The number 43 may not be the answer to everything, but it did prove powerful as The Big Bang Theory hit series highs for the second week in a row!
The Big Bang Theory topped last week’s series high ratings last night with “The 43 Peculiarity”. The episode was watched by 17.4 million viewers, helping CBS handily win the Thursday night ratings game.
“The 43 Peculiarity” began with a brief discussion of wormholes over lunch (as you do), after which Howard realized that every day from 2:45 to 3:05, Sheldon is in absentia. Casual curiosity became an obsession for Howard and Raj when Sheldon refused to tell them what he does with that time; the erstwhile ninjas broke into Sheldon’s small basement destination, but found only the enigmatic number 43 written on a small chalkboard.
Unable to figure out what those devious digits meant (though they certainly gave it the old college try) Raj and Howard bugged Sheldon’s room… though what they found did not prove particularly illuminating. Having caught their scent, Sheldon confronts the wannabe-snoopers and imitates that his Sheldon-ness necessitates the 20-minute recharge break in his stressful, people-pleasing schedule. Sheldon also promises them that he will never reveal the meaning of the mysterious 43… but fortunately for viewers, the episode tag gave us a hint as to its real significance.
Meanwhile, Leonard struggled with jealousy toward Penny’s British classmate Cole (Ryan Cartwright) whom he believed was flirting with her. Leonard’s insecurity became even more evident when he proved completely clueless to Sheldon’s assistant Alex’s attempts at flirting with him. After an awkward attempt to scare Cole away from Penny, Leonard confessed his feelings to her, leading to a surprising and heartwarming confession which goes a long way toward calming fears of an imminent end to Penny and Leonard’s relationship.
Perhaps to celebrate the recent ratings explosion, the cast and crew of The Big Bang Theory recently organized an on-set flash mob to the delight and surprise of their producers and the audience. Aside from being hilarious, it’s heartwarming to see such continued enthusiasm from a show already in it’s sixth season.
There will not be a new episode of The Big Bang Theory on Thanksgiving Thursday, but the show will return on Nov. 29 with “The Parking Spot Escalation”:
When the University reassigns Sheldon’s parking spot to Wolowitz, their fight affects the whole gang.