Oct 22, 2015

[TV] The Big Bang Theory: Season 7

The Big Bang Theory is not the best comedy in the world, but it has its charm to be certain. Obviously, it wouldn't have gone on as long as it has were it not for this fact. And as much as the show has its flaws and a number of geek groups cite cause for concern here or there, we've continued to watch it as a more passive entertainment. Let's face it - it's this generations version of Friends.

Season 7 continues with the different adventures of this cast of characters, which has gotten fairly sizable over the years. We've evolved from the problematic four geeks and a pretty white girl model to four geeks and three girls pretty much sharing the spotlight. Of course this isn't enough to really achieve any sort of "balance" but in the long run what American sitcom ever prioritizes political correctness?

This season is marked by a number of interesting events. But first we need to resolve how things go once Leonard finally comes home from his rather remote research expedition.

Synopsis: The Big Bang Theory is an American sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady for CBS. Coming from the rating high of Season 6, Season 7 managed to build on the successes of the prior season to take things to new heights.

The season begins with Leonard (Johnny Galecki) still on a ship on a research expedition but actually having the time of his life. At least this is what is determined when Penny (Kaley Cuoco) finally decides to give him a call since she missed him. And we have a fun interlude involving Amy (Dr. Mayim Bialik) and Bernadette (Melissa Raunch) at a convention and receiving drinks from two men at a bar.

This setup was quickly followed-up by "The Deception Verification," which is the most-watched episode in the series, where Leonard surprises Penny by coming home early. Then we have a lot of humor centered around how Howard (Simon Helberg) and Bernadette are getting along in newly-married life, especially give the larger-than-life role that Howards's mother still plays in his life. On the side we also have how the marriage is affecting Raj (Kunal Nayyar), Howard's very very close best friend.

As I mentioned in my Season 6 review, I'm really enjoying the change in dynamic thanks to Amy and Bernadette. Before the only moments of amusement related to the main female character at the time, Penny, was mostly her not getting geek references or when she suddenly does get them as an indicator that she's picking things up through osmosis. Now they girls have a dynamic all of their own that doesn't rely too heavily on the fact that Penny is still the least intelligent of the three. If anything there does seem to be some genuine friendship that has formed for them that helps them reach out to one another to seek solace for the guys in the show.

That said, it certainly feels like the lion's share of character develop has mostly shifted to Leonard and Sheldon given Leonard is more or less dating Penny while Sheldon, or more like the actor Jim Parsons, has already gathered a number of awards for his performances. Howard probably suffers the most since his character is mostly a stereotype reacting to his mother and now his wife. At least Raj got a decent development effort as the writers experimented with pairing him off with different folks.

This season certainly included a lot of different developments for Penny as well as we had her finally quitting her job at the Cheesecake Factory in order to truly pursuing her acting dreams. Of course we've all seen what constitutes her supposed acting abilities and this naturally gives everyone cause for concern. But still, good for you Penny! At least you're trying.

The seventh season of The Big Bang Theory, we have the crew exploring their new relationship dynamic given the union of Howard and Amy and the on-again, off-again nature pairing of Leonard and Penny. The end result is a pretty fun season with some good laughs to be had and interesting moments to celebrate. Thus the season gets 4 fun little hen parties for the girls out of a possible 5.


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