The Middle-Earth Paradigm

The Middle Earth Paradigm is the sixth episode of the first season of the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory. It aired on October 29th, 2007.

Plot Summary
The gang is invited to Penny's Halloween Party, at the party Leonard confronts Kurt and because of this Penny's emotions start to surface.

Extended Plot
After the gang gets their asses kicked at paintball, they meet Penny who invites them to her Halloween Party. As the party is costumed, the gang is extremely excited. Initially, all four of them dressed up as the Flash, so they all agreed to change. Leonard asks Sheldon not to embarrass him at the party as he feels this party could be a milestone in his relationship with Penny. The gang arrives at Penny's Apartment and after the party starts the gang seems left out, Howard spots a girl and manages to creep her out. As Leonard wants to talk to Penny's peer but is afraid to do so, Sheldon becomes his wingman. A girl (her name was never mentioned but she was credited as Cheryl and portrayed by Erin Allin O'Reilly) approaches Raj and talks to him, but he still is unable to respond. Suddenly, Penny's ex-boyfriend, Kurt (Brian Wade), arrives at the party. As they both want Penny, Leonard decides to confront Kurt. After saying Kurt is less evolved than himself, Kurt lifts Leonard up intimidatingly. Leonard is a little shaken up so he and Sheldon leave the party. Penny feels bad about what happened so she stopped by at Leonard's apartment. Penny get emotional and claims that she can't go back to her party and wonders what wrong with her. Leonard says that there is nothing wrong and that she is perfect. Penny then kissed Leonard who stopped her advances because she had been drinking. Despite that, when she left, she kissed him again. This time, Kurt saw them and Leonard stands his ground and quickly shuts and locks the door behind him. Later, Howard asks if Sheldon has seen Raj, Sheldon answers he hasn't. In the final scene, Raj has just finished having sexual intercourse with Cheryl who describes Raj as a good listener.

Quotes
(The guys arrive at Penny's party.)

Penny: Oh, hey, guys.

Leonard: Hey, sorry we're late.

Penny: Late? It's 7.05.

Sheldon: And you said the party starts at 7.00.

Penny: Well, yeah, I mean, when you start a party at 7.00, no one shows up at, you know, 7.00.

Sheldon: It's 7.05.

Critics
"The scene with Kurt and Leonard reveals something to me. The writers worked out that they wanted Leonard and Penny to kiss and then thought about how to get them there. Despite the failure of that scene, this is a very good sign. It suggests that the producers have a good idea of how their characters story should unfold and won’t be swayed by just trying to make as many jokes as possible. Kudos to them and to their credit there are jokes here to laugh at too." - The TV Critic's Review

Trivia

 * The costumes of the characters are as follows:
 * Sheldon is the Doppler effect.
 * Leonard is Frodo from The Lord of the Rings.
 * Penny is a cat.
 * Howard is Robin Hood (But is mistaken for Peter Pan).
 * Raj is Thor; Norse God of Thunder.
 * Kurt (Penny's Ex-Boyfriend) is a Jungle Hermit.
 * Unlike usual, Sheldon is not detail-oriented, specifically regarding whether Raj as Thor is the Marvel Comics Avenger or original Norse God.
 * This marks the first time that Penny kisses Leonard on the lips.
 * This episode marks the first time Raj has sexual intercourse.
 * Howard stashed condoms in his costume.
 * Apparently the favorite superhero amongst them is The Flash.
 * The second choice amongst everyone was Frodo. Which Leonard called dibs on.
 * Cheryl is played by Erin Allin O'Relly.