photo: cbs

Original Air Date: Mar 22, 2010

Farrah Kaye – Associate Editor
farrah@thetwocentscorp.com

It was a warm, Tuesday afternoon as I was doing some work and my e-mail went off. Our regular awesome Big Bang Theory reviewer asked if anyone could cover her. I jumped for joy because last night, hands down, was one of the BEST episodes in BBT history. All morning long, my friends and I have been going back and forth quoting last night’s episode to each other and, without giving anything away, there is a certain part of the episode I can’t stop thinking about.

If you didn’t see the previews, Sheldon receives an award and has to give a speech but has stage fright (yes, the man who never stops talking apparently can’t talk in front of a group of people). What happens next is the second funniest episode after The Adhesive Duck Deficiency.

Our favorite scientists are eating lunch, while Raj is obsessing over Avatar when Leonard joins them and informs Sheldon he has won The Chancellor’s Award. He decides to conduct an interview with himself and post it online! Raj says “good for him” to which Wolowitz replies “Yeah, the one thing the William Shatner of theoretical physics needed was an ego boost!” Ah, Wolowitz. Always witty.

The gang is at Leonard and Sheldon’s apartment watching Avatar in 3-D, with glasses and all, except for Raj, who wouldn’t buy the Slurpee so he could get the glasses. The Chancellor calls to tell Sheldon he has to give a speech at the banquet when he accepts his award. He says he can’t give a speech. Sheldon says he can’t speak in front of large crowds (defined by him as a group large enough to trample him … 36 adults or 70 children). Penny brings him a congratulatory cheesecake and tries to give him a pep talk by talking about her own experience on the Corn Crown Court. Sheldon reminisces about giving a speech when he was graduating college – and faints. Everyone decides to come together to help Sheldon overcome his stage fright, like Professor Xavier and his X-Men. So what are everyone’s powers? Penny will take him shopping to get a new suit which will give him confidence. Leonard will psychoanalyze him to try to get to the root of his problem to overcome the fear (to which Sheldon wants to know his credentials – Leonard’s been in therapy for who knows how long because of mommy issues…funny stuff!). Raj offers some kind of “Indian meditation crap” according to Wolowitz. And what does Wolowitz contribute? The ability to pretend like he gives a damn. Sheldon agrees and names them his C-Men since the X-Men were for Professor Xavier. Not such a great name. Raj goes first with his meditation technique. He tells Sheldon to imagine himself in the place he feels most at home – Sheldon chooses Sim City, the one he built, Sheldonopolis. Sheldon has to buy a sweater because it’s cold and makes his way to Sheldon Square. Then a Godzilla-like monster comes. The door slams and Raj is gone. No wonder meditation doesn’t work, right? HA.

Next up is Penny, who takes Sheldon to the suit store. While Penny finds a nice black suit, Sheldon doesn’t like it because it’s only one color (“That’s a lot of money for only one color!”). Then we get the pleasure of seeing the Sheldon fashion show, filled with a plaid suit, teal Texas suit, and the white with tails tuxedo (a la Tom Hanks in Big). Penny convinces him to try on her pick and GASP, Sheldon is a hottie! Next up, Leonard’s turn to psychoanalyze Sheldon. He laughs in Leonard’s face for how he starts the session and Sheldon decides to just begin talking. First up, he had a dream he was a giant but everything was to scale, so everything looked normal. How did he know he was a giant? He was wearing size one million pants. Leonard suggests maybe Sheldon doesn’t feel he is worthy of the award he’s receiving. That gets a big “really??” from Sheldon. Leonard uses his own life experience as an example of when he did a science experiment that his mother said he copied from his brother (which he didn’t) and wasn’t worthy of the ribbon. Sheldon turns the tables on Leonard and he cries like a baby. Sheldon says that if someone as damaged as Leonard can get out of bed every day than he can face the speech. So Leonard’s bed-wetting story wins the C-Men fighting award! Leonard introduces Sheldon at the banquet but goes on a rant about his own mother. While being introduced, Sheldon starts freaking out so Penny gives him wine to calm down. He’s never had alcohol before. See where this is going? With a “Thank’s Shorty, I’ll take it from here” and a bottle of wine in his hand, Sheldon starts his speech – or a string of jokes and Bazingas! “I kid the geologists of course, but only because I have no respect for the field.” He does a song naming off all the elements (which is actually really funny) but yells out “Just the Asians!” mid-song. Oh dear. Can it get worse? Oh yes, yes it can.

The next morning, Leonard and Penny are having coffee in the kitchen when Sheldon comes out of his room wearing the top half of his suit but no pants. He has a few questions about last night, like where are his pants. Leonard says to check YouTube and already has the video loaded. While going on a rant about being in another dimension and taking pants off over your head, Sheldon takes off his pants – on stage. Sheldon thinks it can’t get any worse. Leonard tells him to give it a minute. On the video, Sheldon says “for the astronomers in the audience, get ready to see the dark side of the moon!” and turns around. “AND HERE’S URANUS!” (And, breaking with TTC reviews, I’m going to add a second special picture just for your viewing pleasure!)

photo: cbs

Okay, I can’t stop laughing. Can you? We had all our players involved. No b-storyline (although one could argue Leonard’s mommy issues was the b-storyline, but it wasn’t big enough to be a storyline on its own). We had Raj being obsessed with Avatar‘s ponytail-sex, Penny and her previous experience on the Corn Court, and the hilarity of Sheldon’s speech, which I can’t stop laughing about. Jim Parsons is possibly one of the best actors on TV today and he proved that last night. And he has nice legs to boot! Did you enjoy it as much as I did? Leave your two cents below.

I’m not one for lines of the night, but this episode was SO good, it deserves several (and while Theresa picked these out, I was going to put the exact same ones!).

Sheldon: I can’t give a speech!
Howard: No, you’re mistaken, you give speeches all the time. What you can’t do is shut up.

Penny: The world looked pretty darn good sitting on a haystack in the back of a Ford F-150 as a member of the Corn Queen’s Court.
Sheldon: Thank you, I’ll bear that in mind if I’m ever nominated for the Hillbilly Peace Prize.

Sheldon: Oh no, a Godzilla-like monster is approaching the city! I have to get my people to safety! People of Sheldonopolis, this is your mayor! Follow me! If the children can’t run, leave them behind! Oh, the simulated horror!

Sheldon: Why did the chicken cross the Mobius Strip? To get to the same side! Bazinga! — A neutron walks into a bar and says ‘How much for a drink?’ The bartender says, ‘For you? No charge!’

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