The Misinterpretation Agitation

"The Misinterpretation Agitation" is the seventh episode of the eighth season of the sitcom The Big Bang Theory. The episode aired on Thursday, October 30, 2014.

Summary
A middle-aged client of Penny's becomes infatuated with her. When a local magazine recognizes Bernadette as one of California's 50 Most Beautiful Scientists, Amy is not amused.

Extended Plot
The girls are having with Penny and Amy mentions that she is working on finding how to produce  in one cell organisms. Bernadette tells them that she has been picked as one of the fifty  in  for a  article. Amy thinks the news is awful because Bernadette is a successful and should be celebrated for her achievements and not her looks. have enough problems that she should not have to flaunt her sexuality to get ahead. Penny disagrees since she does with her s to sell product. Now Bernadette feels bad; however, Penny tells her to do whatever makes her feel best. She cracks that if s highlighted scientists, she might have become a theoretical physicist. Amy and Bernadette share a knowing between each other and turned away from them, Penny tells them to stop ing at each other.

In the stairwell, Sheldon runs into a middle-aged man carrying s, Dr. Oliver Lorvis, that Sheldon mistakes as a. Sheldon has a great respect for the unsung heroes of. They allow him to limit his contact with other people by bringing him things. He is actually a who is delivering the flowers to a female   who was very flirty with him. He thinks he can impress her since he tracked her down on the and shows up to her door with flowers. Sheldon is surprised when he walks up to Penny’s door.

In the apartment Leonard tells him that is ready and offers to let Sheldon have his  since he didn't get extra for Sheldon. On the topic of sharing things that are his, Sheldon mentions the guy with flowers calling on Penny. Leonard approaches the doctor and as if he can help him. He wants to know if Penny lives there. They met in his on a sales call and he was hoping to initiate a. She winked at him and touched his  for two Mississippi's (i.e. a substitute for counting one second of time) Leonard explains that he must be mistaken since Leonard is  to Penny. The doctor didn't see her wearing an. The other guys exclaim "Really," as they are eating their dinner and watching Leonard's predicament. The doctor concludes that she was just trying to make a sale which Leonard reluctantly agrees with. The same thing happened to him with a girl at a  when he bought a $2000  habitat. She touched his arm for five Mississippi's. He gives the flowers to Leonard to give to Penny and calls Leonard a lucky man though he does take back the. He walks away looking sad so Sheldon invites him in for a hot. Leonard says that he tried to score with Penny. Sheldon snaps back that so have Howard and Raj and they are still having dinner with them.

Amy and Bernadette are at a having  discussing the day's events. Bernadette says that the magazine cancelled the article she was to be in which should make Amy happy. Amy says that it's probably for the best since they should be celebrating her achievements and not staring at her in a. Bernadette catches Amy staring at them. Amy then admits that she wrote an complaining about the article since they would not have written about male scientists exploiting her sexuality. She figures both the magazine and Bernadette are fine with the cancellation so everything worked out for the best. Bernadette is angry that Amy got and took away her chance to get some. Also she thinks that Amy doesn't want her to express her sexuality since no one would ask Amy to do it. Amy gets and leaves even though Bernadette tries to.

Sheldon gives the doctor his tea, who is impressed by the Star Trek. He mentions that he has one of the original series because  needed a. The doctor turns out to be a celebrity specialist. He carry around 's. James Cameron was so happy to get those out that he gave him a. He has been collecting since he was a kid, but didn't get serious until 's. Shatner gave him a or a, he's not sure which. The doctor offers to show them his collection. Originally he thought it would be a good way to meet, but that didn't work out. Then he wants to know how Leonard got a girl like Penny, since they are so much alike. Leonard says that he was just being himself; however, Sheldon describes it as implacably relentless. Penny shows up and is surprised to see the doctor. He admits to coming to see her. Leonard describes her flirting without her engagement ring on. Penny is embarrassed and upset since she is not supposed to see her clients after hours though the doctor is her biggest client. Leonard confronts Penny in the hallway who says that she does flirt to make sales. She also lets them think that she is a by not showing off her engagement ring which is on her other hand and in her. Penny wonders what he is doing in their apartment. Leonard explains that Sheldon invited him in. It made Leonard upset so Sheldon made him a hot beverage. Penny tells Leonard that he's a bit creepy. Leonard feels that he is harmless and a nice guy, but Penny still wants him to get rid of him since she can't with clients. The other guys are off to see this great collection and Leonard joins them.

The guys enter a room full of like-size movie, vintage quarter , and other assorted moving props including a large iguana habitat. Sheldon admits to being wrong and that does exist. The doctor welcomes them to his. His mother calls down to him that she is going to. Howard finds it odd that he is living with his mother though Raj just stares at him. Leonard finds his favorite video game,. Sheldon thinks it interesting that the game is about an oddly shaped man pursuing a blonde, women, but don't fret Leonard you got the girl. Sheldon tells the doctor that Leonard and Penny’s relationship is destined to fail. The doctor excuses himself.

Amy is entering the apartment building as the doctor grabs the closing behind her. She admires the flowers which he says are for a girl who is sending him mixed signals. Amy tells him that all anyone wants is to be to which the doctor agrees. Amy tells him that she hopes he gets it as she puts her on his. He starts counting: One Mississippi, two...

The guys are still in the doctor’s den playing a while wearing.

The doctor and Amy reach the fourth with Amy now holding the flowers. She says that she can't take the flowers. He says that they both want the same thing and that they had two wonderful Mississippi's. Amy wonders about the other girl. He goes over to Penny's apartment to tell her that they'll just be. Penny answers the door and the doctor says that he wants to be friends. He turns to Amy and asks if she is now while Penny realizes what is going on with Amy.

Back in the doctor’s den, Raj and Howard are staring at the iguana in the large habitat. Leonard wonders where the doctor went and then finds out that the door is. Sheldon thinks that the day keeps getting better.

Penny, Amy and the doctor are having tea with Penny. He explains that he left the guys so he and Penny could get to know each other better, but then he met Amy. Penny replies that what he is doing is a bit creepy. The same thing happened when he followed into the. Penny tells him that the just can't chase after every girl that is to him. He replies that that is not what Sheldon says and he knows his way around the ladies. Amy smiles to herself. Leonard calls Penny saying that they are locked in and Penny demands that they go over right now and the doctor let them out. Penny pushes him out the door as he starts counting the Mississippi's since she has touched him. They meet Bernadette who came to apologize to Amy. Amy tells her where they are going, while Dr. Lorvis tells Penny that she seems nice. Penny pushes him out the door.

All the guys are excitedly watching Leonard going for his in Donkey Kong. After they open the den door, Penny asks if Leonard is OK. He is having the game of his. The doctor apologizes for locking them in. Howard says that that was uncool, but never takes his eyes off the game. The guys cheer again. Penny wants to leave; however, Leonard doesn't want to stop playing his game. The doctor offers to show them ’s  and they agree to leave with him.

Critics

 * Kyle Fowle at the AV Club - "...tonight’s episode lends that theory some credence. “The Misinterpretation Agitation” is a funny, insightful, loose half hour of comedy. It’s the perfect distillation of this show...The central theme to this episode is female sexuality, specifically as it pertains to women in the workplace...The premise is a little tired, but the (surprise guest!) performance by Billy Bob Thornton as the sad urologist (to the stars) was pitch perfect. His awkwardness, his forward sexuality, his seductive wink; Thornton sold every bit of the character, to the point where he even freaked Sheldon out a little bit...What’s wonderful about this episode is how fast and loose it is, how every character–from the actions they take, to the lines they deliver–feel like the characters we’ve seen grow over the years." Rating: [A+].
 * Jesse Schedeen at IGN - "The good news is that the rest of the episode was pretty solid. In a way, you can't really blame the writers for getting so caught up on Thornton's character, as he's a pretty significant guest star even for a show as popular as this...(T)he guys took Lorvis under their wing. Sheldon offered him a hot beverage, there was talk of kidney stones and vas deferens, and before you knew it they were visiting Lorvis' extremely impressive basement of nerdy wonders...In the end, it all boiled down to Penny coming to terms with the danger of using sexuality for professional gain...It's tough not to feel that "The Misinterpretation Agitation" wasted some of its significant potential by downplaying the rift between Amy and Bernadette. There's too much lurking beneath the surface of their friendship for the writers not to take advantage sooner or later."
 * Dhruv Rao of The DR Club (A-): "The comedy here is The Big Bang Theory being itself in the best manner possible while completely redefining big comedy episodes in shows. The introduction of Penny's flirtation at work is a major plot development that could easily lead to intense episodes in the following weeks. It reminds me of How I Met Your Mother's classic episode "How I Met Everyone Else", when the characters narrated how they met each other in various comic tones. The comedy is classic HIMYM, but the rich character development made the episode a classic. Many episodes in the following seasons have alluded to that one, and that's what made it a fan-favorite. In the case of TBBT, there aren't as many allusions, so fan-favorites and classics are solely based on how much they advance the plot line while balancing the comedy element of the show."
 * IMDb user reviews

Trivia

 * This week will be the first episode back on Thursdays, due to CBS Thursday Night Football ending.
 * Even though this is the seventh episode to air of season eight, it is the eighth one to be taped.
 * This episode is not going to be a episode unless you consider the creepiness of the guest star.
 * Penny's suitor is a middle-aged Howard Wolowitz complete with living with his mother, collecting movie memorabilia, a creepy approach to women and thinking that every woman wants him. He counts how long a woman touches him "One-Mississippi, two Mississippi..." like Leonard did to Penny when she hugged him on the "The Monopolar Expedition". He also thinks that Sheldon knows his way around women which touched Amy. The doctor is a bit of all three of the guys.
 * Though it is not the first time, this episode aired only nine days after they filmed it.
 * The helmet that Sheldon wears during his game with Leonard is the helmet worn by in the  series. Leonard's helmet was taken off the  manikin dressed as Batman's arch enemy.
 * Amy ruining Bernadette's chance for the article is very similar to how Sheldon ruined Howard's chance for the giant laser team when he revealed Howard was the one who crashed the Mars rover to the FBI agent. Amy did it out of jealousy, while Sheldon was rambling on about Howard's inadequacies.
 * Also included in the props seen in the basement were Superman's costume, two different versions of Batman's costume, the gun from, a , a , Magneto's helmet, ' hat and whip, several framed comic books and posters, a model of a , Gort from The Day The Earth Stood Still, and several arcade games such as , , and.
 * Other characters in the basement include also a and a poster with  from 1956's film, the female robot from 1927's  and a Martian from
 * When Leonard was playing Donkey Kong, he had beaten the high score, as it was seen at the top that the high score was growing. His score was over 464,000 points.
 * Annie O'Donnell played Dr. Lorvis' mother as she also played Amy's Mother.

Quotes

 * Penny: You know, maybe if fashion magazines not female scientists in them I would have become a theoretical physicist. [Amy and Bernie smile at each other.] Stop smirking at each other.


 * Sheldon: Deliverymen are the unsung soldiers of American commerce. If It wasn't for people like you, people like me can limit their human contact.


 * Dr. Lorvis: So am I to presume that her flirtation was just a sales technique?
 * Leonard: I think so.
 * Dr. Lorvis: When will I learn? It’s just like the cute girl at eh pet store all over again.
 * Leonard: Excuse me?
 * Dr. Lorvis: Oh, uh. She touched my arm for five Mississippi’s and I bought a $2000 iguana habitat. Which she was always too busy to come over and see.


 * Bernadette: No one wants to see Neil deGrasse Tyson in a wet t-shirt bent over the hood of a Porsche.


 * Dr. Lorvis: Welcome to my Fortress of Solitude. This is where I get away from…all my other solitudes.


 * Leonard: Wow. Donkey Kong. This was my game when I was a kid.
 * Sheldon: Because it’s the story of a pretty blonde girl tirelessly pursued by a small, oddly shaped man?
 * Leonard: No, because I liked it.
 * Sheldon: Well, now, don’t get defensive. You're oddly-shaped, but you got the girl.


 * Penny: Doc, you got see that what you’re doing is a little creepy.
 * Dr. Lorvis: You sound just like Sigourney Weaver when I followed her into a restroom.
 * Penny: You can just go chasing after every girl that’s nice to you.
 * Dr. Lorvis: That’s not what Sheldon says. And he seems to know his way around the ladies. [Amy smiles.]


 * Penny: OK Leonard. Let’s go.
 * Leonard: Just hang on.
 * Dr. Lorvis: Well, while we wait would you like to see Tobey Maguire’s prostrate sonogram.
 * Amy: Sure.
 * Dr. Lorvis: Oh, spoiler alert. He was worried about nothing.


 * Dr. Lorvis: So I noticed that Leonard gets teased a lot about his relationship with Penny.
 * Sheldon: Yes, if you would like to join in. the premise is that their love seems unlikely and doomed to failure.
 * Dr. Lorvis: So, you think she’ll be single soon?
 * Sheldon: So, if you want to get in on the pool you’re too late. All the squares have been purchased.
 * Dr. Lorvis: Interesting. Excuse me. I have to take care of something.