The Big Bang Theory – Episode 3-3 Review

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This has been a busy week for the Big Bang Theory. The New York Times did an article about the show’s success. Chuck Lorre talks about the original failed pilot. He begged Johnny Galecki and Jim Parsons to not take any other gigs while they retooled the show. Their faith has paid off. There was only gushing about the series from The Old Grey Lady. It’s only a matter of time before Jim Parsons is on the cover of Rolling Stone or Wired with “Fonz of the Geeks” as the headline. Last week’s Big Bang challenged House for top demographics. Soon Charlie Sheen will be begging them to make a crossover ratings stunt on Two and a Half Men.

“The Gothowitz Deviation” opens with Penny making French toast and dancing around to Shania Twain while only wearing a man’s shirt. Sheldon is taken back by the morning sight. She asks him to dance with her. Sheldon believes that in all the alternate universes, none of them have him dancing. He rebuffs her offer of French toast cause it’s oatmeal day. Leonard arrives. Sheldon isn’t happy that their conjugal visits aren’t being restricted to her apartment. Leonard says there were extenuating circumstances – the bed broke. Sheldon doubts that could really happen with Leonard’s little size. Leonard wants him to cheer up, but the roommate wants his oatmeal. While he’s tempted by the smell of the French toast, he tosses it because it’s oatmeal day. The man has set programs and won’t deviate from the norm.

Whose shirt was Penny really wearing? I doubt Leonard’s shirt. His blue oxford shirt could cover that much of her. Maybe it’s her “safety boyfriend shirt.” I knew a woman that kept one of those in the apartment so she could fool girlfriends into thinking a guy was still slumbering in her bedroom. It was her way of getting out of being dragged out to the gym in the morning.

Penny tells Sheldon and Leonard one of those stories that’s only “interesting” if you’re dating the person. She asks what are the odds? Sheldon attempts to figure it out. Leonard begs him to not be so technical in his response. “Oh Penny, it’s like the Cheese Cake factory is run by witches,” Sheldon declares. Leonard wants him to be nice. Sheldon offers her a chocolate. She eats it out of his hand.

Howard enters the apartment all gothed out in a black floor length coat, fake arm tattoo and shiny pants. Raj has also gotten the fake tattoo sleeves. They’re going to hit a goth night at a bar. They want to party with the ladies that want to be undead. Sheldon mentions he’d like to go to a goth night. Howard asks if he wants to join them. Bazinga, Sheldon declares. He was joking. You never see his practical jokes coming. Penny says Leonard and her aren’t going with them. Howard notes that she’s the one talking in the relationship. She’s not happy as being seen as the whip cracker. Howard and Raj head out to the club, but first they must go to the drugstore to get more eyeliner. Penny realizes she has sat in Sheldon’s spot on the sofa. She moves and he gives her a chocolate treat.

Raj and Howard look extra goth in the dark club. Raj gets the business for ordering a light beer. Howard is drinking cranberry and vodka cause it looks like blood. Raj asks the goth chicks next to him for the Chex mix on the bar. The goth girls (Molly Morgan and Sarah Buehler) seem slightly interested in the duo. Raj asks if they read John Grisham novels.

Leonard, Penny and Sheldon sit on the sofa watching anime. She’s not into it. She tells about her friend back home named Anna May Fletcher. Sheldon offers her a chocolate to shut her up. But it doesn’t stop her from answering her phone in the sofa. But she heads to the hallway. She gets a treat before leaving. Leonard is onto Sheldon’s plan for using chocolates to reenforce correct behavior in Penny. He doesn’t want his girlfriend trained like a lab rat. Sheldon knows he can. He swears in a week, he’ll have Penny jump out of a pool and balance a ball on her nose. He’s sanding off the rough edges on her. Leonard forbids him from doing it. Sheldon grabs a squirt bottle and unloads on the roommate. “Bad Leonard!” he declares.

The goth scene is perfect fodder for comedy. There’s the fashion, make up an moping. Have you seen The Mighty Boosh where Vince Noir attempts to hook up with goth chicks, but Howard Moon can’t act doomed? During my art school years, I knew this little goth girl who smelt like the floor of a coffeehouse. She kept the lime action going on her face. Once I saw a pic of her from before her transformation. It was like a milk cartoon moment. She was so sweet and innocent before she wanted to look like an extra in a Tim Burton movie.

Far as training your roommate’s lovers, Sheldon is onto something. Having lived through too many roomies’ lovers, they will drive you nuts if you let them. They somehow think that their boyfriend’s rent entitles them to more than half of the apartment and the remote control. As Barney Fife would say, you have to nip it in the bud. Sheldon has the right idea.

The goth chicks ask Raj and Howard what do they do. They reply with a list of goth sounding stuff including goth food. Raj likes blackened salmon. The girls want to know their jobs. Howard declares they work in the dark sciences. The girls work at the Gap. The ladies are bored by the bar. They want to go somewhere more fun. Howard asks if Raj brought black condoms. They’re in his fanny pack. Where is the fun place? It’s a tattoo parlor.

Leonard and Sheldon sit on the sofa with a big gap between them. Penny is in the hallway on the phone. How long can she talk Cheesecake Factory stuff? Sheldon offers to train her out of this annoying habits using a little electrical shock. He would also lower her voice register on her laughs. Leonard swears he doesn’t want to change her. When she returns she says, “freaky!” really high pitched. Sheldon asks her to repeat that word. She says it lower. He offers her a chocolate.

At the tattoo parlor, Howard lays on table with his ass up. He’s picking out a tattoo. It’s between a mean little skull and Kermit the Frog. The goth girl doesn’t like the Kermit idea. He goes for the skull, but panics when the needle gets close to his flesh. The main goth girl is shocked at how Howard isn’t going through with it after all his arm tattoos. He exposes the fraud of the tattoo sleeves. Raj and Howard come clean and wonder if their truthfulness will keep the ladies around? Both girls split them. Raj suggests that when they tell this story, they change the ending. “Maybe a musical number?” Howard ponders.

Sheldon decides to go to bed. He asks that they keep the volume down. She agrees. He tosses her a chocolate treat across the room. Penny wants to go back to her place so they can build her new bed. Leonard doesn’t feel like it. When she points out how they won’t have to worry how loud they get, he’s pretty much out the door. An observant Sheldon notes that sex is more powerful than chocolate as a corrective treat.

Now I’m begging for chocolate. This episode rings so true for the roommate who has to put up with the roomie in love and the special person who won’t be paying rent while living there. Thankfully she does have her place across the hallway. Penny won’t be able to whine that she needs to borrow Sheldon’s stuff because it would take so long for her to go home and get it.

Raj and Howard drive home. Howard suggest they say they had 4 goth girls. Raj goes weird talking about how they smelled. Howard gets back to the story. They will say they got tattoos, went back to their place for hot tub action and had a menage with all the ladies. Raj reminds him that they could get infections on their tattoos. Howard suggests tomorrow night they hit a country bar to meet cowgirls. Raj wonders how they smell.

Remember kids that if you don’t get lucky while hanging out at a meat market bar, you can always lie about how close you came to getting lucky. A good backup tale is that your potential date is an EMT and had to rush out to a massive wreck to run the jaws of life. Remember that sometimes coming home alone at night makes you more of a winner than pulling a coyote escape from your date.

The episode allowed Sheldon to return into form. He was once more the smartest guy in the room. People catching onto the show can see why he’s such an amazing character. The Big Bang Theory isn’t squandering its glory days.

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Joe Corey is the writer and director of "Danger! Health Films" currently streaming on Night Flight and Amazon Prime. He's the author of "The Seven Secrets of Great Walmart People Greeters." This is the last how to get a job book you'll ever need. He was Associate Producer of the documentary "Moving Midway." He's worked as local crew on several reality shows including Candid Camera, American's Most Wanted, Extreme Makeover Home Edition and ESPN's Gaters. He's been featured on The Today Show and CBS's 48 Hours. Dom DeLuise once said, "Joe, you look like an axe murderer." He was in charge of research and programming at the Moving Image Archive.