The Big Bang Theory (Season 7)

By: Robert Murphy

Spoilers! Spoilers everywhere!

If any of you are like me and have been following along The Big Bang Theory over these past couple of seasons, you’ll notice the same themes about each of the characters that are on screen. Sheldon is robot like fruit cake, Leonard cracks sarcastic one-liners at him, same old same old, and it’s been the formula this whole time. But when the show entered it’s season 7 it was clear that the theme was change and shake everything up a little with the characters we’ve been with all this time. Everybody this season will be either forced to deal with change or due some serious changing of their own and as we all know Sheldon isn’t the biggest fan of anything like this so it was definitely fun to watch.

Much of what ruins a series after so long is the fact that things get a little stale and characters settle into the grooves they’ve been placed into but thankfully things get stirred up for characters this season of The Big Bang Theory. Raj has always been a character that was looking for something to call his own and that usually involved finding a girlfriend of his own much like all his friends have. After last season he has finally overcome his inability to talk to woman without alcohol pumping through his veins. This opened Raj up much more for the writers of the show I think as he shows the most growth and use during this season. Sheldon though was the most surprising in his efforts to make changes in his life which is so very hard for him to do especially when it involves romance. Amy, who has long had to suffer with Sheldon’s tendencies, has finally started to crack the mold on him and even gets him to kiss her and even more surprisingly like it.

The show really belonged to those outside of Leonard and Penny this time around which was a very good thing, it wasn’t that they weren’t involved, it was just that the show was stronger when it didn’t focus on the two of them together. We all know where the road is heading for the two of them so let it happen but don’t make it what the show is all about anymore. Hilarious pairings of Sheldon and Penny and Sheldon and Howard and others are where we need to be focusing and that’s just what happened this time around. Sheldon and Howard’s relationship has always been a bumpy one and it’s no secret that they aren’t the best of friends and when they finally decide to air the room out on it, it becomes even more stressing, mainly for Howard. But the two find new respect for one another in an episode entitled “The Friendship Turbulence” and created two of my favorite episodes all season.

This most recent season also inspired some very excellent guest appearances which have started to appear more and more throughout the show, many of which from the nerdier side of the acting spectrum. Will Wheaton has been a welcomed addition to many episode throughout The Big Bang Theory’s span and even more so this season as he appears in four or five episodes. And alongside him we see a favorite actor of mine, Bob Newhart, who had appeared last season but was such an incredible part of this season that he truly deserves props. Perhaps the most heart warming episode is “The Proton Transmogrification” where we see his character pass away only to return as a Jedi like specter to Sheldon. He imparts very wise words to him and makes Sheldon realize how lucky is for those he has around him, prompting a tear jerking hug with Leonard later on in the episode.

What was great about season 7 for The Big Bang Theory is that it showed some very fresh faced ideas for all of the characters and really broke the mold getting them away from their comfort zones and mixing things up. Many of the same ideas still remain with the story and we do see the predictable happen with many of the characters but there’s was much growth in the writing that showed that there can be more done here. Seeing Sheldon’s personal growth and change is one of the best parts of this season and really hits you from time to time with it’s touching moments. It’s also good to see the writers finally give Raj a fighting chance and not make him the brunt of all the jokes anymore. I hope that things continue to trend upward for the next couple of seasons and we see even more come of the show that has shown it’s not ready to drift of slowly into the background of comedy shows.

Good:

- Major character growth that breaks the mold on many stale stories and ideas

- Guest stars were solid and excellently written into the story

- Some very solid episodes that I was happy to see and will pull at your heart strings

Bad:

- Still have some of the same stories happen here and there

- The predictable still happens with Penny and Leonard

Scully Rating: 8.0 out of 10