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The writers of 'The Big Bang Theory' have seemed to be in a bit of quandry for much of the eighth series - move the characters along with their lives or keep them in the sitcom standard mode of rinse and repeat every episode.

Their attempts to have a mix of both have resulted in the most inconsistent series I think I've seen the show produce.

In recent episodes though (ironically after the sad death of the actress playing Mrs Wolowitz) they seem to have realised that they have to advance the characters or the show will get stale.

This episode shows again a marked improvement with that in mind.

It's in no way perfect, but it offers more promise moving forward than the first half of Series Eight did.

"Look sad, cry, cover face". It's a shame that the directors on 'Neighbours' aren't really giving poor Majella Davis a bit more to do as her character of Krista goes through the ringer in the aftermath of Seb's death.

At least Leo gets to look stern and run his hands through his hair.

The Karl/Susan story is just about holding up for me, and while I don't trust Darcy as far as I could throw him, this storyline and his involvement in it does feel like the sort of plot that's befitting of a show in its 40th Anniversary year.

Hey, anything's better than Agnes, right...?

Good stuff overall. Long may the form continue.

Wendy trying to stage a bit of an intervention to get the relationship between Byron and Sadie back on track was great - how they have missed that character while she's been 'away'.

The other plots aren't bad either, with a nice mix of drama along the way.

The Cara plot is quite sad actually, as she overcompensates for not being a mother by overdoing it as an Aunt.

It's episodes like this that show the potential that 'Neighbours' has, and surely would continue to have if it were saved.

I know that seems unlikely, but us fans will keep our hope going until the bitter bitter end at Christmas.