The Solo Oscillation

"The Solo Oscillation" is the thirteenth episode of the eleventh season of the sitcom The Big Bang Theory. The episode aired on Thursday, January 11, 2018.

Summary
When Sheldon kicks Amy out to work solo, she and Leonard bond during a series of science experiments. Also, Bert the geologist replaces Wolowitz band Footprints on the Moon, and Sheldon finds Penny a surprising source of scientific inspiration.

Extended Plot
While the gang is having dinner in Leonard and Penny’s place, Raj walks in triumphant with copies of that day’s s. Leonard accuses him of slipping back into the. Raj tells them that the paper reviewed his show, though it was just in the column under things to do that weekend. Penny just makes a that she turns it into a. Amy adds that her and Howard’s project has been written up in a journal. Leonard and Bert are also making progress on their project. Sheldon gets defensive they ask what he was working on.

Returning to their apartment, Amy wants to know what is going on. Sheldon was upset that he was currently not working on anything. Amy suggests that he take time and try to refocus and find something that excites him. He replies that he doesn’t know what he would do without him, and then he kicks her out of the apartment.

Amy enters 4A asking off she could hang out since Sheldon wants some alone time to work. She is offer to watch with them, but first she has to medicate her  which disgusts them.

Howard and Raj are getting ready to have band practice. They start playing “Sherlock Around the Clock”, when Bernadette calls down and tells them to keep the noise down. Starting to play quieter, they still wake up Halley and Howard is told to go get some s by his wife. He still motions to Raj that he thought they were rocking.

Sheldon is getting organized to work when the rings greatly disturbing him. It’s his mother who wants him to guess who she met at the festival. Sheldon complains that he is busy, she retorts as to why he answered the phone. Sheldon tries to start working at his with no results so he calls his mother back. She tells him who she met and he thinks about his work for a minute and then calls her back starts to discuss the gentleman she met.

The next day Raj is having lunch with Leonard who had fun with Amy when he found out that she was also a champ. They tried to stump each other until Penny when to bed at only nine o’clock. Howard shows up and Raj asks him about band practice. He is awfully busy taking Halley over to Bernadette’s folks. Raj is thinking about canceling the bar mitzvah gig. Howard doesn’t want to break up the band, but he thinks Raj should find someone else. Raj jumps up quickly to go ask Bert who plays the.

Penny returns home and find Amy and Leonard reenacting a experiment they both did in the ninth grade. Penny remembers getting included in a science project by showing Jenny Runyon how to flirt with guys. Penny got an A and Jenny got pregnant. Next they decide to build a like they did in the seventh grade. Penny quips that she didn’t think they could top last night’s, but they did with math. Amy wonders if they should watch that show she likes where people who want to buy a house, then do that. Instead, Penny goes to get dinner.

Sheldon is excited about completing some equations so he calls his mother and tells her that the odds of him running into Mr. Watkins was one in eighteen million. Mary has bad news that he passed away this morning and wonders out loud what the odds of that are. Sheldon goes to figure it out.

Penny returns with a and then hears how excited Leonard and Amy are constructing their wave she knocks on Sheldon’s door. “Sheldon”; knock...knock...knock. “Sheldon”; knock...knock…knock. “Sheldon”; knock...knock...knock. He finds her using his knock annoying. She claims to have brought him dinner, to find Sheldon is not really working since he is drawing and listing disasters. He wants to find a new approach to dark matter, but keeps getting interrupted. He asks Penny to sit down and not say anything. She starts mocking him in.

Raj and Bert and getting ready to practice at Raj’s apartment. Bert tells Raj about his song about the boulder that chases. Raj likes the idea and Bert plays his geology song. “Six tons of and some .”

Amy and Leonard have built a wave front out of sticks and want to predict its wave height. Amy feels is’ like being back in. She also asks Leonard whether being feels any different. No. It was the answer Amy was hoping for since she and Sheldon are in a real great place now. She doesn’t want to mess it up. Leonard reminds her that he did kick her out. Amy explains that his work is real important to him and she finds that really sexy. That and…Leonard doesn’t want to know as he sets off the Popsicle sticks. It’s Sheldon’s.

Sheldon is describing to Penny is next dark matter approach which he finds too pedestrian. Amy agrees and the wonders about the cheese in the pizza crust. Penny then tries to get him to think about what excited him about. Penny describe it as a rebound science that which he goes after to make himself still feel pretty. Sheldon still has not forgotten the wonder and simplicity of string theory. He begins to describe it to Penny who tries to understand it.

Back in Bernadette’s bed, she can’t sleep because Howard who without his band is trying to write an. Bernadette thought his time was going to be spent helping her with the new baby. Howard starts to play the opening song as Bernie looks at him like he is crazy. Next Howard finds out he get to go back with the band. Howard is amazed, but it was his wife’s idea.

Back in, Penny describes string theory like a guitar string that vibrates which he vibration is a different particle. Penny wonders if they just figured out string theory, but it was not just one night’s project scoffs Sheldon. Science has been working on it for which baffles Penny since it is only a string. String can be straight, in loops, get tied up in. Sheldon explains that there are no knots in more than ; unless one considers them as. Sheldon starts with a new idea which has a lot of possibilities. Penny quips that that only took her a minute.

Penny returns home and tells them that he stopped at Sheldon and helped him solve string theory. “What” asks Amy? She tells them that the answer is knots. Leonard mentions that there are no knots in more than four dimensions. Penny tells him that he should consider the knots as sheets and then tells them good night. Both Amy and Leonard what was happening.

Finally “Footprints on the Moon” are playing at Toby’s. Raj says that he will experience many obstacles in life. “Some that feel like boulders”, adds Bert. Cue his boulder song.

Credits

 * Guest starring:
 * Laurie Metcalf as Mary Cooper
 * Brian Posehn as Bert
 * Pamela Adlon as Halley (Voice Only)
 * Teleplay: Eric Kaplan, Maria Ferrari & Jeremy Howe
 * Story: Chuck Lorre, Steve Holland & Anthony Del Broccolo

Critics
To be entered.

Trivia

 * Amy thinks that Sheldon's dedication to his work and his butt are the sexiest points about him.
 * Penny actually gives Sheldon a new idea on how he can approach explaining string theory. "Knots".
 * This is the second episode after "The Spoiler Alert Segmentation" (S6E15) in which Bernadette doesn't wear her glasses at all.
 * Sheldon's mother Mary Cooper and Bert return.
 * For the first time Leonard and Amy bond over something, something that hasn't been seen during the past seasons after they had become good friends with each other.

Quotes
Sheldon: I'm trying to come up with a new approach to dark matter, but people keep distracting me. First, my mother kept answering the phone when I called, even though she knew I was busy. And now you show up with my favorite shape of food-- a circle made of triangles served in a square box.

Penny: [knock knock knock] Sheldon? [knock knock knock] Sheldon? [knock knock knock] Sheldon? Sheldon: [opens door] It's annoying when you do it.

\ Penny: [knock knock knock] Sheldon? [knock knock knock] Sheldon? [knock knock knock] Sheldon? Sheldon: [opens door] It's annoying when you do it.