Season 8 of The Big Bang Theory premiered on Monday night and unless you missed it (shame on you), you probably noticed the debut of Penny’s (Kaley Cuoco) new pixie cut. Personally, I’m a fan of the haircut and can’t recall a time when the character has looked more feminine, but apparently I’m one of a small minority who feels this way. During the broadcast of the show and thereafter, social media, and the Internet for that matter, has been all a buzz with fans of the show venting their disapproval of Penny’s haircut. Really, is it that bad; especially, when you consider the even crazier things that happened on the premiere? I can come up with at least three. Let me explain. Spoiler alert, for those of you who haven’t seen it yet.
Stewart is living with Howard’s Mother- The season 7 cliffhanger left off with Stewart volunteering to help out Howard’s mother, Debbie, since Howard was looking to break away from his mother. Apparently, Stewart and Debbie hit it off because when season 8 opened, which resumes the storyline 45 days later, Stewart is still living with Debbie; to Howard’s dismay. To add to the blatant awkwardness, Howard and Stewart actually engage in a minor argument at one point in the premiere, as they find themselves assuming different roles; Stewart being a surrogate father figure since taking up with Debbie and Howard assuming a step son type role that is protective over his mother. While it was funny to watch the two go back and forth, and perhaps even one of the funnier points of the premiere, it was also a bit creepy as far as a developing storyline, which makes Penny’s haircut a bit less compelling in comparison.
Bernadette is Becoming Mean- Since Penny quit her job at the end of last season, she was in need of a job. Enter sweet and supportive Bernadette with a pharmaceuticals sales job recommendation for her friend. The only problem is that despite the sweet gesture of getting a job interview for Penny, we also finally got to see another side of Bernadette that we kind of always knew was there, but she never quite exposed full force until now. Ever since getting Penny the interview, and subsequently the job as well, Bernadette became pushy and overbearing in an attempt to protect her reputation, which is at stake since she vouched for Penny in the first place. Although, the storyline left off with the two in a bit of an awkward place, it was nice to see the squeaky little mouse that is Bernadette, go to the dark side, which certainly was more interesting than Penny’s hair.
Amy’s Persistence is continuing to win over Sheldon- With each passing season, since Amy Farrah Fowler was brought onto the show as a potential love interest for Sheldon, she has fervently pursued him. Although he became her boyfriend back in season 5, as a result of her persistence, he has done so begrudgingly. In the premiere of season 8, we saw yet another advancement in their relationship since their kiss last season. Sheldon admitted to not wanting Amy to witness his failure when his cross-country trip ended due to well, Sheldon being Sheldon. I found Sheldon wanting to impress his girlfriend way more entertaining than Penny’s hair change.
All things considered, Penny’s change of hair, albeit drastic, wasn’t so bad after all; at least in my estimation. As we all saw in the premiere, far more interesting things could happen and are happening with the characters on The Big Bang Theory, which makes Penny’s hair change far less of a deal breaker as a result.