11.13 The Solo Oscillation We begin with Raj bringing the group newspapers citing his planetarium show as ‘something to do this weekend’, and this kicks off a chain reaction of the group wondering what their purpose in life is. Is Amy being smart marrying Sheldon when things are already so good between them? Why does Penny still feel inferior when Leonard finds a science buddy? Did Sheldon make a mistake dumping string theory for dark matter? Should Howard give up his hobbies to help support his family? The answer to that last one might seem obvious given the (albeit outside of the show’s control) position Bernadette’s been in all season, but then stopping Howard from jamming with Raj in Footprints on the Moon might be more trouble than it’s worth. Bert steps up when Howard decides he should put his fatherhood duties before fun and games, but quitting the band just directs his creative energy into a solo astronaut musical. Unable to take it, Bernie orders him to rejoin Footprints on the Moon before she goes insane. Good episodes of this show almost always come down to which pairings the writers decide to feature and, though I’ll always enjoy a little ‘Shamy’ here and there, it’s nice to have a Penny and Sheldon episode. Leonard and Amy have also proven in the past to be golden together, here bonding over old science fair projects and spelling bees. Magical unicorn that she is, not only does Penny help Sheldon understand why he’s been so unenthused by Dark Matter – it’s his rebound science to make him feel pretty again – but she gladly acts as a blank surface for him to bounce ideas against. As ever, Penny is smarter than she lets on, and the different way her mind works allows Sheldon to find a new way of looking at string theory. Sheldon and Penny storylines are The Big Bang Theory’s bread and butter, and it helps that their storyline is supported by other solid gags and story beats throughout The Solo Oscillation. All in all, the show has been strong since its return this year, and a few more episodes like this would go a long way. Read Caroline’s review of the previous episode, The Matrimonial Metric, here.
