The Occupation Recalibration

"The Occupation Recalibration" is the thirteenth episode of the seventh season of the  The Big Bang Theory. The episode first aired January 9, 2014.

Summary
Penny makes a major change in her career, Leonard is struggling with words to support her, Raj and Howard help Amy when she gets stuck with a date from a geology professor, and Sheldon is again forced on a vacation.

Extended Plot
Walking up the stairs, Sheldon complains to Leonard about how the university is forcing him to again take a vacation. Leonard is worried about his relationship with Penny after he panicked when she proposed while frustrated and tipsy. Sheldon is more upset about being force to relax for a few days. Leonard heads for Penny's apartment, while Sheldon is going to settle down with a good book until his vacation nightmare is over. Penny apologizes for not texting him back and invites Leonard in. Penny assures Leonard that she doesn't want to break up with him. He does shed a few tears of happiness. She also assures him that his rejection of her marriage proposal was the right thing to do since she was a mess at the time. Leonard is willing to support anything she wants to do. Since acting is Penny's real dream, she wants to focus entirely on it, so she quit her job at the Cheesecake Factory. Leonard then reaffirms to her his support and she hugs him.

The next day Leonard is heading to work and Sheldon is begging to go with him. He doesn't want to miss any scientific breakthroughs, though Leonard gets him to admit that he doesn't think there will be any without him there. Chasing Leonard down the stairs, Leonard shouts at him to "stay" on the stairs one flight down and tells him to not follow him. Leonard leaves and Sheldon sits down the stairs whimpering like a.

Stuart sighs behind the counter in an empty comic book store. Bernadette comes in to replace a comic of Howard's that she accidentally ruined. She tells Stuart that Batman got his ass whipped by a curling iron. Stuart tells her not to let the Riddler know that, though she doesn't get his joke. Stuart wants a couple of days to track it down; however Bernie wants to have it before Howard gets home from work. Howard has been telling her to be careful with her curling iron and she doesn't want to prove him right. Stuart will try; however Bernadette can get him all the anti-depressants he needs since she works at a pharmaceutical company. Stuart then dumps a whole box of prescription bottles on the counter and wonders if she has any of these pills.

Amy is in her lab at Caltech looking over a rat's brain in a microscope. Raj and Howard wander in asking her if she'd like to join them for lunch. First she asks if it's because Sheldon isn't here and she doesn't have any other options, then she claims to be kidding and goes to get her purse. Bert, a big guy from the geology department enters, and Amy introduces him. He gives Amy a piece of black quartz that Amy thanks him for. Next he asks the guys what a geologist and Bon Jovi have in common. Howard replies that they are both into rock, which makes Bert disappointed as he agrees. Bert leaves with Amy describing him as nice. She is surprised when Howard explains that he likes Amy. Amy realizes that he must like her since he brings her a new rock every day. In their conversations, the subject of Sheldon being her boyfriend has never come up. She doesn't want to hurt his feeling, though doesn't mind calling on Raj's loneliness when he makes cracks about her boyfriend Sheldon.

Penny leaves her apartment with a box full of photos and resumes and finds Sheldon still sitting on the steps. He complains about being forced on vacation and that Leonard has told him to stay. Penny quips telling him "Good boy." As she is leaving Sheldon whimpers again and she invites him to come along by calling him like a dog.

Back at the comic book store, Stuart finds a copy for Bernadette at Capitol Comics, a rival to his store whose owner is a successful jerk. Stuart offers to take her there so she won't get ripped off. Bernie is worried about him losing business if he closes up and then notices the empty store and apologizes.

Amy is having lunch with Leonard, Howard and Raj. She is surprised that Penny quit her waitress job. Leonard says that he supports het decisions, though is obviously nervous about it. He calls up Penny who says that she is at the Cheesecake Factory. Leonard quickly replies that he is so glad she went and got her job back. Unfortunately the peeved Penny was just turning in her uniform. He finishes that he still supports her decisions.

Sheldon is waiting for Penny in her car listening to a relaxation tape and pretending to be inside the CERN supercollider. Penny returns without the lemonade that Sheldon asked for. Sheldon complains that this was a fitting swansong to her waitressing career by forgetting his lemonade one last time. Penny wonders if quitting her job was a mistake since it really bothered Leonard. Sheldon thinks that she did the right think since the best way to achieve a goal is to dedicate oneself to it one hundred percent of the time. After Sheldon decided to be a physicist he didn't take another job it distract him though his teacher did want him to be chalk monitor. Penny appreciates his comments and does not know why Leonard can't understand it. Sheldon concludes that the two of them are a lot alike; they are dreamers. Penny cracks a smile and then remarks that she should have left the window cracked when she left Sheldon in the car, a running gag and reference to Sheldon not "getting out enough".

Bert returns to Amy's lab and asks him to accompany her to a rock and mineral show. Amy mentions that she already has a boyfriend which makes it awkward for Bert. Amy thanks him. Bert thinks that she doesn't have a boyfriend and that she is turning him down because he has an off-putting personality. Amy explains that her boyfriend's personality is much more off putting. After Bert tells her how no one wants to do things with him since he is big and weird, Amy breaks down and agrees to go with him. This makes him very happy as he says "Sweet it's a date," and leaves. Amy outloud says that is not a not. Down the hall Bert says that its too late and that it is a date.

At Capital Comics, Bernadette is impressed how crowded the store was. The owner greets Stuart and tells him how grey his skin has gotten. He goes to get Bernadette the comic while Stuart confronts Captain Sweatpants for not being in his store. He offers Bernadette a latte and Stuart the directions to the nearest soup kitchen. Bernadette doesn't like how he is treating Stuart so she leaves to get the comic elsewhere. Stuart leaves saying that he may have success and a better complexion, but at least he has friendship. Then going out he says to himself that he would trade the two in a heartbeat.

Howard and Raj are now commersurating with Amy over her date with Bert. According to Howard, going to a rock show would be terrible even without Bert. Amy wonders what to do and Raj tells her to prepare her uterus for a very large offspring. Amy plans on telling him that she would not be interested in him even if she did not have a boyfriend. Howard has heard that many times and lists many women who have told him that. Amy plans on being brutally honest with Bert; however that might send him up the Empire State Buildng and start swatting at passing airplanes. Finally Howard and Raj offer to talk to him and let him down gently. Going out the door they both agree to tell Bert that Amy is a lesbian.

In Apartment 4A, Penny and Sheldon are doing yoga. Sheldon has read that some masters are so disclipined that they can suck in nutrition through their gentiles. Leonard enters and Penny ignores him. After Leonard asks, it seems that Sheldon is doing yoga becasues he thought Penny had said Yoda, the Jedi master. Penny is helping Sheldon relax since he does support her. They start to discuss his phone call. Leonard would have discussed with her before he would quit his job. They start to discusse the kind of relationship they are in as Sheldon then joins them. He feels that he is in the is relationship as much as them. He wants to know when they are getting married and where all of them are going to live. Leonard doesn't like the fact that all of the sudden they are discussing about living with Sheldon forever. Finally Leonard tells her that he is on her side and that he would never have courage she exhibits quitting her job to follow her dream.

Bernadette walks back into Capital Comics telling the owner in her Mrs. Wolowitz voice that Stuart and his store are just find, Stuart is a much nicer person and that she still wanst to buy that comic. And have a cappacinnio and a blueberry scone.

Finally Raj and Howard end up going to the mineral and rock show with Bert in lieu of Amy. They are in his delapidated car going down the highway as he keeps shouting "Rock show!" and they look very unhappy.

Critics

 * It's always nice to see The Big Bang Theory go dramatic once in a while, but ultimately this more humor-oriented episode just worked better. It offered a lot more laughs than last week, yet it didn't ignore Penny's ongoing storyline. There were some fun character pairings in between Sheldon/Penny, Bernie/Stuart, and Raj/Wolowitz/Amy, plus the addition of the amusing (if underutilized) Bert. Things are looking good so far for 2014. (Critic unknown)

Trivia

 * Penny finally quits The Cheesecake Factory to concentrate on her acting.
 * Amy finds another socially awkard academic that has taken a shine to her.
 * This is Bert's second appearance in the Big Bang Theory. The first was in The Contractual Obligation Implementation.
 * Judging by the cover art, the comic book that Bernadette damaged appears to be issue #1 of 's classic four-part miniseries .
 * Penny turns in her waitress uniform, which actress Kaley Cuoco has grown very tired of wearing.
 * Although this is his 10th appearance in the show, this is the first episode that Captain Sweatpants has been credited in. It is also the first episode the character speaks in.
 * This is the second time that Sheldon has been forced to take a vacation; the first was in The Vacation Solution.

Quotes

 * Bert: What does a geologist and Bon Jovi have in common?
 * Howard: They both like rock.