The Big Bang Theory - Season 7, Episode 23 'The Gorilla Dissolution' [Review]

 With only one episode to go until the Season Finale, this week’s episode of The Big Bang Theory was bound to be something special and it certainly delivered in adding a dramatic turn of events to the series. The episode ushered in the return of the disastrous killer-Gorilla movie, an accident involving Mrs. Wolowitz and, if that wasn’t enough, a surprise proposal.

Whilst proposals in the series are nothing new, this one was different as it was actually accepted. The episode brought resolution for the Penny/Leonard relationship and its fans, as the writers have finally allowed progress between the two characters. On and off for the majority of the programme’s airing time, the two finally solidified their feelings amidst Penny’s acting woes. Thankfully, the proposal wasn’t spun as an attempt for Penny to make meaning out of her life, by picking the ‘bran muffin’ option of Leonard (although there were a few jokes regarding the subject). Even more pleasingly, Penny finally realised she doesn’t need fame or an extensive acting career to be happy, just Leonard, which marks a significant learning curve in the relationship dynamic. Now all remains is whether the season finale will see an immediate wedding between the two? And more importantly, how will the rest of the gang – especially Sheldon – take the news? Is there going to be a new cohabitation agreement? 

This week’s episode seemed to do a pretty good job of solidifying relationships across the board, with Raj and Emily hitting a slight bump. The question on everyone’s minds no doubt, is will this relationship actually last? Fortunately, the sequence between Sheldon and Raj, where Sheldon finally suggests (and Raj finally admits) that he struggles with being alone, finally ushered in a new change for Raj, as it confirmed that this is a problem Raj struggles with. Hopefully, this means there might finally be some form of character progression for Raj in the sense of his own inability to be happy alone.

Playing happy families in the Wolowitz household is Bernadette and Howard, who are forced to tend to Mrs. Wolowitz after she injures her leg. The situation mirrored what it would be like if the two ever had children, with Howard’s mum as the baby who is unable to take care of herself. Does this spell disaster for any future children they have? Does this mean we may not get to see any Bernadette/Howard babies any time soon? This event brought up many questions that went unanswered, but the dialogue between Howard and Bernadette remained funny nonetheless. 

It would seem the imminent arrival of the Season Finale has kicked everything into overdrive, with progression in relationships happening left, right and centre. It may seem a bit sudden to some, who have become used to the slow pace that the show takes sometimes, putting some relationships on the back-burner to simmer for a while. However, it is certainly long over-due, and we can look forward to more episodes of The Big Bang Theory, as it is currently set to continue for three more seasons. Clearly continuing on the highs of the last episode, channelling the force of the Star Wars themed adventure, The Big Bang Theory delivers another solid addition which answers many open questions about the future of the relationships in the series, whilst creating a few more to look forward to.