The Clean Room Infiltration

"The Clean Room Infiltration" is the eleventh episode of the eighth season of the sitcom The Big Bang Theory. The episode will air on Thursday, December 11, 2014.

Summary
Amy hosts a traditional English Victorian Christmas Eve dinner for the gang while the guys are conducting an experiment in the university clean room and accidentally let a bird in. To prove a point to Amy, a Scrooge-like Sheldon buys her the worst possible gift.

Extended Plot
At dinner in Apartment 4A, Raj tells everyone that his parents are divorcing and getting themselves lawyers. Sheldon would hire the as a lawyer, if he ever needed one. Amy wants to host a traditional English Victorian Christmas for the gang including parlor games, goose, figgy pudding. On Christmas Eve, Leonard and Howard are in contamination garments in the university cleanroom performing an experiment. A pigeon flies in the room because Howard left the loading dock door open. Now they have to get rid of it before the bird soils their work.

At Amy's apartment, Amy and Penny are visiting with Raj and his father who has nothing good to say about his wife. The guys call Raj to help them deal with the pigeon. Dr. Koothrappali stays with the girls which doesn't make Penny happy.

Bernadette has picked up Sheldon and is singing Christmas carols in her car until Sheldon turns off the music. He and Amy decided not to get each other something for Christmas. While they were Christmas tree shopping, Amy kissed him under the mistletoe in public making Sheldon very unhappy. He has decided to punish her by buying her a Christmas present. Since she has not gotten him one, that would ruin her Christmas and make her sad according to Sheldon's logic.

Howard is trying to catch the pigeon in a garbage bag with a Slim Jim which Leonard thinks is stupid. Raj arrives and the pigeon snatches the Slim Jim from Howard's hand and flies off.

Back at Amy's place, Dr. Koothrappali thinks that it is too soon to think about dating again. Penny volunteers if she were free, he still had his money and didn't talk about Star Trek all the time. Amy brings out her first parlor game that involves blowing a ball of yarn across a table. Penny also tells Raj's father that Amy is taken.

While trying to catch the pigeon, Howard tells Leonard that they used to be best friends till Raj came along. Then they start arguing who is smarter and conclude that Raj is smarter than Howard. He has crashed the Mars rover and let the pigeon in among other mistakes. Since its Christmas they decide that Howard is smarter one.

Bernadette and Sheldon are shopping for the perfect gift to ruin Amy's Christmas. She likes Chaucer, medieval literature and old French movies which make her eyes light up according to Shelon. He does admit that he really loves Amy and wants to find a gift to make her feel small and worthless.

The party attendees are now blowing the ball of yarn back and forth across the table with increasing boredom. Dr. Koothrappali wins. He remembers the theme parties that his wife used to throw. Amy brings up Raj's girlfriend Emily whom Dr. Koothrappali has met. Raj's parents always thought that Raj was gay, though the girls tell him that he always had a way with the ladies. Amy mentions Penny's night with Raj which really thrills Penny. He then calls his wife in India to tell her whom Raj has slept with.

Back in the clean room, they are trying to catch the bird with a blanket and a fire extinguisher. Howard attacks the pigeon with the fire extinguisher which causes the bird to fall dead onto the floor. The bird is not breathing so Howard gives it CPR thus reviving the bird. Then a crow flies into the room because no one has yet closed the door.

Sheldon is now sitting on Santa's lap telling him that he wants their picture together to punish his girlfriend. He is going to be on Santa's naughty list this year.

As the crow looks down at the guys, they debate calling building services on Christmas Eve. Penny calls Leonard and just tells them to leave. Even though they signed into the clean room, she tells them to erase their names off the list and get out of there. The next scene shows them in the car singing "Jingle Bells" and tearing the sign-up sheet into confetti.

After Christmas dinner, the gang is cleaning up their goose dinner. Sheldon gives Amy his gift of his picture with Santa and she loves it. Despite what she said, she made Sheldon  a gift, his favorite cookies from his Meemaw's recipe. Amy talked to her to get the recipe. Sheldon loves the cookies. Everyone is happy and Sheldon wonders if that is what Christmas is all about. Raj ends Sheldon's festive mood when he reaches for one of his cookies and Sheldon tells him to take his hands off his cookies.

Finally Amy wants them all to sit down and play "Hot Boiled Beans." Amy explains that one person leaves the room while the rest hide a small item in the room. The first person is invited back in by saying, "Hot boiled beans and bacon for supper, hurry up before it gets cold!" Raj shakes his head and claims that if they think this holiday theme is better than his idea for a ""-giving, then they are all crazy.

Critics
To be entered.

Trivia

 * First visit of Raj's father in Pasadena. This episode is his first appearance since "The Transporter Malfunction" (S5E20).
 * Howard contradicts the original history where Leonard met Howard and Raj together and not Howard first as depicted in "The Staircase Implementation" (S3E22).
 * First time all the gang have been together in Amy's apartment.
 * Sheldon went Christmas gift shopping for Penny in "The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis".
 * Fifth Christmas themed TBBT episode.
 * Although both are recurring characters, this episode marks the first time either of Raj's parents appear on the show in person in Pasadena.
 * Sheldon tries to be a Scrooge, but his plan backfires with Amy.

Quotes
To be entered.