8.17 The Colonisation Application The Big Bang Theory has always done an admirable job introducing new characters, to the point where it’s hard to even remember a time when the central group was one of five rather than the seven-piece (plus, periodically, Stuart) it is now. That said, I think we all know that something isn’t quite working with Emily and, even worse, the show doesn’t seem all that bothered with fixing the issue. This episode marks only the third or fourth time we’ve seen Emily in this entire season, and unfortunately, it’s when she’s around that the glaring problems with her development (or lack thereof) are highlighted the most. While Penny, Amy and Bernadette were either immediately or eventually well-rounded personalities all written to fit into an established group, Emily is still just ‘Raj’s girlfriend’, and that’s not enough for anyone to care about her for longer than a three-episode arc. The effort to have her share a storyline with the other female characters ended up badly, with a rivalry formed between her and Penny that hasn’t been addressed since, and there’s not even much evidence that this relationship is a good one for Raj. Her characterisation amounts to her making inappropriate jokes about death/murder, and him not knowing how to react. That repeats itself here, and continues to be uncomfortable and unfunny. Maybe she really is a serial killer with a dead body in her closet, and that’s where the storyline’s been headed all along. To contrast this, the episode also had Sheldon and Amy buying a turtle. It’s the kind of delightful, ordinary adventure the couple does brilliantly, but wouldn’t work at all if the audience didn’t feel like they knew both of them so well. Sheldon being willing to buy a pet with his girlfriend is just another step in the series of personal leaps he’s made this season and, for those of us rooting for them, regardless of the argument about his trip to Mars, seeing them act as two parts of a single team is just plain wonderful. The other two couples were supporting players, with Leonard and Penny attempting to spice up their love-life with erotic paints from the ‘dirty store’ and Howard helping Raj out over the phone while Bernadette does their taxes. The latter is a necessity in that they’re relegated to the background following two heavy weeks of Wolowitz stuff, and the former is a little taste of what a married Leonard and Penny might look like. The Colonisation Application, then, was one of those episodes that pairs everyone off into their couples and wallows in their dynamic for twenty minutes. It’s fine, but doesn’t have any of the unpredictability that makes big group episodes so much fun. Read Caroline’s review of the previous episode, The Intimacy Acceleration, here. Follow our Twitter feed for faster news and bad jokes right here. And be our Facebook chum here.
