Happy weekend, everyone! Isn't it great to have a couple days a week without work and any particular need to move from your couch? Mmm. This is the life.
If you're on social media you've likely seen the many hints that have been dropped about the Shamy wedding this week! Including attendance by MARK HAMILL! Now, you may be excited to hear this, but I guarantee nobody's more jazzed than Mayim Bialik. Don't believe me? Watch this. Her reaction is hilariously sweet.
On that note, let's jump into this week's episode!
Everyone's on the rooftop, and Amy does a pigeon check of the perimeter before Sheldon can enter the scene. Of course. This is normal.
Sheldon comes rushing in, excited to look for planets!
Penny asks why Raj brought his own telescope when Leonard has one.
Apparently Leonard's telescope was originally used by George Shrinks. Penny says she once watched an episode of The Bachelor in an apartment across the street using Leonard's teeny tiny telescope. Apparently Raj's is a better model.
And so was the winner of the show! As a reality show addict, I sympathize with Penny. Everything's connected to something i've seen in one of those shows. Once you've seen one, you've seen them all.
Long story short, they're going to look at Mercury with a great telescope, as explained by Sheldon to Penny. He clarifies that Mercury is in fact a planet. OK - just because she watches shows like The Bachelor doesn't mean she can't be versed in things like math and science.
... Well, they were never my strong suits. But there's still hope for Penny!
Stuart then gets a notification that author Neil Gaiman tweeted about his comic book store, encouraging people in the area to check it out!
Wow! I'm always happy when Stuart finds any joy in life. I'm tired of saying "poor guy" all the time. Good work, writers! The guys can't remember Neil coming into the store.
They were having a debate on Wolverine when he visited, gave his two cents and was disregarded by the group. Ahh. The wrath of the obsession with fictional characters strikes again.
The gang continues their planet watching night when Amy mentions that the Greek version of Mercury was worshipped in Athens by giant wooden phalluses. Amy's just a wealth of knowledge. A gold mine, if you will.
Stuart declares that he's reached the double digits in Twitter followers! Sheldon asks if he's in the high-90s.
I'm guessing more like 11 followers. 10 real ones, and then one fake account he made and followed himself from.
Penny decides she wants to look through the telescope. She sees something fuzzy! Howard asks if it's her teenage years.
That was a good one. Penny even admits it. She takes a picture of whatever it is she saw, and the group examines. Raj thinks it might be a comet! Stuart announces that a shooting star is already in their presence, as Patton Oswalt's brother retweeted him.
Careful, Stuart. Don't let the fame get to your head or anything.
The next day, Howard and Sheldon drop by the comic book store.
Well, what they think is the comic book store. This place is rockin'! The tweet Neil Gaiman made brought in a lot of patrons. Sheldon's angry that the store no longer has funeral-esque vibes.
Those were the days. That became years. Stuart tells Sheldon to sit down on the couch and read. He doesn't want to sit beside a stranger, but Howard points out that Sheldon attends Comic Con. Sheldon admits that he goes for the Wookiees that get their zippers stuck in their fur in the restroom.
Yup. He went there. Sheldon asks for a comic and says he'll be on his way. They're sold out. He inquires if Stuart is trying to sell his soul.
He's not opposed. But for now, he'll continue livin' la vida loca.
Later, Leonard gets a message that Sheldon's mad at Neil Gaiman. Guess he's still salty about the comic book store, and Stuart's success. Penny wants to know who Neil is. Doesn't matter, it's not them. Cheers to that! Raj walks in, excitedly sharing that the comet they saw hadn't been discovered before! Wow! Penny can't believe she discovered a comet. Raj corrects, her saying he discovered it.
Uh oh. The two go back and forth on whose name should be on the registration form, as Penny saw it but Raj brought the equipment and told her to take the photo. He then compares Penny to a monkey who was told to take a picture.
He went there. Penny kicks him out of the apartment. Jeez, that really was low of him. Personally, I side with Penny. She did witness it first. I suppose we'll have to see what plan Raj concocts to prove otherwise.
Howard and Bernadette are getting ready to go out for date night, when their babysitter Stuart is MIA.
Sales are still a boomin' at the store, and, hold your breath... There's a lineup. I can't believe it either! Stuart won't be able to help out with the kids. Howard's frustrated, saying he was looking forward to their evening of dinner and romance. Bernie says they'll divide and conquer - she'll go for dinner, and he can engage in romance with his computer.
Is anyone else having flashbacks to Howard's robotic arm situation from Season 4? Hang on while I go and wash out my brain.
Meanwhile, Penny's done some research and it appears that she, in fact, is the one who should be credited with discovering the comet. She admits that she feels like because of her looks, people think that she doesn't know what she's talking about - and she's through with that. Leonard doesn't think this is true.
And there's Exhibit A. Leonard tries to tell Penny that while he agrees with her, this could be huge for Raj's career - so perhaps she should just let him take the credit. Penny hates that idea, saying she's tired of having her big moments stolen by others. Like when she suggested California Pizza Kitchen for lunch at work, got no recognition, and then when Paul brought it up was praised. OK, someone taking my great food ideas pisses me off, too. It's a struggle! Leonard continues saying that she should just let Raj take the credit despite siding with her, and she calls him a people pleaser and storms off. C'mon Leonard, side with your lady! This is easier than the science you do everyday!
Sheldon's at the comic book store when he leans over to talk to Howard.
Except... it's not Howard. He's standing behind Sheldon in another section. Howard asks if he needs to leave. Sheldon says he's ready to embrace change.
Howard's rolling his eyes into the back of his head in his mind. Sheldon says it's true, since he's learned to accept that Amy changed her shampoo. I say this all the time, but praise Amy's heart.
The two walk over to the cashier.
How cool, Stuart's hired extra help now that his store's gaining momentum!
Sheldon runs out of the building as if the walls were about to come crashing down. Because for him, they are.
Later, Sheldon's back home and venting to Amy about his comic book store woes. He's about to compare the comic book store to Black Panther. Amy's scared what Sheldon's going to say will offend a group of people. Hold on tight, friends.
Amy's gulping it back while she still has a shred of her sanity. Sheldon says the comic book store is like Wakanda, and that the reason they keep the country a secret is because they don't want to spoil its purity and beauty. He feels like the magic of the comic book store has now been tampered with. Amy lets out a deep exhale, as what he said made sense! Hallelujah! Oh, and Sheldon's annoyed that Stuart has a girl working there now. But not because it's a girl - that she's a girl, and that she works there.
Amy can relate. She's a girl, and she's annoyed. Can we rewind to when Sheldon was somewhat coherent a minute ago? Amy advises him to think of the female employee as a friend he's yet to annoy the sh*t out of. Sheldon loves the idea, and then tells Amy she's wise smells like books.
Well ain't that the sweetest thing you ever did hear! I hope someone tells me I smell like books someday.
Leonard's at Raj's, trying to convince him to add Penny's name to the registration. Raj doesn't want to do that, as everyone at work thinks he's a hero - even going so far as to call him Captain Comet. Which beats his old nickname, Dr. Donuts.
Okay, I personally think Dr. Donuts is pretty cool. Who doesn't want to be compared to a sweet and sugary dessert?! Leonard tells him to swallow his pride, and Raj starts to feel bad. Before he can get too down in the dumps, Leonard says he'll talk to Penny again.
... There's no other response I can give this than WTF! He was so close to convincing Raj to share the title with Penny! Leonard's new nickname is Lenient Leonard.
Back at the comic book store, Sheldon spots the new girl, Denise.
He's got his angry face on. Howard says he spoke to her yesterday, and she seems to know her stuff. Sheldon takes that as a challenge, and goes up to get to get a recommendation. Within one minute, she finds his ultimate comic - World War I with dragons.
He nearly melts onto the floor. Someone else in the store offers Sheldon another recommendation.
Whaaaat? Neil Gaiman is back! Sheldon doesn't give him the time of day... again. He's too enthralled with Denise. And quite honestly, i'm sure happy he is. I hope Denise sticks around for future episodes. Denise says if Sheldon doesn't like the comic he can return it for a refund, but that he can't tell Stuart. What a gem!
Leonard gets home from his failed attempt at changing Raj's mind. Penny immediately asks if he caved.
Ye-up. Leonard says on the way back he realized that Penny's a strong, independent woman who can fight her own battles. Also, according to Katy Perry, she should roar. Penny thinks he's right, and decides to go and talk to Raj herself. Leonard tells her that she goes, girl!
She hopes she never has to hear that phrase again. This may have been one of the sweetest Penny/Leonard moments i've seen.
Bernadette walks into her dining room to see that Howard's prepared a surprise date night dinner for her! The guys are really stepping up their sweetness game this week. Bernie's touched, and Howard asks if she's going to get changed.
What's wrong with sweats? Bernie says she can go nude, given nobody's around. Howard tells her to hold back, as they're eating soup. Good thing she stays clothed as before he can serve his lovely lady, Stuart arrives. Denise is at work, meaning he can babysit! He goes to wash up for dinner, and Howard yells that the can of soup is for him, and they're going out for dinner. Yes. Howard was going to make his wife canned soup for date night. Romance.
Amy and Sheldon are eating dinner when Sheldon is going on and on about...
Denise. She goes to art school in Pasadena, knows everything there is to know about comic books, and recommended one that Sheldon loves. He simply can't stop talking about his new friend!
This is where we've ended up. Denise wasn't sure Amy was real. Looks like she's had the full Sheldon Cooper experience! Amy tells Denise that she's going to teach her to pretend to love comic books. Denise says that'll be hard, as she really does love them.
Amy's not taking no for an answer. I don't think Denise knew what she was signing up for when she started working at the store. Stuart comes with a lot of... baggage.
Penny gets to Raj's, ready for war. He apologizes immediately, proceeding to say that he shouldn't have taken all of the credit, and that Penny's helped him achieve a lot - including the ability to speak to women.
Penny's flattered. Raj then goes on a diatribe about how he could get in trouble at work.
But, despite the apparent hell he's going to endure, he'll make things right. For Penny. Because he's altruistic. And has no ulterior motives. Not one.
Penny quickly thanks him and leaves. Looks like his tactic with Leonard won't work on strong, independent Penny!
Finally, Sheldon gets home to see Amy reading a comic book! Didn't see that one coming! She begins telling her fiancé how Denise recommended it, and is about to dive into why she's enjoying the read when Sheldon cuts her off to say he'd like to take a break from comic book discussions.
Sheldon doesn't come with an instruction manual.
I loved that Penny discovered her inner strength in this episode, and that Leonard helped her on that journey. It felt like everything this week was very female-driven - girls taking charge is something we should be seeing in TV more often. Don't get me wrong, I love the guys and the many, many, many storylines centring around them. This just felt very refreshing. Also, i'm confused. Do the guys not know what Neil Gaiman looks like? Sheldon looked right at the dude when he was talking to Denise. Oh well, at least Stuart's store is flourishing! I hope this continues for him - he deserves to find success.
Down below, let me know if you like that Denise is working at the store, if you think Raj will actually include Penny on the registration form for the comet, and what you'd make Stuart's Twitter handle! I'm dying to know what it is now. My guess is @StuartTweetsALot. Because, while waiting for customers all those years, I bet he tweeted quite a lot.
Catch The Big Bang Theory Thursday Nights on CBS.
