Sheldon is unsure how to treat Leonard and Penny now that they are no longer a couple. Penny says she and Sheldon can still be friends, and they make dinner plans. Shortly thereafter, Sheldon learns Leonard has ordered his favorite Chinese takeout, tangerine chicken. To try and please both Leonard and Penny, Sheldon first has dinner with Leonard, Howard, and Raj, then awkwardly sneaks off to have dinner with Penny.
One listing for this episode read, “Sheldon goes to extremes when Leonard and Penny are no longer speaking to each other.” That had me counting the many recent Big Bang plots that could be described as “Sheldon goes to extremes when…” Fortunately, while the scenario of a friend caught between two exes was familiar, the way Sheldon handled the situation was unique to his character.
He was, of course, awkward at hiding his two dinners from Leonard and Penny–another chance to see Jim Parsons’ physical comedy. Sheldon only got away with it because no one had the slightest idea what he was planning.
I liked that the episode’s action stayed in and around the apartment building. It was a chance to remember what I originally liked about the show: characters going back and forth in close quarters. Staying within familiar surroundings was one way the episode avoided going overboard with extremes.
While Leonard and Penny may have stepped back from a relationship, this episode really shows how friendly Sheldon and Penny have become. A season or two ago, Sheldon might have happily gone back to ignoring Penny and congratulated Leonard for simplifying his life. At this point, though, Sheldon was genuinely concerned for both his friends.
My one complaint is Leonard and Penny fell back into acting as surrogate parents to the childlike Sheldon. I think the show uses this dynamic too obviously and too often. I’d prefer it if the characters didn’t fill these roles so easily. Still, an engaging episode that proved how well the show works with Leonard and Penny single.
I refused to watch this episode because I know they were going to break up Penny and Leonard. I hate it when a show does this and can’t go through with it again.