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"The Love Spell Potential" is the twenty-third and penultimate episode of the sixth season of the American sitcom The Big Bang Theory. This episode first aired on Thursday, May 9, 2013.

Summary[]

A dating|date between Raj and Lucy takes both of them out of their comfort zones. After a trip to Las Vegas goes awry, the girls join in on a Dungeons & Dragons game, which causes Amy and Sheldon to re-evaluate their relationship.[1]

Extended Plot[]

Amy, Penny, and Bernadette hop into a cab as Penny shouts “Vegas here we come!” Bernadette adds, “No husbands, no boyfriends, no rules!" Amy then asks if they are going to get drunk and have a six way with the Blue Man Group. Penny says no, so Amy concludes that there must be some rules. “Fine. No husbands, no boyfriends, some rules!” Bernadette corrects herself. Amy thanks her and then yells “Vegas!” herself. The guys are having an "anything can happen" night playing Dungeons and Dragons without their women. Penny has a new bikini, Bernadette has a sexy tube top and a can of pepper spray, and Amy plans on throwing some of her old underwear on stage at the Garth Brooks concert, stating that nothing happened when she threw new underwear on stage last time.

While the girls head for the airport, the guys are at Leonard and Sheldon's preparing to play Dungeons and Dragons. Sheldon has a new set of dice, Leonard has a new inhaler in case things get too exciting, and Raj has a brand new playing piece. The girls are chanting “Vegas! Vegas! Vegas!” while the guys are similarly chanting “The Dungeon of Mofooskay-Heeko! The Dungeon of Mofooskay-Heeko! The Dungeon of Mofooskay-Heeko!”

Spell6

Lucy and Raj on a date.

Raj is “hanging with his bros” because Lucy is busy. Howard wonders how they talk to each other, and Raj tells him that they have a rule that if no one talks during a video chat for 3 minutes they can hang up. Sheldon is not comfortable with Howard as dungeon master. Leonard tells him that change is good. Sheldon got to like Zachary Quinto as Spock taking over for Leonard Nimoy. Sheldon gets upset that Leonard uses that one time occurrence every time he talks to him about change. Howard starts his game narration doing a Nicholas Cage impression. Sheldon then tells Leonard that Howard is a much better dungeon master than he is. Raj says that he appreciates the warning, but they are brave warriors and nothing short of death will stop then. He gets a text from Lucy that she is free, so his character commits suicide and Raj leaves, and then Raj's ghost haunts the characters and helps them on their journey.

Raj, who is drinking, tells Lucy that he is glad they could hang out. Lucy tells Raj that she was so nervous she put roll on antiperspirant all over her body though she may start perspiring through her head. She is still trying to do more things that scare her like telling her hair dresser that she doesn't like bangs. Raj likes her bangs and Lucy agrees then makes a horrified face. Raj asks what else she is working on and Lucy says that it is a tie between sending food back a restaurant and saying no to door-to-door magazine salesmen. They both admit how tough it is doing either of those. She now has a two-year subscription to "Guns and Ammo".

Spell16

Playing D&D Las Vegas style.

The D&D game continues with Howard doing sound effects that Sheldon thinks are better than Leonard's attempts. The door opens with Penny announcing “Guess who?” Howard is confused about why they're already back. It turns out that Amy had been taken out of line by a TSA agent for a pat down which Amy thought got a little “handsy” and Amy broke the TSA agent's nose with her elbow. Now, she is on the national “no-fly” list and they might have been followed back by a drone. Amy says she is sorry and that she feels like an idiot, but Penny tells her not to worry about it. “You lost money, you feel shame, and you got groped. That’s Vegas. You nailed it.” Amy says good night, and when Leonard suggests that they all join them, Sheldon asks him if he has a drug problem. Leonard replies that since Raj left, they could use some new players. They've never played D&D with girls before. Penny quips that no one ever has. Sheldon leaves it up to Howard, the dungeon master, who has Al Pacino telling them that the whole apartment is going to play.

Penny makes drinks which Sheldon objects to because they don't have alcohol during their Dungeons and Dragons game since it impairs their judgment. Penny claimed that she is serving a magic potion that makes her like him. Leonard asks for a double potion. While facing down a couple of ogres, Penny starts rolling the dice Vegas style. She kills the ogre and pleads that they play for money. Sheldon tells her that it's even better since she is getting experience points. Penny then asks for more potion to drink.

Having dinner together, Lucy says that her crab cakes taste a little funky. Raj pushes her to send back her crab cakes back and calls over the waiter. This act spooks her and she leaves to go to use the bathroom, saying to the waiter that it is not because the crab cakes taste funky. Raj tells the waiter that she is just shy and that she climbed out of the bathroom window the first time they went out. In the meantime, Lucy is repeating her escape and finds herself trapped in a fenced in area. Lucy calls Raj and tells him that she has a funny story.

Back in the apartment, everyone rolls the dice as if they are in Las Vegas. Amy rolls and then takes out the next ogre. She screams that this fun is better than Vegas, but Penny disagrees.

Raj finds Lucy trapped behind the fence. She says “Long time, no see.” Then she tells him that he pushed her too much making her send back her food. Raj wants her to tell him if he is upsetting her. Lucy asks how she can tell him if she can't even tell her hair dresser what she wants. Raj tells her that he likes her a lot. Lucy asks why and he says that the fact that she has more emotional problems than him make her very attractive. He says that he thinks she is wonderful and they kiss through the chain linked fence. Lucy then admits that she is sweating through her head.

Spell8

Sheldon and Amy talk about their intimacy issues.

Howard describes the dragon falling into a volcano and then emerging to attack. Sheldon insists that Howard do another impression so Howard does Christopher Walken. Amy rolls her dice and then kills the dragon. Bernadette tells Howard what a great dungeon master he is. Howard tells Bernadette about their "after game" quest at home, Sheldon remarks to them to count him in. Amy explains that they mean sex, so he declines. Penny then suggests that since they won't be doing it anytime soon, Sheldon and Amy's game pieces should "do it" in the game. Both Sheldon and Amy are visibly uncomfortable with this topic, but Bernadette and Howard continue to make an annoying cooing noise, and Bernadette casts a love spell on Sheldon and Amy. Howard describes Amy as half-orc with four hairy breasts, while Sheldon looks like Sheldon because apparently she is into that. Howard asks what Amy is going to do. She gets upset, leaves and goes onto Sheldon's bedroom. The room is stone silent, everyone realizing that all of them, especially Howard, might have gone too far. Sheldon angrily complains that this is why girls don't play Dungeons and Dragons.

Kiss13

Raj and Lucy's first kiss.

Sheldon joins her in his bedroom since everyone else sent him in. Amy explains to him that their friends think that their relationship is a joke. Sheldon doesn't think that way and tells her a real joke. Amy asks Sheldon if they are ever going to have an intimate relationship. Sheldon replies he never thought about intimacy with anyone before he met Amy. Amy asks how he feels about it now. Sheldon does not rule it out. Amy quips that he is talking dirty to her. He continues that he knows it doesn't seem that way to her, but he feels that their relationship is very intimate. Amy says that she knows that, but part of her wants more. Sheldon asks “More?” and explains that after three years, they are now in bed together though they are just sitting on it with their feet on the floor. Amy has a little laugh and then suggests that they return to their friends. Sheldon tells her to wait and then gets some dice so that they can finish the spell that was put on their D&D characters. He tells her that as their friends pillage the dragon corpse, he takes her to a secluded area and removes her armor. Then they kiss on the lips and Amy removes his armor. Sheldon then erotically caresses her nose which causes Amy to tell him to keep rolling the dice.

Leonard and Penny try to apologize to them and Amy sends them away. They hear Amy saying that Sheldon nibbles "my...fourteen. Yes!!"

Credits[]

Critics[]

  • The TV Critic: "A lovely episode which managed to address character dynamics in believable fashion while throwing us the usual geeky entertainment with style."[2]
  • The DR Club gave this episode an A.[3]
  • IGN gave this episode 9.4/10.[4]
  • The A.V. Club gave this episode an A-.[5]
  • IMDb user reviews

Notes[]

  • Title Reference: The title refers to the love spell put upon Sheldon and Amy's characters in their Dungeons and Dragons game and what it might result in.
  • Chuck Lorre's vanity card.
  • This episode was watched by 16.30 million people with a rating of 4.9 (adults 18–49).[6]
  • Total viewers including DVR users 21.04 million.
  • This episode aired in Canada on May 9, 2013, with 3.117 million viewers and a weekly ranking of #1.[7]
  • Episode transcript [1]

Costume Quotes[]

  • Sheldon wears his blue DNA t-shirt.

Trivia[]

Dungeons and Dragons Players handbook

Dungeons and Dragons.

  • Beginning with this episode, Mayim Bialik (Amy) appears in every episode of the series without any future absences.
  • One of the goals of this episode was to give Simon Helberg a chance to utilize his skill at impressions.
  • The girls eventually take their trip to Vegas in "The Focus Attenuation" (S8E5).
  • Both the guys and the girls have an "Anything Can Happen" night. On the original Mickey Mouse Club, Wednesday was "Anything Can Happen" Day. Wednesday was also "Anything Can Happen" Day on the 1989–1996 MMC Disney Channel revival.
  • Previously, the guys, excluding Sheldon, went to Las Vegas in "The Vegas Renormalization". Howard and Bernadette also went to Vegas in "The Spoiler Alert Segmentation". Leonard and Penny of to Vegas to get married. Penny also married Zack accidentally in Vegas.
  • Sheldon says that they don't drink alcohol during D&D as it impairs their judgment; however, in The Santa Simulation, Raj had been drinking alcohol so he could talk to Penny. He then stormed into a booby-trapped ammunition room and died immediately in the game, proving Sheldon correct.
  • Third time Dungeons & Dragons|D&D is played in the series, the first being in "The Wiggly Finger Catalyst" (S5E20) and the second in "The Santa Simulation" (S6E11).
    • Every time the guys played D&D, a different person was the Dungeon Master; first it was Sheldon, then it was Leonard. This time, it's Howard.
    • Thus, only Raj has not served as the Dungeon Master and never does. Interestingly, for all the previous three times he exits the game early for different reasons - but all have something to do with women.
    • The guys use the following Editions of Dungeons & Dragons#Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition|4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons products: Dungeon Master's Screen, double-sided dungeon map, and Player's Handbook: Arcane, Divine, and Martial Heroes (Roleplaying Game Core Rules). Sheldon buys a brand new orange seven-piece set of polyhedral dice. 
  • Howard appears to be good at celebrity impersonations as shown in this episode. During the game, he does impressions of Nicholas Cage, Al Pacino, Christopher Walken, and Raj. This talent was part of Simon Helberg's comedy act.
  • When Howard impersonates Al Pacino, his "you're playing D&D" is a riff on Pacino's line in the 1979 film ...And Justice For All ("You're out of order! You're out of order! The whole trial is out of order!").
  • In "The Recombination Hypothesis", Sheldon voiced his disdain for Zachary Quinto as Spock, "Oh, no! They sent the wrong Spock! Live long and suck it, Zachary Quinto." Yet, in this episode, Leonard reveals, "You [Sheldon] were worried about Zachary Quinto being the new Spock, but you ended up liking him." Then again, Sheldon may just like Leonard Nimoy's Spock more and was just unhappy when Zachary Quinto's Spock was sent instead.
  • Sheldon mentions to Amy that there is a possibility that they might get intimate some day. In "The Cooper/Kripke Inversion", he admitted the same thing to Leonard and Penny. In "The Opening Night Excitation", they finally are intimate and have coitus in December 2015.
  • In the NCIS episode "Parental Guidance Suggested," which aired on October 28, 2014, this episode was being shown on the television in the hotel room raided by NCIS agents Tony DiNozzo and Ellie Bishop. It's likely that this was the NCIS producers' tip of the hat to their show being part of the plot of "The Hesitation Ramification."

Quotes[]

Leonard: I push my shoulder against the secret door to see if it gives way.
Howard: Uh, it does. (Creaking sound)
Sheldon: He does sound effects, too!
Leonard: Hey, I always did sound effects. A-A swarm of bloodthirsty bats fly through the dungeon. (Clicking sounds) Uh, uh, they attack a nearby unicorn. (Strange howl)
Sheldon: Okay, well, I have a sound effect for those sound effects. (Blows raspberry)
Penny: Guess who?
Howard: What are you doing back?
'Bernadette: That’s an excellent question. Amy?
Amy: Uh, well, when we were going through security, I got pulled out of line for a pat-down.
(Scene of Bernadette smiling crossly at Amy)
Amy: The, uh, TSA agent got a little handsy. I may have broken her nose with my elbow.
(Scene of Leonard and Sheldon looking shocked)
Bernadette: (she is very cross indeed at what Amy had said) Long story short, she’s on the No Fly List and we might have been followed here by a drone.
Amy: I’m sorry. I feel like such an idiot.
Penny: Oh, it’s not so bad. You lost money, you’re filled with shame and you got groped by a stranger. I mean, that’s Vegas, you nailed it.
Amy: You guys enjoy your evening. I’m gonna go before I ruin anybody else’s weekend.
Sheldon: Ah, that’s my girl.
Leonard: No, no, no, Amy, wait. I know it’s not the night you had in mind, but why don’t you guys stay and play with us? It’ll be fun.
Sheldon: It would? Fun? Okay, three weeks ago you bought crunchy peanut butter, now you want the girls to play D&D? Do you have a drug problem?
Leonard: What’s the big deal? Raj bailed, so we could use some extra players.
Sheldon: Well, I’ve just never played Dungeons & Dragons with girls before.
Penny: Oh, don’t worry, sweetie. No one has.
Leonard: So, what do you say?
Sheldon: I’ll leave it up to the dungeon master.
Howard: A satanic fungus that looks suspiciously like Al Pacino rises from the forest floor and says, (Al Pacino voice) You’re playing D&D. You’re playing D&D. This whole apartment is playing D&D.

(Scene of Amy sulking in Sheldon's bedroom)
Sheldon: (Knock..knock..knock) Amy? (Knock..knock..knock) Amy? (Knock..knock..knock) Amy?
Amy: What?
Sheldon: Never knocked on my own door before. That was a wild ride.
Amy: You don’t have to come in here and cheer me up.
Sheldon: Thank you. Would you go and tell everyone else that because they think otherwise?
Amy: I’ll tell you what they think. They think our relationship is a joke.
Sheldon: Well, I don’t think our relationship is a joke. I think a horse goes into a bar. Bartender says, “Why the long face?” That’s a joke. It’s a good one too, because a horse has a long face.
Amy: Sheldon. Are we ever going to have an intimate relationship?
Sheldon: Oh my. That’s an uncomfortable topic. Amy, before I met you I never had any interest in being intimate with anyone.
Amy: And now?
Sheldon: And now what?
Amy: Do you have any interest now?
Sheldon: I've not ruled it out.
Amy: Wow, talk dirty to me.
Sheldon: I know it doesn't seem like it to you, but for me, what we have is extremely intimate.
Amy: I guess I know that. It’s just a part of me wants more.
Sheldon: More? Just look at us. It’s only been three years. Here we are in bed together. (Sitting on it.)
Amy: (Amy laughs slightly.) Come on. Let’s go back out there.
Sheldon: No, hold on. My elfin magic user and your half-orc warrior did have a love spell cast on them. We wouldn't really be playing the game right if we didn't see that through.
Amy: OK.
Sheldon: I believe that we just killed the dragon and while the others pillage the corpse I lead you to a secluded area where I attempt to remove your leather armor. [Rolls dice] It comes off.
Amy: Oh?
Sheldon: What do you do?
Amy: I…kiss you on the lips?
Sheldon: I kiss you back on the...(Rolls dice)...lips as well. Your turn.
Amy: I remove your armor. What do you do?
Sheldon: I erotically caress your...(Rolls dice)...nose.
Amy: Keep rolling!

(The opening taxi scene of Bernadette, Penny and Amy entering the back seats with excitement)

Bernadette: Burbank Airport, please.
Penny: Vegas, here we come!
Bernadette: No husbands, no boyfriends, no rules!
Amy: No rules? We're not going to get drunk and have a six-way with the Blue Man Group, are we?
Penny: (snorts) No.
Amy: So there are some rules.
Bernadette: Fine. No husbands, no boyfriends, some rules.
Amy: Thank you. (Yells) Vegas!

(The opening scene of the men at the apartment)
Howard: The ladies are away, the boys will play.
Raj: Anything can happen.
Leonard: It’s gonna get crazy.
Sheldon: Dungeons & Dragons.

(The opening scene of the girls travelling in the taxi)
Penny: I got a brand-new bikini, so drinks at the pool are on these (refers to her breasts).
(Close-up of Bernadette)
Bernadette: (with a mad smile) I got a sexy new tube top that says come hither, and a can of pepper spray that says close enough, Jack.
(Close-up of Amy)
Amy: I got some old underwear I’m gonna throw on stage at the Garth Brooks concert.
Penny: (slightly confused) I’m sorry, why old?
Amy: ‘Cause last time I saw him, I threw new ones and it got me nothing.

Sheldon: I’ve got a brand-new seven piece set of polyhedral dice. Hello, new dice smell.
Leonard: I’ve got my helm of lordly might, my boots of speed, and if things get too exciting, my inhaler of asthma.
Raj: I got my new bloodthirsty savage warrior who will lay waste to all who stand before him. And I had a sensible salad for lunch, so I can eat all the pizza I want.
Howard: Come on, are we gonna sit around chatting like a bunch of teenage girls, or are we gonna play D&D like a bunch of teenage boys who are never gonna have sex with those teenage girls?

(The taxi clip in the opening of all three girls chanting)
Girls: Vegas! Vegas! Vegas!

(The last opening clip at the apartment of all four men chanting)
Boys: The Dungeon of Mofooskay-Heeko! The Dungeon of Mofooskay-Heeko! The Dungeon of Mofooskay-Heeko!
(Leonard breathes into his asthma inhaler)

Raj: Lucy?
Lucy: Hey. Long time no see.
Raj: You don’t know me very well, but each time you crawl out a bathroom window to escape my company, it chips away at my masculinity.
Lucy: I’m sorry.
Raj: Why would you leave like that?
Lucy: You were pushing me. I clearly didn’t want to send my food back, and you tried to make me do it anyway.
Raj: Okay, if I upset you, then why didn’t you just say something?
Lucy: Well, how can I tell you I’m upset if I can’t tell the woman at Supercuts that my forehead’s my best feature? It’s scary.
Raj: Yeah, well, I like you a lot, and that’s scary for me. Mostly because you’re a proven flight risk.
Lucy: How could you like me a lot?
Raj: Well, uh, for one thing, you have bigger emotional problems than I do, and I find that very attractive in a woman. I, I don’t know. I just, I think you’re wonderful.
Lucy: I’m sweating out of my head.

Penny: Okay, who wants a drink?
Sheldon: Yeah, we, now, Penny, we don’t consume alcohol during Dungeons & Dragons. It impairs our judgment.
Penny: Oh, this isn’t alcohol. It’s a magic potion that makes me like you.
Leonard: Double potion, please.
Howard: Okay, here we go. You find yourselves face-to-face with two hulking ogres. What are you doing in our dungeon? You shall die!
Sheldon: Okay, literal goose bumps. Look.
Howard: What do you do?
Leonard: I draw my broadsword.
Sheldon: I ready my quarter-staff.
Penny: I drink my potion.
Bernadette: I say we attack the big one.
Penny: You know what? Give me the dice, I want to roll.
Howard: The dungeon master’s supposed to roll.
Penny: Yeah, well I’m supposed to be in Vegas throwing up on a shrimp buffet. Now give it. All right, what do I need?
Howard: Uh, fifteen or higher.
Penny: Fifteen’s the point, the point is fifteen. Give the little lady some room, here it is, coming out. Sixteen! Yes! Oh, please tell me we’re playing for money.
Sheldon: Oh, even better than money. You gained experience points.
Penny: More potion, please.
Leonard: Yeah.

Bernadette: (she's excited and very cross) Come on, mama wants a pair of dead ogres.
Howard: Seventeen, the larger ogre is dead. The-the other ogre says, you killed my brother, now Ogre Thanksgiving is ruined.
Sheldon: That is amazing. He made me care about the ogre.
Leonard: All right, Amy, there’s one ogre left. Take him out.
Amy: Okay.
Penny: Pretend he’s that TSA agent. Come on.
Amy: Nineteen. Yes, this is turning out to be even better than Vegas.
Penny: No, it’s not.

Howard: The dragon falls from the sky, crashing into the volcano.
Sheldon: Yay!
Howard: But wait., he’s not dead. He crawls out, spreads his wings and prepares to attack.
Sheldon: Yeah, uh, wait. Doesn’t he say something first? You know, maybe in the voice of a beloved celebrity?
Howard: Fine. (Christopher Walken voice) You’d think, after all these years, I’d know not to fly over volcanoes. I’m a freaking idiot.
Sheldon: The dragon’s Christopher Walken. That’s perfect.
Leonard: All right, Amy, it’s your turn. We need one more hit. Finish him off.
Amy: Here we go. Fifteen?
Howard: It’s a hit. The dragon collapses to the ground.
Sheldon: Wait. Wait. And says?
Howard: Mother? Is that you? Your little boy is coming home.
Sheldon: Oh, I don’t know about you guys, but I have been through the emotional wringer tonight.
Bernadette: (being sweet to Howard) This may be the potion talking, but you are one fine-ass dungeon master.
Howard: Oh, yeah? Well, when we get home, I’m gonna take you on a whole different adventure.
Sheldon: Another quest by Wolowitz? Count me in.
Amy: Sheldon, they’re talking about sex.
Sheldon: Oh, then I’m out.
Penny: Ooh, I have an idea. Since it’s not happening any time soon, why don’t your character and your character do it in the game?
Bernadette: Ooh! (touches Howard's arm) Come on, back me up here.
Howard: Oh.
Together (Howard and Bernadette): Ooh!
(Scene of a disgusted Leonard and Penny. pan to the close up of Bernadette pointing to Shamy whilst speaking joyfully)
Bernadette: Okay, I cast a love spell on Sheldon and Amy.
Leonard: Ooh! Sorry, I thought you were gonna do that.
Howard: The love spell takes effect. When Sheldon looks at Amy, she is the most beautiful half-orc he’s ever seen, and he’s overcome with a desire to rip her armour off and gaze fondly at her four hairy breasts. When Amy sees Sheldon, he looks, well, just like Sheldon, ’cause apparently she’s into that. What do you do?
Amy: I don’t like this.
(Gets up off the couch and runs out of the room. Howard and Bernadette think to themselves. The sound of door slamming is played to a grumpy Leonard and an unhappy Penny. Sheldon looks worried)
Sheldon: You see what happens when you let girls play D&D?
(Howard doesn't have a thing to say at what Sheldon had said by this point)

(The ending shot of Leonard and Penny in the hallway by the door of Sheldon's bedroom)
Leonard: (knocks) Hey, you guys have been in there for a while. You doing okay?
Sheldon (off): We’re fine, thank you.
Penny: Okay, we just want to say, we feel really bad about…
Amy: (shouts off-screen) Go away! Sheldon is nibbling on my (sound of dice) 14! Yes!

Gallery[]

See also[]

References[]

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