Zazzy Substitution

Zazzy Substitution
Writers	Chuck Lorre (Story), Bill Prady (Story), Jim Reynolds (Story), Lee Aronsohn (Teleplay), Steven Molaro (Teleplay), Maria Ferrari (Teleplay)
Director	Mark Cendrowski
Starring	Laurie Metcalf as Mary, Mayim Bialik as Amy Fowler
Air Date	7 October 2010
Vanity	Card #297
Guide	Episode #403
Quotes	Episode #403

Season 4, Episode 3 (0403)

Cruciferous Vegetable Amplification . . . << Zazzy Substitution >> . . . Hot Troll Deviation

Summary

The guys are concerned as Sheldon searches for an alternative to human companionship.

Episode Outline

I. Living room

• Sheldon and Amy play a game predicting events in an alternate world. When Leonard tries to join, he gets humiliated.

Title and Opening Themes

II. Cheesecake Factory

• Sheldon brings Amy to the dinner and she quickly manages to offend everyone.

III. Stairway

• Leonard points out to Sheldon that he finds Amy rather obnoxious and would prefer him not to bring her to their social evenings. Sheldon returns he had to endure Penny, so now Leonard would have to pay back.

IV. Penny's apartment

• Raj, Howard and Leonard hide in Penny's apartment to avoid "Shamy".

V. Cafeteria

• The guys have lunch, when Sheldon turns up with Amy.
• The two get into an argument about whose research was better and more important. When they fail to agree they decide to terminate their relationship.

VI. Laundry room

• Penny asks Sheldon how he feels about the "break up". He claims he was fine and announces he was going to buy a cat.

VII. Cafeteria

• Leonard is worried about Sheldon. Sheldon turns up carrying a cat.

VIII. Living room

• Leonard returns home to find Sheldon sitting in his spot surrounded by five cats.

IX. Living room

• Sheldon's mother turns up to help with the situation.

X. Sheldon's room

• Sheldon's mother is shocked to find Sheldon surrounded by 25 cats.

XI. Living room

• Sheldon enters to find that Sheldon's mother called Amy "to get to know her".
• Mrs. Cooper points out that Sheldon and Amy were not suited for each other which makes the two decide to resume their relationship.

XII. Park

• Sheldon and Amy are giving away the cats together with $20.

Resources

List of entries from this episode

David Saltzberg's science blog about this episode

Notes and Trivia

Continuity Error: According to "Fuzzy Boots Corollary" in season one, Sheldon can't be around cats because he's asthmatic. However, in this episode he seems just fine with twenty-five of the critters swarming all over him. Also, pets are not allowed under the Roommate Agreement. This was the least of Leonard's worries, however.

Originally as taped, Sheldon's comment in the laundry room that "There was a girl who was my friend, now she’s a girl who’s not my friend" induced Penny to sing that line as an exaggerated country song. This part was cut out of the episode as aired.

This episode was taped on August 24, 2010. However, the teaser for this episode was actually taped after taping concluded for "The Desperation Emanation" on September 14, 2010. Perhaps, after cutting Penny's crazy rendition of "There was a girl who was my friend, now she’s a girl who’s not my friend", they needed a bit more to fill out this episode.

Timeline

Still to come

Title

"Zazzles" is the name Sheldon chose for the cat he held in his lap most often, because that cat had a quality he called "zazzy." He was using cats, and probably Zazzles in particular, as a substitute for his friendship with Amy, hence a "zazzy substitution."