The Big Bang Theory (Season 3)

Starring: Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar
Creator: Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady
Genre: Sitcom
Rating: A

Up to this point, the third season of The Big Bang Theory is in my opinion the best yet; overall I think it’s actually very nicely tied with the fourth season.  The focus in these two seasons seems to be more along the lines of pairing the characters up romantically than their more typical exploits, which I enjoy in itself and find helps expand the show.  Even with this pairing up, however, there’s still a huge will they-won’t they element to the show, as well as the more typical confusions and challenges that exist as the result between the differences of the way that Penny sees the world and the way that the guys see it – this is enhanced further in season four.

The primary overlaying plot this season is the relationship between Leonard (Galecki) and Penny (Cuoco), and the many trials that they’re faced with – including, as usual, the fact that Leonard over thinks things and that he’s more emotionally invested than Penny is. It’s in this season that the difference in age between the two really comes to play; Penny’s only in her (presumably) early twenties, while Leonard is in his thirties. Furthermore, she has dated a lot while Leonard is a bit starved for affection. As a consequence of the relationship between Leonard and Penny, Howard finally gets a girlfriend – Bernadette Rostenkowski (Melissa Rauch), a friend of Penny’s and a microbiologist who is set up with Howard mid-way through the season. Rounding it up is the end of season introduction to Amy Farrah Fowler (Mayim Bialik), Sheldon’s apparent match, after the guys put Sheldon on an internet dating service.

So, my favourite part of this season is the addition of  Bernadette and, later on, Amy Farrah Fowler.  The two really serve to humanize their male counterparts and, in the case of Bernadette, make him a lot less creepy.  I'm not too sure how I feel about some of their later development, particularly as it pertains to Amy, but for now it's great.  I also really like the development of the relationship between Penny and Leonard.  At tthis point in the game their struggles really make sense, and both the progression and digression are great.  The will-they-won't they isn't yet about to push on being ridiculous and overdone.  It's still really rather tight and understandable.  While I wasn't a huge fan of how things went for them throughout the entire season, I did really love how it played on her development with the other characters - notably Sheldon.  My favourite episode of the season is probably "The Spaghetti Catalyst" just because of the way that it looks into the friendship between Penny and Sheldon.  It's great.

Where the season kind of lost me a bit was with its treatment of Raj.  The "is he gay" thing can only last for so long, as can the general awkwardness around women.  As they're clearly pairing up the other characters in the series it kind of feels like they're just leaving the foreigner out of things.  I would really like to see them do more with him in the future, to develop him more, to give him the same kind of archs that they're giving the other cast.