photo: cbs
The Spaghetti Catalyst
Original Air Date: May 3, 2010
Maria – TwoCents Reviewer
maria@thetwocentscorp.com
Poor Leonard, he fell in love with the girl next door, dated her three times in two years, and then finally became her boyfriend in season three…only to have her break it off with him because she wasn’t ready to say ‘I love you’ back (and because Wil Wheaton wanted to win a bowling match against Sheldon.)
With Leonard and Penny no longer together how will this affect the team dynamic? How will Leonard cope? Will Raj secretly be ecstatic Leonard is now single like him? More importantly, how will Sheldon cope with this sudden change in his life? It’s never easy on the kids when mom and dad split up…
The episode starts with Sheldon stating the dilemma that he no longer knows the rules for interacting with Penny, since Penny and Leonard have stopped having coitus. Penny flinches at that word, eventually decrying that Sheldon is forbidden to use that word when conversing with anybody. I don’t see why, it is a perfectly valid word, and the euphemism ‘seeing each other’ is so vague as to not even be valuable. Ah, intelligent word-play is the reason I watch this show. Especially as Penny sees Sheldon is playing one of his ‘practical jokes’ and says: “You’re just coitusing with me, aren’t you?”
It may have taken years of adjustment but Sheldon and Penny are friends to the extent that Sheldon feels comfortable inviting himself round for spaghetti at Penny’s. She just needs to cook it first.
After some light repartee with the boys, Howard informs Sheldon that it is inconsiderate to interact with the ex-girlfriend of one of your friends and/or housemates. Then they proceed to mock Ben Affleck in Daredevil by wishing they had a mind-wiper thing from Men in Black to make it go away, well, that and Leonard’s painful memories of Penny.
There may have been a slight flaw with Sheldon’s previous interactions. Leonard has been kind enough to get Sheldon his tangerine chicken, so therefore he is obliged to eat it. He also has a verbal contract that he will be dining at Penny’s. This may be the proverbial case of Sheldon trying to have two friends and eating their food. Much like trying to have your cake and eat it, there is an inherent defect.
Sheldon also promised that he would bring Penny hot dogs, so she could chop them up and mix them with the sauce like his mom does. This may be problematic though, as he needs to conceal the hot dogs so he can sneak them past ‘Team Leonard’ without raising suspicion. He tries to overcome this by saying he’s going for an after dinner walk, however Howard walks out with him. Whilst outside, Sheldon is confronted by a rather large dog, who undoubtedly can smell the hot dogs.
Sheldon turns up at Penny’s, offering a single hot dog. He “had to trade the others for [his] life.”
Meanwhile, there is some homoerotic conversation between Raj and Leonard.
Also, Sheldon and Penny exchange humorous dialogue over spaghetti and hot dog.
Raj really needs to get a girl. If he wasn’t fictional I would volunteer, he is ridiculously handsome.
Sheldon chooses to wake Leonard up in the middle of the night to tell him that he has been ‘seeing’ Penny. See, I told you it is problematic as a euphemism. After a heart-warming conversation, Leonard gives Sheldon his assurances that he can remain friends with both Penny and Leonard openly. Having settled that, Sheldon goes on to regale Leonard with the tale of “Sheldon and the Hell Hound” or “How [he] Lost [his] Hot dogs.”
Three quarters through the episode and we finally see Penny and Leonard bump into each other whilst doing laundry (my washing machine is envious, nothing this exciting ever happens near it). It seems like they are arguing over custody of Sheldon, as Leonard can’t take him for new shoes on Saturday since Penny is taking him to Disney Land. To me the situation was terribly heavy-handed and brought back images of my mother and my step-dad. Of course, my mom took me to Disney Land Paris to ease the blow of introducing me to my step-dad, but I think it’s a trick used to get your kid to like you after a divorce too.
Penny drops off a tired Sheldon, loaded with Disney Land propaganda. She and Leonard bicker like mom and dad before Penny orders Sheldon to brush his teeth and put on his PJs. Just as I’m feeling a little uncomfortable, trust Raj and Howard to lighten to the situation with Raj whispering to Howard and Howard agreeing that the whole things seems a little “twisted” to him too.
We close on Penny and Leonard looking over a sleeping Sheldon. They agree to be friends.
So, what do you think? Do you think Penny and Leonard could ever just be friends? Do you think it’s time Raj FINALLY got a girlfriend? How did you feel about Sheldon being ‘the child’ in Penny and Leonard’s relationship? What were your favorite parts of the episode? Any parts you didn’t like? Leave your two cents below.
Add to: Facebook | Digg | Del.icio.us | Stumbleupon | Reddit | Blinklist | Twitter | Technorati | Yahoo Buzz | Newsvine
TheTwoCents 
Hilarious episode. I have to admit that I’m thrilled about the Leonard/Penny break up. Maybe because I’m just sick of the same geeky guy in love with a pretty girl trope. I want to see Leonard with someone who can converse with him on a geek level. A fangirl.
But right now, it’s Raj’s turn. He needs a girlfriend!
Favorite exchange of the night
Sheldon: Howard informed me that allegiance to his male comrade comes before women who sell their bodies for money
Leonard: Is it possible he said “Bros before hoes?”
Sheldon: Yes, but I rephrased it to avoid offending the hoes.
I loved that exchange between Sheldon and Leonard, with Leonard amused as he decodes what Howard actually told Sheldon. Although for me, nothing can beat Raj’s simple: “I missed you.” To Leonard, I seriously went ‘awww’ to my computer monitor.
Leonard should have a fangirl girlfriend, it might mean introducing a new character but I could live with that. I like Penny, but there needs to be more women in the show. Unfortunately, the show doesn’t seem to believe there are girl geeks who like comic books and are (as Howard would put it) ‘do-able’. 😦
Raj is so pretty, he needs to marry a princess. I don’t know why, but I have a real urge to see him act out a fairy-tale, perhaps in the elaborate telling of a story of how he got the girl. Perhaps I should stop sharing my two cents now, my mind can go to some strange places but I enjoyed reading your thoughts 🙂
Thanks for picking this up, Maria! Now that I finally got to see it, I also really enjoyed this one. I love Sheldon and Penny’s friendship so much – he seems almost more pleasant and at ease with her than with the guys. And he was willing to lie for her!
Anyway, I loved him trying to get out without Howard. And his Team Leonard sign, LOL!
It was my pleasure. I really enjoyed recapping this episode because it was such a good one.
Aww, Sheldon’s Team Leonard sign was almost as funny as Sheldon deeming the friends not his X-Men but his C-men in S03E18 ‘The Pants Alternative’, LOL!
And I liked this episode. It wasn’t the top, nonetheless it made me not dislike Sheldon, which can be always a good thing.