‘The Big Bang Theory’ season 7, episode 3 video: Amy, Howard, and … Neil Diamond?

There are some surprises in store for Thursday night’s new episode of “The Big Bang Theory,” but before getting to any of that it seems appropriate to start this off with a statement: The potential is here for this to be one of the best episodes in the history of the show. No joke. The idea of having a massive scavenger hunt is a little different from the norm, and some of the best episodes have traditionally been ones that force the characters out of their element in some way.

Now, we turn to what is actually in the promo. Leonard seems to be battling his asthma as much as he is anything else, Sheldon gets particularly angry with a bowling ball, and Howard and Amy learn that they have a similar obsession in the form of a certain classic performer … and also a certain song. Isn’t it always nice to see two characters get together in a way that they have not previously? The biggest issue with these two is simply that they have not had an opportunity to spend much of any time together at all.

In the end, the expectation here is not for it to necessarily have much of an impact on anything related to the long-term story. Don’t go into this thinking that Leonard and Penny are going to make the next big move in their relationship, or that Bernadette and Howard are going to think about another phase in their lives. Instead, this is really all about just something that is light, silly, and in a word fun. Hopefully, it will give you some good laughs come Thursday.

Click here if you want to see some more news related to “The Big Bang Theory,” including our review for the episodes airing this past Thursday.

Photo: CBS