“The Mono Polar Expedition” is the big bangin’ finale for a sophomore season that didn’t slump. It’s been renewed for another year so fans can enjoy the episode without writing letters and mailing slide rulers to CBS to save it from cancellation. Perhaps there does need to be a campaign to get Jim Parsons an Emmy nomination. The man ought to be battling it out with Kenneth the Page on 30 Rock for the hardware. But we’ll probably get another safe five choices from the Academy. They haven’t gotten it right since Don Knotts quit playing Barney Fife.
At the apartment Leonard has written stuff down on the dry erase board. Sheldon has to restrain himself from complaining about the equation. It’s an apartment rule. While Sheldon discusses his restraint, Leonard breaks down and swaps the equation. Sheldon admits he pulled a fast one since his roomie had it right the first time. He just got “Bazinga’d!” Sheldon gets an email from the president of the university for an emergency meeting at 8 a.m. He knows it must be an emergency since everyone knows he eats breakfast at 8 a.m. and moves his bowels at 8:20. Leonard wonder where society would be without Twitter. Having to wait 14 hours for this meeting starts driving Sheldon nuts.
Sheldon taps on the bedroom door. Leonard answers by pointing it out that it’s 2 a.m. Why does everyone tell him about the time when they answer the door? This group includes the president of the university. Sheldon showed up extremely early for their meeting. But he has an answer about what the President wanted to discuss. His proposal to investigate slow moving molecules at the North Pole has been approved. He’s not sure if he wants to go because he can’t even deal with sucking down an Icee. He can’t figure out whether to go or not. He had that same problem at the president’s house until his wife had her dogs chase him away.
The guys are excited to have an entire summer with Sheldon in the Arctic. They can go outside. They can stay up late. They can sit on the left side of the sofa. But their glee is shot down when Sheldon proposes that Howard, Raj and Leonard come along to the North Pole as his support team. Howard doesn’t want to spend three months stuck at the North Pole with an anal nut bag. Raj likes knowing if they go, they could be superstars of String Theory. Howard says he might make a crossbow and kill Sheldon. Raj talks of how suffering in this life means he’ll be reborn better. Three months in the North Pole with Sheldon and he’ll be reborn a “well hung billionaire with wings.” He wants to go.
Sheldon bangs on Penny’s door. She does the best thing to confuse him by knocking back. When she opens up, has asks to use the Cheesecake Factory’s freezer to train for the project. She goes over to see Leonard without answering question. She doesn’t get why her little pal is going away for three months. She goes away. Leonard thinks she seems a bit upset. Sheldon didn’t feel it from her. Leonard isn’t sure how to take her reaction since they’re not really dating.
For those curious about who lives at a Pole, you should watch Encounters at the End of the World. It’s about the folks who do experiments down at the South Pole. Director Werner Herzog spends a lot of time with the characters. The underwater creatures are dazzling in their strange shapes. Sheldon would probably fit in really well with the real folks in the polar gear.
Howard, Raj, Leonard and Sheldon are bundled up inside the freezer at the Cheesecake Factory. They are doing substitute activities to test their ability to work in freezing temperatures including using a Casio wristwatch, paint a model and play Operation. Things go wrong. Leonard mentions that when they get to the North Pole they could build stuff indoors before taking it out into the freezing temperatures. Sheldon declares the training is over.
Back at the apartment, Sheldon serves the hot chocolate with a stick of butter. They need to build up their calorie intake. Raj’s parents are on the laptop. They don’t want their son eating by a walrus. Howard claims his mom is fine with the trip. Turns out she thinks he was going to Arkansas and not the Arctic.
Penny brings over a gift for Leonard. He thinks it’s a blanket, but no. She has given him a Snuggie! She gives him a “I’m going to miss you.” He returns to the apartment to hear Howard’s mom amazed that there’s not a single Outback Steakhouse in India.
In the middle of the night, Leonard enters Sheldon’s room. He clings the Snuggie and declares he can’t go. He thinks Penny wants him to stay since she said she was going to miss him and gave him the Snuggie. Sheldon declares that Penny does want him carnally. Leonard gets excited. Then Sheldon exposes the “Bazinga!”
Leonard bangs on Penny’s door. He wants to know if she’s going to miss him. He wants to know what the Snuggie means. She declares that wine, a credit card and a commercial don’t mix. He accepts that she’s just being friendly and heads back to his place. She closes the door and softly says that she wishes he weren’t going. She does care.
It’s good to see the writers are bringing back the pangs of romance between Leonard and Penny. Although deep down, the true passion rests between Penny and Sheldon. She wants to have Spock Jr’s baby.
Deep in the frozen arctic is a little work station. Leonard realize they’re out of ice. Sheldon points out to not do anything too stupid since it’s 18 hours to help via dogsled. Howard is already making his crossbow. The guys decide to just stay indoors and watch a DVD. Howard has Ice Station Zebra and John Carpenter’s the Thing. Even in the North Pole, Leonard has his spot on the sofa. Will they survive three months?
This is a true cliffhanger. Will we return to this series and discover they resorted to cannibalism? Will they have grown facial hair being men of the frozen north? It’s a fine ending for the season. If you miss any episodes, make sure you catch them in the repeats.
