It's time! It's time! Wil Wheaton's first episode as the almighty Professor Proton is on! Sheldon can't wait to criticize Wil, without watching. Amy questions how Sheldon can comment on something he's never seen.
Sheldon makes a point - it's what the internet has turned into nowadays. People spewing their negativity all over content that may not actually be as bad as they think. Amy suggests that Sheldon could make more educated comments if he watched, and says she'll view it too. Sheldon tells her to find her own thing to complain about.
She's got one. Sitting directly in front of her face.
Sheldon gives in, and Amy takes a seat.
Despite his best efforts, Sheldon is smitten with Wil as Professor Proton, and the hovercraft he's going to teach him how to make. Even i'll admit, that sounds pretty cool. I'm going to see if I have any balloons and CDs. Be right back.
Meanwhile, Leonard's working on his book and enjoying some unsweetened scotch, like Hemingway once did. Purely for inspirational purposes.
He's living his best life. The novel is coming along well, with the hotshot physicist 'Logan Dean' arriving at a place called Cern. Sounds futuristic. Penny questions if Logan is based on him, to which Leonard admits is true - except, Logan is not lactose intolerant. Penny likes it, and Leonard says it largely has to do with a plot line involving cheese later on. She also asks if his secret weapon is a Swiss Army Knife, given Logan is in Switzerland. Leonard says no.
But he likes that idea WAY better. Penny's got some great ideas - actually, she's full of em!
Back at Amy and Sheldon's, it looks like Sheldon successfully built his DIY hovercraft:
I want to know which writer was tasked with Google'ing science experiments to inject into this episode, and found the DIY hovercraft. It's amazing. I must make one immediately.
Amy asks Sheldon if he regrets being so mean to Wil. Sheldon's only upset that Amy pointed out that he had felt that way. Wil tells an 'atom' joke (spoiler alert: they can't be trusted because they make up everything), and then there's a knock on Professor Proton's door. Sheldon's glued to his computer screen. It amazes me that such a brilliant mind can fall so easily in love with a children's show. Anyway, whoever could it be at the door? The suspense is killing Sheldon.
Well, well! If it isn't astronaut Howard Wolowitz!
That's a familiar face. Sheldon asks aloud why he wasn't invited to be on the show. Amy can think of a few reasons - the main ones being that Howard's an astronaut and that Sheldon created an online petition to fire Wil. When he questions why Howard never told him, Amy suggests that it could be because he was worried Sheldon would have a tantrum. Forget a village, it takes an Amy. Sheldon understands. Wow, the effect that Professor Proton has on him is staggering. No wonder he kept wanting to meet him in a forest in his dreams. It's like free therapy for the dude.
The guys are eating lunch in the cafeteria as Leonard is telling them about a part of his book where Logan Dean discovers gluino and murder!
The guys are enthralled. Raj is just wondering which of the Hemsworth brothers will play Logan Dean in the film. Leonard says the character is actually based on himself. Paul Giammati it is! Howard says Leonard should speak to Bernadette, as she's been binge watching detective shows. Raj chimes in that perhaps Logan could be like a detective on an old Indian show he watched who always yelled at 'Kitty' to shut up. I have to say, i'm intrigued. But as a cat owner, I feel bad for Kitty. I hope it wasn't really a kitty... just someone named 'Kitty'. Regardless, Kitty deserved a raise - and extra treats.
Sheldon arrives and immediately offers an apology to Howard. Everyone's in shock. Howard accepts it, without questioning what it's for. Although, knowing Sheldon, an explanation is on the horizon. He shares why he believes Howard didn't tell him about his Professor Proton appearance, and Howard wonders if a plot twist like this is in Leonard's book.
Nope. This takes the cake. Every bite of that heavenly cake. Sheldon asks Howard how he managed to get on the show, to which Howard says he'll have to apologize to Wil if he wants to be on. Sheldon solicits other suggestions.
Remember, like, a minute ago, when Sheldon felt the human emotion of remorse? No? Me neither.
Later, Leonard's getting Bernadette's opinion on his book.
She loves it, and has no idea who the murderer is. Leonard doesn't either. Oh good! Bernadette then asks if Penny will be upset that she's based on Ilsa, the Head of Institute. Leonard doesn't recall basing her, on her. Bernadette begs to differ, as she reads Ilsa's description - bold, confident, often rolls eyes at Logan.
Yup. Penny's Ilsa, alright. And it appears as if some other familiar faces are in this novel, too.
Hm.
Hmmm.
Huh. Stuart as 'janitor'. I'm suddenly feeling sorry for him, yet again. Long story short, every character in Leonard's book is based on someone in his life. That begs the question - who dun it?
While Leonard and Bernadette are working on the book, Howard is visiting Wil Wheaton.
Okay, he brought Sheldon to visit. After a long-winded apology (with some help from Howard, who too apologizes to Wil for bringing Sheldon), Wil accepts. He's also flattered that Sheldon is enjoying the show. Sheldon admits that being on Professor Proton has been a lifelong dream, to which Wil says he'll consider it; but first, he asks if Amy would like to be on the show to create greater female scientist representation.
Sheldon isn't sold. He then proceeds to ask if both him and Amy can appear together, to prove that female scientists can still land a man.
No comment. Howard's faces make this entire scene, though.
You'd think he'd be used to Sheldon by now. By the same token, you never know just what he'll say.
Back at Penny and Leonard's, Penny is excitedly reading Leonard's book! Just one thing - she has a totally different idea on who Ilsa is, given how mean she appears to be.
Yikes. That's a curve ball if i've ever seen one. Leonard's story's plot line thickens, as everyone points their finger at him - I mean, Logan. His alibi is Ilsa, who says he's not smart enough to pull off a murder like this one. BURNNNN.
OK, I can totally see Bernie as Ilsa. Perhaps Penny can be her understudy? We come out of the scene and Penny believes the resemblance between Ilsa and Bernadette is uncanny - especially the glasses. Except, in the book, Leonard hadn't written that she wears them. Until now.
Sheldon arrives home from his (un)pleasant visit with Wil and asks Amy if she'd like to be on TV. He then has to reassure her that she won't be speaking to a news channel about how surprised she is that Sheldon committed something. It's for Professor Proton! She's not interested. Sheldon keeps persisting, and asks why she won't do it. Amy says it's because she doesn't want to upset him, given this was his dream. Sheldon wonders what else Amy does to keep him happy.
This scene alone could totally be made into a documentary of the last several years of their life. Amy can think of one example, though. When she made him go to a duelling piano bar when he didn't want to. Sheldon can't recall that happening. Point proven.
Amy is the definition of sacrificial love. Someone give this lady a Presidential Medal of Freedom. She's on the same level as Ellen DeGeneres!
Amy and Bernadette are reading magazines in bed, where we learn that both of them are, indeed, keeping up with the Kardashians. I wonder if they think Kylie is pregnant? Bernadette shares that Leonard stopped by and showed her parts of his book - Penny asks what she thought. She quite enjoyed it; Penny is surprised, for reasons unbeknownst to Bernie. Bernadette reassures her pal that Leonard was definitely over-exaggerating about Penny's qualities.
On the contrary, as Penny believes Ilsa was based on Bernadette.
Bernie confirms that Leonard told her Ilsa was based on Penny. When Penny questioned him, he made a quick escape out of the room.
A man turning two women against one another is never a good thing. Especially these two women.
Sheldon, Howard and Raj are having lunch in the cafeteria when Sheldon says Amy told him she avoids doing things she knows will make him upset. This is hardly news to Howard and Raj, who say they do this on a daily basis. They tell Sheldon that they warned her that life would be like this.
Sheldon then says he's going to change.
He really will! He's going to do something completely unexpected tomorrow. Howard knows - he'll wear a hat backwards to prove his point. So unpredictable.
A Gryffindor hat, Raj adds. Sheldon's busted. He's still going to wear the hat, though.
Penny's reading more of Leonard's book, and is looking unamused.
We jump back into the plot, where it appears as if Logan has been shot. Ilsa saves the day by ripping the sleeve off of her shirt and tending to Logan's wound.
She asks if it hurts. Everything she does, hurts, he replies. It almost looks as if the two are about to have a moment when Penny returns back to present day as Leonard arrives home. She calls him out, and the only difference between Penny and Ilsa that he can surmise is that their names are different. Penny says she doesn't care, but does mention that Logan's lying about his height. 5'8" WHO?!
Amy and Sheldon are playing an intense game of chess. Sheldon makes a fatal move.
Amy's suspicious, and rightly so. She gets to the bottom of it - that Sheldon is trying to appear emotionally mature by letting her win. He reveals that those were indeed his motives, but he had to do something to speed up the game or it would take forever for Amy to win on her own. She storms off. Sheldon says he's trying to change, and that he genuinely thinks she could inspire future generations of girls with her brilliance.
For a moment, Sheldon really has changed. Until he reminds Amy of how bad at Chess she is. Like, really bad. Her Queen went shopping.
The feeling is gone, but never forgotten.
Leonard's video chatting with his mom, who questions why he's even writing a book. After she throws a few more shots his way, Leonard has an epiphany.
ILSA IS HIS MOTHER!
Leonard rushes her off the call and zooms over to Penny to share his revelation.
She's a little... grossed out.
Leonard's deep rooted mommy issues are out to play! Which makes him question even writing a book. His mother's influence on him is at an all-time high. Christine Baranski has that effect on people, though.
Finally, we get a glimpse of Amy's appearance of Professor Proton!
She nailed it. Sheldon's very proud of her, and Amy's proud of him; because she can tell he's trying hard to hold in his jealousy.
He's trying So. Hard.
The two hug it out, and Amy says she's going to bed. Sheldon announces he's going up to the roof to yell out that bottled up envy. Peace has been restored. Amen.
This episode had major storylines happening simultaneously that had no connection with one another. Leonard discovered that his mother is his evil lover in his novel which will undoubtedly make everyone around him further concerned for his wellbeing, while Sheldon worked on his ability to be happy for others. If we could go back in time and tell young Sheldon that eventually he'd be happy that his fiancé (we may have to explain to him that he actually found a fiancé a few times) got to be on his favourite show while he didn't and he was okay with it, he'd probably do his Sheldon-esque laugh in our faces. So, while Sheldon appears to remain a static character on the surface, he really is making progress. Slower than a turtle progress. Who knows, in ten years he could be teaching Sheldon Jr. how to say grace before a meal!
... Who am I kidding. Never.
Down below, let me know who you think the murderer is in Leonard's novel, which of the ladies on the show you believe best represents Ilsa, and if you want to see Sheldon appear on an episode of Professor Proton!
The next The Big Bang Theory episode won't be airing until March 1st, so i'll see you in a few weeks!
