Okay, the burning question on fans' minds going into last night's CBS "The Big Bang Theory" season 6 finale was whether Penny and Leonard would stay together in the name of love, not science.
The answer is yes. How is that possible, you ask? Lets back track to the beginning to tell the whole story.
So the episode opens with the crew enjoying one another's company over lunch. Raj is talking about Lucy, who likes disappearing acts because everyone wonders if they will ever meet her. But surprise, surprise, Leonard has some big news: he is going to the North Sea with Steven Hawking on a scientific expedition! This news is just as we suspected from those reported juicy spoilers.
But as we also reported yesterday, Sheldon is less than thrilled about Leonard's annoucement. He attempts to cover up his green-eyed truth and talk Leonard out of the whole thing with odd talk about sea-life dangers, but Leonard knows that the whiz is afraid to be alone and wants to be in his shoes.
Back at Raj's apartment, love is blooming or so we thought it was, indeed. With a telescope as a backdrop, Raj asks Lucy to meet his six amigos, which the very thought terrifies Lucy.
Going back to Leonard, he decides to take a not-so-straightforward route to telling Penny, played by Kaley Cuoco, about the new gig. But masking the news behind scientific mumbo-jumbo does not help, for the blonde figures it out in no time. She eventually supports Leonard's dream, assuring him that things will be okay and agreeing to look after Sheldon for him.
The super-smart crew gets together to plan a going-away soiree for Leonard. While there, Sheldon gives a dramatic suggestion about Leonard dying at sea, but that is overshadowed by Raj's news that Lucy wants to meet one of his friends. They go back and forth about who that person should be, but in the end, Amy makes a grand stand that it should be her.
At a dinner with Raj, Lucy and Amy, things get a bit weird. Lucy cannot handle the pressure coming from Amy about her "social anxiety," prompting Raj to ask Lucy if she is his girlfriend. The awkward-moment question sends Lucy into a panic, straight to the bathroom for the rest of the night.
Sheldon does some more whining to Penny while shopping for Leonard's party, and she comforts him.
Then, Raj has to pull teeth to get Lucy to agree to come to the shindig. At the party, Howard gushes over Leonard though he believes going to space is cooler. Sheldon gives a faked speech to toast Leonard, and Raj gets a breakup text from Lucy and runs out.
At the end, Penny and Sheldon take Leonard to the airport. Penny gets a great gift from her man, while Sheldon gets angry about illegal parking. So much for a fond farewell there.
Penny comforts Raj in his breakup pity, but he chooses to vent to other women about where he went wrong on the road to love. What will happen next season is going to be great to dream about, for a while.
To see or revisit the great memories, click HERE for the full episode.