The Big Bang Theory Review: "The Wiggly Finger Catalyst"
Finally!
In "The Wiggly Finger Catalyst," Raj finds a girlfriend that he can communicate with and without alcohol. When the season began, I complained that it was getting a bit old for Raj to need a drink to talk to the opposite sex. While I'm not sure his issue is going away, it was refreshing to see that it is at least possible. I'd love to see the show use the new relationship between Raj and Penny to wean him off the alcohol altogether, wouldn't you? If anyone can do it, Penny can!
The Big Bang Theory used Switched at Birth's Katie Leclerc perfectly as Raj's deaf gal pal, Emily.
Through Raj may have been able to interact with Emily, he was still socially inept. The funniest lines of the night were him trying to be "cool" with his love interest. Despite the fact that Raj now has one, Howard was still involved by translating for his buddy. This kept the Howard-Raj bromance alive. After the first date, they both acted like they had found someone! As much as I think I'm over the Howard-Raj jokes, I guess I'm not tired of them because they still make me laugh every time.
Unfortunately for Raj, his romance was short-lived. Well, for him, it was probably the only relationship he's had that lasted over a month. Who said money can't buy you love? Poor Raj! The show does a great job of incorporating his parents via Skype whether with him or Priya.
I always suspected that Raj's family had money, but "Richie Rich" money? Nope. The show has a tendency to drop storylines from one episode to another, but this is one I hope remains. It would be interesting to see how his bank account changes the dynamics of the group going forward. I suspect that the clique leaving him with the Cheesecake Factory bill will be the last time it will come up for awhile.
The secondary story of the night was Sheldon's resolution to use dice to make decisions. It was a fitting story for Sheldon and created some funny moments. I wish they would have shown a decision or two with greater ramifications than bad food or facial hair. We didn't see him deal with any terrible dice decisions or consequence. This quirk was infinitely better than last week's train obsession, though.
After the last episode's off-week, this was a welcome return to the hilarious show that I love! Check out some of the The Big Bang Theory quotes from the episode and sound off now.
Carla Day is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter and on Google+.
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Rank: Guest Star
October 9th, 2011 8:44 PM
@Alessandro,from what I understood Sheldon was leaving mundane decisions up to the dice in order to free his mind up for higher thoughts.Revealing the contents of confidential documents is hardly mundane if you are a notary and while I do recall Sheldon saying he can't keep a secret , when he said that he was trying to refuse to hear one from Penny and then did everything in his power not to tell Leonard what it was for the rest of the episode.In this case the writers are saying that Sheldon went out of his way to know a secret -by going through the process of becoming a notary-only to reveal it on a whim and that doesn't sound like him at all.If he thought he couldn't keep Raj or anyone else's secrets he would simply have not become a notary to avoid knowing them.
I've heard the theory that Bernadette is being turned into Howard's mom but I honestly wonder why they are doing that.Howard's mom is entertaining to hear once in a while, but one of her is more than enough.I liked Bernad
October 9th, 2011 4:01 AM
as for sheldon blurting it out... it's consistent with what he's doing in this episode..leaving all moral choices along with the base practical ones, to the dice.
(and he's terrible at keeping secrets)
October 9th, 2011 3:56 AM
"Bernadette was a bit odd but cute and funny,and now they are turning her into a shrew .I think its to make Howard look better but actually it makes it seem as though being stuck in an engagement with him is getting on Bernadette's nerves"
I thought that was actually a bit of clever thinking...they're gradually turning her into Howard's mother
October 8th, 2011 7:59 PM
@ Marie yes I agree with your points on the way Sheldon has had to act . Yes with Sheldon's genius he would have never betrayed a confidence in such a way ..as you said especially with the friend ship agreement between the four of them .With the fact that it is just wrong .He never would have done it . And also I too get the re-runs running here in Bham. You can see a very big difference in the old and new showes even with 2.5 Men these showes have always helped me forget the world out side for 30 minutes but now these writers must be so lazy to push just a few buttons on a computer to look up a few details that would help to keep the showes funny and about how funny nerds can be scared of interactions with the opposite sex ..it has been very funny in the past .Now its.all about making their on actors look heartless cold spiteful an inconsiderate to each other and to ...now the people that spend there sweet time watching . I know everyone is wondering what had happened to Chuck Loree
October 8th, 2011 1:06 PM
@rick rice,it's true that it was Bernadette who made that creepy joke about the wife of the dying man being available since he was on a placebo instead of the medication that would save him.I agree that this sort of humor crossed the line but thankfully the storyline had Raj dating a girl Penny introduced him to instead.As I said previously ,the writing really is falling off this season,and this is yet another example of that.Bernadette was a bit odd but cute and funny,and now they are turning her into a shrew .I think its to make Howard look better but actually it makes it seem as though being stuck in an engagement with him is getting on Bernadette's nerves . Meanwhile,they are making Raj increasingly weird so I wouldn't want to see a relationship between him and Bernadette either : I don't know where this is going but these changes in the characters are dragging the show down.
October 8th, 2011 11:41 AM
I am sorry on my review yesterday I was so upset I could not pull myself out of it. I roofed.all of you about the bad so called.joke ..and banter Bach and forth about C.H.F the man dieing with it cause ( Bernadette ) said all those heartless things about letting Raj Take another man's wife. For a date cause (Beranadette) was giving a dieing man with Congestive Heart Failure medications that she knows for sure this dieing man was getting placebo's and laughing about it .knowing he was going to die in about four month with Coreg and Altace meds. In real life he could .and on top of this dieing man's troubles and fears she laughs about getting his wife to cheat with a Raj cause he is not long for this earth .so it was not Amy .that made those heartless jokes it was in fact ( Bernadette ) . Howard's girl friend not Amy that was so cruel ... How ever I still stand by my review of the two Chuck Loree Showes and I am now looking for a.new show to help me forget about ..People dieing suffering
Rank: Regular Character
October 8th, 2011 5:46 AM
Bah! This was one of the most stupidest eps they have done... Chuck lorre might be to busy trying to keep that other kutcher show alive to care about TBBT but he needs to change his priorities!!!! This season is DUMB so far!!!! I thought season five was going to go back to bieng about the nerdiness and not the romance. It was reported here months ago. I want it back that way!!!
Rank: New User
October 7th, 2011 6:52 PM
I thought that the writing is weak compared to what we have seen done previously on the show. The last two episodes were just boring. I am a huge fan of the show, but what makes the show work is not being put up front. The actors can only work with the material they are given. I hope that the writing tightens up and they get something moving and more interesting.
October 7th, 2011 5:23 PM
When I was in the hospital a few years back and the Doctor came in my room and said sir you have Congestive Heart Failure your heart is only working 20% . My aunt died last year with C.H.F. she smothered in her fluid in her lungs. It was hard watching her suffer gasping for breath . Any way last night Howard's girl friend made a joke that Raj could date this guys wife cause he had Congestive Heart Failure ..and she was saying it was ok to date a married girl because her husband has Congestive Heart Failure and she Amy new for a fact he was taking placebo meds. And laughed about it .so Raj could date a dieing man's wife cause she new for sure this dieing man was not getting his Coreg that could help save his life .but this sick dieing man was now going to watch his wife date another man cause he was nothing any way he is dieing with a bad heart . Well I have to say I while watching 2.5 men after getting out of the hospital at home the show came on where Charlie told Allen that Rose had
October 7th, 2011 4:34 PM
It was an interesting episode but having Sheldon flat out reveal Raj's wealth when the only way he knows about it is because he is a notary is lazy writing.Notaries are as obligated to secrecy about the documents they see as a lawyer and I can't imagine someone as painstaking as Sheldon would ignore that fact just to reassure Penny that Raj could afford to be generous to a gold-digger.It would have been more credible to have some financial papers discovered by one of the gang because Sheldon had left them on his desk before filing them,than to have him blurt it out.
A minor detail,I know,but you can't show a character as obsessive about rules and contacts for years-witness all the story-lines revolving around respecting the room-mate agreement,or his place on the sofa-and have him be suddenly be as flaky as those he is usually at odds with over these issues.
Also , why would Raj have feared deportation a while back?I've yet to hear of anyone with money not being able to get a visa to