Bath Item Gift Hypothesis
| Bath Item Gift Hypothesis | |
 Bath Item Gift Hypothesis | |
| Writers | Bill Prady (Story), Richard Rosenstock (Story), Stephen Engel (Teleplay), Eric Kaplan (Teleplay) |
|---|---|
| Director | Mark Cendrowski |
| Starring | Michael Trucco as David Underhill, Michael Hyatt as Charlotte |
| Air Date | 15 December 2008 |
| Vanity | Card #233 |
| Guide | Episode #211 |
| Quotes | Episode #211 |
| Forums | Discuss Episode |
| Season 2, Episode 11 (0211) |
|---|
| Vartabedian Conundrum . . . << Bath Item Gift Hypothesis >> . . . Killer Robot Instability |
|---|
Contents |
Summary
(Edited from Wikipedia:)
Penny informs Sheldon that she intends to give gifts to him and Leonard on Christmas which happens to be around the corner. After considerable debate with Penny, Sheldon agrees to also give a gift to Penny on Christmas. However, in the dilemma of presenting Penny with a correctly valued gift, Sheldon buys multiple basket sizes of the same bath item gifts, intending to gift the correct size according to Penny's gift and return the rest of the baskets for a full refund. At the same time, Leonard starts working with David Underhill (Michael Trucco) — the winner of the MacArthur Genius Grant — who starts dating Penny. Seeing Penny get interested in Science because of David, Leonard starts to get jealous and ends up confronting Penny about his feelings. Penny then informs Leonard of her breakup with David after she found naked pictures of his wife on his cellphone when he tried to snap naked pictures of Penny.
After Penny gets a little angry with Leonard for being so jealous about David Underhill, she eventually gives Leonard a kiss on the cheek and lays her head on his shoulder in a tender Christmas moment between the two of them. On Christmas Eve, Penny gives Sheldon a personally autographed napkin from Leonard Nimoy that he used to wipe his mouth, addressing Sheldon directly by his first name as a gift. After realizing the value of the gift and the DNA ("All I need is a healthy ovum and I can grow my own Leonard Nimoy!"), Sheldon excuses himself to get his gift for Penny. Penny then gives Leonard a gift certificate to motorcycle lessons — since it was the reason why Leonard hurt his leg — and Leonard gives Penny 101 Scientific Experiments for Kids — for her fake interest in Science while dating David. Sheldon returns to give Penny all the bath item baskets he bought for her. Since these were still not enough by Sheldon's standard, he proceeds to give Penny an awkward hug.
Episode Outline
- the boys argue about how Superman cleans his uniform
- David Underhill, a celebrity in the world of physics, drops by to ask if he can work with Leonard on a project
Theme song and titles
II. Sheldon and Leonard's living room
III. Stairway
IV. Bath Shop
VI. Sheldon and Leonard's living room
VIII. Sheldon and Leonard's living room
- Penny drops by to exchange gifts
Resources
List of entries from this episode
AV Club discussion of this episode
Timeline
The episode begins a week or two before Christmas, 2008. NOTE: Penny is still 22 part way through this episode, and her 23rd birthday has to be on or before the 22nd of December since she's a Sagittarius. The scene in Penny's apartment is at night, so it might be Christmas Eve. The gift exchange probably happens on Christmas morning.
Title
The title refers to Sheldon's attempt to match the size and value of the bath item basket he gives Penny to the value of the gift she gives him, in this quote:
Sheldon: Let's say for a moment that I accept the bath item gift hypothesis. I now lay the following conundrum at your feet: Which size?
Howard: This one! Let's go!
Sheldon: You put no thought into that.
Howard: I'm sorry. (exaggerated thinking) Er, eh, uh, THIS ONE! Let's go!
