The Big Bang Theory: The Tangerine Factor

The Big Bang Theory: The Tangerine Factor
CBS
May 19, 2008
Sitcom
DVD
B-

This story by Lorre & Prady, teleplay by Aronsohn & Molaro, has Penny (offscreen) breaking up with her latest boyfriend, and Leonard finally asking her out.  She worries it might ruin their friendship, and Leonard worries he might blow it, but Sheldon offers them the wisdom of Schrodinger's cat.  OK, this isn't exactly a Tony & Angela build-up.  It's only been a season (and an abbreviated season at that), and, yes, Peonard (or whatever the ship would be called) turns out to be incredibly successful, but ending the season with the beginning of their first date isn't a bad stopping point.  James Hong returns as Chen at the Chinese restaurant, this time dealing with Sheldon's complaints in terrible Chinese.

TBBT in its first season ranges from C to B, and as ten of the seventeen episodes get a B-, it's probably no surprise that this averages out to a B-.  I'm not going to run out and buy Season Two, but I probably will be taking a look at it for my next blog, details when we get there.  For now, I can sort of see why this show was renewed, if not why it's been such a hit for so long.  Galecki is nowhere near as good as he was on Roseanne most of the time, and Parsons's Leonard is really the only character I consistently enjoy.  That said, this is definitely better than Season Five of 30 Rock, which also might appear on my next blog.