The Citation Negation

"The Citation Negation" is the ninth episode of the twelfth season of the sitcom The Big Bang Theory. The episode aired on Thursday, November 15, 2018.

Summary
Leonard researches citations for Sheldon and Amy's paper. He finds a Russian paper that basically discredits super-asymmetry. Bernadette tries to beat Howard and Raj at Fortnite, and recruits help from Denise.

Extended Plot
Sheldon and Amy or competing their asymmetric paper by working the footnotes in the appendix. Sheldon truly thinks that the paper is a product of both of them; his math and Amy’s sassy take on the fundamental nature of symmetry. He asked Amy to run down all the citations and notes which bothers Amy since there are hundreds of them. First they think about assigning it to a graduate student and then they decide to dump it on Leonard as long as they can trust him. Sheldon goes over to Leonard’s and tells him that he is having an affair and not to tell anyone. Leonard then tells Penny that Sheldon is obviously testing whether he can keep a secret.

Sheldon and Amy approach Leonard in the cafeteria telling him that he passed the secret loyalist test. And that he was never having an affair. They end ask Leonard to run down their paper’s citations. He first thinks that it was grad student work, but then agrees to help out.

Raj and Howard are playing Fortnite when Bernadette comes in and wants to join in. She plays her own games and those with Halley. Bernadette parachutes in, lands and gets killed. You’re dead.

Raj is helping Leonard at the library. Raj did hear the rumor about Sheldon and the lunch lady and he called her a floozy. Leonard splits the list papers they want to find, while Raj is scared in the creepy dark library. Oh the other hand, Leonard has problems breathing because of the dust.

At work Bernadette is playing “Fortnite” to beat the guys. Penny comes in for lunch and wonders if Howard switch bodies with Bernadette in a “Freaky Friday” scenario. Bernadette quips that if that we’re true, she would she him/her constantly staring at her own boobs. She wants to beat Howard, but can’t kill anyone. Penny tries it and kills one instantly.

Back in the library, they are looking through books while Leonard wants to finish before his inhaler runs out. Raj found a paper written by a Russian that has never been translated. They decide to have Howard look at it since Raj’s attempt at using Google Translation miserably fails.

Howard is reading the paper in the cafeteria and admits that his Russian is rusty. The paper is a discussion of super-asymmetry. Sheldon and Amy weren’t the first to come up with the idea. Also, the paper states that the super-asymmetry model is flawed and not worth any further research. Both Raj and Howard want Leonard to break the bad news to Sheldon.

At the comic book store, Bernadette approaches Denise. Stuart is at the doctor’s, so Bernadette asks Denise why they are together. Denise tells her that her parents own a funeral home, so she can read what she wants into that statement. Then Bernadette asks her to teach her how to play “Fortnite”.

Leonard approaches Sheldon’s door reluctantly. Penny comes up the stairs before he actually knocks. Leonard tells Penny what he found and that it will break Sheldon and Amy’s heart and chance for a Nobel Prize. Penny tells Leonard that he can do it while she runs for the safety of their apartment. Leonard knocks and is invited in. Sheldon wants to know how the work is coming. Leonard explains that Raj found a paper and that it deprives their work. Sheldon thanks him calmly, says that they no longer need the work on his whiteboard and then destroys the board, screams and then runs into the bedroom.

Denise is at Bernadette’s teaching her the game. Denise is being as hard on Bernadette as she sometimes is calling her a baby and the like.

Sheldon is looking over their paper as Amy comes into the bedroom. Does he want a cup of tea or hear “Soft Kitty”? Sheldon thinks that she should be more upset. She was just trying to hold herself together for him. Sheldon doesn’t want her to pretend that everything’s alright. Then Amy blows up that they had started it on the day of their wedding, months were spent on it and she thought they were changing the frontiers of science. NO, she is devastated. Sheldon then complains that that doesn’t help him at all and she return to happy.

Bernadette finds Howard and Raj playing “Fortnite” and she asks if she could try it again. They are reluctant so she grabs Raj’s laptop from him. She finds Howard and still gets killed by him. She runs out of the room telling him that she makes more money than him. Raj then adds that Howard has a good woman there.

Leonard and Penny are climbing stairs hoping that the Coopers are all right. Leonard asked them if they wanted to see a movie. Penny wonders if they are already dead. Sheldon tells them to come in and both are still in their pajamas with trash everywhere. They didn’t even know what day it was and they keep counting the number of things they are wrong about. Penny wants them to get back try even harder. Leonard tells them that together they can solve anything. Amy shoots back that if they think a pep talk can solve this, then Leonard and Penny don’t know how much their theory meant to them. Sheldon their Chinese dinner and Leonard offers it to them however it’s still not what Sheldon likes so another thing that’s wrong.

Penny and Bernadette are in 4A as Bernadette is still playing “Fortnite”. Bernie beat Penny who doesn’t really care while Bernie is hyped on steroids. They get reading to go eat when Leonard comes in with a water bottle that Bernie knocks out of his hand. Penny grabs her keys and says that she’ll drive.

Credits

 * Guest starring:
 * Lauren Lapkus as Denise
 * Teleplay: Steve Holland, Dave Goetsch & Maria Ferrari
 * Story: Eric Kaplan, Tara Hernandez & Jeremy Howe

Critics
To be entered.
 * IMDb user review

Trivia

 * The Russian paper, published in 1978, is called "Examinations of a Super-Asymmetric Model of the Universe" by Dr. Vasily Gregora-poli-popivich. It purports "the super-asymmetric model" is inherently flawed and does not bear the weight of further examination.
 * While playing the "Fortnite" video game Bernadette shouts "Weee!" like Sheldon noted she did while riding the land rover in the Star Wars online game in season 4.
 * Sheldon gave up too fast accepting a 40 year old paper that might have been disproven or was worth studying to see if it had any flaws or was even still valid. Science is always evolving.

Quotes
To be entered.