The Big Bang Theory 'The Misinterpretation Agitation' Review: Billy Bob Thornton Guest Stars as Creepy Doctor

The Big Bang Theory shifted back to Thursdays starting this week, and Season 8 rolled on with "The Misinterpretation Agitation." This was a heavier episode than most that dealt with some serious topics, but there were still plenty of chuckles throughout the half hour.

The clear highlight of the episode was Billy Bob Thornton as Penny's creepy doctor client who more or less stalked her because she flirted with him in order to make a sale. Leonard intercepted him and explained the whole situation, but things only spiraled out of control after Sheldon invited him in for a hot beverage.

In much the same way that Bob Newhart brought dryness to Professor Proton with his deadpan delivery, Thornton did a fantastic job playing Dr. Lorvis by acting as if every word out of his mouth was exhausting because his life is so miserable. He was creepy and pathetic all at once, and you went from pitying him to disliking him from scene to scene.

As it turns out, Lorvis is a doctor who treats many famous stars and receives tons of gifts from them. He took the guys to the basement of his mother's house, which turned out to be Nerdvana. The retro toys and arcade machines were everywhere, and the gang had a ball until Lorvis locked them inside to try and woo Penny again. When that didn't work, he went after Amy and Bernadette.

The first of two major disappointments in this episode was that it did not delve deeply enough into the issue that arose between Leonard and Penny. Normally, the drama between these two induces groans, but they have shown a great deal of maturity since last season. Here, they had a valid debate. Penny functions much better at her job if her clients think she is single, but is hiding her engagement ring a betrayal of Leonard? They sort of swept this under the rug, so hopefully the show revisits this issue or similar ones in the future.

The other missed opportunity arose in the situation with Bernadette and Amy. The timing is coincidental given the New York City street harassment video that went viral earlier this week and the consequent renewed public discourse about feminism and the female body, but it's an intriguing issue nonetheless. Bernadette is an extremely intelligent and successful woman who happens to be voluptuous, and she wanted to express her sexuality through a magazine shoot.

But Amy disagreed and found the shoot exploitative, so she pulled some strings to get it squashed. Is either side completely correct? That's not for me to say, but it was an issue that deserved more exploration. Instead, all we got was another tired routine about how Amy isn't as physically attractive as her two friends.

The Big Bang Theory typically delivers better episodes when it deals with actual issues, and this episode at least touched on some real ones. Unfortunately, it stayed in the shallow end of the pool.

Notes:

-       Bernadette is definitely right about one thing. Nobody wants to see Neil deGrasse Tyson in a wet T-shirt bent over the hood of a Porsche. Aaaaaaand now I know what will be the subject of my nightmares tonight...

-       After Leonard protested that Lorvis tried to score with Penny, Sheldon retorted, "So did [Howard and Raj] and they're having dinner with us!" Hard to argue with that logic. Spot-on, Sheldon.

-       Sheldon made Leonard a hot beverage after Leonard got upset that he made a hot beverage for Lorvis. Never change, Sheldon.

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