It's been a long summer of waiting, but now the time has finally come to welcome back The Big Bang Theory for its Season 9 premiere. Last we saw, our beloved characters had reached some pretty significant crossroads in each of their respective relationships, so I'm eager to see where things go from here once the new season makes its grand debut. But before we dive headfirst into this new and uncharted terrain, I think it'll help for us to go back and recap the big moments from The Big Bang Theory Season 8, so that we feel completely refreshed and caught up on each character's given storyline.
From great love to great loss, this sitcom's latest season managed to make us feel things on many different levels — some of which could probably even bring Sheldon to tears. (OK, well, maybe that's taking it a bit too far, but you get where I'm going with this.) So journey back with me, if you will, to a television galaxy far, far away, and relive some of Season 8's most important moments that will help remind you why you fell in love with the show to begin with — bazingas and all!
Penny Gets A Big Kid Job
After years of struggling with her acting career (we all remember that gorilla movie, whether we want to or not), Penny gets a job as a sales rep at Bernadette's pharmaceutical company. This allows Penny to become less reliant on Leonard financially, which initially causes friction between them, but eventually gets smoothed over, especially after seeing how dysfunctional Howard and Bernadette's marriage is when it comes to the topic of finances and, well, basically anything. (I still love those two crazy kids, though!)
Howard's Mother Passes Away
After the tragic death of Carol Ann Susi, who portrayed the never-seen-but-always-heard Mrs. Wolowitz for all these years, the series decided to pay homage to the late actress by having her character die peacefully in her sleep. And after a blackout occurs, the gang decide to get together and eat all of the leftovers Mrs. Wolowitz had frozen in her freezer, making it feel like she was cooking them dinner one last time. (No, I'm not crying. YOU'RE crying!)
Raj & Emily Take A Big Step Forward
Though their relationship progresses at a steady pace for most of the season, Raj eventually starts to second guess his feelings since the two of them have so little in common. However, when Emily confronts him about said feelings Raj does the only logical and mature thing: he lies. Instead of ending the relationship, he actually drops the L bomb and declares that he loves her. So, yeah, that's definitely going to head down a healthy path.
Amy & Sheldon Take A Break
It was a big year of growth for Sheldon. Not only did he tell Amy that he loved her at prom (which was adorable times infinity, BTW), but he also allowed her to sleep over when they built a fort together in the living room. Sure, this might not seem like a big deal to us, but for Sheldon these are pretty massive steps. Unfortunately, though, Amy didn't see it that way. After Sheldon fails to focus on her during their fifth-year anniversary as a couple (he was too busy debating whether or not he should start watching The Flash), Amy feels so neglected that she tells Sheldon via Skype that they should take some time away from each other to reassess their relationship. Sheldon accepts her request and is left confused about what he should do with the engagement ring he intended on giving her. Can you say O-M-G?!
Leonard & Penny Head To Vegas To Elope
Tired of getting harassed about picking a wedding date, Leonard and Penny spontaneously decide to elope to Vegas instead. However, during their car ride to the chapel, Leonard (in the hopes of starting their marriage with a clean slate) confesses to Penny that he drunkenly kissed another woman two years ago during his expedition to the North Sea. And while Penny appears to forgive him since they weren't engaged at the time, you can't help but wonder if this will cause her to pull the plug on their elopement or give them marital problems in the very near future. I guess we'll find out soon enough!
Images: Michael Yarish/CBS; Sonja Flemming/CBS (3); Neil Jacobs/CBS; Monty Brinton/CBS
