The Graduation Transmission

"The Graduation Transmission" is the twenty-second episode of the eighth season of the sitcom The Big Bang Theory. The episode aired on Thursday, April 23, 2015.

Summary
Leonard is asked to make the commencement address at his old high school. Raj splurges on a robotic helicopter which Sheldon and Howard try to get to operate.

Extended Plot
Howard is looking over the helicopter that Raj has bought. Even though it's the top of the line, Raj just can't get it to work. Leonard enters with his packed suitcase to find that Penny is not even ready. The two of them are off to Leonard's old high shcool where he is giving the commencement address. Sheldon is worreid that Leonard will lose an eye when all their mortar board hats are thrown in the air. Amy thinks that it's nice that he's taking Penny. After a poor high school experience, he gets return as a successful scientist with a beautiful girl on his arm and, per Sheldon, a ponty hat sticking out of his eyeball.

As Penny and Leonard head down the stairs, Penny explains how she packed so fast. One spring break she took nothing but a long T-shirt and a belt. As Leonard is knocking New Jersey, he gets a text message that their flight has been canceled due to bad weather. the flight gets cancelled due to.

Howard and Sheldon are trying to get the helicopter video system to work. First they are trying to calibrate it. Sheldon complains about how the manual is written. The procedure doesn't work and htey have to do it again.

Raj receives a Skype call from his father. First he asks about Laura and then yells at him for spending a month's rent on a toy helicopter. His father wants to teach him some responsibility and is going to eliminate his monthly allowance. Raj tells him that he misses everybody so much and sonce they are getting a divorce, playing with his towill make him feel better. His father doesn't buy it. Howard is still trying to recalibrate the copter and succeeds until the final step. Now Howard wants to look inside it to fix it even though it voids the warranty. He does have a masters from M.I.T.

Penny returns from shopping the next day with a pick-me-up present for Leonard. She bought him a cap and gown and arrange with his old high shool to give his address on Skype. The gown is from a costume store is kind of short since it is their sexy graduate costume.

The helicopter is completely disassembled on the kitchen counter. He doesn't seem completely sure what all the parts do, but he still flaunts his education. Sheldon reminds him of the space toilet he built for the space station that didn't work. Howard counters that the toilet wasn't designed for the Russian cosmonaut's potato base diet. Raj shows up and freaks out that he took apart. Sheldon assures him that Howard can solve any problem that doesn't originate in a Russian man's colon. Raj wants to send his toy back. He tells them that he's been cut off. After Howard gets him to calm down, he decides to take responsibility for his life and calls his mother.

He calls his mother and tells her about his playboy ways so his mother sends him more money. After a call from his father, he explains how he was his idol and that is why he got into science. Now Raj is rich.

When Raj comes to pick up the helicopter from Howard and Sheldon to return it, it is in a pieces and Raj freaks out. Bernadette helps them find to repair it. Finally while waiting for tech support to pick up, the helicopter picks up a spurious signal and starts to fly around the apartment terrorizing everyone.

Penny comes up with an idea to have Leonard make his commencement speech via. She even buys him a, but the  only had a short   outfit. He starts his speech and eventually finds it as boring as Penny does. Leonard starts to reflect on his own high school life and tells the smart kids that are usually over looked that once they graduate, the world will find them a lot more interesting than all those popular kids.

In the last scene, they have the helicopter still flying all over and attacks Leonard and Penny in the hallway.

Critics
To be entered.

Trivia

 * Mayim Bialik has spoken at a ,  during the 2011 Commencement Ceremony, which took place at in, May 7, 2011.
 * Amy only appears in one scene in this episode.
 * The quadcopter seen in the episode is a Phantom 2 Vision which, at the time of taping, cost around $900. It has already made an appearance on the show in Season 7's The Indecision Amalgamation. Interestingly enough, it had a price tag much lower than realistic.
 * First appearance of Mrs. Koothrappali since "The Transporter Malfunction" (S5E20). And the first time she appeared live on the telephone i and not just on Skype. Second time his father has been seen not on Skype.

Quotes
To be entered.