The Big Bang Theory: The Tam Turbulence (12x04)

I've never seen a single episode of Young Sheldon, so I don't know if Tam is a character from that show or what. I'm too lazy to Google it.

Cons:

There's a point at which Bernadette and Penny being unenthusiastic about their husbands stops being funny, and becomes just... sad. The cliche in sitcoms about beautiful wives settling for nerd husbands is... well, it's boring and predictable.

Pros:

I guess the plot thread with Tam was kind of okay. Sheldon is holding a grudge against his former best friend from Texas. Why? Well, the group eventually finds out that it's because Tam didn't move out to California with Sheldon. His grudge is unreasonable, obviously, but it's based on real emotions that make sense for anyone. He felt betrayed and abandoned, and it was scary to move away from home all alone. The Big Bang Theory is only ever successful when it manages to tap in to something genuine. Of course, it's never enough to make me emotionally invested... but still.

Also, it's always funny to see Leonard try to deny his affection for Sheldon. He was so jealous to think about Sheldon with another best friend, and it was kind of sweet.

I do find the stuff with Raj and Anu to be fascinating. And despite the stupid jokes about Penny and Bernadette being less-than-happy in their marriages, I did actually get a few chuckles out of the subplot with the girls. Bernadette and Penny want to check Anu out to make sure she's good enough for Raj, but are quickly swayed by her ability to get them into really nice restaurants. They end up saying some unflattering stuff about Raj, and Raj later yells at them and tells them to stay away from Anu.

I actually like Anu, as I've mentioned. She seems like a cool person, but undeniably quite different from Raj. I hope that Anu sticks around throughout the season and actually finds a place in this group. I know it's odd, but I'm actually rooting for this marriage to go through.

Okay, that's all I've got for this one. Not the worst episode... the bulk of what I've written is in the "pros" section, so that's a good sign!

8/10