Marriage counseling without a Groupon.
Warning: full episode spoilers follow.
The Big Bang Theory kicked off its ninth season last week with an uncharacteristically dark episode. Both Sheldon and Leonard faced crumbling relationships, and the long-term prospects for both characters looked pretty bleak. This week’s episode did what it needed to do in terms of continuing the relationship drama while also lightening the mood and focusing more on humor. It achieved a nice balance, and it wasn’t until the end that “The Separation Oscillation” really dropped the ball.
There was a lot to like this week as Sheldon and Leonard dealt with their respective problems in their own way and the rest of the gang became more active participants. The opening scene was especially strong. One minute Leonard was wallowing in misery, the next he was staring at Sheldon and Penny making out. There was no question as to whether the whole thing was a dream sequence at that point, but it was still an effective, surprising way to kick things off. And the dream sequence paid off nicely later in the episode when, for one horrifying instant, it seemed Leonard’s nightmare was playing out in real life.
It might not have seemed like now was the ideal time for Sheldon to resurrect “Fun With Flags,” but that wound up being one of the stronger elements of the episode. There was the sense that Sheldon didn’t truly realize his relationship with Amy was over until she refused to take up her usual role as his YouTube sidekick. And once that realization hit, he pretty much had a nuclear meltdown on camera. His thinly veiled, flag-related insults were amusing. The real kicker was when he informed his audience that there was nothing Amy offered that he couldn’t get from his own right hand. After all these years, Sheldon’s obliviousness still makes for good comedy.
There was an interesting subplot at play this week with the revelation that Leonard had previously confessed his indiscretion to Howard, who naturally then informed Bernadette. So for the past two years, the Wolowitzes have been keeping this burning secret from Penny. On one hand, it was funny to see Raj so hurt about the idea that Howard wouldn’t share every secret with him. As always, those two are more a married couple than Howard and Bernadette. But on a deeper level, it’s easy to see how this could become a source of new drama. Bernie is clearly uncomfortable about having kept the secret. If that fact ever leaks out, there could be a whole new round of character drama as a result. It might be interesting to see a rift form between Penny and Bernie and Amy caught in the middle.
While all this was unfolding, Leonard was dealing with the thorny problem that he needed a marriage counselor but didn’t want to pay hundreds of dollars an hour in the process. So his solution was to unload all his problems on Mandy (played by Melissa Tang). That led to a pretty funny scene where Leonard did a lot of soul-searching while Mandy slowly grew more bemused that she was being forced to sit through it all. Raj and Howard hanging out in the background and making more marine-themed sexual puns didn’t hurt, either.
Sheldon clearly doesn’t know Amy very well at all.
This episode had a really nice momentum going as it balanced out the relationship drama with more lighthearted humor. Unfortunately, all of this came to a screeching halt once Leonard and Penny had their heart-to-heart chat. I was really looking forward to an extended storyline that would force the two characters to confront their deep-seated issues with one another. Instead, their marriage crisis reached a quick and easy conclusion thanks to Leonard’s suggestion that both of them are simply afraid of losing each other. No sooner did they acknowledge that fact than their marriage was fixed and it was off to the bedroom.
Needless to say, that scene rang pretty hollow. This is a relationship that has seen more than its fair share of ups and downs over the past eight seasons. Leonard and Penny’s problems are more complicated than one simple, two-minute conversation can fix. Maybe it’s true that they’re both afraid of losing each other or not deserving each other, but the real undercurrent of their relationship lately is the idea that maybe neither one really even wants to be with the other. As the girls discussed, Leonard has more confidence thanks to Penny. It’s up to him to decide if he’s still with her because he loves her or because he loves the idea of having the type of girl that always used to be out of his reach. Likewise for Penny. She’s in a more stable place in her life where she’s not so dependent on Leonard’s emotional and financial support. Does she still love him the same way now that she doesn’t necessarily need him?
The resolution was bothersome because it felt quick, easy and unearned. But to be fair, maybe that’s the point. The two have patched things up for now, but there’s no guarantee more cracks won’t appear in the weeks and months ahead. That seems almost inevitable once Penny finds out that Leonard confessed his infidelity to the Wolowitzes and not her.
At the very least, we can count on Sheldon’s romantic woes to continue for the foreseeable future. He did nothing but antagonize Amy for the entirety of this episode. If she had any doubts that dumping him was the right decision, they must be squashed by now. Sheldon has worked through the denial and anger stages of the grieving process now, so there’s no telling how his behavior will change once he shifts to bargaining and depression.
This episode was shaping up to be pretty great. It continued the relationship drama form last week’s premiere and also introduced an interesting new wrinkle with the Wolowitzes. At the same time, it offered a welcome dose of humor to offset the darker aspects of the story. Unfortunately, “The Separation Oscillation” stumbled pretty hard in its final minutes. The quick, easy resolution to Leonard and Penny’s marriage troubles didn’t ring true. The show at least needs to do better when it comes to Sheldon and Amy.
