Gothowitz Deviation

Gothowitz Deviation
Writers	Lee Aronsohn (Story), Richard Rosenstock (Story), Bill Prady (Teleplay), Maria Ferrari (Teleplay)
Director	Mark Cendrowski
Starring	Molly Morgan as Bethany, Sarah Buehler as Sarah, Andy Mackenzie as Skeeter
Air Date	5 October 2009
Vanity	Card #260
Guide	Episode #303
Quotes	Episode #303
Forums	Discuss Episode

Season 3, Episode 3 (0303)

Jiminy Conjecture . . . << Gothowitz Deviation >> . . . Pirate Solution

Summary

Howard and Raj visit a Goth nightclub to pick up women while Sheldon attempts to build a better Penny using chocolate-based behavior modification.

Episode Outline

I. kitchen, Monday morning

• Penny is making French toast but Sheldon points out that it's Oatmeal day. Leonard tells Sheldon to find a way to deal with Penny without constantly criticising her.

Titles and opening theme

II. Living room

• Leonard, Sheldon and Penny have dinner. Leonard is puzzled when Sheldon starts giving Penny chocolate.
• Howard and Raj turn up dressed as Goths because they want to go to a Goth club.

III. Goth club in Hollywood

• Raj and Howard start a chat with two Goth ladies, Sarah and Bethany.

IV. Living room

• Leonard, Sheldon and Penny are watching the anime Oshikuru: Demon Samurai. Penny goes into the hallway to take a phone call.
• Leonard tells Sheldon off for trying to attempt to change Penny's behaviour using chocolate as positive reinforcement.

V. Goth club in Hollywood

• Raj and Howard are chatting with Sarah and Bethany. Bethany suggests to go "somewhere else and have some fun".

VI. Tattoo parlour

• Bethany is getting a new tatoo, while Howard and Raj are watching.

VII. Living room

• Penny is still in the hallway on the phone with her friend. Sheldon and Leonard argue whether or not Penny's personality should be changed.

VIII. Tattoo parlour

• Howard's and Raj's pretence to be Goth is uncovered. The two women leave them.

IX. Living room

• Sheldon notices that sex works even better to modify behaviour.

X. Raj's car

• Raj and Howard create stories how their night could have ended.

Resources

List of entries from this episode

David Saltzberg's science blog about this episode

Notes, Commentary, and Trivia

From the casting call for this episode:

[BETH] 20s. This attractive, Goth woman meets up with Wolowitz (Simon Helberg) and Koothrappali (Kunal Nayyar) at a Goth club. Wolowitz has been following her updates on Twitter and decides that dressing like a vampire will attract women like Beth and her friend Sarah.…GUEST STAR

[SARAH] 20s. This attractive, Goth woman meets up with Wolowitz (Simon Helberg) and Koothrappali (Kunal Nayyar) at a Goth club after Wolowitz follows her friend Beth’s whereabouts on Twitter.…GUEST STAR

[SKEETER] 40s-50s. He is a tattoo artist who tries to give Wolowitz a tattoo.…CO-STAR

Note that the Twitter plot line was dropped and that "Beth" became "Bethany".

Timeline

This episode starts on a Monday morning and finishes with the events during an (presumably the same) evening.

Title

"Gothowitz" is a combination of "Goth" and Howard's last name. "Deviation" means a change from an established path, so this refers to Howard and Raj trying something new and going to a Goth club and also to Sheldon's attempt to alter Penny's behaviour with chocolates.