Worldly Distractions: The Big Bang Theory 8.6 - The Expedition Approximation
The nerds are back in their last Monday night appearance this season. I'd say pick a date and stick with it, but since when has consistency been this show's hallmark? Hey-o!
Take-out time and everyone's discussing Penny's boring-ass job and all the clothes she has to learn to do it. Howard teases Leonard about all the handsome doctors Penny has to flirt with. Meanwhile, Sheldon is very happy doing dark matter, mostly because he's joined the field and therefore improved it. Raj mentions that the government is funding dark matter research in salt mines (cue an exploitation joke here), and proposes that they work together on it. Everyone teases Sheldon about his claustrophobia, because they're heartless jerks. Opening credits.
Penny and Leonard have a romantic dinner, where Leonard serenades her with the always-riveting topic of video game formats. She interrupts him by presenting him with money. It turns out she sold the car Leonard gave her, as she has a company car now, and has given him back what she earned. Leonard is bit miffed that she sold his big present, until she presents him with a commemorative photo in a pink puffy frame. He tries to give her the money back, as the car was a gift, and they shove the envelope back and forth until it's as tense as Havana 1962. Why don't they just...buy something together or something?
Raj goes to see Sheldon, who is considering the mysteries of life, such as how mermaids have babies. He's here to discuss the mining job and the dangers therein, such as the risk of explosions and intense heat. Sheldon is actually okay with it - until he hears he has to crap in a bucket, whereupon he calls the whole thing off. To calm him down, Raj suggests they find an environment suitable for a simulation. Sheldon enthusiastically agrees, immediately googling "hot, dark and moist" for ideas.
Leonard comes to Penny with a solution for the money problem - they spend it on something together, like their damn wedding. Finally, a sane suggest - thank you Leonard. They settle on that, and start talking about Penny's job. Penny suggests that Leonard is concerned that the new job will make her less dependent on him. Soon enough, they're in a massive argument about who's controlling and who's insecure and it's all pointless, ugh. CFK takes several drinks, they kiss and make up, and we move on, thank God.
Amy has found Raj and Sheldon a great mine-like environment - the university steam tunnels. Aaaaand here come the undergrad memories. Three joints and a missing room key are not a fun combination. Sheldon is still terrified, but Amy and Raj encourage him to do it for science. The two innovators bravely take the plunge. At 102 degrees and pitch-black, it's immediately a challenge.
Leonard and Penny invite themselves over to the Wolowitz-Rostenkowskis, where they ask the couple how they handle money (and not, as Howard assumes, to swing with them). Bernadette mentions her absurdly high income, which sets Howard off, and soon they're bickering about a Star Trek action figure, because no one in this show has any shame whatsoever.
Sheldon is getting panicky down in the deep, but is valiantly trying to hold things together, so he suggests that they sing some mining songs to keep their spirits up. Unfortunately, the songs are so creepy that it only sends him into an abyss of terror. Raj suggests some Miley Cyrus for that.
Bernadette and Howard continue to bicker like toddlers. Far from learning about marriage, Penny and Leonard wind up more confused (and a little disgusted) than ever. It's revealed that Howard gets an allowance, whereupon Howard runs off crying.
Meanwhile, Raj tries to explain the concept of Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana to Sheldon, who doesn't get it even though he readily believes in Superman passing for Clark Kent. Amy walkie-talkies in, but Sheldon tells her to keep the line clear for emergencies. Amy heads for the vending machine, and Sheldon manages to get her to run to Best Buy while she's at it, for a portable DVD player and a copy of Hannah Montana.
Bernadette mentions that Howard is sensitive about the discrepancy in their income. Penny realizes that she could wind up earning more than Leonard if she's good at her job. They resolve to work through it no matter what, as Bernadette heads to her room to apologize to/continue fighting with her husband. We never do find out if Howard gets another star on his chore chart. (No, really.)
Raj suggests they practice taking readings, but Sheldon is too focused on his own panic. However, he refuses to give up, "plagued by an internal struggle" as he is. Finally, he admits that he's terrified of stepping into the field of dark matter, having to essentially start over after decades of success. Raj urges him to think of Voyager (space probe, not Star Trek), which took a much longer journey than expected and is still up in the stars, which inspired him personally when he moved all the way to America. This is a nice speech, but Sheldon misses most of it, as he notices two rats behind Raj and runs for the hills, callously locking his friend in the pit.
Leonard and Penny have found a fun way to spend the money, which involves making love on top of it like the decadent souls they are. Meanwhile, Howard and Bernadette have concluded a little romance of their own, and everything is back to normal. Sheldon has Amy transcribe his log of the mine simulation, where he mourns the loss of his melted Kit-Kat bar. Raj arrives, outraged that Sheldon left him to fight off the rats. Sheldon, for his part, simply chides him for his continued habit of stating the obvious. End credits.
First of all, I am so freakin' glad that they finally gave Raj something to do that doesn't involve moping over girls or standing around being silent. Furthermore, exploring the Sheldon-Raj connection was a great new aspect of the character dynamics, and provided comic relief that even seemed fresh at this point. Kudos for taking some attention away from the usual suspects this week. Granted, we did have a lot of Penny-Leonard nonsense, but it was great to see them actually behave like people and devote their attention to actual practicalities instead of rambling about nothing as usual. Overall, I found this episode fairly strong as part of the season. I wonder if Thursday night's going to change things?
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