The Jiminy Conjecture

"The Jiminy Conjecture" is the second episode of the third season of The Big Bang Theory. This episode first aired on September 28, 2009.

Summary
Leonard and Penny's first night together goes awkwardly, while Sheldon and Howard wager on the species of a cricket.

Extended Plot
The episode begins with Sheldon, Howard, and Raj in the comic book store, the first two arguing about comics. Leonard arrives and the others are surprised he is not with Penny. As Wolowitz and Koothrappali pry a little more, they discover Leonard is not as happy with the sex as he thought he would be, characterizing it as 'just fine'. The scene ends with Sheldon settling his argument and criticizing the others for thinking about sex rather than comic books.

At the apartment, Sheldon is disappointed to discover the Indian food has been purchased from somewhere different than usual. When Leonard again uses the phrase 'just fine'. Howard begins to mock him without alerting Penny. Sheldon is oblivious and quickly goes into the discussion they had earlier. This causes Penny to leave in embarrassment. When Leonard gets angry as he leaves, Sheldon thinks he has crossed a line, and tries to figure out what it is.

Leonard and Penny then have an argument in her apartment. Leonard defends his comment of 'fine' by saying, "You put it in front of wine or dining and you've really got something!" Penny says it was "Okay", and says, "You put in front of Dokey and you've really got something!" They decide they should have had some wine first, and when Leonard explains how it would have a negative effect scientifically Penny responds, "Don't talk, just drink."

Back in apartment 4A, Howard and Raj are discussing goddesses, which Raj finishes by pointing out Leonard has one and Howard doesn't. Following this Sheldon finally determines the line he crossed. Hearing a, Sheldon claims he knows the species from its chirping speed and the temperature. Howard, still angry from losing the previous bet, says Sheldon is wrong. After he proposes a bet which is rebuffed, he calls Sheldon a chicken, resulting in him going into a childhood experience when he was chased by a chicken. Eventually they bet Howard's rare, against Sheldon's rare. Raj casually states they must find the cricket to determine its species and is greeted by shock.

We quickly see what Leonard and Penny are doing after Raj wonders what the 'non-pathetic' people are doing. After making out and a long pause, Leonard says, "More wine?" responded to by, "Hit me."

Back to the bet, we see them search the closet, then continue into the hallway. Sheldon convinces Howard to check the elevator shaft. When Howard threatens he could beat Sheldon up with, Sheldon says he would win due to his older siblings. Raj responds with, "Oooh, tough talk from a man who was once treed by a chicken."  We again quickly see the couple, now very drunk, repeating the word "" because it is "fun to say." Sheldon has now climbed into the elevator shaft, and as the others check the stairwell his flashlight's batteries run flat. He closes with, "It's really dark down here." Leonard is now throwing up, and Penny comes in and after a small conversation she does too.

The next day, Raj and Sheldon are arguing about the finally-found cricket's name. Howard and Raj think it should be Toby, while Sheldon argues it should be an appropriate cricket name, like. After Howard enters with an guide, they still argue its species. They ask Raj, but he no longer cares. After Leonard enters and claims he had a horrible night, they just continue bickering, paying almost no notice to Leonard, and settle to allow Professor Crawley, an, to identify it. As they leave, still arguing the cricket's name, Leonard claims he could throw a rock and hit three better friends.

The three then enter Professor Crawley's lab, and discover Rajesh has a fear of bugs. Sheldon jokes that since he is also afraid of women, s must render him catatonic. When Professor Crawley enters, it is revealed he is a 60-ish, irritable man who has become furious now that the funding to his lab has been cut. Throughout their conversation, Professor Crawley claims he can identify every insect and on the planet (among going into his divorce and agreeing with Sheldon that Toby is a stupid cricket name) and settles the bet by saying Toby is a. Sheldon protests at first, but after an aggravated outburst from Professor Crawley, he concedes.

In the lobby of the apartment building, Sheldon informs Penny of the bet. When Penny says she is upset about her relationship, Sheldon tells Penny that he can always return to being friends with Leonard. He tells Leonard he spoke with her, though regarding it as the most unimportant part of the day. Leonard confirms he has again crossed a line, and after thinking for a few seconds, Sheldon exclaims, "Oh, who cares?"

Leonard goes over to Penny's and asks what Sheldon told her. After a brief discussion, they decide to follow Sheldon's advice and return to being friends. After a hug, they both spring into a long kiss and as Leonard closes the door he finishes the episode with, "Okay dokey."

Critics
"This is an enjoyable simple episode. Penny and Leonard struggle to find their sexual chemistry. They consider giving up on their relationship, but they like one another too much to let that happen. The story is not told as well as it could have been but at least the writers had their hearts in the right place...Meanwhile the equally simple plot on the other side of the door involves Howard finally calling Sheldon's bluff. It was an interesting idea for the story. Sheldon over thought the identity of a common cricket, summoning his vast knowledge to try and make himself seem more intelligent...A decent episode. At least decent from the perspective of what the show generally produces, not what it is capable of." - The TV Critic's Review

Trivia

 * Proof for Wolverine being born with retractable bone claws actually does appear on page 22 (the last page) of Origin (2001) #2, part two of a six-issue miniseries.
 * Sheldon says to Raj, "His name isn’t Toby. Toby is an absurd name for a cricket." When Professor Crawley likewise states that Toby is a stupid name for a cricket, Sheldon nudges Howard, rather than Raj and says, "Told you." It is possible that Howard named the cricket or that he had a similar conversation with him as well.
 * Sheldon incorrectly pronounces nihil/nīhil /ˈnaɪhɪl, ˈni-/ (Ecclesiastical Latin: [nahy-hil] or Classical Latin: [nee-hil]) as nēhil [nay-hil].
 * Sheldon claims that "we haven't established that I'm wrong once", which is proven wrong in a later episode, "The Staircase Implementation", which is a flashback episode:
 * would run "for years"; it only ran for one season before it was cancelled.
 * The Microsoft Zune would be more popular than the Apple iPod; sales for the former dwindled while the latter would become a Global Icon.

Quotes
(In the comic book store, Sheldon and Howard are arguing over Wolverine's claws.)

Howard: Sheldon, you're wrong! Wolverine was not born with bone claws.

Sheldon: Howard! You know me to be a very smart man. Don't you think if I were wrong, I'd know it?

Howard: OK, first of all....

Raj: Give it up dude. You're arguing with a crazy person.

Sheldon: I'm not crazy! My mother had me tested!