The Pulled Groin Extrapolation

The Pulled Groin Extrapolation is third episode of fifth season of the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory. It aired on 29th September, 2011.

Summary
Leonard accompanies Amy to a wedding, while fiancées Howard and Bernadette spend a weekend with Mrs. Wolowitz as a test drive for when they're married. Meanwhile, Sheldon becomes a HO trainiac.

Plot
All of the group are having Thai food and when Penny tries to take the last dumpling, Sheldon interrupts her, explaining about the "Kreng Jai Piece" and how the last morsel is reserved the most important member of the group. As such, Penny still takes it. Sheldon retorts by saying "I've seen pictures of your mother. Keep eating," which makes Penny sad. This may suggest her mother is overweight. Howard suggests to Bernadette that they should leave for the movie. But Raj also gets up to go too, and much to Howard's dismay, they let him come. Penny also has to leave for her shift as well and then Sheldon asks if someone can drive him to the new model train shop in Monrovia. Soon enough, everyone has left except for Amy, who, despite Leonard's discomfort, stays and reads her book.

Later, while Leonard is doing his work, Amy is still at the apartment, thinking about what she read. Amy asks if she should go, as she has been told that she overstays her welcome sometimes. Leonard tells her to stay as long as she likes. Meanwhile, Raj, Sheldon, Bernadette and Howard are in the car, going to their destinations. Sheldon is going to the train store, as they are having a lecture about HO gauge railroading. Howard points out his disbelief of how some grown men play with toy trains, but Bernadette points out his hypocrisy, as he has a closet full of magic tricks. Howard defends this, by saying they're illusions and they will be going in the attic once they're married, so she can use it for clothes. Bernadette asks why she would be keeping clothes at his mother's house. Howard says to think of it as their house, but says his mother wouldn't be moving out. Bernadette becomes upset that Howard believes that she will live with him and his mother and tells Raj to take her home, but Howard won't allow it, saying to still go to the movies. Sheldon tries to settle the argument by suggesting to Raj to take him to the train store first, but then do whatever they like.



Back at the apartment, Leonard has just come out of the shower and Amy is still there. Amy asks how was Leonard's shower. Leonard uncomfortably answered that it was fine. Leonard asks what time she goes to bed and she tells him that she is like a possum; she is up all night. Amy is reading Leonard's high school yearbook and can see that he was not at all popular, finding a message that says, "Dear Leonard, you're really good at science, maybe one day you'll come up with a cure for being a dork." She softens the blow by telling him that only her mother signed her yearbook. At that moment, Sheldon comes home from Jerry's Junction train store and says that he will never go back there again. He explains that the lecture was actually a setup to get people to buy HO gauge starter sets (which Sheldon was a victim of). Amy finally leaves, but not before she asks Leonard if he can come with her to the wedding of Dr. Moranelli and Dr. Gustesen that Friday. Leonard agrees, but asks why won't she take Sheldon. She tells him that she won't take Sheldon as the last he came to a wedding with her, he behaved like a child the whole time. Sheldon defends this by saying that she promised that there would be scientists his own age.

Later that night, Bernadette goes over the the Wolowitz's house and apologises to Howard about their fight in the car. Howard suggests that she have a trial run with staying at their place. Howard asks his mother if it's OK, which she says is a relief after all the sleepovers with Raj.

That Friday, Sheldon has set up his model train starter kit on the table and becomes an HO trainiac. Penny is also at the apartment, helping Leonard and Amy getting ready for the wedding. Amy had gotten a corsage for Leonard to give to her, which Penny says is more of a prom thing until she finds out about Amy's prom.

Meanwhile, Bernadette has arrived to stay at the Wolowitz's for the weekend. Mrs. Wolowitz calls out to Bernadette about finding the extra head for the water pick if she wants to use it. Howard asks if they can have some privacy, which Mrs. Wolowitz sees as them wanting to have sex. Bernadette gets a little uncomfortable, but Howard assures her it will be fine until his mother calls out to let her know when they're done so she can have a foot rub.

At the wedding, Amy is having a wonderful time, but Leonard is feeling a little upset, as the wedding reminds him about his "kinda-sorta" girlfriend who is 9000 miles away. Amy tells him that she has a "kinda-sorta" boyfriend back home who is playing with toy trains, but she isn't "bitching" about it. Amy then suggests that they go out on the dance floor, but Leonard says he isn't much of a dancer. Amy says she will lead and they go and do the Chicken dance.

Back at the Wolowitz's house, Howard is playing with his light saber until Bernadette comes in. She complains that she needs to brush her teeth, but Mrs. Wolowitz has been in the bathroom for almost an hour as she is a little constipated. Howard asks his mother to give up so Bernadette can use it. But Mrs. Wolowitz says she can come in, as she won't be embarrassed. Howard says to Bernadette that the problem is solved. All of a sudden, Mrs. Wolowitz finally has success and the bathroom is free. All this time however, Bernadette is very disgusted by this.

After the wedding, Amy is helping Leonard up the stairs, after he pulled his groin during the Hokey Pokey. Leonard thanks Amy for a great time as well as breaking the head off the ice swan so he could put it against his groin. Leonard then kisses Amy on the cheek, for which she then rushes over to Penny's place, fearing that she seduced him. Penny lets Amy come in and she expresses of how she fears that Leonard has fallen for her. She tells Penny that she will email Leonard in the morning about how he can never have her body. She says Penny has a better shot with her than he does.

The next morning, while Leonard is pouring coffee, Sheldon informs him of how he brought an N gauge locomotive that fits in his mouth. After asking Leonard how his night was, Leonard tells him he had a great night with Amy, even though his groin hurts. However, with the way Leonard says it, Sheldon thinks he made out with Amy and his groin injury was a result of it, so he judo chops Leonard and tells him that Amy is not for Leonard. Sheldon leaves and Leonard looks completely confused.



Meanwhile at the Wolowitz's, Bernadette comes in and says good morning to Howard (which he thinks is his mom until Bernadette tells him its her.) She says to him that his mother and her made him a breakfast of pancakes. Howard asks if she is getting along with his mother. Bernadette says it's fine, but there communication is a little tricky as they are different people. However, when Mrs. Wolowitz calls out to see if Howard liked the pancakes, Bernadette screams out in her Mrs. Wolowitz voice to her saying he didn't try them yet. Howard asks if there's butter and Bernadette tells him there is butter-flavoured syrup. Mrs. Wolowitz calls out again to see whats the word. Bernadette screams out that he wants butter and so Mrs. Wolowitz calls out that it's butter-flavoured syrup, but Bernadette cries out that she just told him that. Howard says that he doesn't need butter, but Bernadette says in an American-Jewish accent, "If you want buttah, I'll get ya buttah." Howard then complains that he has to cut the pancakes himself.

Trivia

 * Title reference: when Leonard pulled his groin during the Hokey Pokey at the wedding.
 * The couple who was getting married, are kind of like the Brad and Angelina of the Primatology department.
 * Amy didn't go to her prom. Her mother had payed her cousin to go with her, but he spent the money on drugs.
 * Sheldon implies that Penny's mother is fat.
 * Sheldon believes he is the most valued and important member of the group.
 * Apparently, when Howard says Honey, it used to mean Raj.
 * Mrs. Wolowitz says that after all of Howard's sleepovers with "the little brown boy", a girl staying over is a big relief.
 * Until his HO gauge starter kit, Sheldon was all for O gauge or no gauge.
 * Howard's mother always cuts his meat for him when it's fatty.
 * Amy draws a mustache on her finger for humor.
 * Like in Season 4's "The Engagement Reaction", Bernadette sounds like Mrs. Wolowitz when she screams and once again, Howard doesn't notice, only complaining that there is no butter and that he has to cut the pancakes himself.
 * This episode marks the conclusion of the axion calculation saga on the whiteboards that began in The Skank Reflex Analysis and explored if a dense hot plasma could make the elusive Axion particle. Based on the work of Dr. David Saltzberg, the laboratory plasma generated by imploding a small pellet with an array of 192 lasers at the National Ignition Facility would be incomparable to the solar plasma in the core. The net reaction used (deuterium+ tritium -> helium + neutron + energy) occurs 25 orders of magnitude faster than the proton-proton fusion reactions in the Sun that produce the charged particles thought to radiate axions efficiently. An unhappy face was inlcuded on one of the whiteboards, consequently.
 * This episode signalled the first obvious sign regarding Sheldon's possible romantic feelings for Amy. When he asked Leonard how his night at the wedding was and Leonard explained that he never thought that he would have that much fun with Amy and added that she really knew how to help loosen up a guy and that his groins were a little worse for wear, Sheldon misunderstood what Leonard meant and judo-chopped him adding "She is not for you! Not for you!"