Guitarist Amplification

Guitarist Amplification
Writers	Chuck Lorre (Story), Lee Aronsohn (Story), Bill Prady (Teleplay), Richard Rosenstock (Teleplay), Jim Reynolds (Teleplay)
Director	Mark Cendrowski
Starring	Kevin Sussman as Stuart
Air Date	9th November 2009
Vanity	Card #111
Guide	Episode #307
Quotes	Episode #307
Forums	Discuss Episode

Season 3, Episode 7 (0307)

Cornhusker Vortex . . . << Guitarist Amplification >> . . . Adhesive Duck Deficiency

Summary

Justin, an old boyfriend of Penny, will be staying with Penny for a few weeks. This creates an argument between Leonard and Penny, which Sheldon finds uncomfortable because it reminds him of his parents fighting.

Sheldon's attempts to mediate the situation, and as a result Justin stays in their apartment.

Episode Outline

Living room

• Leonard, Penny and Sheldon are playing Research Lab, when Leonard finds out that Penny has invited her friend Justin to stay with her for a while. They start arguing and Penny leaves.

Leonard's car

• Leonard contemplates the fight with Penny, while Sheldon desperately tries to change the topic.

Stairway

• The guys are in a hurry to go to the movies, when they meet Penny. Leonard tries to talk to her, but when he refuses to apologise, she storms off away.

Comic book store

• The guys have missed the start of the movie and are waiting for the next show. Leonard starts to discuss with Howard and Raj whether Penny had a right to invite Justin to stay with her or not. When Howard and Raj start fighting, Sheldon gets so upset that he leaves.

Cheesecake Factory

• Sheldon has lunch and tries to persuade Penny to apologise to Leonard, but she refuses.

Living room

• Sheldon asks Leonard to apologise to Penny. When Penny turns up, the two start fighting again and Sheldon runs away.

Raj's apartment

• Sheldon turns up when Raj is having an argument with his parents. He leaves again.

Leonard's car

• Penny and Leonard are looking for Sheldon, while arguing who's right.

Howard's front porch

• Sheldon rings the bell and listens to Howard and his mother shouting at each other. He leaves again before Howard opens the door.

Comic book store

• Sheldon made himself comfortable in a corner, reading comic books. Penny and Leonard try to convince him to come home.

Penny's bedroom

• Leonard and Penny have sorted out their issue.

Living room

• Justin is sleeping on the couch. Sheldon sits in his spot and contemplates the situation.

Resources

List of entries from this episode

David Saltzberg's science blog for this episode

Notes and Trivia

This episode was originally titled "The Wandering Troubador Catalyst".

Timeline

This episode ends on a Sunday evening (Penny said, her friend Justin would arrive on a Sunday). The episode starts at least three evenings earlier.

Title

"Guitarist" refers to Penny's ex-boyfriend, Justin. "Amplification" refers to the fact that Sheldon was (and is) emotionally traumatized by the sound of people shouting in an argument, something that apparently occurred frequently between his parents in his youth. It may also refer to his attempts to drown out loud arguments with equally loud sounds, such as grinding ice in a blender. In another sense, the amplification can be seen as referring to the fact that the arrival of the guitarist amplified feelings of jealousy and lack of confidence in Leonard, resulting in the fight between him and Penny.