The Status Quo Combustion

"The Status Quo Combustion" is the twenty-fourth episode and season finale of the seventh season of the  The Big Bang Theory. The episode aired on May 15, 2014.

Summary
Howard and Bernadette can't keep a caregiver for the incapacitated Mrs. Wolowitz. The comic book store suffers damage after a fire. Penny and Leonard announce their engagement and look for new living arrangements. All these changes really upset Sheldon.

Extended Plot
Everybody is excited at Leonard and Penny's engagement; however, Raj spending the night with Emily seems to be the bigger news since Leonard proposes to Penny all the time.

Caltech will not let Sheldon change his field of study since all his grant money is for string theory, making him very unhappy. Raj keeps bragging about sleeping with Emily.

Howard and Bernadette lose their third care giver that is taking care of Howard's mother. Bernie doesn't want to use up her vacation being a nurse. She accepts that Howard's family's problems are hers too and then kids him as she asks for a divorce.

Leonard contacts his mother who already knows about the engagement from Sheldon. She is neutral about Penny, but because of Sheldon's admiration, she thinks she is a good chice. She still wonders if Leonard is good enough for her and why Leonard has to have her approval. He should work on getting over his need for her approval.

Penny calls home and tells her mother about her engagement. She explains that he is the scientist who works with "atomic magnets" and has been seeing for two years. Her mother is happy that she is not pregnant, which is a first for their family. Bernadette offers the care giver position for Mrs. Wolowitz to Penny since she is not working. Penny tries to do it; however, after trying it, she doesn't feel any amount of money is worth the job.

Sheldon is composing a letter to the university administration to get them to change their decision. Leonard wants to move in with Penny. They could live in 4b  or 4A if Sheldon takes  Penny's apartment since they don't want to live with Sheldon. Sheldon wonders why Leonard is choosing his fiancée over him and gets even more frustrated.

Sheldon complains to Amy about all the changes. Amy suggests that it might be good for him to live alone or  –if that doesn't work– live with her, which gets Sheldon even more upset, and he storms out.

Leonard is making chili for the two of them since Penny's cooking skills are poor. Amy comes in looking for Sheldon and realizes she is interrupting their celebration of being engaged. Penny thinks they should have the wedding in 12 to 18 months after her brother gets out.

Sheldon goes to the comic book store and finds it with fire damage due to Stuart's accident with a hot plate. He tries to buy a comic book to help him out and can't, which further upsets him.

Penny and Leonard are watching television, and Leonard gets worried because Sheldon hasn't come home. He uses his cell phone to track him and finds out that he is at the train station. They leave to pick him up.

Raj and Howard are surveying the damage at the comic book store. Stuart is looking for a place to sleep but doesn't want to prevent Raj from having his sleepover with Emily. Howard then offers Stuart the caregiver position which really excites him. Howard tells him the downsides are humilation, verbal abuse, etc. and Stuart still asks him what the catch is.

Penny and Leonard find Sheldon at the train station where he plans to leave Pasadena. He tells them that all the changes happening are a wake-up call for him and he needs to go and figure out who he is and what he really wants. Leonard tries to get him to come home. Penny says that he is a grown man and can take care of himself. Peny feels that they should let him go.

At Howard's mother's place, Stuart loves his new job. He is being called "Stewie" and Stuart is calling her "Debbie". Even though the situation is weird, Stuart tells them to leaves, and they do so willingly.

At apartment 4A, Amy is on the phone with Sheldon. She said that he was happy and sounded good. Penny says that he is going to be fine. They both look at Amy who is next to Sheldon's empty spot. She yells at Leonard that he shouldn't have let him go and keeps hitting him with a pillow.

Critics
To be entered.

Trivia

 * For the first time, Melissa Rauch and Mayim Bialik have appeared in every episode of a season.
 * Stuart's Comic Book Store suffers fire damage after he has an accident with a hot plate.
 * Sheldon takes to the rails after too many changes occur in his life. As a contrast, he is sensitive of hobos on the train in "The Locomotive Manipulation" (S7E15).
 * Stuart begins a new job as Mrs. Wolowitz's caregiver.
 * Debbie may be a nickname instead of Mrs. Wolowitz's real first name.
 * When complaining to Stuart, Sheldon tells him that his girlfriend loves him so much that she wants him to move in. That's the first time love has ever been mentioned in the Shamy relationship and even more incredible that Sheldon saw it and acknowledged it.
 * Second episode where someone attacks Leonard for damaging Shamy. First was "The Pulled Groin Extrapolation".

Quotes

 * Leonard: You can move across the hall?
 * Sheldon: Move across the hall? And did you take a marijuana?

(Penny on the phone with her mom)
 * Penny: No. I'm not pregnant. Yeah, it is the first for our family.