I can’t be alone in the fact that I have never cared for Amy Farrah Fowler as a character. I think Mayim Bialik is a wonderful actress, and she deserves all her accolades. Generally, however, I preferred the “pre-Amy” era of The Big Bang Theory. However, this “Shamy” break-up has opened up new worlds for the show, and I’ve really enjoyed this entire arc. Big Bang was already a great show, and exploring this new side of Sheldon is one of the best things to happen to the show in recent memory.
This week on The Big Bang Theory: Bernadette, Penny, and Leonard spy on Amy while she’s on a date with Dave (Stephen Merchant), who turns out to be a super-fan of Sheldon’s. Meanwhile, Raj and Howard craft a brilliant puzzle to find a new girlfriend for Sheldon, and the results are unexpected.
I didn’t think this episode was anything extraordinary. It wasn’t an “all-time great” or anything like that. But it felt so real and genuine. I really enjoyed the entire dynamic with Raj, Howard, and Sheldon. Since the beginning of the series, Big Bang has established that Howard and Raj are only friends with Sheldon because of Leonard, so it’s nice to see the three of them in an interaction that doesn’t include Leonard. Often, we see Howard and Raj separated from the rest of the group. The dynamic between these three gentlemen is not often explored, but it worked really well. The dialogue flowed, the writing was good, and the scenes were the funniest ones in the episode.
Personally, I thought it was genius to make Amy’s new beau a huge Sheldon Cooper Super Fan (that has a nice ring, doesn’t it?). Stephen Merchant played that role so believably, and his timing was spot on. As I mention often in my reviews, I revere unpredictability, and Dave’s infatuation with Sheldon was certainly not what I expected. I wondered how they would explore that story, and it was so much better than I anticipated. Bernadette’s spy equipment, and Leonard tagging along added extra layers to an already funny gag.
As always, here are some of my favorite quotes/moments from the episode:
- “Amy broke his heart. The DVR cut off the last minute of Dr. Who. That crow followed him home!”- Leonard on his sympathy for Sheldon
- “Don’t take advice from a man who threw his shoe at a crow.”- Penny
- “I think of my time with Amy as a stick of Fruit Stripe gum. Sweet and enjoyable at first, but ultimately a flavorless lump of sadness.”- Sheldon, with possibly the best analogy ever
- “Hubba bubba over Dubble Bubble? You’re crazy!”- Howard
- “No one does a better job pretending to be a person than I do. Siri comes close but I have more jokes.”- Sheldon
- “I’m just a harmless little girl with military grade spy equipment.”- Bernadette
Obviously, this was a funny, well-written episode that explored its characters and took them all to new, interesting places. If nothing else, it made me that much more excited for what’s to come.
What did you guys think? Did you enjoy the episode? Let us know!
The Big Bang Theory airs Thursdays at 8/7c on CBS.
[Photo credit: Michael Yarish/Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.]
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