'The Big Bang Theory' Recap: The Justice League Recombination
Something I really love about multi-camera sitcoms is their silliness. Perhaps it's the canned laughter, but shows in this genre don't ever really feel very realistic. And that's okay, because they're not meant to. More so, a multi-camera sitcom is there to provide an escape for the viewers. The writers (most of the time, I'm sure someone can give me an example) don't discuss big, philosophical themes in a show. Any trouble with relationships is often cleared up within the half hour.
The jokes and gags are just what they are: jokes and gags. And sometimes, this is the type of entertainment we like. We don't always need big, satirical episodes from Community or a constant, rapid fire of jokes from 30 Rock. Sometimes, we just need to sit down on the couch, turn on the television, listen to a few silly jokes, see some funny gags, and simply, just be entertained for awhile.
And that's what The Big Bang Theory does, or more accurately, used to do. For me, it gave me an escape where I could just chill out and laugh at the silliness of the ensemble -- Sheldon's weirdness, Leonard's pathetic-ness, Howard's creepiness, Raj's goofiness, or Penny's frustration. And when TBBT utilizes all of these parts, it's a very funny show. Fortunately, last night, TBBT went back to this recipe and gave us its best episode of the season.
So in "The Justice League Recombination," we're presented with a fairly common sitcom plot. Penny is back with her boyfriend, Zack (that dumb dude from earlier this season). He shows up, and the guys make fun of his stupidity (with some pretty funny lines, by the way. To Zack learning about starfishes on the Discovery channel, Sheldon: "Was the starfish wearing boxing shorts? Because you might have been watching Nickelodeon.") Zack slowly realizes the guys are making fun of him, so he retreats back to Penny's.
The guys apologize, and realize that he'd make a great Superman for the New Year's Eve comic book store costume party, which they plan to attend as The Justice League. He accepts, in turn making Penny Wonder Woman. So they all plan to go out but before they do, Penny realizes that Zack has become better friends with the guys than her, so she pouts. After everyone trying, Leonard is the only one who can convince her to come out. So she does, they go the party, win, and Penny kisses Zack on New Year's, but wishes she was kissing Leonard instead.
