The Athenaeum Allocation

"The Athenaeum Allocation" is the seventeenth episode of the eleventh season of the sitcom The Big Bang Theory. The episode aired on Thursday, March 8, 2018.

Summary
Leonard jumps through hoops to help secure the perfect venue for Sheldon and Amy. Also, Bernadette and Wolowitz have a hard time deciding who should stay at home with the kids and who should go back to work.

Extended Plot
Leonard, Penny and Raj with the Wolowitzes gushing over how big Halley was getting. Howard explains he found out that newborn baby boys can pee straight up. Raj offers to help out, but Howard and Bernie just want some family time before they head back to work. Amy and Sheldon join them and deliver their “” cards for Sheldon and Amy's Wedding}their wedding on May 12th. The card has s of both of their. Leonard mentions that they don’t have a location which peeves Amy. It took them nine months to pick a date!

Howard and Bernadette are cooing over their two exclaiming how cute they are and how much they love them. They both admit that they love the kids more than each other. Howard would take for the kids and get seriously  for Bernadette. At Amy’s, Sheldon is very happy with the date because the day is equal to the sum of the square of the factors of the. On the subject of the wedding venue, Amy suggests the {{w|Athenaeum Club at Caltech. It’s beautiful, close and Albert Einstein was a member. Sheldon says that the club is very exclusive and that Leonard has been trying to get them a membership for years. They were still offered a tour so they decide to check it out.

Howard is visiting with Raj and tells me how having the kids is super-rewarding and that it will be hard when they go back to work. Howard thinks that one of them should stay home with the kids and he wants it to be him. Bernie is really invested in her job, so Howard thinks that he is the best choice.

During their tour Sheldon wants to know if Einstein ever sat in the chairs. The guide replies that the {{w|furniture}} is fairly new, though Stephen Hawking comes regularly. Also she leaves them to talk it over and to check on the dimensions of the {{w|soup spoon}}s per Sheldon’s request. While Sheldon is describing the somberness of the {{w|portrait}}s, Amy spots Leonard and Penny. Amy is sure that this is going to ruin her day. Leonard admits that he lied to both Sheldon and Penny about how exclusive the {{w|club}} was. Then Barry Kripke shows up.

In Bernie’s kitchen, Howard wants to talk about one of them staying home with the kids. Bernadette snaps that she shouldn’t have to give up her {{w|job}} and everything she has worked for. Howard adds that he wants to stay at home with them. Then she snaps that he gets to stay home and {{w|bond}} with them while she is at work. She then admits that maybe she wants to stay at home while Howard still insists that he should. Climbing up the stairs, Sheldon can’t believe that Leonard lied to him. Amy retorts that they should book the club now, because they will have the rest of their lives to complain about Leonard. Sheldon then thinks that Amy is getting a head start on her {{w|wedding vow}}s. Amy calls up Kathleen at the club to reserve it for their wedding. Unfortunately someone already booked May 12th. Who?

Sheldon is now talking to Barry Kripke who booked it for his {{w|birthday party}}. He doesn’t want to move his party and he doesn’t want to help Sheldon. So Kripke doesn’t have a problem. Sheldon does.

Very early Howard shows up with the kids as Bernadette gets her first cup of {{w|coffee}}. They had been to the {{w|park}}, the {{w|farmer’s market}} and {{w|Chinatown}} while Bernadette was sleeping. She sees that Howard is just trying to show that he would do a better job and that he can’t keep up the pace. Howard tells her to take the day off and get a {{w|massage}} because of the sleep she has been getting.

Amy hopes that Kripke will change his mind. Sheldon doubts it since he used the “s” word. He called his work “subpar”. Sheldon suggest that they pick a different date. It took nine months for that decision. Amy would rather pick a different {{w|husband}}. Leonard knocks at the door and apologizes for lying to Sheldon. Sheldon doesn’t feel that Leonard means it and that he can only deal with one jerk at a time like Barry Kripke. Sheldon asks Leonard to leave before he gets mad and make an unkind remark about his {{w|face}}, his {{w|height}}, his personal {{w|hygiene}} or his {{w|science}} that though serviceable, it lacks {{w|panache}}. As leaving Leonard remarks that that is the nicest thing he ever said about his work.

Bernadette is visiting her office while Penny finds her there prior to their {{w|luncheon}} date. She didn’t seem happy to Penny and Bernie admits that she would rather stay home with the kids. A colleague stops by surprised that she was there and then offers to get her coffee. Another one calls her up with a {{w|question}} and then she tells him to {{w|email}} him the problem. Penny shakes her head as Bernadette loses her desire to stay home. The gent with the coffee also brings her one of the {{w|cookies}} she liked.

Leonard finds Kripke cleaning out some {{w|barrel}}s that had {{w|irradiated}} {{w|grease}} in them. He can no longer make {{w|grad students}} do the job as told to him by the head of {{w|human resources}}, in writing. Leonard asks him to give up the club for Amy and Sheldon because he is really a good guy. Am I? Then he wonders what it would take. Sheldon find Leonard cleaning out the barrels when he was looking for Kripke. Leonard admits that he is sorry for lying to him and that he wants his {{w|best friend}} to have the wedding of his dreams. Sheldon takes a deep breath and says, “On {{w|Mars}}?” All right then Amy’s wedding of her dreams. Sheldon and Leonard then decide that between the two of them, they could out smart Kripke. Unfortunately, they both end up scrubbing out the barrels.

Howard comes into the kitchen commenting on the long {{w|nap}} he had. Raj was watching the kids. Howard thanks him for covering for him. Raj complains about the sights and smells he had to deal with.

Leonard and Sheldon enter Amy’s apartment with the good news that they secured the club. Amy gets excited. Sheldon explains that he couldn’t have done it without Leonard. They were like {{w|Batman and Robin}}. Why does Leonard have to be Robin? Besides cleaning out the barrels, they have to invite Kripke, and his date, pay for his date and let him sing “{{w|Volare}}”. Leonard didn’t understand the name of the song. Amy doesn’t want him singing at their wedding. She suggests the {{w|Japanese garden}} or the {{w|planetarium}}. Sheldon loves the idea of the planetarium. Leonard objects that he scrubbed sludge for them and that he might be slightly {{w|radioactive. Sheldon dismisses his comments, but tells Amy to not let him get near the {{w|silverware.

Bernadette comes home and finds Raj on the {{w|couch. Howard admits that he might not have what it takes to be a stay at home Dad. Bernadette says that she misses her job and all the perks at work. They both admit that they miss their jobs and their sleep. They both took naps and are still tired. Howard tells her that both the kids are asleep so why don’t they head upstairs (giggle). Bernadette wants to stay where they are, so she clears off the kitchen table and…they both put their heads down and go to sleep.

Credits

 * Guest starring:
 * John Ross Bowie as Kripke
 * Rachna Khatau as Kathleen
 * Caleb Pierce as Jess
 * Teleplay: Dave Goetsch, Eric Kaplan & Maria Ferrari
 * Story: Steve Holland, Steven Molaro & Tara Hernandez

Critics
Caroline Preece at Den of Geek! - This week on the Shamy show, Amy has thought of the perfect place for the nuptials. The Athenaeum is close to work so Sheldon can use the bathroom he likes, it’s fancy enough that pictures of old, white dead guys adorn the walls, and rumour has it Albert Einstein was a member there...Kripke has already booked the Athenaeum for his birthday, and general hatred of Sheldon gives him no incentive to move the party elsewhere...Meanwhile, Howard and Bernadette are still proving that they’re the most evolved couple of the bunch, not only bypassing the usual takeout nights at Leonard and Penny’s for quality family time, but having a genuine debate over which one of them should potentially stay home with the kids long-term...After all that, however, Amy and Sheldon decide that the planetarium would be a better place to hold the wedding. To be honest I was wondering throughout the entire episode why they didn’t think of this first, mainly because the show already has the set. In any case, save the date - Shamy is becoming official. 

Trivia

 * Shamy is looking for a place to have their wedding. The date is May 12th.
 * Leonard joined the Athenaeum Club at Caltech and then lied to Sheldon that he got in so he could have a place to eat lunch away from Sheldon.
 * He also lied to Penny about membership being exclusive to impress her, which worked.
 * Barry Kripke is also revealed to be in the Athenaeum Club and his birthday is on May 12th.
 * Both Howard and Bernadette admit that it is too much for either of them to stay home and watch two children.
 * The Athenaeum Club is a dining facility at Caltech in Pasadena, CA - Website:.

Quotes

 * Sheldon: I said some pretty unprofessional things about his work. I may have even used the "S" word.
 * Amy: Subpar?
 * Sheldon: I'm not proud of it, Amy, but I have a temper.


 * Sheldon: Why did you lie to me?
 * Leonard: I don't know. It just seemed funny at first and then the longer it went on, funnier it got.


 * Howard: You know, fun fact, did you know baby boys can pee straight up?


 * Sheldon: You know, I'm really happy with our wedding date. The month squared equals the square of the sum of the members of the set of prime factors of the day. Isn't that romantic?
 * Amy: Yes, it's like that Shakespeare sonnet, "Shall I compare thee to a day that's also a really weird math problem."


 * Bernadette: When I went by the office they gave me coffee and cookies and no one peed on me. I miss that so much.