The Clean Room Infiltration

"The Clean Room Infiltration" is the eleventh episode of the eighth season of the sitcom The Big Bang Theory. The episode aired on Thursday, December 11, 2014.

Summary
Amy hosts a traditional  Eve dinner for the gang while the guys are conducting an experiment in the university  and accidentally let a  in. To prove a point to Amy, a -like Sheldon buys her the perfect gift to ruin her.

Extended Plot
At dinner in Apartment 4A, Raj tells everyone that his parents are and getting themselves s. Sheldon would not hire the  as a lawyer, if he ever needed one. Penny complements him for almost staying on topic for once. Sheldon adds that since she is the only at her, she must be an  hire. Since Raj's father is visiting, he can't host dinner so Amy volunteers since she always wanted to host a traditional   for gang including s,,. Sheldon doesn't like figgy pudding because of all of the s and won't come. Amy replies that he is coming. Sheldon claims that she hates him; however, Amy corrects him that she s him, Sheldon adds that there are still a lot of raisins in it. Raj is a little miffed about themed-holidays since they didn't like his ""-giving.

On Christmas Eve, Leonard and Howard are in in the university  constructing an  to detect. Leonard likes the fact that he has no problems due to the  room. A flies in the room because Howard left the   open. Now they have to get rid of it before the soils the dust-free room. Howard doesn't want to call facilities and get blamed. First he suggests they turn off all the except for one, but that is to attract. At Amy's apartment, Amy and Penny are visiting with Raj and his father who has nothing good to say about his wife. On his twenty hour flight without his wife, he didn't pray for the plane to. The guys call Raj to help them deal with the pigeon. Dr. Koothrappali stays with the since he just had a long flight which doesn't make Penny happy.

Bernadette has picked up Sheldon and is singing about  in her car with too much  joy until Sheldon turns off the. Sheldon's uncle did many of the things that Santa is known for and got. He and Amy decided not to get each other something for Christmas since Sheldon doesn't enjoy it. While they were   shopping, Amy ed him under the in public making Sheldon very unhappy. He felt he was part of a. Sheldon has decided to punish her to make her feel as miserable as he does so he is going to buy her a Christmas present. Since she has not gotten him one, that would ruin her Christmas and make her sad according to Sheldon's. She should be so unhappy that she won't make him celebrate the again ever.

Howard is trying to catch the pigeon in a with a  which Leonard thinks is. He just wants to call services. Howard doesn't want to get the blame even though he always tries to hide his. Raj arrives and wants to know the situation. Leonard explains that Howard wants to catch the in a garbage bag with a Slim Jim which he holds up and the pigeon snatches and flies off.

Back at Amy's place, Dr. Koothrappali thinks that it is too soon to think about again. Penny volunteers if she were free and he didn't talk about Star Trek all the time. Amy brings out her first that involves blowing a ball of  across a. Penny also tells Raj's father that Amy is also taken.

While trying to catch the pigeon, Howard tells Leonard that he is because they used to be best s till Raj came along. Leonard thinks that happened because Howard can push Raj around. Then they start arguing who is smarter and conclude that Raj is smarter than Howard though since its Christmas they decide that Howard is smarter one. Raj is sure that it was Howard that let the pigeon in.

Bernadette and Sheldon are shopping for the perfect to ruin Amy's Christmas. Bernadette's favorite gifts from Howard were based upon what Howard knew about her. Amy likes, and old   which make her eyes light up according to Sheldon. He also like the way her fingers dance around whenever she hears music. He does admit that he really loves Amy and wants to find a gift to make her feel small and worthless.

Amy and Raj's father are now blowing the ball of wool back and forth across the table with increasing boredom. Dr. Koothrappali wins though Penny quips that it probably doesn't feel that way. He remembers the theme parties that his wife used to throw. She and Raj spent a lot of time together since he worked a lot. Penny brings up Raj's girlfriend Emily also works a lot. She thinks that that is funny.

Sheldon is now sitting on Santa's lap telling him that he wants their together to punish his  for making him celebrate Christmas. Santa thinks that dating Sheldon is punishment enough. They smile for the.

Back in the clean room, they are trying to catch the bird with a and a  to get him out the door. Howard has the blanket and then complains that they don't think he is smart enough to use the fire extinguisher. They trade tools and Howard attacks the pigeon with the fire extinguisher which causes the bird to fall onto the floor. Howard is upset because that something similar happened when he was a child and the tried to revive the bird with, setting the poor thing on. The bird is not breathing so Howard gives it thus reviving the bird. As they carry the bird toward the door to let him out, a flies into the room because no one has yet closed the door. As the crow looks down at the guys, they debate calling building services on Christmas Eve. Penny calls Leonard and just tells them to leave. Even though they signed into the clean room, she tells them to erase their names off the list and get out of there. The next shows them in the car singing "" heading toward the party.

After finishing the figgy pudding, Sheldon first complains about the raisins. Amy tells him that they were, so Sheldon is fine with that. Dr. K offers to help; however, since he ed a ball of wool out of her, he didn't have to. Sheldon gives Amy his gift of his picture with Santa in a that plays a personal Christmas greeting to her from him and she loves it. Sheldon tells her that she got him nothing expecting her to be sad. He is happy because they will never do it again. Despite what she said, she made Sheldon a gift, his favorite from his Meemaw's. Amy talked to her to get the recipe. Sheldon tries one and calls them perfect because they taste like her. Amy wishes Sheldon. Everyone is happy and Sheldon wonders if giving is what Christmas is all about in a softer gentler tone. Raj ends Sheldon's festive mood when he reaches for one of his cookies and Sheldon tells him to take his hands off them.

Finally Amy wants them all to sit down and play "." Amy explains that one person leaves the while the rest hide a small item in the room. The first person is invited back in by saying, "Hot boiled beans and for, hurry up before it gets cold!" Raj shakes his head and claims that if they think this holiday theme is better than his idea for a ""-giving, then they are all crazy.



Critics

 * Jesse Schedeen at IGN - The Big Bang Theory had hit a nice little groove lately, but some of the momentum was lost in this holiday episode. The scenes involving Leonard, Howard, and Raj testing their mettle against a pesky pigeon were very entertaining. Unfortunately, most of the actual holiday material was pretty bland, and only the emotionally upbeat finale really salvaged it. There's no reason things can't pick up when the show returns in January, though.
 * Dhruv Rao of The DR Club (B-): "The lackluster main plot this week couldn't be saved by the well-executed subplots. The combination of the three plots was definitely not a good holiday gift for the viewers: it was as though the audience was eating a meal in which the appetizers and the dessert rocked, but the main course bombed. No one would be satisfied by the end result of that, as the audience would still be hungry for a proper "meal"."
 * IMDb user reviews

Trivia

 * First visit of Raj's father to Pasadena. This episode is his first appearance since "The Transporter Malfunction" (S5E20).
 * Howard seemingly contradicts the original history where Leonard met Howard and Raj together at Caltech and not Howard first as depicted in "The Staircase Implementation" (S3E22).
 * First time all the gang have been together in Amy's apartment.
 * Sheldon went Christmas gift shopping for Penny in "The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis".
 * Fifth Christmas themed TBBT episode.
 * The first time Penny and Raj's father have seen each other since "The Griffin Equivalency" (S2E4).
 * Although both are recurring characters, this episode marks the first time either of Raj's parents appear on the show in person in Pasadena. As a result Amy is the only main character who does not have a parent who has been in Pasadena.
 * Sheldon tries to be a, but his plan backfires with Amy.
 * Amy has contacted Sheldon's Meemaw.
 * Dakin Matthews again plays as he did in Sheldon's dream in "The Santa Simulation".
 * This episode marks the first scientific collaboration between Leonard and Howard at Caltech, showcasing the former's expertise in astroparticle physics and the latter's expertise in astronomical instrumentation. Together, they built a for detecting . Leonard marvels at how their multiwire-type detector can replace an entire.
 * Second episode where a bird trespasses into a building. First was "The Ornithophobia Diffusion".
 * First episode with a plot with most scenes where Sheldon and Bernadette are the only main characters that appear.
 * Penny asks Dr. Koothrappali how much he talks about Star Trek. The actor who plays him (Brian George) actually was on Star Trek; he played Dr. Bashir's father on.
 * Dr. Koothrappali's animosity towards Leonard seems to have mellowed significantly since his last contact with him, back when he was dating Priya; however, he tries to tell Penny stories of his own bad marriage, trying to urge her not to follow his own example.
 * When taunting Amy about not getting her a Christmas gift, he asks if she wishes she were Jewish. Bernadette looks over at Howard after that comment. Both Bernadette and Amy (Melissa Rauch and Mayim Bialik) are Jewish playing Christian characters.

Quotes

 * Sheldon: You know, speaking of attorneys, if I ever needed a lawyer I would not hire She-Hulk.
 * Penny: You know what? That was almost on topic. I’m gonna say: Good job, Sheldon.
 * Amy: Wait. She-Hulk’s a lawyer?
 * Howard: Yeah, she works at a law firm in New York.
 * Sheldon: Yes, but she’s the only monster at the firm. Between you, me and the wall I think she’s an affirmative action hire.


 * Amy: I've always wanted to do a traditional Victorian Christmas. Parlor games, goose and figgy pudding..
 * Sheldon: Ugh! English pudding. You get yourself all excited for pudding and here comes a cake with raisins in it. I’m not going.
 * Amy: You’re going.
 * Sheldon: Why do you hate me?
 * Amy: I don’t hate you. I love you.
 * Sheldon: [Lovingly] W-well, you call it love, but [With Sheldon’s condescending attitude] it comes with a lot of raisins in it.


 * Leonard: Can you believe there was a time when we would have needed an array of the giant Cherenkov telescopes to detect cosmic particles? And here we are building are own multi-wire detector like a couple of bad asses.
 * Dr. Koothrappali: Did you know when you fly transcontinental without your wife, you don’t pray for the plane to crash?


 * Bernadette: Maybe you’d like him more if you thought of Santa like a super hero and he has the power to bring joy to children.


 * Bernadette:Let’s talk about presents. What did you get Amy?
 * Sheldon: Oh, we’re not exchanging gifts.
 * Bernadette: Come on Sheldon, you have to get her something.
 * Sheldon: Why should I? She knows I don’t like Christmas and yet every year see forces me to celebrate it. Not am I going to this foolish dinner against my will. At the Christmas tree lot, there was mistletoe and she kissed me under it in public. Like we were the stars of a Tijuana sex show.
 * Bernadette: She’s just excited about the holidays.
 * Sheldon: Yes and she’s not taking my feelings into account at all. Maybe it’s time I teach her a lesson.
 * Bernadette: How?
 * Sheldon: Hmm. I’d have to do something heinous; something that makes her as miserable as she is making me. Oh, I've got it. This is good.
 * Bernadette: What?
 * Sheldon: I’m going to buy her a present.
 * Bernadette: Yeah, you’re gonna have to walk me through that.
 * Sheldon: With gift giving, there’s an implied social contract. If I show up tonight with a present and she doesn't have one for me she’ll feel terrible.
 * Bernadette: Then you’re both sad?
 * Sheldon: Yes. Maybe she’ll feel so guilty she’ll never make me celebrate the holidays again.
 * Bernadette: So your evil plot is to buy your girlfriend a present?
 * Sheldon: That’s right. So stay on my good side or I’ll get you a little something too.


 * Howard: Why do you keep assuming it was me?
 * Leonard: Because you do this kind of thing all the time and then you try to cover it up.
 * Howard: Like when?
 * Leonard: Ack! What about when you flipped the Mars Rover, or lost Koothrappali’s dog, or almost drove off with that baby?
 * Sheldon: Hmm. Let’s see. What do I know about Amy? She loves medieval literature. Chaucer’s her favorite. And her eyes sparkle when she watches old French movies. I enjoy how harp music causes her fingers to dance as if she’s playing along.
 * Bernadette: Wow, you really do love her.
 * Sheldon: I do. Now let’s find the kind of gift that will make her feel small and worthless.


 * Santa: All right, let me see if I got this straight. A picture of you on my lap is a way to punish your girlfriend for making you celebrate Christmas?
 * Sheldon: Correct.
 * Santa: Santa thinks dating you is punishment enough.


 * Raj: Hmm, Amy, that pudding was delicious.
 * Sheldon: If you liked raisins
 * Amy: Thank-you and it’s figs.
 * Sheldon: Oh, Oh, in that case it was pretty good.


 * Sheldon: Um, what do you say we exchange gifts?
 * Penny: Oh, Sheldon we didn't bring any.
 * Leonard: I thought you hate giving gifts.
 * Sheldon: Yeah, I do. Which is why I got Amy this.
 * Amy: You got me something?
 * Sheldon: Oh, not just something, no. It’s from the heart, it’s holiday themed and I swallowed the gift receipt so you cannot return it.
 * Amy: Look at you in Santa’s lap. That’s so sweet.
 * Sheldon: Of course it is. It’s the perfect gift. How are you feeling right now? Guilty? Sad? Wishing you were Jewish?
 * Amy: No. I love it.
 * Sheldon: Oh, really? Well, how about now?
 * Sheldon’s recording coming from the frame: Happy holidays to my dear Amy. I hope you treasure this as much as I treasure you.
 * Sheldon: And you got me nothing. Christmas is ruined. Let’s never speak of it again. Well, this was fun.
 * Amy: Actually, I did get you something.
 * Sheldon: But what about our agreement?
 * Amy: Well you got me something. Here.
 * Sheldon: Cookies?
 * Amy: They're your MeeMaw’s Christmas cookies. I called and got the recipe.
 * Sheldon: {Takes a bite} They’re perfect. It tastes like her hugs.
 * Amy: Merry Christmas, Sheldon.
 * Sheldon: I can’t believe this. You’re happy. I’m happy. Well, maybe a holiday that’s all about giving isn't so… [Raj reaches for a cookie.] Get your hand out of that box.