The Fuzzy Boots Corollary

The Fuzzy Boots Corollary is the third episode of the first season of the CBS sitcom, The Big Bang Theory. This episode first aired on October 8, 2007.

Summary
Leonard witnesses Penny kissing another man, this makes him fall into a depression. However, Sheldon is able to convince him to ask Penny out.



Extended Plot
While playing World of Warcraft, the group attempt to retrieve the Sword of Azeroth. Sheldon betrays them and sells the sword on eBay which Howard buys. Then later in the episode, Leonard sees Penny kissing a guy in front of her apartment door, he is devastated thinking she has 'rejected' him. The guys convince him to ask someone out at work, but when he tries and is brutally turned down by a geeky girl scientist named Leslie Winkle (Sara Gilbert), he is even more depressed. As Leonard slips deeper into his depression (which involves thinking about buying a cat and listening to emo music), Sheldon (in an attempt to not have a cat) points out that he was not actually rejected, as he had not asked Penny out. Leonard agrees and promptly asks Penny out to dinner, but she mistakes his invite as an invitation to hang out with all the guys. Despite being aware of this, Leonard keeps the date and makes up excuses as to why the guys were absent.

On the date, Penny mentions the man Leonard saw was not her boyfriend, but that she has a habit of having weekend long flings to get over relationships. Excited, Leonard begins to become more confident but, after accidentally hurting himself, the date becomes a disaster and Penny takes him home. Leonard does not get the courage to reveal his true feelings to Penny, even though she suspected what he was up to.

Quotes
(Playing World of Warcraft, after opening gate.. Goblins attack. They are in trouble!)

Raj: Oh!!! He's got me!

Howard: Sheldon, he's got Raj! Use your sleep spell! Sheldon! Sheldon! ... (softer tone) Sheldon!

Sheldon: I got the Sword of Azeroth!

Leonard: Forget the sword, Sheldon! Help Raj.

Sheldon: There is no more Sheldon! I AM THE SWORDMASTER!

Howard: Leonard, look out!

Leonard: Dammit, man we're dying here!

Sheldon: Goodbye peasants!

(sound of in-game teleportation)

Leonard: The bastard teleported.

Raj: He selling the Sword of Azeroth on Ebay.

Leonard: You betrayed us for money! WHO ARE YOU?!

Sheldon: I'm a rogue night elf, don't you people read character descriptions? Wait, wait, wait…somebody just clicked "Buy It Now".

(Howard stands up in triumph)

Howard: I AM THE SWORDMASTER!

Critics
"The show appears to be coming into its own really nicely. The dialogue is witty and crisp and the jokes fly at you fast. They make Leonard more likeable and move the plot forward. A really enjoyable episode." - The TV Critic's Review

Trivia

 * Leslie Winkle is introduced as a character.
 * The Gates of Elzebub and Sword of Azeroth do not exist in the real World of Warcraft.
 * The song Leonard is singing when he walks in the door is "Boston" by Augustana.
 * Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics are discussed after Howard and Raj suggest that Sheldon may be a robot. Sheldon inquires as to whether he would be bound by these laws if he learned he was a robot, leading Howard and Raj to test their applicability.
 * Howard brings Sheldon in a dancing class. However, in a later episode, he says he does not enjoy dancing and never will. Then he reveals in the fourth season, that he can do formal dances like the Waltz. It is possible he has been able to (ballroom) dance the entire time, he simply doesn't enjoy it.
 * Howard implies that he has slept with his dancing instructor even though she looks to be in her late 60s/early 70s.
 * This is the first time the key bowl is seen next to the door.
 * It is learned that Sheldon would very well betray his friends for money.
 * This is the first episode in which Leonard sings.
 * This is Leonard's first episode being kissed. He is later shown kissing Joyce Kim in the past in the episode The Staircase Implementation.
 * It is revealed that Sheldon does not believe Leonard can "get a girl".
 * Leonard gets a concussion in this episode.
 * Sheldon believes that Leonard got Penny drunk.
 * We learn that Sheldon has asthma. This is the only reference to such, as Leonard and Howard are usually the ones noted for being asthmatic.
 * This is one of the only episodes where Sheldon is on good terms with Leslie Winkle.