'The Big Bang Theory' Review/Recap: "The Focus Attenuation" Loses Focus
Sam Rivman ’18 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer
Despite normally being an incredibly high quality show, the one flaw that can occasionally bring down an episode is the structure of the plot, which usually centers around one running gag. The running gag of the average episode is hilarious, and in turn the episode is successful. Such is not the case this week, however, which really detracts from how entertaining the episode is as a whole. The reoccurring gag throughout “The Focus Attenuation” is the men trying to focus on science, and then getting derailed very easily.
The comedy felt a bit contrived, and it lost its appeal about halfway through the episode. It was irritating to watch such brilliant characters stoop down to the level of elementary students with the attention spans of goldfish. Part of what makes The Big Bang Theory such an excellent program is the distinction in intelligence between the show’s characters and the characters of other sitcom programs. When that intelligence fades away, the program becomes as ordinary as any other show on television. There are certain episodes in which the writers overplay the childish nature of the male characters, and this was one of them.
Perhaps the highlight of the entire episode is the morning after Bernadette and Amy get inexcusably drunk at Penny’s expense. Penny prepares for the day, chipper from a night of sobriety, and flings open the blinds to purposely torture the very hungover Bernadette and Amy. Bernadette murmurs to Amy to close the drapes, and when Amy tries to oblige, she falls face first off of the bed. At the very least, despite being a rather boring episode, it ended on a positive note, which hopefully indicates that the next episode won’t be equally as lackluster.
The Big Bang Theory is an excellent show, but even the best of comedies occasionally have an unfunny episode. Hopefully the writers have shaken off the cobwebs and are prepared to deliver now that the season’s black sheep is out of the way.
Episode Grade: C
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