I liked what I saw of tonight’s episode of Big Bang Theory, but between missing the very very beginning and a bit about a third of the way through when the emergency broadcast test came on, I definitely missed some things. For instance, I assumed that Sheldon and Amy were sitting in at a reading by an author trying to make physics more palatable to the masses, but didn’t know that was the case until later. Anyway, Sheldon gets up and hurls some pretty funny, though super-harsh insults following it all up by saying something like “Just kidding I’m a big fan.” It turned out that aspect of the show wasn’t very important aside from the fact that it gave Amy a chance to tell Sheldon that Bernadette was thinking of breaking up with Howard. With that the episode has it’s theme: rumors and how they spread.

Later, while playing an archery game on the Wii, Sheldon tells Leonard about the news. Leonard puts up with a healthy dose of Sheldon’s craziness (he demands they both pantomime pulling the arrows out of an imaginary quiver) and then…the emergency test came on and by the time it stopped, I was watching Leonard and Priya brushing their teeth in Sheldon and Leonard’s bathroom. Priya lets slip that she knows that Raj will be happy to hear about Bernadette wanting to break up with Howard because he has a huge crush on her (Priya discovered this after reading some of his crappy poetry, rhyming Bernadette with clarinet). At some later point, Leonard runs into Penny and spreads the original rumor and also mentions that Raj has a crush on Bernadette. After THAT, Priya and Raj have a conversation with their parents where Priya says she’s looking for her own place, Raj kind of hints at her being with Leonard and even they find out about the Bernadette/Howard rumor.

So, with everyone but Howard thinking that Bernadette was planning on breaking up with Howard we then find ourselves watching the guys talk over lunch at the university. Howard’s distracted and the guys think it’s because of the impending break-up, but it’s really because duh duh DUH, he’s planning on proposing! The reaction isn’t super enthusiastic for various reasons, but the real fun comes in the next scene between Amy and Sheldon when they’re discussing how quickly the rumor spread. Amy mentions meme theory which I’ve actually done some reading about and gave name to every weird piece of spreadable online content you find yourself chuckling at nowadays. They decide to test a theory by spreading two rumors which turn out to be: Amy and Sheldon had sex and Amy is starting an herb garden to see which ones travel faster. Amy chooses Penny to tell first and word spreads pretty quickly. I’m really glad the emergency alert test didn’t happen during this scene because the rest of the episode would take on a whole different context.

In an effort to try and work his “magic” on Bernadette, Raj heads to the Cheesecake Factory while she’s on her shift and drinks some of those creepy florescent green drinks he likes, making awkward small talk with Bernadette. Penny spots this and comes over to give him shit, telling him that’s his best friend’s girl and that he shouldn’t be sniffing around. She also spreads the Amy/Sheldon rumor which then gets told to Leonard who brings it up just slightly around Sheldon without outright saying it.

The episode ends with the whole gang hanging out at Sheldon and Leonard’s house. Amy tells Sheldon she had to make up some aspects of their sexual interaction. Meanwhile Howard calls everyone’s attention and proposes to to Bernadette. She stops him from talking and then…ACCEPTS! It’s awesome. I know they’re fictional characters but they’re so darn cute together. Even with the missing pieces, I dug this episode and had fun with it. Now we just need to get Penny and Leonard back together and we’re gold!