The Status Quo Combustion

"The Status Quo Combustion" is the twenty-fourth episode and season finale of the seventh season of the  The Big Bang Theory. The episode will air on May 15, 2014.

Summary
Howard and Bernadette can't keep a care giver for the incapacitated Mrs. Wolowitz. The comic book store suffers damage after a fire. Penny and Leonard announce their engagement and look for new living arrangements. All these changes really upset Sheldon.

Extended Plot
Everybody is excited at Leonard and Penny's engagement; however, Raj spending the night with Emily seems to be the bigger news since Leonard proposes all the time.

Caltech will not let Sheldon change his field of study since all his grant money is for string theory making him very unhappy. Raj keeps bragging about sleeping with Emily.

Howard and Bernadette lose their second care giver that is taking care of Howard's mother. Bernie doesn't want to use up her vacation being a nurse.

Leonard contacts his mother who already knows about the engagement from Sheldon. She likes Penny because of Sheldon's admiration, but wonders if Leonard is good enough for her and why Leonard needs her approval.

Penny calls her folks and tells to her mother about her engagement. Her mother is happy that she is not pregnant, a first for their family. Bernadette offers the care giver position for Mrs. Wolowitz to Penny since she is not working. Penny tries to do it; however, after trying it she doesn't feel any amount of money is worth the job.

Sheldon is composing a letter to the university to get them to change their decision. Leonard wants to move in with Penny and suggests that Sheldon could take Penny's apartment since they don't want to live with Sheldon. Sheldon wonders why Leonard is choosing his bride-to-be over him and gets even more frustrated.

Sheldon complains to Amy about all the changes. Amy suggests that it might be good for him to live alone or with her with gets Sheldon even more upset and storms out.

Leonard is making chili for the two of them since Penny's cooking skills are poor. Amy comes in looking for Sheldon and realizes she is interrupting their celebration of being engaged. Penny thinks they should have in the wedding in 12 to 18 months after her brother gets out.

Sheldon goes to the comic book store and finds it with fire damage due to Stuart's accident with a hot plate. He tries to buy a comic book to help him out and can't which further upsets him.

Penny and Leonard are watching television and Leonard gets worried that Sheldon hasn't come home. He uses his cell phone to track him and finds out that he is at the train station. They leave to pick him up.

Raj and Howard are surveying the damage at the comic book store. Stuart is looking for a place to sleep, but doesn't want to prevent his sleep over with Emily. Howard then offers Stuart the caregiver position which really excites Stuart.

Penny and Leonard find Sheldon at the train station where he is leaving to avoid all the changes. Penny tells Leonard that Sheldon needs to do this and that he should let him go.

At Howard's mother's place, Stuart loves his job. He is being called "Stewie" and Stuart is calling her "Debbie". Even though the situation is weird, Howard and Bernie are happy to leave them together.

Amy is on the phone with Sheldon. She said that he was happy and sounded good. Penny says that he is going to be fine. They look at Amy who is next to Sheldon's empty spot. She yells at Leonard that he shouldn't have let him go and hits him with a pillow as Leonard crawls out of the apartment.

Critics
To be entered.

Trivia

 * Stuart's Comic Book Store suffers fire damage after he has an accident with a hot plate.
 * Sheldon becomes a hobo and takes to the rails after too many changes in his life. As a contrast, he is sensitive of hobos on the train in The Locomotive Manipulation (S7E16).
 * Stuart begins a new job as Mrs. Wolowitz's caregiver.

Quotes
To be entered.