The Space Probe Disintegration

"The Space Probe Disintegration" is the twelfth episode of the eighth season of the sitcom The Big Bang Theory. The episode aired on Thursday, January 8, 2015.

Summary
The girls take Leonard and Sheldon shopping which gives them both a sudden wake up call, while Raj worries about the he worked on operating when NASA tries to wake it up.

Extended Plot
With Leonard and Sheldon are getting ready to play a board game and Sheldon asks him what color he wants his playing piece to be. Leonard wants ; however, that is Sheldon's color. Sheldon is willing to compromise to and  which is also green. Amy and Penny show up ready to leave for a outing. The guys "good" news is that they have already ordered and they four of them can play the  version of  for the next eight s. The girls want them to agree to do something they want to do since they usually do what the guys want to do like  nights, game night and watching  with director commentaries. Amy is mad that can talk all the way through the movie and if she utters one word, she is banished to the. Even Sheldon agrees to let the girls decide. Penny suggests (Kaley's hobby), but Amy has a narrow. Amy wants to do at a  craft store, though Penny doesn't. Penny then insists that they find something that the guys will hate to do since she went with Leonard to the  convention. Sheldon starts to make suggestions because he is a problem solver. is also out since Amy has brittle. Penny wonders if Amy had any part of her that is normal. Amy gives Penny a smile that creeps her out.

At Howard and Bernadette's Apartment, Raj is worried about the New Horizons which he worked on. It is scheduled to be turned back on as it approaches and he is worried that it will operate. It spacecraft could have been hit by space ice which could have destroyed it. He can't even bear to watch the movie "" anymore.

Back in apartment 4A, the two couples are still wondering what to do. First they talk about seeing the which has a. Sheldon reminds Penny that it is the and not the movie about the. Penny wonders why she and Amy can't agree on something. Amy always goes along with Penny which Leonard finds interesting since they want the guys to follow her. Sheldon then suggests that they go back to the basics and go clothes while the guys sit in uncomfortable  holding their. Both of them would hate that. Finally they decide on shopping, Penny's favorite past-time. This activity is at Sheldon's suggestion for something that he and Leonard will hate. Sheldon says that it's settled though Penny feels he takes all the fun out of it.

Raj is getting more as it is still over two hours to go. Howard doesn't help as he starts another "I've been in " story. Raj then decides that if he makes a basket shots into the he can assume that the space probe will operate. Howard thinks that that is definitely less crazy. After he makes his shot, Howard tells him to settle down; however he HAS to try the best two out of three shots.

Sheldon and Leonard are sitting outside the. Sheldon is uncomfortable staring at all the in the  section. He wanted to know why girls make such a production about buying clothes. Penny reminds him that his mother has his sent from the  in. It seemed that the salesman at Wal-Mart knows Sheldon's personal style. There is also no service in the store. Sheldon thinks that there must be things to do before were invented so he tries to look them up on his smart phone. Son of a. Now he wants to complain to their that they have no, but he can't call him either. Son of a biscuit! Leonard and Sheldon start to play an version of Risk: The Lord of the Rings Edition with Leonard rolling the invisible  and winning. After mentioning that they should stay and wait for the girls and make for them, Sheldon surprises Leonard when he says that he makes compromises for him all the time. He didn't mention the that was stuck in his  at  even though others were laughing at him. Leonard explains that that is not a compromise like he drives Sheldon everywhere because he won't learn how to. Amy has taught Sheldon to drive, but he finds it scary and doesn't want to take away what he thinks is Leonard's purpose in life.

Howard and Raj go out for a drive to calm Raj down. He wants to go to and though Howard thinks he means a, Raj is heading for a  temple. Howard is worried that they might rip his out like in "". Even though the movie makes the Hindu  seems like, Raj still loves that. Howard is also surprised that he is going since in ten years he never talked about his religious beliefs.

Penny and Amy are trying on clothes. Penny has on something that would go well in the " and whores" division at work. She asks Amy why she does everything Penny wants. Amy replied that if she got any other s, she would do exactly what they asked. She is glad that she met Penny before a got to her. Penny says that was then and now she is a woman who is smart, has great friends, a, but zero as Amy exits the changing stall. Penny agrees to do what Amy wants to do and that's basket weaving at the Crafts Festival Museum.

Leonard and Sheldon are still talking compromises. Sheldon put the  mix out of  order on a lower shelf so Leonard could reach it and make Sheldon his. Leonard compromises because he can't adjust the in his own, he can't , he can't wear squeaky , and he hasn't moved in with Penny because the last time he mentioned it, Sheldon ran away. Sheldon asked that given his past, why is he bringing it up. Leonard explains that Sheldon has no idea how much he inconveniences that lives of everybody around him due to his which is exhausting. Sheldon feels that Leonard is mean to him due to his comments and eye-rolls. He replies that all he can't think of a life without his best friend in it. Then Sheldon tells him that if he wants to move out and live with Penny, he should. Leonard doesn't want him to get upset; however, both start to over losing their roommate and best friend. They agree that he should do it in stages and the two nights a at Penny's apartment gets reduced to once a week and Leonard can whistle in the apartment when Sheldon is not there.

Howard and Raj arrive at a Hindu temple and Raj starts to describe the. Howard is worried that he is dressed right. Raj always feels that when entering the temple, everything is going to be all right since were all part of the same and were all interconnected. His stops someone hits his  with their car. He starts yelling at an older n man. In the middle of this out-burst, Howard gets a message and tells Raj that the probe is working fine. Raj calms down. He becomes a suddenly benevolent and respectful Hindu and gives Grandpa a folded hands Namaste! bow.

The other guys are making baskets at the Crafts Festival Museum and Leonard doesn't find it boring. Penny tells Leonard not to let Amy know or they'll be there every Sunday. Sheldon is not making a basket; he's making a 16th century warrior hat. Leonard briefly rolls his eyes at Sheldon, which he sees due to his "excellent peripheral vision".

Finally, Leonard and Penny are celebrating their new life in Penny's apartment. The both are real proud of Sheldon who is sleeping on the and calls out for them to keep the noise down.

Credits

 * Guest starring:
 * Noel De Souza as Older Indian Man
 * Teleplay: Eric Kaplan, Jim Reynolds & Steve Holland
 * Story: Maria Ferrari, Tara Hernandez & Jeremy Howe

Critics

 * Jesse Schedeen at IGN - The early portions of the episode were fairly dry and...transitioned into more serious territory..(which) led to some actual progress... Elsewhere, Raj and Howard featured in a smaller subplot... (which) could just as easily have been inserted into (any episode, but) it worked simply as a more lighthearted counterpoint to the relationship drama unfolding across town.
 * IMDb user reviews
 * Dhruv Rao of The DR Club gave the episode a B+ [ ]

Trivia

 * First new episode broadcast in 2015.
 * Bernadette only appears in two scenes at hers and Howard's apartment with Raj and Howard in this episode and she shares no scenes with Sheldon, Amy, Leonard and Penny in the rest of this episode. here are four facts about this:-
 * Bernadette doesn't come shopping with Leonard, Penny, Sheldon and Amy during the rest of this episode.
 * Bernadette doesn't come to the dress fitting room conference with Amy and Penny (with trying dresses on and chatting to each other through walls etc.) in the department store scene of this episode.
 * Bernadette doesn't come to the Crafts Festival Museum to make baskets with Leonard, Penny, Amy and Sheldon in the Crafts Festival Museum scene of this episode.
 * She (Bernadette) could be busy doing lots of different stuff at hers and Howard's apartment that day
 * This episode reveals that Sheldon can indeed drive and was taught by Amy. Even though he can drive, he chooses not to because he says it is scary and he sometimes gets the pedals mixed up.
 * Sheldon's rule that Leonard can't whistle was first mentioned in "The Friendship Algorithm" (S2E13); however, Sheldon does eventually allow Leonard to whistle while he is out of the apartment, whereas in "The Friendship Algorithm", Leonard actually whistles with Howard and Raj in apartment 4A when Sheldon is away.
 * Leonard and Sheldon like to play Risk: The Lord of the Rings Edition.
 * Penny and Leonard may be celebrating their new life together, but since they were probably occasionally sleeping together in Penny's bed, one night a week is not real change; however, since Leonard will be moving out in stages, the change will eventually become bigger.
 * Bernadette does not come on the trip to Hindu Temple with Raj and Howard. She could be at busy home (hers and Howard's apartment) doing a number of different stuff that day.
 * "New Horizons" a NASA space probe launched to study the planet, it's moons and bodies in the . The mission profile was proposed by a team led by principal investigator Alan Stern of the . After several delays on the launch site, "" was launched on 19 January 2006 from , directly into an Earth-and-solar-escape trajectory with an Earth-relative speed of about 36,373 mph. It set the record for the highest launch speed of a human-made object from Earth. "New Horizons" should perform a flyby of the Pluto system on 14 July 2015, long after Raj received his confirmation that his experiment was working in this episode.
 * Sheldon is aware of how difficult he can be even though usually he appears to be oblivious to it.
 * Sheldon does not let Leonard wear squeaky shoes because according to Sheldon: "[He is] a scientist, not a circus clown".
 * Second episode to display Sheldon's talent for making exotic clothing. First was "The Luminous Fish Effect" (S1E04).
 * Second episode where Raj rants about his recent problems. First was "The Weekend Vortex" (S5E19).
 * Sheldon again mentions his fear of s.
 * This is the first time Sheldon is sleeping on Penny's couch instead of in her bed. As we know he's always insisted in sleeping in a bed from "The Vegas Renormalization" (S2E21) and "The Hofstadter Insufficiency" (S7E01). Previously Sheldon also found the couch too short for his "Cornish" head.
 * Second time Howard references Apu from The Simpsons, the first being "The Griffin Equivalency" (S2E4).
 * On July 14, 2015, the New Horizons space probe did pass Pluto taking pictures and other data.
 * Amy mentions having brittle ankles, but it's later revealed that Amy once went ice skating while Sheldon looked up the symptoms of hypothermia.

Quotes

 * Raj: Oh, another two hours to go. The wait is killing me.
 * Howard: I know. I get it. When I was in the Soyuz capsule returning from the space station, plummeting toward Earth at 17,000 miles per hour…
 * Raj: Before you finish, is this a story about patience and waiting or just another reminder that you went to space?
 * Howard: A story can do two things.
 * Raj: Ugh, I feel like I’m gonna have a heart attack.
 * Howard: You work in pharmaceuticals, don’t you have anything you can give him?
 * Bernadette: All I have is our new urine flow drug. Won’t help with his anxiety, but it’s so strong, when he pees he’ll fly around the room like he’s got a jet pack.
 * Raj: I can’t stop thinking about it.
 * Bernadette: You know, worrying won’t have any effect on what happens.
 * Raj: I know.
 * Howard: Maybe you need to do something more productive.
 * Raj: Okay. If I make this shot in the trash can, the probe will have arrived in perfect working order.
 * Howard: So, in addition to being crazy, you’re resting the fate of the mission on your athletic prowess.
 * Raj: Yes.
 * Howard: The man who crashed his stationary bike.
 * Raj: I didn’t crash it, okay? My playlist was too up-tempo, I got light-headed and I fell off. Okay. It all comes down to this.
 * Howard: You happy? Now you can relax.
 * Raj: What kind of scientist are you? Everyone knows you got to make two out of three.


 * Sheldon: (repeated): Son of a biscuit.


 * Sheldon: (repeated): It's what I do.


 * Penny: Sweetie, you really thought I’d want to do this?
 * Leonard: No.
 * Penny: Did you tell him that?
 * Leonard: Yes.
 * Penny: Did you say it out loud with words?
 * Leonard: No.


 * Penny: ..and we watch movies with director commentaries.
 * Amy: Oh my favorite. George Lucas can talk all the way through Stars Wars. I say one word and I’m banished to the kitchen.


 * Raj: I meant a Hindu temple.
 * Howard: Oh. Okay. It’s not like Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom? Right? Some bald guy with horns is not going to rip my heat out?
 * Raj: Dude, that movie is an imperialist’s fantasy that makes the followers of a beautiful and peaceful religion look like a bunch of blood-thirsty barbarians.
 * Howard: You love that movie.
 * Raj: Yeah, it’s pretty great.


 * Amy: How’s it going in there?
 * Penny: Eh. Not really a great outfit for work unless something opens up in the ”hookers and whores” division. Hey, can I ask you something?
 * Amy: Sure.
 * Penny: Do I really force you to do things you really don’t want to?
 * Amy: Yeah, but its okay.
 * Penny: How is it okay?
 * Amy: I promised myself if I ever got friends I’d do whatever they said. Really I’m lucky you found me before a cult did.
 * Penny: Well, you know that was a long time ago. You’re a different woman now. You’re smart, you've got great friends, you've got a boyfriend, you’re pretty, you have zero fashion sense, but… Anyway, tonight we’ll do whatever you want.
 * Amy: Really?
 * Penny: Absolutely. You name it, we’re doing it.
 * Amy: Basket weaving at the Craft Museum.
 * Penny: Well, you named it.


 * Leonard: Sheldon, do you realize I don’t live with the woman I love because of you? No other reason. Just you.
 * Sheldon: Is that true?
 * Leonard: Yes, it’s true. The last time I brought it up, you had an emotional breakdown and got on a train and ran away.
 * Sheldon: Well, given my history on the subject, it seems a little reckless to bring it up now.
 * Leonard: (angry) You have no idea how much you inconvenience the lives of everyone around you! It's exhausting!


 * Sheldon: And if you want to live with Penny, I think you should.
 * Leonard: (curious) You mean that?
 * Sheldon: Yes. Just put on your squeaky shoes and ee-ee-ee your way out of my life.
 * Leonard: I'm not leaving your world. I'm just talking about living across the hall.


 * Leonard: We were just talking about living arrangements.
 * Amy: Are you crazy? You know he’s a flight risk.
 * Sheldon: That’s exactly what I told him.
 * Penny: Sheldon we know this is a sensitive subject and Leonard’s not gonna move out till you’re ready.
 * Sheldon: Well, what if you did it gradually?
 * Leonard: All right well, how about we start with two nights a week I live with Penny?
 * Sheldon: How about one night a week and I let you whistle?
 * Leonard: Okay.
 * Sheldon: You got it.


 * Leonard: Well, Roomie. It’s only one night a week, but it’s a start.
 * Penny: I know. I’m really proud of Sheldon.
 * Leonard: Yeah, I’m proud of him, too.
 * Sheldon: Can you keep it down? Some of us are trying to sleep out here.


 * Raj: Oh, my God, oh, my God, oh, my God.
 * Howard: Will you please relax?
 * Raj: I can’t take it, dude.
 * Bernadette: You okay?
 * Raj: No, I’m not okay. I feel like I’m gonna jump out of my skin.
 * Bernadette: I told you not to wax down there. It’s itchy when it grows back.
 * Raj: I’m worried about the New Horizons space probe.
 * Bernadette: What’s he talking about?
 * Howard: Nine years ago he was part of a team that launched a spacecraft to collect data about Pluto, and it’s finally close enough, so this morning it turned itself on.
 * Raj: We hope. The signal has to travel over three billion miles. So it’s gonna be hours before we know if it even survived.
 * Howard: Now we get to see him flip out because he’s worried it was demolished by space ice.
 * Raj: Space ice is no joke. I can’t even watch Frozen anymore.