(S03E17) This was one of the best episodes of 'The Big Bang Theory' in a while, not because of all of the 'Lord of the Rings' references (I never got into those movies), but because the writers finally figured out a way to get all of the characters together in one plot. Even though Wolowitz and Raj furthered their weird relationship by snuggling during a nap (which was actually only in Sheldon's dream, which raises even more questions), they weren't shoved off to the side in a b-plot.

We got back to the season one dynamic of the four guys having a story, while Penny interacts with them on the periphery. Since Penny has become such a big part of the show, this won't work for every episode, but it's nice to see what made us love the show in the first place. Especially since we needed all the happy thoughts in the world to replace the image of Sheldon as Smeagol. Congrats to the makeup crew, but dear God, I never want to see that again.

This episode also illustrates my point about last week's Stan Lee episode: if you're going to have one of the gang's idols guest star, then use them. This entire episode managed to revolve around Peter Jackson and his films, yet it worked perfectly well without him in it. The Stan Lee one could have been the same, instead of just sticking him in toward the end.

But let's get to the important part of this entire thing: Sheldon's twin sister. Apparently, we met hr in season 1, but I somehow have absolutely no recollection of this. Maybe we should pretend it never happened and just proceed as though she had never been introduced. That way we can let our imaginations run wild and imagine Sheldon's perfect twin. All I can picture is a female Sheldon, but I wonder how much alike they would actually be. They don't get along, so does that mean that she's completely different from him? Maybe more like Penny? Or do they not get along because they're too much alike? Which do you want to see? Something new, or do you think the show should just stick with what they've already introduced? I feel as though the comedic possibilities are endless here.

Some of my favorite lines from this episode:

Sheldon: "Who's Adam West? Leonard, what do the two of you talk about after the coitus?"
Wolowitz: "My guess is, 'hey, four minutes! New record!"

"Okay, I'm gonna go home, make a grilled cheese and window shop on e-Harmony." - Penny

Leonard: "It should go back to Peter Jackson. He made the movies; it belongs to him."
Wolowitz: "Fine, he can have it back -- as long as he promises to make me a hobbit in his next movie."
Raj: "There are no Jewish hobbits."
Wolowitz: "Clearly, you've never been to my house for dinner on Rosh Hashana."

Wolowitz: "How's it feel to get beaten up by a girl?"
Sheldon: "It's not the first time. I have a twin sister whose assaults began in utero. If only I'd had the presence of mind to absorb her. Then I'd have a mole with hair in it, instead of a tedious yearly Christmas letter."

"I'm so glad we came to this gentile strip club! Howard, here's more bacon to tuck into the shiksa's g-string!" - Raj