The Expedition Approximation

The Expedition Approximation
Information
Series	The Big Bang Theory
Airdate	October 20, 2014
Director	Mark Cendrowski

"The Expedition Approximation" is the sixth episode of the eighth season of the American sitcom The Big Bang Theory. The episode aired October 20, 2014, returning to Thursdays after Thursday night football ended.

Summary

Raj and Sheldon try testing them for a mining expedition and Leonard and Penny worry about money in their marriage.

Extended Plot

During takeout dinner in apartment 4A, Penny is wearing her new business suit while Howard comments how good she looks while going out on sales calls and flirting with doctors. Leonard stays at home just looking nerdy. Penny disagrees that she is flirting to make sales, though she does agree with Amy that is good that she is showing her cleavage when she leans over. Bernadette asks Sheldon how his work in dark matter is going and he remarks that it is the most exciting time to work in it since HE is now working in it. Raj mentions that the government is funding the dark matter field by sending teams down into a salt mine to conduct experiments. Raj suggests that he and Sheldon apply since they could be on the ground floor of something big. Penny tells Sheldon that he shouldn't go down into a mine since he had a panic attack while going through a car wash. They others start making fun of them going down into a mine, while Sheldon complains that he liked it better when he didn't know they were making fun of him.

Penny and Leonard are having dinner, while Leonard is talking about a new version of an old video game that he had been playing; however Penny seems distracted thinking about work. She has some good news as she hands Leonard and envelope full of money. Penny got a company car so she sold the one that Leonard gave her. He agrees that she didn’t need two cars, but seems hurt that he had given her the other car. Penny then snaps back that what should she had done, framed a picture of them and the car and title it "Best Fiancée Ever?" She did do that and showed him the picture. Leonard returns the envelope saying that the car was hers, but Penny feels great about actually paying someone back. They keep passing the envelope back and forth, with Penny telling him that since she has a good job now, she can buy things for herself.

Raj enters Sheldon's office and asks if he is busy. Sheldon's mind is always multi-tasking. He is working on a complex problem, compsing his Nobel Prize acceptance speech for solving that problem and trying to figure out how mermaids have offspring. Raj says that they just lay eggs on rocks which means that Sheldon's mind can now work on another problem. Raj wonders if their friends were right that the conditions would be too harsh for the two of them down in the mine. It would be hot, humid, live explosions, since it is a working mine, telve hour shifts underground and the toilet facilitied would be a bucket. Sheldon was fine with everything except the last condition.

gets a company car so she sells the one that Leonard gave her and presents him with an envelope full of cash which makes Leonard uncomfortable. At the dinner table, they keep passing the envelope back and forth. After sex, Leonard leaves it on her dresser which makes Penny uncomfortable. They go to Howard and Bernadette's to discuss marriage and finances. As they talk, Howard brings up some purchases that Bernadette didn't know about. They end up in a big fight followed by Howard running off. Leonard and Penny decide to use it as an example of what not to do in their marriage. Finally they plan to roll around in the cash when they go to bed ala Scrooge McDuck. Their money is going to be put in a joint account for their wedding and honeymoon expenses.

• Raj and Sheldon learn of teams that will be chosen to study dark matter by participating in experiments conducted at the bottom of a salt mine. Everybody doesn't think that Sheldon can do it due to his fears of enclosed spaces or peeing in a bucket. To test themselves, Raj and Sheldon crawl into a hot sweaty utility space in the university basement. They monitor the environment, sing mining songs, discussing Miley Cyles and Sheldon's fear of starting all over with his dark matter studies. When a family of rats show up Sheldon runs away leaving Raj. Their simulation lasts all of eleven minutes. Amy relaxes in a beach chair trying to help them out. She even goes to the snack machine for them and finds Sheldon escaping whne she returns.

Notes

• Title Reference: To be entered.
• Taping date: September 30, 2014.
• This episode was watched by xx.xx million people with a rating of x.x (adults 18-49).
• Total viewers including DVR users xx.xx million.
• The Big Bang Theory was ranked #x for the week ending xx October, 2014.
• This episode aired in Canada on October 23, 2014 with xx million viewers with a weekly ranking of #X.
• In the United Kingdom, this episode aired on {date} with xx million viewers and a weekly ranking of #X.
• In Australia, it aired on {date} with x million viewers.

Critics

To be entered.

Trivia

• Howard's money allowances were first mentioned in "The Cooper/Kripke Inversion" (S6E14), when he and Raj bought a 3D printer.
• Sheldon attempts to prove the Penrose Conjecture, an open mathematical problem in general relativity related to the asymptotically defined mass of astrophysical systems, and envisions giving a Nobel Prize acceptance speech for solving the Penrose Conjecture problem in this episode.
• Lenny can handle their marriage financial issues better than Howardette.

Quotes

To be entered.

Gallery

• Raj and Sheldon simulating being in a hot and humid mine.
• Having diner and discussing a new dark matter scientific expedition.
• Discussing marriage and finances with the Wolowitzes.
• Fighting over the stars on his chore chart.
• Getting ready to go down into the steam tunnel to simulate being in a mine.
• Lets put the money in joint savings account for our wedding expenses.
• Raj and Sheldon discussing joining the dark matter expedition.
• Penny's picture of herself, Leonard and the car Leonard bought her. Best fiancee ever!
• Sheldon perplexed, again.
• Comforting Sheldon. Not in final episode edit.
• Amy proud of Sheldon facing his fears.
• Amy typing up Sheldon's log from his steam tunnel experience, all 11 minutes of it.

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References

• Taping Report [[1]] Taping Report by MichyGeary