The Big Bang Theory recap: 'The Relaxation Integration'
For 10 seasons, the one thing that has remained constant when it comes to Dr. Sheldon Cooper’s personality is his aversion to change. It makes complete sense that his impending nuptials would send him in the direction of a panic attack, but thanks to his big old brain, his subconscious is ready and willing to take over.
Drunk Sheldon will always be one of my favorites (notably absent here) from the Council of Sheldons, but Dream Sheldon is narrowing the gap for the top position. He’s chill and relaxed, and he understands that asking his friends to save the date for his wedding, or should I say save 80 different dates, will be a fruitless effort.
Sheldon believes that a perfect wedding date exists, just like his perfect spot, the perfect room temperatures, and the perfect dessert. For the record, that last one is a yellow cake in the shape of a dinosaur with chocolate frosting with a scoop of ice cream on the side, not touching. The good news is that the entire gang will get to experience this particular perfection since it will be served at the reception.
When the ladies strongly veto the idea of getting married at Comic-Con, Sheldon goes to bed in a fret. To Amy’s surprise, Dream Sheldon, who talks in his sleep, is loose and calm. This concerns both her and Leonard. Could it be a tumor? Of course not, but the idea of Sheldon being totally cool with picking up hitchhikers, refusing GPS, beach bumming, and befriending seagulls is concerning. Combine that with his adopted “whatevs” language, and Amy is ready to crack open his brain herself to see what’s going on.
Sheldon is angry with Amy for violating his dream space. He’s equally concerned that there might be another personality suppressed in him, like the infamous Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Don’t get him started on the fact that the intruder doesn’t have an advanced degree. Penny quickly points out that Sheldon is dealing with stress and is scared about getting married. This is huge change and since Sheldon clearly isn’t good with small change, his brain is telling him to relax. Perhaps he should start with something small.
In the spirit of his relaxed brethren, Sheldon chooses to start wearing flip-flops. What better way to symbolically shout “WHATEVS” from the rooftops than to sport open-toed footwear? Unfortunately, the odds are not in Sheldon’s favor. A dab of sunscreen on his exposed feet make his shoes slippery, causing him to lose one flop in a sewer grate. New and Improved Sheldon reaches down to rescue said flop, is bitten by a “wet toupee,” and steps into “warm apple juice” and some “melted chocolate” on the street.
The experience is enough for Sheldon to hand over the wedding planning reins to his future bride. All he needs is the date and the hour and he’ll show up in a tuxedo. With his Star Trek uniform underneath. Mark your calendars for a June wedding!
In other news, Bernadette is extremely protective of her new friendship with her work colleague Ruchi. You can imagine her annoyance when Howard spills the beans and Raj and Stuart come sniffing around during drinks at happy hour. Raj feels that he should be the frontrunner for a date since he and Ruchi are both Indian. Stuart thinks that he deserves a shot at love over Raj. Leonard suggests they try to develop a friendship first, which totally worked for him. After three years, Leonard finally wore Penny down and put a ring on it. That’s a legitimate victory.
The boys make a gentleman’s agreement, but Raj violates it almost immediately by taking Ruchi out as friends, with the ulterior motive of bashing Stuart’s reputation. But like a fungus, Stuart turns up at the bar to defend himself. As the guys bicker, Ruchi admits that she isn’t interested in dating. She just wants casual friendly relationships with both. Raj presses his luck and Ruchi leaves. Stuart runs after her, apologizing for his behavior and promising that he just wants to be friends. Ruchi agrees — and just like that, the fungus is under the toenail.
THEORETICAL LAUGHTER
Amy: I thought we agreed on June 15 for the wedding date.
Sheldon: That’s the day after flag day. Everyone will be partied out.
Sheldon: Why can’t there be one week each month for famous people to die?
Amy: They’ve already arranged to die in in threes. What more do you want from them?
