11 Nov 2015
By Jessica Radloff
(excerpt repost with link to full article)
Mayim Bialik (Amy) and Jim Parsons (Sheldon) in The Big Bang Theory. Image courtesy of CBS.
CBS has just revealed that Bob Newhart’s Big Bang Theory character, the late Arthur Jeffries (Sheldon’s childhood hero), will return to the show December 17 to help Sheldon sort out his feelings and make a very important decision. It’s a welcome return for the Emmy award-winning actor, who is a beloved addition to the Big Bang cast and its fans. But in the weeks leading up until then, numerous developments will take place, including the airing of the show’s “very heavy” Thanksgiving episode.
In wake of last Thursday’s episode in which Sheldon witnessed ex-girlfriend Amy kissing new guy, Dave (played by Stephen Merchant), Mayim Bialik can exclusively reveal that it’s just the beginning of a major storyline for her character. Starting in tomorrow night’s episode, viewers will get a chance to get to know Dave and see him date Amy. While Bialik can’t confirm when we’ll see Dave next (after tomorrow’s episode), she notes that the Thanksgiving episode is “very, very heavy and really, really sweet. It’s hard,” she cryptically adds. “We had some tears here. It’s very emotional for our writers too because they are the ones sitting in the room crafting the lives of these people that are going to unfold, so it’s very emotional. It’s been a very interesting month.” In fact, it’s so emotionally charged that Bialik joked that even Jim Parsons quipped, “It’s like a soap opera here!” What exactly that means, Bialik isn’t elaborating.
Stephen Merchant and Mayim Bialik in The Big Bang Theory Image:
One has to wonder if Amy will see the Spock-umentary that Sheldon participated in last week with guest star, Adam Nimoy (son of the legendary late Leonard Nimoy). While it would seem logical that a Friends-like prom video moment could take place to eventually reunite Shamy, Bialik says that theory is a little “too elaborate,” and as far as she knows, Amy will not see Sheldon’s emotional outburst captured on camera. Still, with that said, Bialik admits we still don’t know what exactly will push Sheldon over the edge of realizing he lost the best thing that’s ever happened to him. “Is it seeing her kissing someone else? Is it something internal that goes on? It’s something Jim and I have talked about because we haven’t really heard [Sheldon] talk about how he misses her. I think it’s deliberate on the part of the writers, but it is interesting. We haven’t had that conversation.”