The Higgs Boson Observation

The Higgs Boson Observation is the third episode of the sixth season of the CBS sitcom, The Big Bang Theory. This episode is set to air on October 11, 2012.

Plot
Penny brings in a box for Sheldon from his mother and he tips her a dollar. Sheldon had his journals and research he wrote as a child sent to him. Since the verification of the existence of the Higgs boson particle, the scientist that postulated it's existence a half a century ago, Peter Higgs, could be heading to a Nobel Prize. Sheldon wants to check his earlier work to see if he already hit upon an idea to get his Nobel Prize. He needs someone to read through these notebooks since he thinks his time is too important to do the task himself. First he asks Leonard, who then declines. Penny volunteers, however she couldn't even understand the title of a paper he wrote at the age of five: A Proof That Algebraic Topology Can Never Have a Non-Self-Contradictory Set of Abelian Groups. At Leonard's suggestion, he hires a grad student, an attractive student named Alex Jensen. She does flatter him during the interview and thinks it's an honor to work for him. Sheldon makes sure that she doesn't do drugs including coffee, has no hearing loss to due to her ear infection and paid all her parking tickets. She is willing to do everything he asks her to do. Leonard felt that she seemed nice and tells her "May God have mercy on your soul" for working with Sheldon. Raj is attracted to her, but she wondered what his problem was.

Penny is giving Amy a makeover which she wants to show Sheldon. She tells her that if it leads to phone sex, she will have to leave the room. When Alex answers Amy's video call to Sheldon, Amy is shocked when she learns that Alex is a girl. She tells Amy that Sheldon left a message not to be disturbed unless it's Stephen Hawkings, his mother or himself from the future. Alex did take a message. She mentions this to Penny who wondered if he even noticed. Amy replies that she is more worried about her than Sheldon especially when she hangs around that wonderful face of his and not fall in love with it. Amy gets Penny to go to the Caltech to meet his new assistant. Amy bursts into his office, but doesn't find Sheldon there. Amy leaves her scent to keep Sheldon interested and admits that she's done the same thing in Penny's apartment before they became best friends.

In the cafeteria, Alex brings Sheldon his yogurt to his usual exact specifications, but she can't remember if she had taken the stem off the cherry on the bottom. Leonard invites her to sit with them, but Sheldon doesn't want her to after seeing how servants are treated on PBS British series. Leonard still tells her to sit down and impishly tries to get her to talk to Raj about her dissertation about asteroids. Leonard continues to kid Raj and Sheldon and she starts getting flirty (though Leonard ignores it). Amy observes this and tells Penny that she doesn't have to worry about Sheldon, though Penny has to deal with Alex. Penny seems surprised. In her car on the way home, Amy tells Penny that Alex was definitely courting Leonard. Penny says that she isn't worried about her flirting. Amy explains that that is her prefrontal cortex of her brain talking while her limbic system is telling her that the flirting is happening because he is desirable. She again confesses to Amy that she isn't sure how she feels about Leonard. She denies that Alex bothers her, until Amy finally gets her to admit it.

That night while having wine and hore d'oeuvres, Penny keeps asking about his day, however Leonard never mentions Sheldon's new female assistant. Sheldon shows up with Alex, announcing that she may have found what he was looking for in a primary grade report on magnetism that could be his ticket to a Nobel Prize. Penny introduces herself. Alex mistakes Penny for his assistant. Penny replies that they were working on a five year project. Alex replies that she is sure that a lot of people would want to work with someone as talented as Leonard. Penny quips that a lot of people can't and then she takes him to her apartment because her limbic system wants to take his pants off.

Meanwhile, Howard tells Bernadette that being cooped up in this old tin can for weeks on end is getting to him. He asks her to drop something so he can watch it fall. In another video chat, Howard tells her that due to the delay of the capsule that is supposed to pick up the astronauts, he will have to stay in space for an additional 7 - 10 days. He is suffering bad anxiety attacks, starts sounding paranoid and gives her crazy ideas on how she can rescue him. He also starts talking to her in code. Finally, he is feeling better after the astronauts gave him a shot, though he was now cart wheeling in weightlessness and drop his pants to show another moon that is orbiting the earth.

Quotes
Sheldon: Flattery will get you nowhere.

Alex : It's not flattery if it's true.

Amy: You're right, I don't have to worry, that skank is your problem, not mine.

Amy: (to Penny) If my new look leads to phone sex, I'm going to have to ask you to leave the room.

Penny: I'm just a blonde monkey to you, aren't I?

Reference

 * Taping report courtesy of Kyzzx.