The Big Bang Theory – “The Fish Guts Displacement” (Season 6 Episode 10)
This week’s Big Bang Theory, “The Fish Guts Displacement” brings the funny in great measure and more than makes up for last week’s lackluster installment. Focusing on the always-fun Sheldon and Amy relationship and Howard’s time with the in-laws, there were lots of standout moments and great gags that kept the energy high and the plot moving.
Note: Spoilers follow…
THE EROTIC ADVENTURES OF AMY AND SHELDON: There’s already been so much said about how funny the Amy and Sheldon relationship is and how–at the same time–I want it to go a bit further (perhaps grow), and while it’s apparent that it won’t grow in the same ways that normal people’s relationships do, this week’s episode gave us some great movement on that front as Sheldon was tasked with taking care of Amy when she was sick. Right from the beginning of this plotline, it was comedy gold, with Sheldon originally deciding to simply leave her, unwilling to risk getting sick himself, but eventually deciding that he was contractually obligated to take care of her due to her roommate agreement. It was a different moment for Sheldon where, despite fully admitting that the contract was intended to benefit him solely, he still gave in and it’s clear that he’s evolved quite a bit from the beginning of the series–and even when he started dating Amy.
At the beginning, it was standard Sheldon-Amy stuff–which is funny–but it’s when she discovers that he’s willing to rub VapoRub on her chest that things just get even better. Immediately she perks up and he simply has no idea why. I like that the writers have continued to write Sheldon consistently, and it makes perfect sense that many of the things he did for Amy could never be seen in a sexual way (at least by him), and it’s funny to watch her go to the lengths of faking sick just to get additional pseudo-affection from him. Mayim Bialik plays this role so well, and it’s a joy to watch the two of them work together, even when they are seeing things in such different ways. The best part, though, was at the end of the episode, where Sheldon is spanking her; the delivery of the lines between the two of them, with Amy’s almost devilish responses and Sheldon’s complete lack of awareness about all things sexual leads to some great laughs as she convinces him that not only does she deserve a spanking, but it should be harder so she doesn’t enjoy it.
Overall, this was a great way to move their relationship forward in a way that fits with the characters and still manages to get them another step ahead. Instead of compromising their regular behaviors, we get some truly funny moments that reinforce just how out of touch Sheldon is when it comes to dating, and just how far Amy is willing to go get some of his affection–even if he doesn’t know it.
THE MOST AWKWARD FISHING TRIP EVER…didn’t actually happen. When the whole Howard and his Father-in-Law thing started, I wasn’t expecting much, as this is something that has been used and used and used on sitcoms since the beginning of time. Yet while it didn’t exactly mine any new territory here, it was still quite enjoyable, and the awkward moments between Howard and Bernadette’s dad were quite funny. It was also nice to see Bernadette’s mom, although they didn’t give her much personality. I know she was meant to be somewhat like Bernadette, but they could have done a little bit more to define her character outside of basically making her a caricature. Oh well. Overall, most of this stuff was still pretty good and it was nice to see that by the end of the episode, Howard and Mike (the father-in-law) had started to bond once they were honest with each other. 
IDLE THOUGHTS: So I still find it kind of weird that Raj has basically become a background character in this show. I mean, as one of the main cast right from the beginning, I would hope that the writers have something worthy planned for him. It seems as though all of the characters outside of Raj have done something, or grown in some way, and Raj is stuck in some kind of weird limbo, as if he’s waiting for the right storyline to fall in his lap. Kunal Nayyar is worthy of a better storyline, so come on, give him one. Yes, there’s the Kevin thing, but that happens so infrequently, I’m hesitant to call it a storyline at this point until we get some significant movement.
THE VERDICT: This week’s episode of the Big Bang Theory was a return-to-form that saw two funny storylines play out. While the Sheldon-Amy one was a lot funnier than the Howard-Mike one, both garnered some great laughs and moved some relationships forward. When you get some great character moments combined with some great laughs, there’s little to complain about (except the Raj stuff).
As someone who can't get enough pop culture, Matt LeMaire writes about it as much as humanly possible. A graduate of Sociology and Criminology, he approaches all of his pursuits with a critical eye that simply won't put up with low standards of quality. Outside of warping the minds of young people and critiquing pop culture, he is currently working on a series of high-concept mystery thrillers. You can reach him at mattlemaire@themacguffin.net
I just LOVE watching the show of The Big Bang Theroy. I LOVE how Penny >Kaley treats the GUYS on the show.