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"The Big Bang Theory" is a ratings titan! As much as I've slammed the show for exhausting things around the Penny/Leonard relationship, they seem to have found the right balance. Yes, the Penard interaction is still one-note and dull, but instead of continuing to force what wasn't working, they've turned Penny and Leonard into a cohesive unit, externalizing their conflict. The result: a whole lot of Sheldon unhinged, with Penny and Leonard as the reactive bystanders. That's been the formula the past few weeks. And while you can only take a certain approach for so long before it grows stale, I'll take Sheldon as the force of conflict over relationship infighting any day.
We've seen a good bit of roommate angst since Penny and Leonard hooked up, but this week we get our first taste of Sheldon competing with Penny. You can imagine how well that's going to work out for him. Discussing Valentine's Day over lunch, an anguished Raj shares his unromantic plans before Leonard informs the crew that he's been given the opportunity to visit the CERN laboratory in Switzerland, and can bring a guest. Certain that he's headed to CERN with Leonard, Sheldon rushes home to pack. Leonard heads back to the apartment to break the hard news to Sheldon: He's taking Penny to Switzerland for Valentine's Day. The full recap is after the jump.
