- Sheldon and Amy try to eliminate stress from wedding planning by applying math to the process. Raj and Howard come to blows when Raj begins to feel like Howard hurts his confidence.
- Raj blows yet another job interview, this one at a planetarium. Raj's father believes that Raj's lack of confidence is primarily due to his friendship with Howard, who is always making fun of him, which Howard would probably say is his way of being friends. A comment Howard makes after Dr. Koothrappali's talk with Raj makes Raj believe that his father may be right. So Raj decides what's best for him to move on productively with life is to take a break from Howard. The questions then become if a Howardless life will make any difference in Raj's confidence, and if Howard can do anything to make Raj change his mind. Leonard sees some similarities in the way that Penny treats him. Will that make Penny treat Leonard any differently? Meanwhile, Sheldon and Amy have decided to use the mathematical approach of decision theory to help plan their wedding, the science alone which makes it fun for Sheldon. However, science alone can't overcome some of the differences Sheldon and Amy have in what they envision their wedding to be. They'll have to figure out a way to overcome their impasse.—Huggo
- At girls' night at Amy's apartment, Amy and Penny agree that it is nice to be at home doing nothing. While Skyping, Bernadette claims that it's not any different than her other thirty days of bed rest. Raj shows up and He has a job interview at the Griffith planetarium since they are looking for an astrophysicist. Amy says that he needs to pick something that he feels confident in. Raj retorts that he left his magic clothes at home. They don't like either of his outfits and Raj doubts that he is even going to get the job. He was very confident when he got here from India. Howard comes onto the computer screen and makes some cracks about Raj being at girls' night.
At the cafeteria, the guys are discussing the Shamy wedding plans. They are using mathematical decision theory to assign random tasks to each other. Raj shows up in a dark suit ready for his afternoon interview. Howard tells him that if it doesn't work out he can always be a Mormon missionary. Leonard is sure that he will get the job. Raj wishes that Howard would be a little more supportive. Howard then cracks that if he was, Raj could bury him at the funeral home he directs.
Later in his office Raj calls his father. His interview wasn't great. When they asked about his greatest weakness, he talked on that point for 45 minutes. His father Dr. V. M. Koothrappali (Brian George) blames Raj's problems on his friends and Howard who is always making fun of him. His father was in a bad relationship where he always felt bad about himself. Raj's mother. He suggests to Raj that to feel good, he should replace Howard with a pretty 22 year old grad student, which will increase his confidence.
Amy and Sheldon are choosing wedding tasks on an on-line slot machine. Amy gets invitations. Yes! Sheldon suggests holographic invitations projected out of R2D2. Amy wants English calligraphy on Egyptian papyrus. Sheldon gets a ring bearer and wants R2D2.
Raj is talking about his interview with Leonard and Penny. He got so nervous that he just kept apologizing. Penny suggests a therapist, but Leonard shoots down Raj's suggestion of his mother Beverly. Raj mentions his father's comments about Howard and Leonard then agrees. Penny disagrees and says that's just what friends do.
The Shamy wedding planners have Amy arriving in a Little House on the Prairie covered wagon met by an honor guard of Star Wars Star Wars storm troopers. Amy wonders about the space Nazis so Sheldon suggests she arrive in Luke Skywalker's land speeder. Sheldon then wants to exchange ushers for the first dance which he eliminates. Amy then changes the confetti to releasing butterflies. Airborne worms? No! Then they start to make suggestions that they know the other won't like. Toasts in Latin. Vows in Klingon. The flower girl becomes a dog.
Howard enters Raj's office so they can go to lunch. Raj declines and Howard makes a chubby joke. Raj exclaims that that is the problem, that Howard is always making jokes at his expense. Raj is tired of 15 years of ridicule. He thinks that they need to take a break from each other.
At the cafeteria, Sheldon keeps coming up with wedding plans that Amy will hate. He wants everyone to get rings and for them to get the ring that rules them all like in "The Lord of the Rings". Raj won't accept Howard's apology after years of emotional abuse.
Sheldon comes home to tell Amy that he has decided on an asbestos centerpiece. Amy claims that they were going to end up with a wedding that neither of them will enjoy so she proposes that they just go down to City Hall and get married. Sheldon agrees and surprises her by suggesting the next day. Then the next time they get intimate it will be an official requirement of being married. Or Sheldon suggests the Beverly Hills city hall if she wants to make it a destination wedding.
Leonard comes out and is surprised when Penny compliments him. After being mean to him Penny is trying to be nice to him. Raj joins them and has let his hair go natural instead of straightening it to blend in in America. He was in the mood to celebrate since he went back to the planetarium, was confident and charming, and got the job since the first applicant didn't work out. Leonard and Penny congratulated him.
Howard stops by the comic book store. The gang isn't with him and the store is empty. He mentioned his falling out with Raj and how he thinks his making fun of him was ruining his confidence. Stuart says that he never blames others for his problems.
Sheldon and Amy get their marriage license and go to sit down to wait for the official. Sheldon can't believe how the year is ending strong since they were getting married AND the new Star Wars movie is coming out. They are called in. Amy says that she can't believe they will go in there as Dr. Cooper and Dr. Fowler and come out as a married couple, Dr. Cooper and Dr. Fowler. Sheldon changes his mind that he wants to have a first dance with his new wife. Amy reminds him that planning the wedding makes the two of them fight. Sheldon is so astonished that he found Amy (much like dark matter). It was such a discovery that he wants to tell the whole world whether it is in Latin, Klingon or smoke-signals. Sheldon wants to do it right. Amy agrees so they decide to plan a real wedding. Though they are all dressed up at City Hall, Sheldon does want to get a hazardous waste disposal permit. They go off hand in hand.
Raj is finishing his show at the planetarium with the gang in the audience. Penny admits that she has never seen science so interesting even though Leonard talks about science all the time. Amy talks Sheldon out of giving Raj constructive criticism. Leonard sees Howard hiding in the back. He was hiding out since he didn't know if he was welcomed. Leonard talks him into saying hello until he sees that Raj has a woman come up and asks him to have coffee with her. Raj says that it is too late for coffee. Penny walks in between them telling him to change it to decaf and off they go together.
Title reference: Howard eroding Raj's confidence.
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