette and Amy were incredibly condescending, demanding, and rude. Not every woman wants kids. This show, very surprisingly, did a good job of showing that. But Amy and Bernadette were horrible to their friend, and I hope that the show actually addresses that at some point. I have no faith that it will, though.

Pros:

On the other hand, I'm really impressed that Penny realized something about herself that went against the societal norm, talked to Leonard about it, and by the end of the episode, the two of them seemed to be in an okay place. The thing is, wanting/not wanting kids can be a relationship deal-breaker for some people. Leonard and Penny don't have a good marriage, at least not by the standards of people in the real world. But in the scope of this show, the fact that Leonard was a little bit surprised and upset, but that Penny stuck to her guns, was actually quite impressive. I want to see a show where a female lead and a male lead get married, and don't ever have kids, because it's just simply not what they want for their life. I hope that Penny doesn't flip on this one, and we actually see that play out.

My patience and sympathy for Raj went out the window a long time ago, but I actually find myself reluctantly intrigued by this whole arranged marriage plot thread. The woman that Raj has met seems funny and cool, and they did a good job of making her likable while also showing how different she is from Raj, and how their relationship might not work. But the thing is, they both actually want to get married and try to see where this thing could go, and it could be potentially interesting to watch them go through that.

I was so mad at Bernadette for her judgmental attitude with Penny, but I did kind of like the parallel with Howard, who told Raj that his arranged marriage idea was crazy. Both Howard and Bernadette judged their friends on big life decisions, and hopefully they both realize this was wrong. Howard apologizes within the hour, but Bernadette still has some explaining to do. We'll see how that goes!

So that's it. I must again express my delight that this is the final season of The Big Bang Theory. Release me from this prison!

7/10