Emmy Episodes: The Big Bang Theory

It’s always my policy to watch every Emmy-nominated episode each year, which leads me to sample a handful of shows that I don’t tune in to on a regular basis. For the fourth year in a row, I’m making a special effort to spotlight each of those installments to offer my perspective on shows that I don’t review each week.

The Big Bang Theory: Season 12, Episode 24 “The Stockholm Syndrome” (B+)

I really used to enjoy watching the six submitted episodes for this series the four years that it was nominated for Best Comedy Series, and I’ve missed that each year since its final mention in 2014. This marks the second year that the show has been nominated only for directing, in addition to a technical nod or two. Tuning into the series finale, it was exactly what I expected, a funny, heartfelt goodbye that managed to work on a number of levels, even for a casual fan like me who has only seen something like fifty of the 279 produced half-hours. Technically, last year’s nomination was only due to a new rule that required at least one nominee to be a multi-camera sitcom, and this year, it’s the only one on the list too. While I wouldn’t necessarily have cited its direction, the writing was great and this was a wholly satisfactory episode. The extended recap at the beginning of the penultimate episode, which I also screened, was very helpful, and it felt like there were appropriate conclusions to many of the storylines while also leaving the future completely open (not that another spinoff is likely with “Young Sheldon” as the franchise’s only apparent continuation). Penny being pregnant was fun for many reasons, namely Sheldon barely caring and her not being able to drink when she does literally all the time. Sheldon being afraid of change was a logical framing narrative, and he managed to reason that the miraculous working elevator was actually a return to the norm. Amy’s makeover seemed to allow her to be happier, and the most sentimental part of the half-hour came when Sheldon went off-script and praised the value of his friends. Sarah Michelle Gellar being on the plane and coming with Raj as his reluctant non-date was a funny subplot too that was featured just the right amount. This is one show I wouldn’t mind tuning into at any point, and I’d be totally fine with it taking home one last Emmy (it has ten overall) for this fantastic finale.