The Date Night Variable

The Date Night Variable is the first episode of the sixth season of The Big Bang Theory. This episode first aired on Thursday, September 27, 2012.

Summary
Leonard and Penny and Sheldon and Amy both have dates that are interrupted by a lonely Raj.

Extended Plot
On comic book night, the gang is talking about Howard on the International Space Station. Howard gets to see the majesty of the universe unfolding before his eyes and Sheldon thinks it's a waste since he probably won't understand it. Penny helps Amy get ready for her  second anniversary dinner  date with Sheldon that was established in their relationship agreement. After Amy asks after Penny and Leonard, She tells her that it is still weird ever since Leonard proposed to her during sex. Amy replied that if Sheldon did that her ovaries would grab onto him and never let go. At the Caltech cafeteria, Raj complains how lonely he is, so Sheldon invites him out on his date  with Amy. Sheldon says that he is responsible for conversation and romantic actions and that the Relationship Agreement says nothing about out- sourcing it out to an Indian. Leonard tells him that that is not a good idea. Amy is upset when she sees Raj waiting for them. He tries to get Amy to talk about herself so they can get to know each other each other better, and she tells him to go away. Raj orders champagne when he finds out that it's their second anniversary. After drinking, Amy mentions that he looks like a sexy praying mantis, that they devour their mates and after she unbuttons the top of her blouse, she says that dinner is served. After Sheldon says that he has all ready had cobbler, she gets up to leave.  He replies that she can't leave because he needs her. "You do?" she asks hopefully, but it was only because she was his ride. Amy tells him that if he doesn't say something meaningful and from the heart, that she is leaving him. Then he speaks romantically to her about when he sees her he gets stronger and weaker, excited and terrified, and that he doesn't know how he feels. She is touched until he explains that it came from the first Spider-Man movie. Reluctantly, she says that she'll "take it".

<span style="font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;line-height:115%;">Leonard puts together an evening to hang out with Penny which includes her favorite refreshments and watching her choice of football or baseball on television. She appreciates it because she has had a hard day. Unfortunately, Leonard tries to get her to talk about their relationship, which doesn’t please her. Raj shows up having left Amy and Sheldon’s date, though Leonard says that he and Penny have issues to discuss. He talks about how great their relationship and that it has gotten past all their issues, but when he learns that Penny has not told Leonard that she loves him, he pushes her to do it and gets thrown out of the apartment. Raj then wanders over to the comic book store as Stuart is closing up. They start to bond with each other and decide to go see a movie together the next night.

<span style="font-size:10pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border:1ptnonewindowtext;padding:0in;background-position:initialinitial;background-repeat:initialinitial;">At the International Space Station<span style="font-size:10pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;background-position:initialinitial;background-repeat:initialinitial;">, Howard talks to an upset Bernadette about his mother  <span style="font-size:10pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;background-position:initialinitial;background-repeat:initialinitial;">since she thinks that they are not moving out of the house. Bernadette needs Howard to talk to her. To appease his mother, Howard ends up telling her that he’ll go back to Bernadette. In the end, he tells both women what they wa <span style="font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;line-height:115%;">nt to hear and is still in the middle of it. When his Russian crewmate asks him about it, Howard says that he's not going back.

Critics
"Outside of Raj there was little to enjoy here. The show’s dynamics are so well established that it was boring to hear the same old dialogue again. However it’s only the first episode of the season so let’s see if it goes somewhere." - The TV Critic's Review

Quotes
Stuart: So Howard is really in space?

Leonard: International space station... 250 miles away that way (points up).

Raj: ''Right now Howard's staring down on on our planet like a tiny Jewish-Greek god... Zeus-o-Witz.''

Sheldon: ''I must admit, I can't help but feel a twinge of envy... he can look out the window and watch the majesty of the universe unfolding before his eyes... His dim, uncomprehending eyes. It's like a cat in a airport carrying case.''

Amy: Oh yes, according to our Relationship Agreement, on the anniversary of our first date, he must take me to a nice dinner, ask about my day, and engage in casual physical contact that a disinterested onlooker might mistake as intimacy.

Penny: ''That's hot. You kids better use protection.''

Raj: You guys are like family to me, you know that, right?

Leonard:'' That's great! Get out. ''

Amy:'' You and I are done! (stands up and walk away)''

Sheldon: ''You can't leave! I need you.''

Amy: You do?

Sheldon: Yes...you're my ride.

Amy: Have I ever told you you're like a sexy praying mantis?

Sheldon: Every time you drink alcohol.

Mrs. Wolowitz: ''HOWARD! CAN YOU HEAR ME?!​''

Howard: I can hear you WITHOUT THE PHONE!

Howard: Well, space is ruined...

Amy: Sheldon, you either say something meaningful and from the heart, or you and I are done.

Sheldon: ''All right. Please. Amy, when I look into your eyes and you're looking back in mine, everything feels not quite normal, because I feel stronger and weaker at the same time. I feel excited and, a the same time, terrified. The truth is, I don't know what I feel, except I know what kind of man I want to be.''

Amy: Sheldon, that was beautiful.

Sheldon: ''I should hope so. That's from the first Spider-Man movie.''

Amy: I'll take it.

Video


Sneak Peek of The Date Night Variable

Trivia

 * Both Bernadette and Amy were added to the living room shot of the opening credits in this episode.
 * Kevin Sussman is billed among the main cast as Stuart as of this episode.
 * This is the fourth episode to have a "Previously on The Big Bang Theory" review of past events. It summarizes The Countdown Reflection and is narrated by Simon Helberg. The first three were The Electric Can Opener Fluctuation, The Cohabitation Formulation, and The Skank Reflex Analysis.
 * Behind the scenes, the job of delivering Wolowitz to the orbiting outpost didn't fall to a Russian rocket but rather to The Big Bang Theory's production designer John Shaffner, set decorator Ann Shea and their teams. For the Soyuz, Shaffner and Shea received photos from NASA, turned to a Kansas museum to find dimensions, and scavenged parts from an aerospace junkyard in Los Angeles to piece together a realistic capsule. But in the course of his seeking out the spacecraft, Shaffner found a space station. From the outside, WonderWorks' space station set for rent looks more like an elongated shipping crate, but inside are the replica science and equipment racks, panels and hand holds that form the general layout and appearance of the real space station's laboratory module. Shea' s challenge was making it look lived in, like the orbiting complex.
 * With only 20 feet or so (6 meters) of space station set to work with, Shaffner got together with the directors, visual effects supervisors and cinematographers to use unique camera angles and creative framing to create more 'space' than there really was. They also added a section to the rented module to allow other actors — the other station crew members — to enter and exit, giving viewers a sense that a sprawling outpost continued beyond the lab. They examined ways they could reimagine the spaces they added. Part of that was made possible by the way they achieved the appearance of weightlessness. Rather than raise the roof and suspend the actors by wires, the solution came from below. It was done by supporting the people from underneath. There was a very long, somewhat skinny platform that a person could lie on and it would almost look like they were swimming through in weightlessness. The actors mastered the motions of microgravity. (See How 'The Big Bang Theory' Sent Howard Wolowitz to Space.)
 * Two allusions to Greek mythology are made. Raj states, "Right now, Howard ’s staring down at our planet like a tiny Jewish-Greek god. Zeusowitz ." Also, Sheldon gets chills when he says, "Release the Kraken!" The latter quote was originally a command by either Calibos or Zeus, depending on which incarnation of The Clash of the Titans one cares to apply.
 * Howard has facial hair for the second time in the series; the first was The Electric Can Opener Fluctuation. Interestingly enough, both were season premiere episodes. Both involve a scientific voyage to somewhere remote (the Arctic, then space ).
 * Sheldon looks at Amy and says, "When I look in your eyes, and you’re looking back in mine, everything feels not quite normal. Because I feel stronger and weaker at the same time, I feel excited and at the same time, terrified. The truth is, I don’t know what I feel, except I know what kind of man I want to be." Amy responds, "Sheldon, that was beautiful," to which Sheldon replies, "I should hope so. That’s from the first Spider-Man movie." Peter Parker's full quote to Mary Jane as what he told Spider-Man about her is, "I said, um, Spider-Man, I said, uh, the great thing about M.J. is when you look in her eyes, and she’s looking back in yours, everything feels not quite normal, because you feel stronger, and weaker at the same time. You feel excited, and at the same time, terrified. The truth is you don’t know what you feel, except you know what kind of man you want to be. It’s as if you’ve reached the unreachable, and you weren’t ready for it."
 * Stuart sells Galerie Star Wars Ceramic Goblets of Chewbacca and Yoda at the comic book store.
 * Raj mentions that he pours a little Chardonnay into his dog's water bowl, which in turn, makes her "kind of a mean drunk." This is a reference to the female Yorkie puppy he received from Bernadette and Howard in The Transporter Malfunction.
 * Mrs. Wolowitz' reaction to the notion of Howard moving out is a complete reversal to her response in The Dead Hooker Juxtaposition.
 * Hard to determine when this season premiere episode takes place after the last episode of the previous season. Does the audience witness parts of all of Howard 's time in space or just the later part?

Reference

 * Taping report from Fanforum.com
 * Picture of program sheet given during taping to audience is courtesy of Moyrani.