The Big Bang Theory - The Status Quo Combustion - Recap & Review

Teaser/Beginning Scene:

Leonard and Penny announce that they are engaged and the rest of the gang are very happy for him. A few seconds later, Raj announces that he had finally had sex with Emily. This causes the rest of the gang to cheer on Raj with the exception of Leonard and Penny. Bernadette explains that this is because they propose to each all of the time but they cheer on Raj anyways.

During lunch at CalTech, Raj announces that he was hungry while he was having sex, as Howard pointed out. Sheldon isn't happy that the university will not let him opt out his field of study because of the grant money he is receiving. He tells his friends that he is very aggravated about it.

Sheldon/Amy & Penny/Leonard plot

Just when things could not get any worse for Sheldon, Leonard lets him know that he wants to move in with Penny without him. Leonard suggests that he should move into Penny's current apartment but this doesn't make him much happier. Without Sheldon, he tells him that this move will give him more time to love on her. This causes him to pout like a child to his bedroom.

Then. Sheldon complains to Amy at her place about the changes that has gone for him in his life. Amy does a wonderful job by trying to cheer him up with strawberry Quik. This does not help because she put the Quik with the syrup as opposed to the powder. Even Amy convincing him to move in with her does not help and him not handling the changes causes him to leave the apartment.

For dinner, Leonard made chili and salad for himself and Penny. Then, Amy goes to Leonard's apartment and is worried about Sheldon. She confronts him about kicking out Sheldon. However, he tells her that he needs a little bit of alone time. She butts into their dinner, which causes Penny to kick her out. 

That night, Leonard and Penny are watching television but Leonard begins to worry about Sheldon. Because he knows his computer password, he goes on his computer to track his phone to find out the location that he is at. He tells her that he's at the train station and she praises him that he looks out for his friend but he tells her that it's not just that, it's just that his own mother would kill him if something bad happened to Sheldon.

At the train station, Leonard and Penny find Sheldon there but he is not happy to see them. They were worried about him but he tells them to not be melodramatic and he would rather go on a train and leave forever. Leonard convinces him to come home and work out their problems but he would rather go on the train to go discover himself. Penny keeps insisting to let him go because it will be good for him and he cannot be protected forever but he does not believe that Sheldon will be okay. After a long conversation with her, he notifies him that if this is what he wants, he doesn't want to stand in his way. This is what he wants and he wishes him luck. She tells him to be safe and call them. Leonard tells him he is really going to miss him and he tells him "of course, you are".

Howard/Bernadette plot

Meanwhile, Bernadette and Howard find out that their now "ex-caregiver" has quit her job after finding out how much high maintenance his mother has been. After she leaves, he suggests they could use their vacation days to take care of his mother but she doesn't accept it and she sarcastically wants a divorce from him.

Then, Bernadette goes to Penny's apartment and practically begs her to be Mrs. Wolowitz's caregiver but Penny quits very instantly.

Later on, Howard & Raj are sad that Stuart's comic book store was burnt down and Stuart has no place to stay. Raj offers his place but he would have to delay his sleepover with Emily. He turns down that offer so he can spend time with her. Then, Howard gets this idea to hire Stuart as his mother's caregiver and he gets a place to stay but warns him that it will involve with a lot of humiliation and verbal abuse.

At Howard's house, to the surprise of him and Bernadette, Stuart is having such a great time with his dream job as the new caretaker of Ms. Wolowitz. Because of this, he asks them to leave the house to relax themselves. 

Ending
Amy is on the phone with Sheldon because he is checking in with her. She thanks him for doing that. She tells him that he is doing well. Penny thinks it's the best for him and Leonard agrees. Then, Amy hits him with a pillow for letting Sheldon go. 

My thoughts

I was happy that Leonard had the courage to tell Sheldon that it was time to move out even though he knows that it was going to hurt him and he finally let him to do what he wanted by discovering himself. Because Sheldon gets annoyed with the habits that Leonard has, maybe this change will make him a better person but only time will tell. It's going to be interesting how the changes will affect Sheldon especially in Season 8. As for Stuart calling Ms. Wolowitz the name of "Debbie", it's hard to tell if it's her real name or it's just a nickname that he called her. It was awesome to see Leonard's mother again. It seems like she and Sheldon click better since they have more in common due to their similar personalities especially in the episode from season 3 called, "The Maternal Congruence". The season 7 finale was more sad than a normal hilarious episode due to Sheldon having a tough time adapting to flexibility. However, I believe it was still well-written and I am interested how his departure will affect the rest of the gang.