The Toast Derivation
Comments15this wiki
| The Toast Derivation | |
|---|---|
| |
| | |
| Chronology | Season 4, Episode 17
|
| Airdate | February 24, 2011
|
| Guest star(s) | Aarti Mann as
Priya Koothrappali Kevin Sussman as Stuart Bloom John Ross Bowie as Barry Kripke Brian Thomas Smith as Zack Johnson LeVar Burton as himself |
| Teleplay | |
| Story | |
| Director | |
| | |
| ← "The Cohabitation Formulation" | → "The Prestidigitation Approximation" |
| | |
| ← Season 3 | → Season 5 |
"The Toast Derivation" is the seventeenth episode of the fourth season of the American sitcom The Big Bang Theory. This episode first aired on February 24, 2011.
Contents |
Summary
Edit
Sheldon realizes he is not the center of his group, thus he attempts to form a different social group where he can be the center. Meanwhile, Penny tries to get over Leonard who just got into a new relationship with Priya.
Extended plotEdit
Leonard is going over to Raj's apartment for dinner with the gang, Sheldon insists he stays because of their Thursday tradition of eating pizza at their apartment. Leonard is still going so Sheldon tags along. After a brief unsatisfactory experience at Raj's, Sheldon heads to The Cheesecake Factory's bar alone and tries to get Penny to empathize with him. Amy video calls him and points out that Leonard is the "nucleus" of their social group.
Later, back at apartment 4A, Sheldon prepares some snacks for his forthcoming guests Stuart (who came to take a hot shower because he's living in his comic book store), Kripke (who came for a raffle), Zack (who isn't sure what he is or why he's there), and LeVar Burton (whom he invited via Twitter); he does this to form a new social group where he is the "nucleus". At Sheldon's event, he announces that it seems LeVar Burton will not be attending, and kicks off the gathering with some introductory activities, in which all of the guests receive a goody bag containing a free copy of the fictitious The New England Journal of High Energy Physics.
Amy and Bernadette come over to Penny's to "kidnap" her for night out dancing to get over Leonard; she agrees if the two agree not to pester her about Leonard any further. They try to get Penny to go to a place where she can get a young guy to have sex with. She refuses, but then Amy and Bernadette point out the preserved snowflake from the North Pole which Leonard gave her (in "The Electric Can Opener Fluctuation"). She then changes her mind.
Back at Sheldon's event, Zack impresses the gang (except Sheldon) with his racy story. Next, Sheldon asks the gang to choose between an array of vintage video games (Smurf: Rescue in Gargamel's Castle, Cookie Monster Munch and Zork, which Sheldon emphasizes over the others by exclaiming, "Pick me! Pick me!") which the others find boring so Kripke decides to bring up his karaoke machine instead.
Back at Raj's, the gang is reminiscing about their experiences with Sheldon. Sheldon is suddenly at the door and he is greeted with a warm welcome.
In the final scene, in the apartment building outside apartment 4A, LeVar Burton ends up making an appearance to join them, but swiftly changes his mind after seeing Stuart, Kripke, and Zack singing "Walking On Sunshine", with Stuart in a towel.
CriticsEdit
"There was a lot to like about this episode. The producers seem to have embraced the idea that the show needs more characters and the results have been solid. Although there wasn't much depth we managed to explore Penny's feelings for Leonard, Leonard's relationship with Priya, and Sheldon's attitude to friendship all in one go... None of the three stories exactly took off but they were all adequate. The writers still try a little too hard with Amy."[1] The TV Critic's Review
QuotesEdit
Howard: Hey, Raj, did you ever tell your sister about the time Sheldon got punched by Bill Gates?
Priya: Oh God, you're kidding!
Raj: (laughing) No. Gates gave a speech at the university. Sheldon went up to him afterwards and said "Maybe if you weren't so distracted by sick children in Africa you could have put a little more thought into Windows Vista."
Leonard: Bam! Right in the nose! Made me proud to own a PC.
NotesEdit
- Title Reference: The origination of the word "toast".
- Chuck Lorre's vanity card[2]
- This episode was watched by 12.35 million people for a 3.8 rating.
TriviaEdit
- Raj's flatscreen HD plasma television has 2% dead pixels in the upper left corner.
- Kripke is fond of raffles.
- Priya ponders Sheldon buying a loom and weaving, while Leonard and Raj mention their serapes that Sheldon made; this is a reference to "The Luminous Fish Effect". Also, Priya talks about Sheldon adopting 25 cats, which occurred in "The Zazzy Substitution".
- Sheldon once got punched by Bill Gates after telling him that maybe if he weren't so distracted by sick children in Africa, he could have put a little more thought into Windows Vista.
- Sheldon hates haggis and blood pudding.
- The preserved snowflake from the North Pole that Leonard gave Penny in "The Electric Can Opener Fluctuation" (S3E1) appears in this episode again.
- Amy has an electric toothbrush which she calls "Gerard" used for personal pleasuring.
- When Sheldon goes to Raj's apartment and knocks, he says, "all my friends" 3 times between knocks.
- Amy listens to "I'm Walking on Sunshine" while Sheldon takes care of her in "The Fish Guts Displacement".
