The Big Bang Theory – “The Apology Insufficiency” – review

FBI Special Agent Page (Eliza Dushku) interviews Howard’s associates as he is being considered for clearance to work on NASA’s new laser-equipped satellite. Leonard, Sheldon, and Raj’s interviews are all awkward in some respect, but Sheldon lets slip that Howard got the Mars rover stuck in a ditch (Season 2′s “The Lizard-Spock Expansion”).

In past reviews, I’ve mentioned I don’t like when characters act less intelligent than they are supposed to be. I could understand Raj’s awkwardness around Agent Page. It’s long been established he can’t talk to women unless he’s drunk. He took his neurosis to ridiculous proportions, though, suddenly panicking that he would be racially profiled and deported back to India. I saw some of the humor in that, but it wasted an opportunity to show Raj as the well-rounded, non-stereotypical Indian character he is.

Speaking of talking to women, Leonard went as far as to hit on Agent Page during his interview. Trying to exude more confidence, he took off his glasses and didn’t see Agent Page’s wedding ring.

Finally, after Sheldon revealed Howard’s involvement in the Mars rover incident, he was wracked with guilt, trying more than once to apologize, only to be rebuffed by Howard. Sheldon often seems robotic in these situations, so it was nice to get into his head a bit and see how he experienced guilt.

As a grand gesture, Sheldon gave up his spot on the couch to Howard; however, the episode’s ending tag showed that Sheldon lasted only ninety-four seconds before reclaiming his spot. Even in sitcoms, I prefer characters’ actions to have more weight. For example, Howard could have sat in Sheldon’s spot for an episode or two, with Sheldon envying him.

Perhaps the writers feel they need an episode like this now and then–in which the characters act wacky–to take the edge off the earnest way they are usually portrayed. For me, the episode was a let-down even though it featured Eliza Dushku, the return of Kaley Cuoco, and astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson–all of whom I admire.