Rise of the #Malfred

How’s it going, fans!? The Big Bang Theory celebrated the end of its ninth season with “The Convergence Convergence.” Um, wait a second. Did I just say the show celebrated its ninth season? Damn, I feel ancient! The show is almost a decade old … and it’s still going strong! That’s a testament to not only the actors, but the writers who created such lovable characters. To really celebrate this momentous occasion, our awesome After Show hosts—Adam Kruger, Cherise Bangs, and Tia Robinson—dressed up for us. And I mean really dressed up! Adam was looking mighty spiffy in his well-fitted two-button suit. Cherise looked regal and beautiful in her wedding gown. And Tia looked stunning in her nice floral print dress.

But why these outfits? Well, to go along with the theme of Leonard and Penny redoing their wedding so that everyone can have another chance at attending. Of course, with that many personalities, there’s going to be a lot of awkward situations. What’s The Big Bang Theory without awkward situations? So let’s get to every hilarious cringe-worthy moment of Season Nine …

Amy’s Growth

No matter how much Amy has arced, she’ll always feel left out. I feel that the writers really nailed it with this character. If you do a comparison of her personality from her initial introduction to her current one, you’ll notice some drastic differences. The change is so gradual that viewers don’t really notice it from season to season. However, the writers never abandoned the DNA of Amy Farrah Fowler. As is evidenced in her desire to be Penny’s maid of honor.

Adam loves the running gag of Amy incessantly mentioning to Penny her wishes, but does point out that Amy should be more secure in their friendship by now. Cherise counters that assumption with a pretty good theory: perhaps it’s part of her; it’s something she always wanted … a need to be noticed. I completely agree with Cherise’s thoughts. Going back to my original point of Amy’s characterization, it’s these small details that make the character so real. Amy has changed, but not so much that the essence of the character is gone. So kudos to the writers on that important detail!

Tia brings up another growth point for Amy. And that’s her handling of Sheldon. Whenever Sheldon did or said anything inappropriate, Amy would respond with “play with your phone.” It seems that Sheldon has a new boss and he doesn’t even know it. Hilarious for a guy who always has his ways and makes people sign contracts.

Like Father, Like Son

Judd Hirsh was a perfect choice for the character of Alfred Hofstadler—Leonard’s father. And yes, Adam, that entrance was priceless. I loved the whole interaction between Beverly and Alfred. It was worse than a Thanksgiving dinner with relatives you don’t like. The barbs traded between Alfred and Beverly really stung, but they were funny as hell.

But as we all know, opposites attract. This brings us to the budding romance between Alfred and Mary, Sheldon’s mother. You have an anthropology professor whose whole life’s work is based on the foundation of Darwin’s theories, and a God-fearing woman who thinks the world is only a few thousand years old. You can’t get more opposite than that! When they first met, I had feeling that the two were going to argue and hate each other, but what a way to circumvent our expectations.

Of course, not everyone is thrilled about this whole Mary and Alfred pair-up. Yep, Leonard, Sheldon, and Penny aren’t liking this deal one bit. That’s right, Penny doesn’t like it … because she loves it! She’s totally on board with #Malfred. Wait a second, did I just ship them!? Damn right I did. And I guarantee that it’s already a trending topic on Twitter. Look at me, I’m not as old and crusty as I thought.

Okay, enough with that young whippersnapper talk. Let’s get on with the other major subplot of the episode …

Beautiful Minds

Howard and Raj finally get a working prototype for their guidance system, and what happens? They abruptly get an email from the United States Airforce. Queue nefarious sounding music.

Howard goes into total paranoia-mode, and it’s totally understandable since he’s neurotic to begin with. Raj tries to keep his cool, but does try to cover all the bases and speaks the necessary words into their laptop camera—just in case someone really is listening in on them. All of this soon leads Howard to think they’re being followed while on their way to dinner. Unknowingly to them, it was actually Leonard, Penny, and Beverly. Soon, Howard’s paranoia spreads among Bernie and Raj. In trying to lose their friends, Howard ends up being pulled over—suspected of drunk driving. Yep, a total Wolowitz situation.

We all know that the situation is probably totally harmless. It’s most likely the government wanting to buy Howard’s technology. Adam brought up a very interesting theory that’s worth exploring. Could it be Howard’s father using it as a way to get back into his son’s life?

Where Did the Time Go?

I still can’t believe that this is the end of the ninth season. The cast of characters have certainly grown and are more like a family than ever. Speaking of family, our After Show hosts do bring up a good point: how will they end the show? After everyone gets married (we all know that’s going to happen eventually) what will their living—and maybe even hangout—situation be like? Adam thinks the full arc will be Leonard and Sheldon not living with each other anymore.

I have a feeling that after Sheldon gets married to Amy, both couples—Sheldon and Amy, and Leonard and Penny—will be living together for maybe a season. The final episode may be the two couples parting ways, off to start their own families in suburbia—or maybe Sheldon accepting a position with Stephen Hawking where he and Amy will move to the UK. I know, this sounds totally Perfect Strangers. If any of you even remember that 1980s–1990s sitcom, Larry and Balki and their respective wives, lived with each other until the series finale.

So how did you feel about the season finale? What do you think the US Airforce actually wants? How do you think the series will end? Adam, Cherise, Tia, and I want to here your thoughts, so sound off in the comments!

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Join Adam Kruger, Tia Robinson, and guest Cherise Bangs this week, live and on demand, for review and conversation about each new episode of The Big Bang Theory. Tweet in questions or comments to the hosts all week using the hashtag #BigBangAS

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theStream.tv Fan Show Network presents the The Big Bang Theory After Show. Tune in each week, live or on demand, for review and conversation of The Big Bang Theory. A woman who moves into an apartment across the hall from two brilliant but socially awkward physicists shows them how little they know about life outside of the laboratory. If you’re a fan of The Big Bang Theory then tune in each week for the live after show.

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