The Big Bang Theory 'The Expedition Approximation' Review: Way Down in the Hole

The Big Bang Theory delivered another strong Season 8 installment with "The Expedition Approximation." It's amazing what this show can do when it focuses on developing its characters rather than making fun of them or turning them into caricatures of themselves, and this episode had examples of both.

First, the good stuff. Sheldon and Raj received an opportunity to work on dark matter experiments down in the mines and be on the ground floor of a potential scientific breakthrough. Of course, anyone who has seen this show a handful of times could imagine how Sheldon and Raj would do in a mine.

But they did not want to waste the opportunity, so they decided to simulate the conditions of working in the mines by climbing down into the university's maintenance area and testing themselves among the steam pipes. It's always refreshing to get a reminder of just how smart these guys are when they're not playing games or arguing about comic books.

Here we learned that Sheldon continues to feel lost even after his return from his train journey and his subsequent change from working in string theory to working in dark matter. He had reached a peak in his previous field, and now he's back at the bottom of the ladder, a position that makes him uncomfortable given his superior intellect and ego. It was a sweet moment of confession, but of course Sheldon ruined it when he bailed on Raj (who was trying to give him some advice) after he saw a pack of rats moving in on their location.

Hopefully we continue to get more development on this front. Sheldon is always at his best when he shows his vulnerable side, because it makes his extremely annoying quirks and his arrogance tolerable. He's little more than a scared little boy at this point, so to see him overcome that would be gratifying.

Elsewhere in the episode, Penny and Leonard got into a spat about money when Penny, who now has a company car at her new job, sold the car Leonard had bought her because she didn't need it anymore. Leonard wasn't upset about that, but the tiff occurred when each party tried to force the money onto the other.

As a result, they turned to Bernadette and Howard to ask how they handle their finances. What followed was uncomfortable, as Howard literally acted like an overgrown baby with Bernie as his overbearing mother. On one hand, it makes sense given his relationship with his own mother, but Howard has grown perhaps the most out of any character on the show, so to see him behave this way (asking for gold stars and demanding his "stipend") was almost insulting.

Ordinarily I'd roll my eyes when Leonard and Penny argue, as the majority of their fights have no substance. But this one was a legitimate growing pain for them as an engaged couple, and they mostly handled it with maturity. We'll see if money remains a problem for them going forward, as Penny pointed out that she could wind up making more than he does if all goes well at her job.

Notes:

-       Sheldon wanting to watch Hannah Montana hit me in all the right places, if only because I suspect he'd wind up loving it.

-       That song Sheldon sang in the mines was depressing. I guess Sheldon would call that restating the obvious.

-       Sheldon and Raj only lasted 11 minutes in the simulation!

-       Leonard's description of parents' marriage was both humorous and sad.

What did you think of "The Expedition Approximation"? Let us know in the comments section.