It’s a new year, and with that comes new episodes of The Big Bang Theory. The show’s winter hiatus came to an end with “The Holiday Summation” on Thursday. But like the title implies, we still got to see how our favorite nerds spent the holiday season.
Holiday Squabbles
The main premise is that everyone shares what they did over Christmas, making it a kind of flashback episode. For the couples, however, their stories are far from merry. Leonard and Penny tell how they got into their worst fight ever over Penny watching two episodes of Luke Cage without Leonard. This comes after they struggle with chopping down a tree and bringing it home, leaving them both exhausted and frustrated.
Sheldon and Amy’s vacation proves to fare not much better. They take a trip to see Sheldon’s mother, Mary, in Texas. Before they get to her house, Amy suggests that they should tell Mary that they’re living together. Sheldon begrudgingly does so during dinner but is surprised when his Christian mother is thrilled about it, without any judgment. She goes on to explain that she worried he wouldn’t find a girlfriend at all, leaving him infuriated. As acts of rebellion, Sheldon walks around with underwear on his head and flippers on his feet, and later, gets an earring (which Mary demands he takes out).
While these two tales did have their funny moments, their underlying frustration is what caught this viewer’s eye. Perhaps it’s a way to show that the terrible monstrosity that was 2016 even permeated into our fandoms. In a more positive light, however, it could be a good method to wipe the slate clean for the new year and the second half of the season. After all, everyone’s in a lighthearted mood when they’re telling these stories during dinner.
First Look At the New Family
Howard and Bernadette’s storyline ends much more sweetly than the others. Their flashback mostly consists of Bernadette crying over the fact that she can’t get their newborn daughter to stop crying herself. It’s heartbreaking to watch, but at the end, Howard goes into the nursery to find his wife in the crib with their baby. He reassures her by saying, “Good job, Mommy,” and telling her how proud he is.
It can’t be stressed enough how much these two are marriage, and now parental, goals. While there will be many challenges for them ahead, it’s good to know already that they’ll be able to handle things and learn by trial and error. And the best part? That means more sweet, fluffy moments for the fans to eat up.
Having a flashback-type episode with “The Holiday Summation” was a decent way to ease into the new year. But now that things seem to have settled down, it’ll be interesting to see what new storylines upcoming episodes bring, especially if this really is the last season of The Big Bang Theory. Either way, it’ll be exciting to watch and find out.
