The Comic Book Store Regeneration

"The Comic Book Store Regeneration" is the fourteenth episode of the eighth season of the sitcom The Big Bang Theory. The episode will air in February, 2015.

Summary
Amy is helping Barry Kripke and doing experiments on her friends. Stuart reopnes his comic book store, while Howard gets the news of the death of his mother.

Extended Plot
Barry Kripke joins Amy and Sheldon and thanks her for helping him with his paper on string theory. Sheldon wonders why Amy never offered to help him and she reminds him that he feels that

the only math biologists know is three frogs minus one frog equals two frogs.

SCENE A. Two takes. Howardette apartment. Howard, Bernadette.

Howard is on the phone with his mom. He says "Say hi to Aunt Gladys. I love you." He hangs up the phone. Bernadette asks how Mrs. Wolowitz is liking Florida. Howard says good. She is finally in a place where everyone complains about sweating. Howard says, "Can you believe she wants me to check in on Stuart?" Bernadette says she just wants you to be nice. Howard says he just wants things with his mom to get back on track. Why doesn't she care if someone checks in on me? Bernadette says that's why you have a wife.

SCENE B. Three takes. Laundry room. Sheldon, Penny.

Sheldon is taking laundry out. Penny enters and says hi. Sheldon answers with a nasty hello. Penny asks if he is okay. He proceeds to say, if I was okay, I would have said "Hello" (enthusiastic) instead of "Hello" (snarky). Penny asks what's wrong. Sheldon says he's mad at Amy. She helped Barry with a String Theory project. Penny says aren’t scientists interested in helping other scientists? Sheldon reples with "I left String Theory because it was a dead end and here she is helping Kripke advance his discovery". Penny says that it doesn't sound that bad. Sheldon says he is so mad he is going to crumple this dryer sheet. He throws the dryer sheet. There were several takes of this part. Sheldon says he's sorry she had to see that. Penny says I wish I had a camera. Penny says, "I thought you said there was nothing more important than the advancement of science?" Sheldon says, no there's nothing more important than MY advancement of science. Penny tells him he has to let it go. Sheldon says that's what people have been telling him his whole life—that his feelings don't matter. Penny says he should talk to Amy. Sheldon asks if that's the best advice she has. He says, what if someone told you what to do if life gives you lemons? Penny says, maybe you should shove them somewhere. Sheldon says, now we're getting creative.

SCENE C. Three takes, two pick ups. New Comic book store. Stuart, Leonard, Raj, Howard, Bernadette.

Leonard says the comic book store looks great. You should have burned it down months ago. Stuart says hey I told you guys I didn't burn it down. Leonard says of course you didn't, it would have been illegal (wink). Howard and Bernadette walk in. Bernadette says the place looks great. Stuart says he couldn't have done it without Howard's mom. Howard starts looking around and appreciates it and stops when he sees his mom's furniture in the back of the store. Howards asks if that's his mom's couches. Stuart says his mom gave them to him. Howard is extremely annoyed. It belongs back in the den at my mom's house. Howard asks why Stuart didn't take his clown art too. Stuart insults Howard's art and Howard goes on to insult Stuart about his art school education. Bernadette says it's getting too heated in here. Leonard says to Raj that they should leave and get food for the party, but Leonard is actually happy to get out of there. Leonard and Raj fist pump on the way out.

SCENE D. Two takes, one pick up. Apartment 4B. Penny, Sheldon.

Sheldon is pacing Penny's apartment still upset about Amy. Penny is folding laundry. He asks Penny is she is folding badly just to annoy him. She folds another piece of laundry poorly and he takes over. He asks Penny if he were to let it go, how would he do that? Penny says to try to think of something else, to which Sheldon says he will think about ants. He thinks about it and says an ant would never go behind my back. Penny says to think of a pen. Sheldon says okay and proceeds to grip his fist in midair and close his eyes. Penny says to just let it go. Sheldon says he can't because it has his initials on it. Sheldon says he has a better idea of a way to show him how to let it go. What if I told you that Amy has been giving you puzzles to compare you with the monkeys in the lab? Penny says, that's not true, she's never given me puzzles. Sheldon asks, are you sure? Penny stares blankly and thinks back. Flashback to three playbacks of Amy giving Penny puzzles, each one progressively worse than the last. Back to Penny, present day, saying "Son of a bitch!"

SCENE E. Two takes. Apartment 4B. Penny, Sheldon.

Sheldon asks Penny why she is mad at him when he should be mad at Amy. Sheldon says he was rooting for Penny. Penny asks why Amy would do this. Sheldon says Amy was already doing the experiment on monkeys, Sheldon says to try it on humans. Sheldon says to Amy, "let's make this interesting." Penny asks if they are betting on her. Sheldon says no, it was an experiment involving you. Sheldon tells her to imagine a pen, but not a special pen. Penny loses it and tries to push Sheldon out the door. Sheldon says, "I'm trying to show you how to let it go. I came in here upset with Amy and now I let it go." (Take 2: Sheldon says, hey I think I left my pen in there.) Penny shoves him out.

SCENE H. Two takes. Comic book store. Howard, Bernadette, Stuart.

Howard/Bernadette sitting on his mother's furniture. Bernadette says I understand why you're upset. Howard says I didn't marry you to be rational, I married you to support you no matter what. Bernadette says that's why I had to rewrite your vows.

SCENE K. Three takes. Apartment hallway. Amy, Penny, Sheldon.

Amy knocks on Sheldon's door. Before Sheldon answers, Penny comes out of her apartment. Penny says sarcastically, "Wow I opened my door. Maybe I should celebrate by throwing my feces around." Amy asks what is Penny talking about. Sheldon peeks out of his door and then shuts it. Amy tells Sheldon to open the door. Sheldon says he's naked and to give him a second. Penny says open the door now. Amy opens the door and she says "HEYYY" (appreciating the view). Penny is disgusted and tells him to pull his pants up. Then the door recloses. Amy says the experiment was for science. She does it on undergrads all the time. Amy offers her $5.00. Penny says she doesn’t want $5.00, she wants her dignity back. Amy says, "$10.00?"

SCENE L. One take. Comic book store. Penny, Leonard, Sheldon, Amy, Howard, Bernadette, Stuart, Raj.

Penny and Leonard sitting on Mrs. W's furniture. Leonard says I can't believe they would do that. Penny is stunned. Leonard figures out that Sheldon and Amy were doing experiments on both of them. Leonard says that last puzzle was really hard. Penny says, really? You couldn't figure that one out? Amy and Sheldon walk into the store and are approached by Lenny. Lenny asks them how dare they perform experiments on them. Sheldon says, "That sounds like us" while at the exact same time Amy says "I'm sorry."

While this encounter is going on, Howard excuses himself to take a call. They are all talking about how amazing the store looks. Then Howard comes out distraught. They ask what's wrong. Howard is in shock and tells everyone that his mother died. Bernadette immediately hugs him. The entire group goes over to Howard to console him. Howard said his mother went to sleep and never woke up. Sheldon says he has something to say and Leonard says not now. Sheldon says he thinks it could be comforting. Leonard again tells him to stop. Sheldon says, "When my father died, I didn't have any friends to help me through it. But you do." Penny says, I really thought he was going to say to let it go.

TAG SCENE. Two takes, one pick up. Apartment 4A. Stuart, Amy, Sheldon, Leonard, Penny, Raj.

The group is sitting around and Penny is pouring wine around and Raj is on the phone with Bernadette. Raj says they are getting a flight out tonight. Penny asks how Howard is doing. Raj says he's holding in there. Leonard asks Stuart how he is holding up. Stuart says he is okay but can't believe she's gone. She took me in—if not I would have been homeless. Amy says somebody would have taken you in. Stuart says I don't remember any offers. He says it all worked out for the best. She was a really sweet lady. Raj says he's going to miss her. Do you realize for the first three years of knowing her she thought I was the gardener? Penny says Mrs. W said she was so skinny and that she should eat. Amy said she was a good cook. Sheldon said he didn't like her yelling. Leonard says tonight I can yell at you if you want. Sheldon says no, it wouldn't be the same.

Leonard then toasts Mrs. W. "She was a great mom---to all of us."

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