The Tenure Turbulence

• Title: The Big Bang Theory – The Tenure Turbulence
• tv.com: link

After the death of tenured professor Sheldon (Jim Parsons), Leonard (Johnny Galecki), and Raj (Kunal Nayyar) compete against each other and Kripke (John Ross Bowie) to woo the members of the selection committee, including Mrs. Davis (Regina King) from human resources,  and steal the open spot for themselves.

The stakes are only increased when Amy (Mayim Bialik) and Penny (Kaley Cuoco) both get involved and each member shows up to the professor’s funeral after agreeing to no longer pursue the endeavor. Howard (Simon Helberg) and Bernadette (Melissa Rauch) arrive just in time to see the show as the the group begins sniping at each other outside the memorial service which includes Sheldon and Raj getting into a “your momma” fight.

“The Tenure Turbulence” has some fun moments, but overall isn’t that memorable. There’s no real surprise when each of the scientists’ attempts to schmooze blows up in their face. And the episode’s B-story, which is focused on how rich Raj’s parents are, also seems oddly out of place. I can only assume its inclusion here is to foreshadow something larger for him down the line.