The Gorilla Experiment (7 Dec. 2009)

Sheldon attempts to help Penny understand physics to impress Leonard, and Wolowitz becomes jealous when his new girlfriend takes an interest in Leonard's research.

Director:

Mark Cendrowski

Writers:

Chuck Lorre (creator), Bill Prady (creator),

Stars:

Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco

Cast

Episode cast overview:
Johnny Galecki	...	Leonard Hofstadter
Jim Parsons	...	Sheldon Cooper
Kaley Cuoco	...	Penny
Simon Helberg	...	Howard Wolowitz
Kunal Nayyar	...	Raj Koothrappali
Melissa Rauch	...	Bernadette Rostenkowski
Carol Ann Susi	...	Mrs. Wolowitz (voice)

Storyline

When Bernadette joins the guys and Penny for their usual Chinese take-out dinner, Bernadette, the microbiologist, becomes fascinated with Leonard's physics project. Both Howard and Penny become a little jealous of this new friendship. Howard sees what Leonard is doing as the way he himself tries to pick up women, and as such wants Leonard to uninvite Bernadette to view his upcoming experiment. Penny, on the other hand, wants to bond more with Leonard by learning "a little physics" from Sheldon, who agrees if only because he can treat it as a scientific experiment. When Sheldon wants go go through 2600 years of physics history, Penny may regret her choice of teacher.

---

Plot Keywords:

physics lecture | twitter | yelling | fig newton | catching pill in mouth

---

Genres:

Comedy

---

Details

Official Sites:

Channel 4 [gb]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 December 2009 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Stage 25, Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Chuck Lorre Productions, Warner Bros. Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

21 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The title refers to the project name that Sheldon calls his attempt at teaching Penny "a little physics".

---

Goofs

Sheldon said the phrase "the more, the merrier" is a false equivalency because more doesn't equal merry. However in The Big Bang Theory: The Codpiece Topology he used that phrase himself when Leonard mentioned Leslie Winkle is coming over.

---

Quotes

Howard Wolowitz: It's not enough you get the prom queen, you have to get the head of the decorating committee too?

---

Crazy Credits

CHUCK LORRE PRODUCTIONS, #270 Jillian had a urinary tract infection... again. That sentence appeared in my head a few days ago, just as you see it above. I have no idea what it means, other than the obvious, and I don't know anyone named Jillian. Regardless, I thought it'd be interesting to begin a vanity card with it and just see where it goes. Jillian had a urinary tract infection... again. Her doctor liked to abbreviate the condition to UTI. She liked to abbreviate it to TMH - Too Much Humping. Regardless, the road back to vaginal happiness was always the same: cranberry juice and abstinence. Thankfully, her boyfriend, Dudley, was always very understanding. He'd just smile, hold her in his arms and say, "Well, babe, when one door closes, another one opens up." She'd always giggle and blush when he'd say that, but deep down she wished she had the courage to cover his mouth and nose with a chloroform-soaked rag, and then, while he was unconscious, snip off his testicles with the little scissors she uses to groom her schnauzer. All of which explains why the next sentence popped into my head recently. Nobody sang Bee Gees songs on karaoke night like Dudley.

---

Connections

Features Mario Kart Wii (2008)

User Reviews

"The Gorilla Experiment" was another wall-to-wall funny episode of "The Big Bang Theory"

In this episode of last season's "The Big Bang Theory": Howard introduces Bernadette to the rest of the gang as they are having their usual Chinese takeout dinner. Bernadette is sociable enough to talk shoes with Penny ("Mom was right. There is a Hell", says Sheldon), and be interested in Leonard's experiments to Howard's consternation since he wants her all to himself. Penny, hearing how interested Bernadette gets when Leonard talks about his latest assignment, gets jealous herself and, in a plot straight from "Pygmalion", asks Sheldon to teach her physics. After initially rejecting, Sheldon obliges and goes overboard enough that even Henry Higgins would surely object...This was another hilarious episode of "The Big Bang Theory" and the addition of Melissa Rauch as Bernadette adds immensely to the cast chemistry here. And her sweetness seems the perfect match to Howard's occasional arrogance concerning the way he describes their relationship. Especially loved the way he tries to intimidate Leonard here. And how perfect was it to see Penny and Sheldon lock horns again? So on that note, "The Gorilla Experiment" was another excellent ep of "The Big Bang Theory".