The Big Bang Theory Review: The Retraction Reaction (Season 11 Episode 2)
On The Big Bang Theory Season 11 Episode 2 “The Retraction Reaction,” Leonard says some questionable things in an interview for a public radio show, which results in the guys questioning one of their greatest loves, physics.
The physics department is in need of funding and Leonard is selected as the person to go on to public radio to talk about the projects the department is engaged in, and the potential big discoveries they are set to make.
Obviously, things don’t go quite as planned, as Leonard brings to the surface his frustrations related to the constant struggle scientists go through to dig up new results.
As a result of the interview, Sheldon, Howard, and Raj also start to question their careers. In honesty though, the episode mostly focuses on Sheldon questioning the “love of his life” (aka physics).
Sheldon: He publicly maligned the love of my life. Lady Physics.
Sheldon is almost always so confident about his choice of a career and his accomplishments that it feels sort of refreshing to see this conflicted side of him. In fact, some of my favorite episodes of The Big Bang Theory are the ones on which Sheldon, in one way or another, goes beyond his comfort zone and questions his decisions and actions.
Unfortunately, on “The Retraction Reaction” he doesn’t do that to the extent I would have liked see it done, but just the questioning and confusion itself managed to give me a deeper, more relatable understanding of Sheldon.
While the guys question their professions, Amy and Bernadette bond over the fact that they both have to hide their success from their significant others. The idea of two successful female scientists supporting each other on this show seemed too good to be true, but my optimism grew as the episode went on. Are they actually allowed to praise each other’s successes and show that they are proud of what they have accomplished?
Of course not! Before the end of the episode the awesome “women supporting women” spirit is broken through dialogue that makes Amy and Bernadette turn against each other.
Wouldn’t it be awesome to just see two successful women talking about their lives without the need to turn them against each other? Yes it would! But apparently, that is something we won’t see on The Big Bang Theory.
I know some of you might sit there shaking your heads, saying that the guys on the show are also constantly bickering about who’s the more successful of the gang, and so on. While that might be true, it’s often done in a sort of joking manner, usually by Sheldon somehow questioning Leonard’s credentials and expertise.
Instead of joking about their careers or education, Amy and Bernadette are driven into dialogue in which they are made to question things like the morality of what they do. Is Amy a better person because she works in the public sector for less money? Is Bernadette a bad person for working for a big corporation? The guys on the show, for sure, do not struggle with questions like this very often.
I am aware of the fact that I might be making too much of the short dialogue between Amy and Bernadette, but honestly, it is just so disappointing to see a potentially interesting development turned into a childish bickering match between two intelligent women.
While watching this episode I wrote down “Penny has been reduced to silly, repeated wine-jones and supporting storylines in which she has to “save” the guys.” This was before she’s actually given more screen time, but now that I think of it, the function of that time is to “save” the guys and make them realize that they actually still love physics.
Penny can be an extremely interesting character on her own, but as a result of her marriage to Leonard, the quality of her storylines has plummeted. She has potential to be so much more than the not-so-funny comic relief who keeps talking about wine and how boring science is and I truly hope the show taps into that potential.
All in all, “The Retraction Reaction” is a so-so episode that rushes into easy conclusions and turns a refreshing, interesting storyline of two women supporting each other in their success into expected but unnecessary bickering.
What did you think of this episode of The Big Bang Theory? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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The Big Bang Theory airs Mondays at 8/7c on CBS.
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Milka Väinämö
Milka is a Master of Arts with degrees in Film, Theatre, and Media Studies. She is obsessed with American sitcoms, ice hockey, pizza, coffee, and all things true crime. Her favorite shows include Parks and Recreation, The Office, Community, Arrested Development, Seinfeld, and The Gilmore Girls.