The Griffin Equivalency

The Griffin Equivalency is the fourth episode of the second season of the CBS sitcom, The Big Bang Theory. This episode first aired on October 13, 2008.

Summary
Raj becomes so obnoxious after he is in People Magazine that no one will go to him to the People magazine reception except Penny who he thinks is his date.

Extended Plot
Raj is included in People magazine's "30 visionaries under 30 years to watch" list for his discovery of the trans-Neptunian object 2008 NQ17, sparking jealousy from his friends. Despite Leonard's comments that they need to be supportive, fame soon goes to Raj's head: he receives star treatment from Dr. Gablehauser (Mark Harelik), gets an assistant, and even invites Penny to People's reception. Being too obnoxious, none of the rest of the gang wanted to attend. Penny tells them "shame on you" for not supporting their friend.

After the party, a very intoxicated Raj returns home with Penny, and via webcam introduces her to his parents as his girlfriend. Penny tells them that they are not together, while Raj's parents insist that he find an Indian girl. After Raj leaves feeling sick from drinking too much, Penny respectfullly says goodbye and then adds that they would be lucky to have her as a daughter-in-law. . The following morning, a sober and shy Raj tries to apologize to Penny for his behavior. Although Raj tried to leave a written note, Penny ultimately forced him to utter a barely audible "Sorry", at which point she forgave him. Leonard sees Raj hugging Penny dressed in her robe the morning after her date with Raj and looks confused.

Quotes
Raj (Drunk, to Leonard): Look at that; I got a date with Penny! I can't believe it took you a whole year.

Gablehauser: (all in Raj's office when Dr. Gablehauser walks in) Hello, boys.

Raj: Dr. Gablehauser.

Gablehauser: Dr. Koothrappali.

Leonard: Dr. Gablehauser.

Gablehauser: Dr. Hofstadter.

Sheldon: Dr. Gablehauser.

Gablehauser: Dr. Cooper.

Howard: Dr. Gablehauser.

Gablehauser: Mr. Wolowitz.

Howard (On Sheldon's smile): Oh, crap, that's terrifying.

(Sheldon's smile makes him look like the Joker from Batman.)

Leonard: We're here to see Koothrappali, not kill Batman.

(Raj has been named one of People magazine's "30 Under 30 to Watch")

Howard: Do I get an honorable mention for designing the telescope camera mounting bracket you used?

Rajesh: Sorry; it's not part of my heart-warming and personal narrative, in which a humble boy from New Delhi overcame poverty and prejudice and journeyed to America to reach for the stars.

Howard: Poverty? Your father's a gynaecologist. He drives a Bentley.

Rajesh: It's a lease!

(Leonard, Sheldon and Howard are talking about getting a new friend after Raj has gone.)

Howard: Sheldon don't take this the wrong way, but you're insane.

Leonard: That may well be, but the fact is it couldn't kill us to meet some new people.

Sheldon: For the record, it could kill us to meet new people. They could be murders, the carriers of unusual pathogens. (To Howard) And I'm not insane. My mother had me tested. (Howard has a "WTF" look.)

Leonard: If we do get a new friend he should be a guy you can trust. A guy who has your back.

Howard: And he should have a lot of money and live in a cool place down by the beach where we could throw parties.

Sheldon: He should share our love of technology.

Howard: And he should know a lot of women.

Leonard: Let's see: money, women, technology. Okay, we're agreed. Our new friend is going to be... Iron Man.

(While Leonard is only Joking, Sheldon and Howard take it seriously and are fond of the idea.)

(Raj sees two men sitting at the table behind him. He talks to the guy with his back to Raj.)

Raj: Hey, buddy, I'm going to be in People magazine.

(The guy turns around and it is revealed to be Charlie Sheen.) 

Charlie Sheen: Yeah, call me when you're on the cover.

Critics
"The writers clearly aren’t interested in giving Raj (or Howard for that matter) a well established character that might steal focus from Sheldon and that is sad. It means we have to sit through bargain basement episodes like this one." - The TV Critic's Review

Chuck Lorre Productions, #221
We have once again arrived at a moment in history where the truth can be defined as "That which you can make other people believe." The methodology for creating that belief is repetition. Say something enough times, and it becomes, for millions of people, the truth. I am endowed like a stallion. That is why control of the media equals control of the populace. I am endowed like a stallion. And also why a state run television news channel is so very dangerous. I am endowed like a stallion. Now there are those who would argue this has already happened and that a certain cable news channel is actually a covert extension of our government. I am endowed like a stallion. The fact that the channel is run by a high-ranking party official, an anchor person from the channel became a White House spokesman, and another top-ranking party official became an on-air new commentator is often used to make this argument. I am endowed like a stallion. Of course, this fact would be entirely inconsequential if the oft-repeated falsehoods they attempt to imbed into the Zeitgeist were simply amusing, or, at worst, inane. I am endowed like a stallion. The heavy repetition of lies and smears for political gain are by no means inconsequential. I am endowed like a stallion. Which is why each and every one of us must use whatever resources we have at our disposal to disseminate the actual truth. I am endowed like a pony.

Trivia

 * Sheldon holds that hot-air dryers are less sanitary than paper towels by a long shot ("It would be more sanitary to have a plague-infested gibbon sneeze my hands dry").
 * Raj's planetary object, 2008-NQ17, is fictitious, though its designation implies that it was the 220th minor planet discovered during the first fifteen days of July 2008; although analysis of old photographs can result in late additions, considerably fewer than 220 discoveries have been made over that period and it is highly unlikely that number will ever be assigned.
 * When contemplating replacing Raj in their group of friends, the other three guys realize their ideal friend (someone they could trust, someone who always has their back, has money, live in a cool house by the beach for throwing parties, loves technology, and knows a lot of women), is Iron Man.
 * The sound when Raj's parents "Call" is the same sound as when you are being hailed in videogame Dead Rising 1 on the walkie-talkie, as well as being the default sound for outgoing Apple FaceTime calls.
 * Charlie Sheen was a guest star and at the time was also on Chuck Lorre's other production Two and A Half Men. He was fired from the show in March 2011.