When The Big Bang Theory started, it was a story of four geek friends and their cute waitress neighbor, Penny. In "The Herb Garden Germination" we saw, for the first time, a new social circle fully formed, including Amy, Bernadette and even Priya.

Up until this point, the newcomers existed more as outsiders because they maintained separate, individual relationships.

The use of gossip to show the interconnectedness of the group ended up being quite funny. At first, I was worried that the Howard-Bernadette gossip was going to end up resolving in the overdone manner of someone mentioning it at the wrong time.

But, Howard never heard the gossip. The episode and gossip theme worked for me when the story instead lead to the experiment by Amy and Sheldon. That created some funny moments, especially when Leonard was using the gossip to try and get Sheldon to tell him what happened with Amy without specifically mentioning the gossip.

And, Amy being on skype listening - perfect.

The humor on this show usually is tied into the characters love of technology, science fiction and other geekery. I appreciated this episode, because it revolved around a common issue - gossip, yet it was handled in a manner unique to this specific social circle.

One complaint I have about the show is the lack of continuity between episodes. Last week, Leonard and Priya weren't getting along all that well, but this week everything seemed fine. In some ways, they seemed better than fine.

When they were in the bathroom together, I saw them as a couple and for the first time liked them together. I never thought I would, regardless I still think Leonard and Penny will end up back together.

It was nice to see Penny around Leonard without them being concerned about Priya. When the two of them were taking the long walk up the stairs, I actually forgot that they weren't dating anymore. As different as they are, they just mesh perfectly.

The only part I didn't find funny was the opening scene with Sheldon and Amy.

It went on too long. By the end, I thought I was watching two robots spout boring scientific jibberjabber to each other. While I do enjoy this pairing, too much of it is not a good thing.

I'm not sure what to make of Howard and Bernadette's engagement. After their failed trial run living together, it seemed a bit odd that Howard would propose and that she would accept. I'm looking forward to seeing how it plays out, as I foresee some very funny moments.

And, perhaps we will even meet Howard's mother.

Some Big Bang Theory quotes from last night:

Howard: Her freakishly small hands make anything look big. That's one of the reasons I love her. | permalink

Raj's poem: Oh, Bernadette, please play my clarinet. | permalink

Priya: And for years, everyone in my family was convinced that he was the clarinet enthusiast. | permalink

Sheldon: Everyone was set a-twitter. Although oddly, no one tweeted. | permalink

Penny: All right, try thinking about this -- Sheldon and Amy had sex.
Raj: Shut your ass. | permalink

Amy: The meme has reached full penetration.
Sheldon: Pun intended?
Amy: No. Happy accident. | permalink

Amy: I should let you know that she asked for details about our dalliance.
Sheldon: Interesting. So it went beyond the mere fact of coitus to a "blow by blow" as it were.
Amy: Pun intended?
Sheldon: I'm sorry. What pun? | permalink

Carla Day is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter and on Google+.