... And It's A Wrap! : 'The Big Bang Theory' Takes Its Final Bow

                                                      (Video Credit: TV Promos) 

After 12 seasons, the CBS sitcom took its final bow yesterday and it was a memorable and very impressive finale. And yes, spoilers!

The two-part finale began with various clips of the previous seasons until the present. Episode 23- The Change Constant, Sheldon and Amy  finally get the  news they've been waiting for, while Leonard finally got to do something he'd been long to do to Sheldon (and what the viewers have been longing to see him do to that obnoxious man-brat, more on that later), Amy takes a bold step concerning herself, and Leonard and Penny's marriage embarks on its next stage. 

For the past several seasons, personally, I hoped Sheldon (Jim Parsons) wouldn't get his greatest wish because- being a self-centred narcissist- I imagined he would use it to lord over everyone, Howard (Simon Helberg)  in particular, as he's the only one among the science group who has a Master's instead of a PhD. But seeing him freak out over he and Amy's (Mayim Bialik)  sudden popularity and dodging reporters came as a surprise, but just showed how socially awkward he's always been, though one would think he's gained confidence in that area. But then again, fans also remember he hates change but as Penny (Kaley Cuoco) pointed out to him, the only thing constant in life is change.  And in this episode, he was treated to a few. So were we. 

In Change Constant, a few of our greatest wishes were realised: 

-Leonard (Johnny Galecki)  finally got to slap Sheldon for all to see, which was definitely satisfying.

-Amy, finally realising how frumpy she always appeared,  had a much-needed makeover with  Raj's (Kunal Nayyar)  help, finally getting her hair cut and styled, and getting more up to date clothes, to Sheldon's displeasure but, to our delight,  stuck to her guns.

And...oh joy!!! 

The elevator, which has been damaged and unusable since Season 1 was finally repaired! Does it get any better than this? 

Yes, it does. 

The final episode, The Stockholm Syndrome, which was a 2-month jump from the previous episode, has the gang getting ready to go to Sweden for the Nobel Prize ceremony and Sheldon, to our dismay, is bossing everyone around- expecting them to abide by the schedules he assigned to them. Yep, that hasn't changed at least. And we are treated to more surprises- more wishes realised. 

- The long-awaited appearances of  Haley and Michael Wolowitz, who have been unseen characters since their respective births; Bernadette (Melissa Rauch) lifting Michael from his crib and Howard leading Haley by the hand into the room.

- Penny is revealed to be pregnant... yay!!! 

Bert the dull but still lovable geologist made a final appearance, as he was assigned to look after Raj's adorable Yorkie Cinamon, while they are away, Stuart as well, as he was to look after Haley and Michael.  And the final celebrity guest in the show was Sarah Michelle Gellar, who for some reason was not addressed by her name but by her famous character, Buffy, The Vampire Slayer. 

This episode proved even better because one main thing was addressed, Sheldon's selfishness. Even though he seemed to have evolved in character, it was still there. For so long, everyone, including Amy, either keep making excuses for him or walk on eggshells so not to upset him. But things definitely came to a head in this one. 

Proud that he was finally getting his Nobel Prize, Sheldon was back to being the way he was in Season 1, not at all caring about people's feelings and feeling the world revolved around him. Observing that Penny was constantly going to the bathroom on the plane, he feared she was ill and that he might catch her 'disease'. But to Leonard's anger, he's relieved when he found out she's pregnant and does not even congratulate them. Leonard's angry words to him were spot on:

 'You are a selfish jerk, to hell with you and your Nobel Prize'. Applause and bravo Leonard!

Stuart proved to be an incompetent babysitter to the children- Michael running a fever and poor Haley fell down the stairs-  hence Howard and Bernadette wanted to fly back home, and Sheldon is pissed off about it: 'Pull it together, this is a big day for me.' Any wonder why the two couples want to go home? And he accused them of being incredibly selfish.

Amy, bless her heart, finally called him out on his thoughtless behaviour, pointing out how for years everyone- including her-  tolerated him, which I feel gave him much needed self-awareness and

humility at long last, because his heartfelt  speech at the ceremony left everyone in tears; as he thanked his 'other family'- his friends- finally, finally seeing how precious they were, especially when he saw they chose to stay even though he treated them badly. What was most moving was when he asked them all to stand up and called them by name;  beginning with Raj, addressing Howard as 'Astronaut Wolowitz' after several seasons of disrespect and ended with his best friend Leonard,

 reminding and assuring of his statement in the first episode when they met Penny...that he and Penny's children will be smart and beautiful. 

That's much better, Sheldon.

And with that, The Big Bang Theory ended with the gang eating at the apartment, Sheldon and Amy wearing their medals and Penny sitting next to Leonard looking radiant; viewers hearing an acoustic version of the show's theme song playing in the background. 

Two things we didn't get though:

We never found out Penny's maiden name. 

Raj and Anu getting married, for they apparently broke up in Episode 22, The Maternal Conclusion- where Leonard finally made peace with his mother. Whether Raj finally finds a lasting partner, we may never know but we hope he did eventually.

Goodbye cast, and thank you!

                                                            (Video Credit: WatchMojo)

                                         

                                                        (Video Credit: MsMojo)