I agree. Sorkin shows are much better when he foregrounds the workplace stories and backgrounds the romance ones. (Which is why The West Wing is the best thing he's written.) Maybe this episode was an acknowledgement of this, and a signal that he's going to put the teenage melodrama to bed.

Or Raging Bull.

Sidney Falco, Joe Gillis, Archibald Craven. Sure Sweet Smell of Success, Sunset Blvd and The Secret Garden are all classic films/books, but they've also all been turned into musicals. Given that Sorkin usually has Will drop the musical theatre references I actually thought it was he who had bought Sloan's book.

> Soccer is dumb.

I thought - with some exceptions - that this season, and the entire Moffat run, has been pretty lacklusture. Which is disappointing as I'm a huge Moffat fan going back to the Press Gang/Joking Apart/Coupling days.

Boo.

Raj has been talking around and to women for years now. It's just he's always had a glass in his hand, even when that gag wasn't the point of the scene. It got to the point where he might as well not have the alcohol prop most of the time, and so they finally got rid of it - and in a very good scene too.

The difference before with Sheldon in pseudo-sexual situations was that he either didn't mean it, or was clueless about it.

I can't believe Aaron Sorkin only ever took advantage of Helberg's Cage (and did so repeatedly) when he has so many others he can pull out of his hat.

The expression on Parsons' face when Sheldon admitted that what he has with Amy is extremely intimate for him was the most honest and compassionate we've seen from the character. Beautiful line reading.

You really think Apple co-founder Wozniak, best-selling author Stephen Hawking and Marvel icon Stan Lee (who's been on a million dollar annual retainer with the company for years now) appear on the show for the money?

There were actually two Blade Runner references - the slightly misquoted "I've seen things you people wouldn't believe" and, later, "Home again, home again jiggety jig". The first could have been a coincidence, but the second cemented it as an intentional homage.

> Lily remembers her dream but doesn’t say anything about it for a year and a half.

I have seriously spent some of the last three and a half years trying to figure out how the show could have a valid reason to do "The I Love You Song", Finn's most beautiful and heart-breaking song. (Though his best show is Falsettoland.)

… now that Raj is getting a girlfriend. ;-)

I really hope that's as slashy as the show ever gets.

Glee featuring the odd Sondheim song is appreciated but kind of inevitable. (I mean, you can't ignore God when you're doing a show about church.) But if they ever do a William Finn number my head's going to explode.

Emma's been my favourite character since the pilot, but then I've always had a thing for neurotic talented adorable redheads, especially when played by talented adorable redheads.

I was actually wondering if it was a nod to that other show which always seems to come up in AV Club discussions of TBBT.

They so need to get some Garfunkel and Oates numbers into the show.