The Convention Conundrum

"The Convention Conundrum" is the fourteenth episode of the seventh season of the sitcom The Big Bang Theory. The episode first aired on Thursday, January 30, 2014.

Summary
With the boys acting like "" about tickets and Sheldon is having the best day ever with James Earl Jones, the girls decide they're going to have a more grown up  and go out for, but then they end up realizing they don't feel very grown up either.

Extended Plot
Sheldon, Leonard, Howard and Raj are in apartment 4A waiting to the ticket site to open. As they get more excited counting down the seconds, Penny enters wondering what is going on. She finds these actions a lot of weird behavior to take before she has had her morning. As the ticks down to, Raj needs to pee and Leonard whips out his. When the site opens, the guys keep hitting their “refresh” keys to get in and Penny decides she needs more coffee to endure their iness.

Ten minutes later, the guys are getting tired of hitting their refresh keys when Leonard gets on-line. Leonard is number 50,211 in line and only and  tickets are left. Then tickets are sold out. Sheldon complains that Sunday is the worst day, no good panels and the only sizes left are small and XXXXL. Then Tuesday fills up followed by Sunday. Sheldon complains that he loves Sunday. Everything is sold out and the guys can’t believe they’re not going to Comic-Con. Sheldon tells them that they can always attend WonderCon in which he says is just as good and then runs off in tears. Penny feels that everything looks so sad, but not the kind of sad when she first arrived. They can’t even use their costumes, each dressed up as a different version of the live Hulk. Penny quips that they are back to the first kind of sad.

At the Caltech cafeteria, Sheldon announces that he is going to start up his own convention. Howard, Raj and Leonard are just going to get tickets from. Sheldon will have nothing to do with it because not only is it wrong, but you get banned from ComicCon for life. According to Sheldon their scalper contact could be part of a by the Comic-Con police. Even Comic-Con was started by one lone dreamer like Sheldon whose idea he plans to rip off.

Sheldon is at his speaking with ’s representative on the phone to get him to be on a panel at the Sheldon comic convention. Sheldon tells him that since he sat through, Robert Downey, Jr. owes him two hours of his time. Sheldon gets hung up on and then crosses out another possible name off his. Even Wil Wheaton turned Sheldon down because he had to wash his that day. Leonard doesn't think that his project is going to happen. Sheldon needs Leonard to call Stan Lee, Leonard Nimoy and Bill Nye since legally he can’t contact them due to his s. He adds Carrie Fisher to that list because she can be somewhat nuts.

Penny’s Posse is hanging out at in apartment 4B. Penny can’t believe that Leonard’s spending hundreds to get into ComicCon. Amy mentions the that Penny spent hundreds on. The difference is that the tickets will only get Leonard into ComicCon while the dress can get Penny into anywhere. Howard is getting a big advance on his. Amy first claims that Sheldon starting his own convention sounded more sensible until she realizes how silly that sounded. The girls want to do something grown-up. Penny is against going to a, while Bernadette suggests a local that serves.

Since Sheldon is not going with them, the remaining nerds need a three person group idea. One idea is with,  staying invisible. Sheldon enters saying that he is planning to ask James Earl Jones, the voice of, to appear at his convention. Through his and some  research, he knows that James Earl Jones will be having  at his favorite. Leonard begs Sheldon not to stalk him because he is going to get into trouble. (Darth Vader is going to pour on your head.) Sheldon insists that they are going to get into trouble being banned from Comic-Con and charged with. He is also going to warn Mr. Jones about posting his location on Twitter since there are a lot of weirdos out there. Sheldon then storms out of the singing  from Star Wars.

Later at the apartment, Howard tells them that his scalper is on the way over. Raj is worried if he sounded like a, but he’s expecting him to use phrases like "You'z Guyz" or "Listen up, Sheyy" from a 1940’s. Then Raj wonders if this guy wants to steal their, their or their very , backing up this reasoning by saying that his dark skin doesn't show stains. Leonard says that they should have met him at a neutral place. Howard figures that Leonard's apartment is a neutral place.

At their afternoon tea, the girls are dressed up, Amy in her, and are surrounded by with their young  all having tea. They are not feeling very grown up especially since the thought Bernadette was Penny’s daughter. Amy relates a story about when she had a tea party with her and her. They then decide to go to the and have a  instead.

As James Earl Jones looks over his, he sees Sheldon down at him. He asks if Sheldon likes the Star Wars movies and Sheldon nods. He has made other movies, but James figures that Sheldon doesn't like them. Finally Mr. Jones admits that he likes Star Wars too and invites Sheldon to join him.

While waiting for the scalper, Raj verifies that what Sheldon said about being charged with petty theft. First Leonard thinks that it might be a bad idea and then decides that they should try and be bad asses.

At dinner, Mr. Jones was telling how when he thought Darth Vader was lying about him being ’s when he first read the script. Sheldon agrees with him. Then JEJ wants them to make a night of it since he has a   burning a hole in his pocket and his  is out of town.

The girls are at the hotel bar lamenting how their afternoon tea was a bust though the little girls were of Amy’s tiara. Then they start to when they first really felt grown up. Even though Bernadette is, she still feels like she is. Amy doesn't feel that way since she has never had. Penny replies that just having sex doesn't make one feel older. Bernie then quips that if that were true, Penny would be the oldest one there. Penny then asks Bernadette if that is the way she talks to her mother.

Howard notified Leonard and Raj that their contact is on the way up. They wonder what the worst thing that could happen to them, but then mention getting s and Raj possibly trying to get. They would have to disclose any convictions. Howard then agrees to handle it; he shuts off the lights and tells everybody to be quiet.

Sheldon and James are having and Sheldon keeps asking him questions beginning with “Is it true…” JEJ keeps acknowledging Sheldon’s  and Sheldon tells him that he could listen to his  all night.

While adding up the, Penny wants to know what is so great about being grown up. ,, leaving notes when you hit a parked. The ladies found that trying to be mature was boring. Though they think the guys are having more fun, they are all huddled in the while their scalper bangs on the apartment.

Sheldon and James are on top of a at a carnival, Sheldon holding a big stuffed. Sheldon calls out that he is with James Earl Jones who is nicer than one would ever think. Mr. Jones adds, “I am!” Next, they are seen doing to “,” which was used in “The Lion King”, one of Mr. Jones’ movies. Then, they are approaching Carrie Fisher's house, from the Star Wars movies. They ring her and run because she is a little crazy. Carrie Fisher runs out with a yelling that it is not funny anymore and that she knows it is James Earl Jones. Finally, they are in a talking about their trip to a. Sheldon wanted to know how much it would cost to get the girl off his. When Sheldon discussed about a convention, James Earl Jones offers to take all the guys as his guests to Comic-Con. And every night, James Earl Jones plans on taking Sheldon over the border to, which doesn't thrill Sheldon. In the end, he is telling a story involving, , and. Sheldon wakes up wondering who Angie Dickinson was.

Critics

 * Jesse Schedeen from IGN - As far as Big Bang Theory episodes go, this was about as light and free-wheeling as they come. There was little in the way of drama this week; just Sheldon and his new friend having fun while everyone else learned a valuable lesson about not being so uptight. The non-Sheldon material was a little underdeveloped, and I would just as soon have had the girls' roles cut in favor of giving more screen time to Leonard and the guys. But it's hard to hate on an episode of any show with James Earl Jones singing karaoke.
 * Dhruv Rao of The DR Club said that the Penny-Bernadette snaps were fun while the guys' plots made the show a little nostalgic. He graded the episode as a "B".
 * IMDb user reviews

Costume Notes

 * Sheldon wears his Flash logo t-shirt and his Justice League Star Powert t-shirt.

Trivia

 * and  are both best known for their roles in the Star Wars movie franchise (voice of Darth Vader and Princess Leia, respectively).
 * James Earl Jones is seen eating at "Kaiju Sushi", a clear reference to the Kaiju movies, popular in Japan. The most famous among them is.
 * James Earl Jones was previously mentioned by Raj in "The Wiggly Finger Catalyst" (S5E04).
 * Unlike many episodes where Sheldon meets a celebrity he admires only for them to quickly tire of him (if not take out a restraining order), James Earl Jones ends up really liking him and takes him for a night on the town. In a complete reversal of what has happened before, this time it is Sheldon who grows annoyed with the other person.
 * James Earl Jones says when he originally read the script for "The Empire Strikes Back" he was shocked to find out was 's father. This act isn't possible in reality, as the original script famously does not have this line in it to maintain the surprise.  didn't even find out until the day of shooting the scene and the line was dubbed in later. James Earl Jones did not find out about this line until the recording session where he dubbed it.
 * Sheldon finally finds a beloved celebrity that enjoys his company and wants him around instead of getting a against him. The irony is that he wears Sheldon out.
 * Bernadette is mistaken for Penny's daughter.
 * Amy is again seen wearing the she has received from Sheldon in "The Shiny Trinket Maneuver" (S5E12).
 * Amy mentions, which she loved and dressed as in "The Holographic Excitation"  (S6E05).
 * First episode where Kaley is credited as Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting, due to her marriage to tennis player.
 * This episode aired only nine days after it was finished taping.
 * The potential celebrities for Sheldon's convention shown on his whiteboard are:  (Heroes and the reimagined Spock in J. J. Abrams' Star Trek movies),  (Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Professor Xavier in X-Men),  (Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek),  (Han Solo in Star Wars and Indiana Jones in the  films),  (creator of Star Wars and Indiana Jones), (Luke Skywalker in Star Wars, Batman),  (Doctor Who),  (Star Wars),  (Star Trek),  (director and producer of various Marvel Comics superhero films),  (although his name is misspelled as "Ian McKellan"; Magneto in X-Men, Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit), Stan Lee (creator of many of Marvel Comics' best-known characters), Andy Serkis (Gollum in The Lord of the Rings, Planet of the Apes),  (Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit), Wil Wheaton (Wesley Crusher in Star Trek),  (voice of Jar-Jar Binks in Star Wars),  (Tony Stark/Iron Man in Iron Man and Avengers), Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock in the original Star Trek), Bill Nye (TV scientist), Carrie Fisher (Leia Organa in Star Wars),  (Batman TV series), "Anyone Who Played Uncle Ben" and "Anyone Who Shot Uncle Ben" (both from the various Spider-Man films). The ones that were crossed out because Sheldon was unsuccessful in recruiting them are Quinto, Stewart, Shatner, Ford, Hamill, Williams, Favreau, McKellen, Serkis, Freeman, Wheaton, Downey Jr., and West.
 * Sheldon states that Comic-Con was started by "one lone dreamer." Coincidentally, that "dreamer" was also named Sheldon -- Sheldon Dorf.

Quotes

 * Sheldon: Hey, Los Angeles! I'm on a Ferris wheel with Darth Vader, and he's nicer than you think!
 * James Earl Jones: I am!


 * James Earl Jones: What were you trying to ask me at the strip club?
 * Sheldon: How much does it cost to get them off my lap?


 * Sheldon: My friends and I couldn't get into Comic-Con this year, and I was trying to start my own convention, and I was going to ask if you'd be a panelist.
 * James Earl Jones: Why don't you and your friends come to Comic-Con with me?
 * Sheldon: Really?
 * James Earl Jones: Of course. And San Diego is straight across the border from my favorite city on earth, TIJUANA! Where I'm taking you every night!
 * Sheldon: Ay-ay-ay.
 * James Earl Jones: Ay-ay-ay bang bang!


 * Penny: Let me ask you a question. When did you guys start feeling grown up? Because I'm not sure I do.
 * Bernadette: Honestly, I thought when I got married I would, but I still feel like I'm pretending. It doesn't help that most of my clothes come from Gap Kids.


 * Amy: On the bright side, every six year old there was jealous of my tiara. Not gonna lie, it felt good.


 * James Earl Jones: Let me guess. You like "Star Wars".

(Sheldon nods yes)
 * James Earl Jones: You know, I've been in other movies.

(Sheldon nods yes)
 * James Earl Jones: But you don't care about those, do you?

(Sheldon nods no)
 * James Earl Jones: I have one thing to say to people like you. I like "Star Wars" too. Care to join me?
 * Sheldon: Thank you. My friend Leonard said if I bothered you while you were eating, you'd think I was a creepy stalker.
 * James Earl Jones: Well, your friend Leonard sounds like a real weeny.
 * Sheldon: He is, Mr. Earl Jones. He is!


 * Carrie Fisher: It's not funny anymore, James!
 * James Earl Jones: Then why am I laughing? (laughing)


 * James Earl Jones: So, Beau Bridges is on my shoulders, and Jeff Bridges is on Marlon Brando's shoulders, and remember, we do not have permission to be in the pool... Hey, Sheldon, wake up! And Angie Dickinson is about to sic the dogs on us, and I go under the water and Marlon goes under the water, and the water raises about two feet and sloshes all over her patio and the dogs freak out and run like hell and then we run like hell. Oh, boy, that was a lot of fun!
 * Sheldon: Um, who's Angie Dickinson?