5 Moments of Goodness from The Big Bang Theory “The Bakersfield Expedition” 

The Big Bang guys went on a pilgrimage yesterday to Comic Con.  Not the annual 100,000+ Comic-Con in San Diego that lures in nerds and geeks from around the world for a four-day blissful celebration of pop culture and comic books.  The guys head to much dustier pastures – the Bakersfield Comic Con, which Leonard explains is “more about the comic books, the way these conventions used to be before they went all Hollywood.”  This is amusingly ironic considering The Big Bang Theory’s migration from Ballroom 20 to Hall H this year.

As anyone who’s ever been to any Comic Con knows, the second those two words leave your mouth, whoever you are talking to immediately responds, “Are you dressing up?”  Irritating.  But, in the case of Leonard, Sheldon, Raj, and Howard, they do dress up as Picard, Data, Worf and an evil member of the Borg from Star Trek: The Next Generation.  All they were missing was their good friend Wil Wheaton.

Here are the top five moments from last night’s episode, and a special test at the end to see if you are a true geek.

1.   Under the influence.  As Penny astutely notes in her girl time with Bernadette and Amy, “You have booze with breakfast on a Tuesday, you got a problem.  You do it on a weekend, you got brunch.”  Powered by mimosas, Penny enthusiastically embraces the idea that the girls should check out some comic books to see why the guys find them so fascinating.  I love having the girls do their own thing while the guys are away.  It is even better when they start embracing their geek sides and get into a heated argument about the magical properties of Thor’s hammer (Mjölnir) versus Harry Potter’s wand.  Amy replies, “If you are going to start comparing wands and hammers, I can’t even take you seriously.”

2.   The girls crash Stuart’s comic book store.  When the girls cross the threshold into the store, the geeks freeze in awe.  Amy says, “Who cares?  Just soak it in.  Hello boys.”  Stuart has to shush them when they pose the dangerous question of who is the best superhero.

3.  Sexy Glamour shots in the desert.  When the guys arrive at Vasquez Rocks, they get into their costumes for a series of hilarious photos.  Raj starts his techno beat boxing and the guys dance for the camera.  It was hands down one of the funnier moments, not just of the season but the show.

4.   The Next Generation.  After Leonard’s car is stolen, they walk to a café in the middle of nowhere.  They ask for help and the waitress replies, “Why don’t you ask Scotty to beam you up?”  Sheldon’s response is priceless, “Scotty was on the original series, and we’re Next Generation.  So…jokes on you.”  The café scene was actually one of the saddest scenes of the series.  For the first time, Sheldon’s confidence is completely shaken, because they had garbage thrown at them and been subjected to relentless ridicule.  It was touching to see Sheldon’s vulnerability.

5.    Bizzaro World.  The guys arrive home to hear the girls arguing about comic books on the other side of the door.  Sheldon is delighted that the women in their lives have arrived at a place where they can “appreciate great literature.”  But, they are understandably confused.  They can’t believe their ears and Howard suggests that “Thor’s hammer” might be a new nail polish color.  They set phasers to stun and burst in on the girls.  I would have liked to see the confrontation in the room.  I imagined that Sheldon would not be happy that the girls were reading his comics with dirty fingers and Chinese food nearby.

Now for your geek test.  Chances are good that if you understand anything above, you are already a geek.  But, there is one sure-fire way to get confirmation.  This test comes from a conversation I had with a friend when The Fellowship of the Ring was released on the big screen.

My friend:  “I was talking to a friend of mine the other day about the hobbit movie.  He said he was disappointed, because he didn’t think that they looked like real hobbits.”

Me:  “I don’t agree.  I really liked it.  I thought they looked like real hobbits.”  **At this point, if you share my position in this conversation, I’d like to welcome you to the geek club.  Because here is what has not crossed your mind and did not cross mine….

My friend: “Real hobbits??”

The Big Bang Theory airs Thursdays at 8/7c on CBS.

Be sure to follow me on Twitter at @LaVaudreuil.