The Big Bang Theory – The Emotion Detection Automation

By: Jennifer Vintzileos

Last time we got to see Penny (Kaley Cuoco) and Leonard (Johnny Galecki) work on reconnecting and revitalizing their marriage. This week is a real treat, as Sheldon (Jim Parsons) works on connecting with his emotions to better understand Amy (Mayim Bialik) and his friends. And even better, Raj (Kunal Nayyar) is trying to understand women.

As the episode starts Raj laments about another failed dating attempt, not quite sure why he is still single. As Leonard and Howard (Simon Helberg) try to comfort him, Sheldon seems to unknowingly offend Raj as he does not understand why people cannot just say what they mean. When the group sits down to their meal on the couch, Bernadette (Melissa Rauch) mentions that a team at MIT has developed a machine that can read emotions. Feeling that this may help Sheldon in better understanding his friends, Howard puts in a call to MIT and has them send over a prototype of the machine.

Meanwhile, as Leonard tries to figure out how to convert Sheldon’s old room into a game room, Penny drops the bombshell that her brother Randall (Jack McBrayer) will be coming out to visit to try to get a job working with Penny. Leonard tries to remain calm, but knowing Randall’s history this news unnerves and upsets him. Penny keeps assuring this will only be for a few days, but Leonard is not so sure and so the tension between the Hofstadters begins again.

Raj is excited that Sheldon will be receiving the machine from MIT, which prompts him to consider his own shortcomings with women. He decides to have his ex-girlfriends come over and explain to him why they ended the relationship, even though Howard and Bernadette try to convince him that this is a bad idea. In the end, Howard decides to be there with Raj when his exes arrive.

Sheldon is enjoying his time using the emotions machine. When Howard and Amy are there to help him test it out, Sheldon finds its simplicity helpful. Unfortunately for Penny and Leonard, when the emotions machine comes into their apartment Leonard’s displeasure over Randall staying with them becomes more evident and yet another fight starts between Penny and Leonard over communicating their feelings. Amy and Sheldon leave them to their fight and return to their own apartment.

When Amy is finishing up making “beef-loaf” for dinner, she finds a depressed Sheldon in the bedroom. Hoping that he could better understand emotions, Sheldon feels that he will never learn how to understand emotions on his own. Amy reminds him of moments where she was sad and he knew how to pick up on her cues, showing that Sheldon is capable of understanding. Later that day, Penny and Leonard come over to apologize to Sheldon for their dispute. Randall will not be coming to stay with them, but Penny’s jab about throwing Leonard under the bus for the decision shows that they are still on rather shaky ground.

In his apartment, Raj has managed to get his exes in one room: Lucy (Kate Micucci), Claire (Alessandra Torresani), Emily (Katie Leclerc) and Emily Sweeney (Laura Spencer). Howard is there to reluctantly take notes and referee. As each one states their reasons for breaking up with Raj, we learn that it is down to his clingy, needy, vain behavior. But after Raj, each girl has found what they don’t want in a relationship and found happiness with someone new. Even funnier, the girls wonder why Raj and Howard never got together.

After the girls leave, Howard and Raj talk about the outcome of the group – even joking that if things with Bernadette didn’t work out and Raj couldn’t find a girl that they could be together. Raj interjects that if that ever happened, he would pursue Bernadette. The episode ends with the guys talking about their hypothetical relationship, amidst a few laughs.

I have to wonder, are Penny and Leonard heading for harder times or will they come back from their fighting? Will Raj ever find love? When will we see Baby Wolowitz again? And just what new antics will Sheldon get into? Join me next time for a new episode of The Big Bang Theory!