Hot Troll Deviation

Hot Troll Deviation
Writers	Chuck Lorre (Story), Steven Molaro (Story), Adam Faberman (Story), Bill Prady (Teleplay), Lee Aronsohn (Teleplay), Maria Ferrari (Teleplay)
Director	Mark Cendrowski
Starring	George Takei as Himself, Katee Sackhoff as Herself, Melissa Rauch as Bernadette, Carol Ann Susi as Mrs. Wolowitz
Air Date	14 October 2010
Vanity	Card #300
Guide	Episode #404
Quotes	Episode #404

Season 4, Episode 4 (0404)

Zazzy Substitution . . . << Hot Troll Deviation >> . . . Desperation Emanation

Summary

An embarrassing secret of Wolowitz's comes to light, while Sheldon and Raj have a small war at work.

Episode Outline

I. Cheesecake Factory

• Raj and Sheldon are fighting about their work.
• When Bernadette turns up for her shift, Howard hides under the table.

Title and Opening Themes

II. Howard's bedroom

• Howard fantasises about Katee Sackhoff, but gets interrupted by his mother. Then Bernadette and George Takei appear in his fantasy.

III. Cafeteria

• Leonard tries to find out why Howard and Bernadette broke up.
• Raj and Sheldon fight about whether Raj can have a desk in Sheldon's office or not.

IV. Penny's apartment

• While cleaning her apartment, Penny hears Sheldon's characteristic knock.
• It is Howard who wants Penny's help to win back Bernadette.
• He admits that they broke up because he had online sex with a World of Warcraft character called Glissinda, the troll.

V. hallway in the Physics department

• Leonard tells Sheldon that Bernadette agreed to meet Howard, but Sheldon doesn't care.
• When entering his office, Sheldon finds out that Raj bought a "brobdingnagian" desk.
• Sheldon and Raj fight about removing Raj's desk.

VI. Cheesecake Factory

• Bernadette and Howard talk about their break up but get frequently interrupted by a eavesdropping Penny.

VII. hallway in the Physics department

• Howard tells Leonard that he will start going out again with Bernadette.
• Leonard reveals that Glissinda, the troll is in real life Steve Patterson who works in the Facility Management.
• They suddenly hear noise from Sheldon's office and upon entering see Sheldon and Raj fighting with toy guns.

VIII. Howard's car

• Howard and Bernadette return from their date.
• While kissing Bernadette, Howard imagines the voices of Katee Sackhoff and George Takei telling him what to do.

IX. hallway in the Physics department

• Smelling something strange, Leonard knocks on Sheldon's office door.
• Sheldon opens wearing a gas mask because he made hydrogen sulphide and ammonia gas.
• Raj tries to enlighten some cinnamon candles and the gas explodes.

Resources

List of entries from this episode

David Saltzberg's science blog about this episode

Interview with Katee Sackhoff about her upcoming appearance on TBT

NYPost's article about (and photo from) the epsiode

Notes and Trivia

Melissa Rauch appears in the opening credits for this episode as a series regular. According to someone who was at the taping of the show, "[i]t looks like Melissa is joining the cast as a regular - she's listed under "Starring" in the program, not as a guest like everyone else, and has a bio like the other main five."

Carol Ann Susi is not credited in the press release from CBS but does appear in this episode as Mrs Wolowitz.

Timeline

The episode begins on a Tuesday evening (mentioned by Penny). The next evening, Wednesday, Howard comes to Penny's apartment to ask about Bernadette. Sheldon discovers that Raj has moved a huge desk into the office on Thursday, and that evening Howard and Bernadette get together at the Cheesecake Factory (since the guys are at work the next day, this wouldn't be on Friday). Their subsequent date is probably on the weekend, and then the explosion in Sheldon't office is on Monday. Pegging this all to the real-world calendar, the episode begins on October 12 and ends on October 18, 2010.

Title

The title refers to Glissinda, the troll, whose encounter with Howard in the online game World of Warcraft lead to a temporary end of Howard's and Bernadette's relationship.