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Stop press: The Big Bang Theory is back on our screens. In case you have never heard of it, (and if you haven't you really need to get out less), the show is based on the lives of four scientists (Sheldon, Leonard, Raj and Howard, played by Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki, Kunal Nayyar and Simon Helberg, respectively) and their less than perfect social skills. Their attempts at interacting with their neighbour, aspiring actress Penny (Kaley Cuoco), and the rest of the world have led to a brilliant comedy, with geeky jokes that all can appreciate without being a scientist.
The last season ended dramatically, with Leonard finding out that his girlfriend was moving back to India without telling him, as well as Howard's realisation that he was going to become a trophy husband for his more talented fiancé. There was also the cliffhanger of Penny and Raj sleeping together, which was significant due to the history between Leonard and Penny. This new episode directly follows that, with relations between Raj and Leonard frosty, and the friendship between Howard and Raj also being destroyed, as Howard discovers that Raj has been writing love poetry to Howard's fiancé.
The episode spends the majority of its time on one of the things the show does best - discord and nonchalance. Sheldon, the least sociable of the four main male characters, is definitely one of the most loved characters on the show. His disinterest in the others’ social lives and his focus on one topic at a time (normally one completely irrelevant to the situation he's in) provides much of the comic effect in most episodes, if not all. In this episode, Sheldon, ignoring the argument between the other main characters, chooses to decide his rank in the paintball competition instead. "It goes without saying that I will outrank you, but the question remains, by how much?"
However, the best moment of the episode comes towards the end, when the four leads are taking part in a paintball competition against the Geology department. In order to beat the geologists, Sheldon sacrifices himself by standing outside in clear view of them and shouting "Geology isn't a real science"; this has obvious results. His heroic paintball "death" leads the others to join forces again. On the whole, the episode focuses on Penny, and the aftermath of sleeping with Raj. She has played a crucial role in the show, by being a foil to her more intellectual neighbours and by teaching them about life outside of the lab. This episode scrutinises her relationships with Leonard, Raj and Amy (Sheldon's equally socially inept girlfriend, played by Mayim Bialik) in particular detail. In the previous episode, Penny revealed to Raj that she regretted breaking up with Leonard, and her awkwardness with Leonard in this episode is both hilarious, and also easy to relate to; many viewers are sure to have been in this situation before.
The main problem that I found with this episode however is that, despite the humorous situations that arose between the characters, there were very few geeky jokes. I will admit to loving every moment that one of those very-quotable one-liners is uttered, so their presence was sorely missed. The episode as a whole was a good start to what looks set to be a fantastic season of The Big Bang Theory.
The Big Bang Theory is on Thursdays at 8pm on E4.
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