Ever wonder what it would be like if Sheldon Cooper got sick and lost several hours? Like a nerdy version of The Hangover? Well, wonder no further, because this week’s episode of The Big Bang Theory did just that. We’ve seen drunk Sheldon before, but doped up on cold medicine so that he couldn’t remember where he’d been or who he’d spilled classified information to Sheldon? Priceless.
This week on The Big Bang Theory: Sheldon tries to stretch himself too thin by working on both a project with Amy, and the gyroscope with Leonard and Howard. As a result, he comes down with a cold, takes cold medicine, and ends up with several hours of missing time and a missing notebook. Meanwhile, Bernadette seeks advice from Howard and Stuart, as she is afraid to return to work after her pregnancy.
I’m not going to lie, I was hoping for a little bit more from Sheldon’s bout with cold medicine. Sure, it was pretty funny, but they definitely could have done better. It just seemed like a story with great potential that it didn’t quite live up to. Anytime you have a chance to make Sheldon be 10x more ridiculous than he normally is, you have to follow through. That said, this was a Sheldon episode and still quite humorous.
Really, the most important part of this episode was Bernadette’s (legitimate) concerns about going back to work. Though it was still funny to watch her get feisty, Melissa Rauch did an excellent job of portraying emotions and getting real with the anxiety of leaving her child and returning to work. This is a common, legitimate stage that many women go through, but Bernadette’s was made much funnier by the fact that she’s getting advice from idiots Howard and Stuart. So, we’re not laughing at Bernadette’s pain, we’re are instead laughing at her outrageous scenario.
I still feel like they could have done a better job exploring Sheldon as a drunk, doped up funny man. But that really boils down the issue writers being conflicted about telling important, human stories, alongside writing for their #1 laugh-getter. This episode was a combination of both the best of the best of the worst of the worst of the show. It’s gotta be easy to make Sheldon the center of attention, but I have to applaud the choice of story with Bernadette. That was their saving grace.
- “Other than burp you or give you a bottle I don’t know what to do right now”
- Sheldon caught a cold watching Frozen and a nosebleed watching Up. Perfect.
- “Nope. Pants are in the microwave. No notebook”
- Howard’s story about Bernadette’s aunt was phenomenal. Classic Wolowitz.
Overall, this episode built on a solid foundation, and didn’t take a lot cheap shots at Raj or Stuart like it normally does. There’s something to be said for both doing emotional stories and telling ridiculously implausible stories about your main funny character.
What did you guys think? Did you enjoy the episode? Let us know!
The Big Bang Theory airs Thursdays at 8/7c on CBS
Follow Us
Visitor Rating: 5 Stars