I wrote this in a post once before, but I’ll say it again: It bugs me that the Big Bang Theory no longer follows How I Met Your Mother. I like watching those shows back to back, and I have no desire to watch that lame Jenna Elfman show or that annoying Charlie Sheen show. (Hey, maybe if Sheen goes to jail, Two and a Half Men will get canceled!).

Monday nights are getting crowded. I have the bachelor, which so far has earned the esteemed honour (I joke) of actually being watched when it’s on. I tape House, which hasn’t been as good lately as it used to be.

Then there’s How I Met Your Mother and the Big bang Theory. Two shows I love, but their time slots mean I never watch them right away. I usually download them and watch them all in a row.

So last night, I finally caught up on my Big Bangs, and they were hilarious!

I know there are a lot of people out there who aren’t a fan of this show, but I have to say, Sheldon Cooper is a character that deserves a little attention. If you haven’t given it a chance, do so.

What exactly is my role as ‘Wingman’?

The first episode of 2010 focused on Raj’s loneliness now that Leonard and Howard both have girlfriends. Raj had to bribe Sheldon with various nerdy items (a Green Lantern lantern, Incredible Hulk hands) in order to get Sheldon to attend social events with him.

And surprisingly, someone found Sheldon charming. As Raj worked on one cute girl, Sheldon flirted with the other, though completely oblivious that he was doing so.

The most recent episode though, I thought was even funnier, if only because it focused even more on Sheldon.

I am the Master of my Bladder

Sheldon’s most hilarious moments come when his autistic-like need for order gets interrupted. And I don’t think that’s ever happened more than this episode, where his and Leonard’s apartment was burglarized.

After Sheldon listed all of the nerdy possessions that he and Sheldon had been robbed of to the exasperated police officer, he developed a very Sheldon-like fear of being robbed again.

The best thing about Sheldon is that he can carry a scene entirely on his own, like locking himself in his room and then trying to convince himself “I do not have to urinate, I am the master of my bladder”. Finally, Sheldon decided that he could no longer survive in Pasadena, having seen its seedy underbelly.

So he started Googling new places to live, eliminating them one by one on a map, until he settled on Bozeman, Montana.

Live Long and Prosper

This is why I love Sheldon’s character: As eccentric as he is, there is always something you can relate to. Maybe you’re also really attached to having a particular kind of food every Wednesday night, or maybe you’re really into backing up your hard drive. For me, I could totally see myself researching a new hometown.

Sheldon’s “goodbye” video to his four friends, or “three close friends and one treasured acquaintance” was hilarious. Almost as hilarious as the fact that as soon as he arrived in Bozeman, someone offered to carry his luggage and then took off with it. He immediately bought a train ticket back to Pasadena.

They didn’t point this out in the show, but according to Wikipedia, Bozeman is the first point of contact between Vulcans and Humans in Star Trek. I wonder if this was some kind of secret shout-out to the nerd fan base? I wonder if I am more or less of a nerd for only knowing it because I Googled Bozeman, Montana?

That other guy, Leonard

Something a little strange has happened on the Big Bang Theory though – Leonard has become something of a bore.

Really, could they pay any less attention to this guy? Sure, the robbery episode was all about Sheldon. But the week before, Leonard also had a pretty lame storyline. Freaking out that his girlfriend believes in psychics? His girlfriend is Penny. Of course she believes in psychics. Raj, Howard and Sheldon all had better lines that night.

I’ve noticed on How I Met Your Mother that even though Ted is the straight man, and may not be as comedic as Barney, Marshall, and Lily and Robin too, he’s always likable. The Big Bang writers need to find a way to keep their central character central, and to keep him likable even when he’s playing the straight man.

The things that are hilarious about supporting characters like Barney Stinson and Sheldon Cooper are only hilarious when they aren’t the main focus of the show. That’s why when an episode does come around that focuses on them, it’s a lot more special and a lot funnier.