‘The Big Bang Theory’ season 6, episode 16 review: Leonard asks Penny to…

For its Valentine’s Day episode this year, “The Big Bang Theory” packed in what may have actually been more content into 22 minutes than it has for much of the show’s six-season run. Every series regular had an important role, and we had both the reappearance of Kevin Sussman’s Stuart and the arrival of Kate Micucci as Lucy, a new love interest for Kunal Nayyar’s character of Raj.

So what really happened here? In terms of major revelations, the biggest one came with Leonard and Penny. After a night of heated arguments, Penny realized that she did have an interest in moving forward with her life someday and settling down; however, she puts so much pressure on herself because of her boyfriend that she is so wary about every saying yes to a proposal.

The ingenious way that Leonard worked around this was simple: whenever Penny wants to get married, she has to propose to Leonard. It’s as simple as that. This was a major step forward for them, and while it may not seem like a big deal on the surface, so was Sheldon listing Amy as his emergency contact at work.

In going on with how Raj and Lucy met, this was quite possibly the best scene of the entire night. In an effort to cheer up the other lonely people at the comic book store, Raj gave an impassioned speech about how being single does not have to define you. Then, he asked Lucy out to coffee, and called them all “losers” while in their drunken state.

This was really just a fun episode all around: there were laughs, sweet moments, and reminders of why this is the most-watched show on TV right now in the 18-49 demographic. Even though it may not be a show that really makes you examine your own life, it makes you laugh … and there’s really not enough of that on these days, even within genre.

Overall, what did you think about the episode this week? If you do want to check out some more footage from “The Big Bang Theory” season 6, you can do so over at the link here.

Photo: CBS