The Big Bang Theory – Episode 2-16 Review

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The “Cushion Saturation” is a new episode after two weeks of reruns. Why reruns in what used to be known as February Sweeps? The networks pushed sweeps into March thus avoiding any hiccups caused by the digital switchover. The switchover has been pushed back to June so sorry about the reruns. This means we’ll get five new episodes.

The action opens with action. The gang are in the midst of a paintball battle. They’ve taken shelter in a shed. They are being rattled by the other university departments. Howard didn’t attend the strategy session cause he had to drive his mom to get her spider veins treated. Because of this, Raj, Sheldon and Leonard decided to flee the building while Howard stays behind to provide cover. This goes bad when an enemy bursts into the shelter. He surrenders, but it’s Leslie (Sara Gilbert). She’s the last of her crew alive although they were taken out by friendly fire. As the battle rages, Leslie feels the tension of the moment. She suggests she and Howard do more than merely wait to be killed or captured. Howard isn’t sure what they can do. She unloads a kiss on him. “War is hell,” Howard admits between smooches. Is the Monkee man finally going to get laid?

Seeing how Leslie is known for having that Spock mating period, it seems that Howard truly is in the right place at the right time. I’ve heard about these women, but they only seemed to exist in Penthouse Forums. Too many women I met felt sex leads to shopping at Target together afterward.

At the lab lunchroom, the gang is startled when Leslie is nice to Howard. She has approved funding for one of Howard’s project. She tells him, “You scratch my back, I scratch yours” with a cat meow and paw emphasis. Sheldon explains a strange cat issue. Howard confesses to what he did with Leslie in the shack. There was more than smooching. Howard admits Leslie is the fifth girl he’s had sex with….for free. The guys are angry since their budgets are being cut. Howard wants them to be jealous cause he got laid.

At the apartment Penny begs Leonard to unfreeze her laptop. Sheldon is upset that Penny is sitting in his spot even though he’s going out to the comic book store. After Sheldon leaves, she admits she loves him cause he’s a serious wackadoodle. Penny finds a paintgun pistol. Leonard invites her to play. She declines since back in Nebraska guns were used to kill food or get a girl to back off her man. Annie Oakley hits the trigger and unloads a nasty green paintball onto Sheldon’s spot. Ouch.

Howard is in bed with Leslie. They’ve done the deed again. When he asks how he was, Leslie considers it like grading an assignment. Howard’s mom returns, but she doesn’t enter. Leslie lets his mom know there’s company in the room. What really matters to the mom is if Leslie is Jewish. He lies to please his mom. All mom wants is to makes sure they use protection.

The green paint isn’t coming out of the sofa. Penny comes up with a story that doesn’t work. She finally flips the cushion. Leonard knows it won’t work because it doesn’t have a butt print. When Sheldon returns, he plops down to read an issue of the Flash. He has a princess and the pea reaction. It doesn’t feel right to him. Leonard denies until Sheldon flips the cushion. He quickly blames Penny.

Why must everything stain? You can pour water on a tile floor and it never looks the same afterward. You’d think Billy Mays could have cleaned that cushion. Roommates are notorious for destroying things with stupid actions. A simple rule is to not have any furniture in the public space that you wouldn’t mind setting on fire if West Virginia wins a Bowl game.

CBS is selling this night as part of the Entertainment Stimulus Package. Rules of Engagement is coming back. Puddy!!!! There is no cooler guy to bump into at a golf tournament than Patrick Warburton. I bumped into at the Bing Crosby tournament and he’s got that attitude. You want to chest bump the guy instead of shaking his hand. And if you can avoid going near David Spade – run away.

There is now a missing cushion in the sofa. The gang eats Chinese food, but Sheldon can’t find a new space to dine. Things look nasty when he straddles the arm. Howard takes Raj’s cushion and puts it in the gap. This isn’t a good substitution. Penny points out that it will only be a week to clean the cushion. What’s the point in asking Sheldon to cooperate? Howard’s phone rings. He announces he’ll be having sex tonight. “His right hand is calling him,” Penny asks. Howard brags that Leslie is taking him to Switzerland to CERN. The geeks are jealous.

Back in Howard’s bed, Leslie says he’s improving. He declares that it helps to have a real woman. Leslie asks him to come to her sister’s wedding. He can’t go cause it would feel weird to have a date instead of hitting on chunky bridesmaids. She mentions that budget cutbacks have bumped him off the big trip to Switzerland. He realizes that she’s using him for sex. She claims that this works for her since she doesn’t have to admit they are having a relationship as long as she’s his bought and sold sex toy. He feels abused, but then yells for his mom to rent him a tux.

This scene works perfectly well. It’s easy to think that Leslie would see this bit of control as a way to keep things purely on a carnal basis. When a woman invites you to a wedding, it’s a major relationship step. You might as well start eyeballing China patterns. Keeping the power play

Penny returns with the cleaned cushion. Sheldon doubts a dry cleaner that makes keys has the proper focus to do it right. When he finally sits down, he swears it doesn’t work. Leonard has overload Sheldon’s system and admit that their Chinese food doesn’t come from the restaurant that Leonard likes. That place closed two years ago. Sheldon bought the old place’s containers and stashes them in his car trunk. He’s been re-plating the food to make Sheldon feel normal. The question of reality overwhelms the geeks. He sits on the cushion. Although in the midst of his crisis, he’s still not happy with the feel of his space.

Penny, Leslie and the gang are in the shed playing paintball. Leonard’s plan is to have Penny race out and kill everybody. Sheldon also has a plan. He shoots Penny in the name of the sofa cushion. Revenge is a dish best served cold, he declares. Everyone is stunned. Penny shoots Sheldon. Finally Leonard shoots Sheldon. Leonard shoots back. It’s a paint massacre. Raj, Howard and Leslie head to the door. They’re going to surrender and head to Denny’s for breakfast.

After waiting so many weeks, this episode was quite tasty. Howard finally gets laid after all his weeks of begging for it. Thankfully he was picked by a woman that has a leash around him. Nobody wanted him to nailing Penny when she was hitting rock bottom. Sheldon losing is space is something we all experience. You make that perfect butt impression like a NASA capsule seat. It hurts to lose that comfort zone.

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.