Sheldon conceded to a few of his flaws and made a compromise, and Raj and Howard addressed religion and scientists' relationship to it.
And even though Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting took home Favorite Comedic TV Actress (and more than her fair share of headlines the last few weeks), tonight's episode centered mostly on the show's male relationships.
It was back to basics for Raj and Howard, with Raj being a nervous wreck and Howard being generally obtuse; but Sheldon and Leonard dabbled in more uncharted territory: emotional honesty and purses.
"The Space Probe Disintegration" opens on roommates extraordinaire Sheldon and Leonard settling into a game of "Lord of the Rings" Risk when they're supposed to be going to lunch with Amy and Penny.
Rather than just agreeing to skip lunch, after eight seasons, Penny and Amy finally realize that they're constantly doing what the men in their lives want to do, and never getting to do exactly what they want-George Lucas can talk all the way through a "Star Wars" director's commentary, but Amy says one word and it's lecture time.
So, Amy and Penny decide that today, everyone is going to do what they want to do, and preferably something that only they want to do.
If only they can find something that Amy is physically able to do: Horseback riding is out on account of her hips opening up no wider than 22-degrees; ice skating is out because of her unusually brittle ankles; so, Sheldon suggests the ladies go shopping while the men sit in uncomfortable chairs and hold their purses, because the man is a problem solver, he just can't help it.
And tonight, Sheldon, while a normal amount of insufferable, really is being quite... sufferable. He holds Amy's purse, sits quietly while confronted with an eyeful of panties, and manages to calmly get through the realization of a hypothetical that haunts us all.
