Final(e) Thoughts: Bon voyage, Lucy!

Last year I wrote a series of blog entries on the different season/series finales of my favorite shows. That was supposed to be one-time thing since Chuck, House and Desperate Housewives were ending and I thought How I Met Your Mother was, too. But I decided to do it again this year for lack of better things to do. Ha.


The Big Bang Theory has always been about Sheldon, Leonard and Penny. Their relationship is what season 1 to 3 focused on. In season 4, we welcomed Amy and Bernadette to the group. In season 5, we saw Howard and Bernadette got married. Season 6 was, rightly, Raj's season. It started with him going on a date with Lucy and ended (SPOILER ALERT!) with him soberly talking to the girls about the break-up.

Ok, let's back up a bit.

"The Bon Voyage Reaction" focused on the gang's reaction on two voyages.

1. Leonard's Voyage to the North Sea 

This is the second time Leonard goes away for scientific research but this is his first time going alone. Penny is supportive. Sheldon, obviously, does not like Leonard to leave because he caters to his every whim. Howard keeps pointing out how "space beats water." Bernadette suggests Leonard and Penny get married. Amy was too excited to see Raj's brain to care the where/why/how of Leonard leaving. Raj couldn't care less as he was focused on convincing Lucy to meet his friends or at least one of them.

Leonard and Penny saying goodbye at the car was done with the right amount of emotions to show that they do care and love each other and did not want to spend 4 months apart but it was not too overly done (think Rachel and Finn at the station in Season 3) to make it mushy. Bringing in Sheldon, to deliver the funny lines, was what did the trick.

The Big Bang Theory's brand of goodbye: Funny but still heartfelt

The effects of Leonard's voyage to the group dynamics will be evident now (except for Sheldon's vehement refusal for him to leave) but we will surely see the effect when they come back in Season 7.


2. Raj's Voyage

In all the six years I've been following The Big Bang Theory, I was always looking forward to the moment when Raj will be able to speak to a girl not biologically-related to him without the assistance of alcohol or performance affecting drugs. I figured expected it to be a big moment, preceded by glimpses of Raj's social development. I was wrong but I was happily wrong. The moment just happened and it was so characteristically The Big Bang Theory-esque. It was similar to when Sheldon gave Penny a hug after she gave him a table napkin used by Leonard Nimoy for Christmas.

In the end, Raj was too heartbroken to care.

To be honest, in the moments leading to the realization that Raj can soberly speak to Penny, I was holding my breath hoping that this won't lead to another Penny and Raj hook-up. And I was so relieved that it was not. It was so much better.

Lucy may have broken our beloved Raj's heart but her existence in Season 6 has served its purpose. Through hers and Raj's botched relationship, Raj was able to find a connection with the girls, enabling him to talk to them sober. And for this, we have Lucy to thank.

Girl talk

Thank you, Lucy.

Last year's season finale, despite having the Howard and Bernadette wedding, felt lukewarm to me. I wanted Season 6 to be better. And I was not disappointed.


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Final(e) Thoughts: Glee Season 4