‘The Big Bang Theory’ season 8, episode 3 review: Was Howard’s baseball episode a home run?

Going into Monday night’s new episode of “The Big Bang Theory,” our hopes were really high since the premise here was so fun. You had Howard preparing to throw a first pitch at an Angels game. What could go wrong here? Plenty!

Unfortunately, we wish that there was something more here other than a really great payoff. The scene at the “stadium” itself was pretty awkward at first, given that it was obvious that there was a whole lot of green-screen put into this. We have no problem at all with this if it doesn’t force you to suspend belief too much, such as when characters are riding around in a car. This, however, was obvious and distracting. Having Howard use a robot for his first pitch, only for that robot to fail in its own way, was a punchline that still hit, but it still felt like it should have been funnier.

Meanwhile, the B-story was mostly flatter than a pancake. Sheldon and Amy debated with Leonard and Penny about whether or not they were the better couple, and this ended up walking down a very tired road. We know that Penny and Leonard have little in common, and that has been a theme of the show since all the way back in the pilot. We’d prefer ways to handle this that are not so on the nose.

The combination of stories this week felt like a letdown, given that there was only one time that we had a genuine belly-laugh, and that was near the end of the half-hour. The rest just paled in comparison to the two-part premiere. Grade: C+.

What do you think about this episode? Share your thoughts with a comment, and head over here to preview what is coming up on the show. Also, sign up to get some other scoop on everything we cover at CarterMatt via our newsletter.

Photo: CBS