Hamburger Postulate
| The Hamburger Postulate | |
 The Hamburger Postulate | |
| Writers | Jennifer Glickman (Story), Dave Goetsch (Teleplay), Steven Molaro (Teleplay) |
|---|---|
| Director | Andrew D. Weyman |
| Starring | Sara Gilbert as Leslie Winkle |
| Air Date | 22 October 2007 |
| Vanity | Card #189 |
| Guide | Episode #105 |
| Quotes | Episode #105 |
| Forums | Discuss Episode |
| Season 1, Episode 5 (0105) |
|---|
| Luminous Fish Effect . . . << Hamburger Postulate >> . . . Middle-Earth Paradigm |
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Contents |
Summary
The guys are at the Cheesecake Factory where Penny works. While Sheldon has trouble deciding what to eat (wishing they had gone to Big Boy instead, where he would not have to settle for a burger that is like a Big Boy), Leonard runs into Leslie Winkle, who suggests Leonard joins her string quartet as their new cellist. Despite her previous statements that she was in no way attracted to Leonard, her real intentions are to get intimate with Leonard.
When Sheldon returns home to find a necktie on Leonard's door, he runs to Penny's apartment to ask her what the necktie means. Penny explains, seemingly slightly disappointed that Leonard has made acquaintance with another woman. Penny does later congratulate Leonard. Leonard tries to figure out what her words meant, but eventually gives up, deciding he should choose a real relationship with Leslie over an imagined one with Penny. However, when he arrives in the lab, Leslie makes it clear she used him just to satisfy her sex drive, saying she's 'Good till New Year's'. Leonard later tells Penny that things aren't going to work out with Leslie and him, and Penny tells him she's sorry but walks away with a smile on her face that Leonard does not see.
Episode Outline
- The boys recreate the Battle of Gettysburg using condiment bottles and salt shakers, during which Leslie Winkle drops by and asks Leonard if he'll join the Physics Department string quartet.
II. Stairway
- Leonard tries to use logic to figure out Penny's feelings for him and Sheldon isn't interested.
Titles and opening theme
III. Living room
- String quartet practice, after which Leslie seduces Leonard.
IV. Hallway
- Sheldon knocks on Penny's door and asks for help with semiotics.
V. Outside Leonard's bedroom
- Penny explains the necktie on the doorknob to Sheldon.
VI. Living room
- Penny asks who's in Leonard's bedroom with him. At that moment, we hear Leslie call Leonard a "magnificent beast." She can't help Sheldon know what the proper protocol is for handling this situation because, as she points out, she's usually "on the other side of the tie."
VII. The next morning, Leonard's bedroom
- Leonard wakes up, sees Leslie in bed next to him, smiles.
VIII. Living room
- Sheldon wakes up after having apparently slept on the couch all night, & notices that someone has changed something on his board, and panics. He calls Leonard, who doesn't know what happened, but notes that the change fixes the problem Sheldon has been having. Leslie saunters out and announces that she fixed his equations. She leaves as he sputters {"I have to go. When you think of an adjective, text me"}.
IX. Hallway
- Penny congratulates Leonard.
X. Stairway
- Leonard speculates about what Penny meant by what she said, and Sheldon still doesn't care.
XI. Lab
- Leonard discovers that Leslie only used him and isn't really interested in a relationship.
XII. Hallway outside the lab
- Howard and Raj congratulate Leonard and tell him that his exploits are all over the blogosphere (thanks to Howard).
XIII. Cheesecake Factory
- Sheldon decides that they will make this their regular Tuesday night haunt. Penny hears from Leonard that things aren't working out with Leslie and tells him she's sorry ... but smiles as she walks away from the table.
Resources
List of entries from this episode
TV.com's page for this episode
Timeline
The opening scene in the Cheesecake Factory seems to be taking place on a Tuesday, which would normally be "Big Boy" night. Leslie says that the string quartet practices on Tuesday nights, so that would suggest that the rehearsal and subsequent seduction happened that evening.
The tag scene, back in the Cheesecake Factory, seems to be happening on the following Tuesday, judging by Sheldon's comments about making it their regular Tuesday night restaurant and moving Soup Plantation to Thursday.
Just for fun, here's the "real world" calendar connection. Because the next episode takes place on October 21 and 27, we will place these two Tuesdays as October 9 and 16, 2007. However, the tag scene could be set in a different episode's timeline, but is connected to this episode's.
Title
The title refers to Sheldon's unwillingness to try one of the Cheesecake Factory hamburgers due to the fact that he only liked the hamburgers from Big Boy.
Postulate: Something assumed without proof as being self-evident or generally accepted, especially when used as a basis for an argument (Wiktionary). This may be an allusion to Leonard's trying to make assumptions about Penny's feelings for him.
Comments and Notes
Sheldon's inviolable schedule does change over time. Here he moves Big Boy to Thursday and adds a new restaurant, Cheesecake Factory, to the lineup (on Tuesday). However, in 0206, Sheldon tells the grad student who wants to buy him dinner that on Thursday nights he eats pizza from Giacomos. Further discrepencies creep in between episodes 0206 and 0216.
In future episodes, Sheldon discusses his Cheesecake Factory order, a barbecue bacon cheeseburger (0218); he expects it to be delivered with barbecue sauce, bacon, and cheese on the side (0207).
