The Big Bang Theory - The VCR Illumination - Review: TBBT & Young Sheldon Crossover

Sheldon still has not recovered from the fact that his and Amy’s theory about asymmetry seems to be wrong. Not that we expected him to get over it quickly. He probably has a protocol for situations like this one that states he has to be upset for at least half a year. When Sheldon starts re-evaluating every opinion he has ever had (are flags really fun? Is asparagus really disgusting? Or is he wrong about that too like he was wrong about asymmetry?) Amy asks Leonard and Penny for help. She does not know what to do with him anymore. Thankfully, Sheldon has prepared for this low moment in his life: As a child, he recorded a pep talk for himself, in case of an emergency. He trusted Leonard with the tape and the latter thinks that it is now time for Sheldon to watch it.

Amy: I just I don't know what to do. 

Leonard: I have something that might help. It's a recording of the only person whose opinion Sheldon actually respects. 

Amy: Hawking? Feynman? 

Leonard: No, himself. It's a pep talk he made when he was a kid. He gave it to me years ago and told me to save it for a real emergency.

Together with Amy Sheldon watches the VCR tape. Unsurprisingly, Sheldon immediately bonds with his younger self on the screen. After all young Sheldon is just as smart and fabulous as adult Sheldon. The happy moment only lasts for a few seconds before suddenly the recording of baby Sheldon is replaced by a football game. Sheldon’s father recorded a football game over his son's video. If you thought that Sheldon could not get any more upset before, you will now realize that you were wrong. He is livid.

Leonard and Penny are at their wits' end and resort to drastic methods: They call Beverly, Leonard’s psychiatrist mom who actually prefers Sheldon over her own son. She claims she has no time to chat but once she realizes the conversation is going to be about her beloved Sheldon she suddenly is available to talk.  Her professional opinion is to treat Sheldon’s current mood like actual grief. She suggests to give him a proper opportunity to say goodbye to the paper. It is always a pleasure when Christine Baranski graces The Big Bang Theory with her fabulous presence. Her appreance in last week's episode was no exception.

Following Beverly's advice, Penny and Leonard propose to have some sort of funeral for the theory. At first, Sheldon believes it to be a complete and total waste of time. However, once he finds out it was Beverly's idea he is willing to try. He settles for a Viking funeral in their bathtub. They set the paper on fire and let it float on the water. In the process, they also almost set the entire bathroom on fire. But it was totally worth it as it indeed seems to help Sheldon. A little at least.

When Sheldon wakes up later that night, Amy is still up watching his VCR tape. She just wanted to check once more if there really is nothing left of Sheldon’s pep talk. While they did not find more of his footage they discover a recording of his father George. He is talking to his high school football team at halftime during a game: “And if we do lose, you need to know that doesn't make YOU losers. You learn as much about who you are and what you're made of from failing as you do from success. Maybe more. So you can spend the next half feeling sorry for yourselves, or you can get out there and give them hell.“ This is something Sheldon had not quite considered. Being wrong this time does not mean he will be wrong next time. Failing at times simply is part of life, part of the journey that eventually could lead to success.

And just like that Sheldon starts to feel better. Additionally, he also realizes for the very first time that he and his father had more in common than he thought. “I've always thought that my father's journey and my own were so different, but he also faced failure and setbacks. Maybe our lives mirrored each other more than I thought.”

This statement gives Amy a sudden flash of inspiration: what if everything is merely a matter of perspective?

Amy: “From one viewpoint, you and your father's lives are asymmetrical, but from another vantage point, they're symmetrical. Sheldon, what if symmetry and asymmetry are observer-relative?“

Sheldon: That would mean that the Russian paper was right… but only from one perspective. If we look at it from a deeper view in more dimensions, our theory still stands.

Amy: Not only stands, it might be an even bigger idea than the one we were originally proposing.

Look at that! They found a new approach! It's not too surprising. After all, Sheldon and Amy are the smartest cookies in the jar.

While Sheldon was descending into frustration and self-pity, Bernadette finds out that Howard once wanted to apply to “one of the most elite magical societies on the face of the earth“. However, he never actually send in the application as he thought he was not good enough. Even though Bernie is not the biggest fan of his magic hobby, she wants him to try and actually apply. As a kid, Bernadette used to participate in all sorts of different pageants so she really knows how to present oneself and how to connect with the judges. Hence, she ends up helping Howard and comes up with a spectacular performance for him that even involves singing. In this process, she basically turns into her mother who was only too eager for Bernie to win all the pageants. Eventually, Howard dares to tell her that he does not actually like the performance she chose for him. It’s over the top, it’s not like him at all. Instead, he performs the way he always does, without a special, unique music number. However, he messes up a very simple trick. Maybe he was right after all. He is just not the greatest magician out there. He has other qualities though ;)

This episode was promoted as a The Big Bang Theory/Young Sheldon crossover. But was it really a crossover? Obviously it is not possible to actually let the characters meet each other, unless it is a dream or a hallucination. However, I would have prefered that option over the way they ended up doing it. It was still enjoyable to watch but I personally just expected (and hoped) to see a bit more of baby Sheldon.

What about you? What do you think about the crossover? Let us know in the comments!