“The Vegas Renormalization” does the time honored sitcom tradition of bring the characters to Sin City for an episode. Gomer Pyle once dragged Sgt. Carter to the town’s educational attractions like Hoover Dam. The Beverly Hillbillies‘s Granny was excited to discover a town that rivaled Bug Tussle for action. There was a time when sitcoms really went Las Vegas. That Girl had Marlo Thomas in the city limits. Sanford and Son let Fred hit the casino floor for real. But most sitcoms just rent a few slot machines and call it a hotel on the Strip. From the previews, they didn’t let the uber geeks roam outside their soundstage.
Before tonight’s episode, CBS runs a brief memorial tribute to Bea Arthur. She will be missed. Maude’s vest collection was immortal. Did you know Golden Girls is a big show in the lesbian community?
The guys are sitting around the apartment eating Chinese takeout and playing what Star Wars character is it. Raj asks if its a shiny robot that looks like Sheldon. Leonard admits he’s C3-PO. Sheldon says he acts nothing like the droid while duplicating C3PO. Howard’s cellphone rings. It’s Leslie. He does a joke answer making it sound like she’s reached a booty call hotline for friends with benefits. He wanders away from the guys. Raj nails Sheldon’s “what character am I?” turn by guessing Spock. Sheldon’s upset that his turn is over. He asks about the whole booty call thing. He can’t understand it or friends with benefits. Howard wanders back and plops down on the sofa. It’s his turn to be someone. He begins to cry and admits that Leslie just dumped him. Sheldon looks puzzled. He thinks Howard is a character from Babylon Five and they’ll never guess it.
I couldn’t win the game if Babylon Five was a clue. That’s my worst Jeopardy fear. My second worst nightmare is Alex Trebek doing his German accent the entire show. While people think you don’t get sad when you lose your “friends with benefits” status, it only hurts if you don’t have a back up friend with even more benefits. No man likes his booty call blocked.
Howard recounts how Leslie cut him loose by saying mama was a rolling stone. She took another call and cut him dry. Howard’s upset. He won’t be getting laid this weekend. Sheldon suggests that Howard should forget about this woman with a road trip to Las Vegas. Howard doesn’t know if they should go, but Leonard admits they need to be now people. The guys get ready to go, but Sheldon is staying put. He doesn’t want to experience “Vegas baby!” Nobody complains.
If you really want to get over a broken heart in Las Vegas, I suggest getting the best seats for Criss Angel’s “Believe” show at the Luxor. How will this help? Because halfway though the show, you are going to feel so ripped off that all your lovelorn emotions will be replaced by white hot rage against the Mindfreak. For the rest of your stay in Vegas, you’ll be badmouthing Criss Angel. You’ll have no time to whine about being dumped. Your friends will appreciate it. Every body loves to rag on Criss.
Penny gets her mail as Sheldon comes through the front door. He’s thrilled to have the apartment to himself. He can indulge in a food choice that would destroy all this friends. Sheldon tells Penny that if she doesn’t have anything to do; don’t think of knocking on his door. However his Fortress of Solitude evening is spoiled when he can’t find the house key. Penny watches his frustration with glee. She invites him over.
Raj and Leonard are grooming in the hotel bathroom. They are amazed at Howard’s suitcase filled with cologne. He also has way too many Magnum condoms. Howard doesn’t want to go until he finishes messing with Leslie’s Facebook page. He wants people to think he dumped her. Raj and Leonard come up with a plan in case one of them gets lucky on the casino floor. Leonard will take the girl to his stately mansion outside of Gotham City. If Raj gets a girl, Leonard will sleep on the moon. Raj thinks it’s a good plan.
Penny offer to find the emergency key, but she’s not sure where. Sheldon says they leave all their keys in a bowl. This is where he left his key. She left his key in his apartment when she borrowed milk while the guys were out. Sheldon knee someone was tapping his milk. She offers to let him eat dinner in her apartment. He goes on a wicked rant with a hillbilly twang. He’s not amused at her hospitality.
Jim Parsons meltdown better be used to push him for an Emmy. The man better be nominated this year for Best Supporting Actor in a Sitcom. The Academy had better not deny him his greatness.
Leonard and Raj are loving the good life at the video Poker bar. Raj declares that Disneyland can suck it. A cute woman (Jodi Lyn O’Keefe of Prison Break) saddles up to Raj and says hello. He downs his green girlie drink to get courage. She asks if he’d like to party. He’s ready to party. It’s Vegas, baby! Leonard takes him aside. Raj is upset cause he fears he’s getting blocked and she’ll walk away. His pal exposes her as a hooker. Raj can’t believe it, but he figures he might be able to save her. When Leonard says it’ll cost him $500 an hour, the man has to back out of the date. Howard leaving bleak messages with his Twitter posts. He threatens to eat peanuts to end it all. Raj suggests they hire the hooker for their friend who is depressed and horny.
Penny and Sheldon eat. He asks about her day. It’s a nearly normal thing, but he can’t deal with her boring life. He insists they dine in silence.
Raj and Leonard approach the hooker and ask if she’s a hooker. They are interested in hiring her to cheer up Howard. Which means sex, Raj injects. The guys don’t want Howard to know she’s a professional. She suggest the girlfriend experience. Raj inquires about the Jewish Girlfriend Experience.
Penny and Sheldon play 20 questions. She gives up cause she only knows Star Wars and none of the characters. He was Spock once more. Sheldon asks if Penny and Leonard are friends with benefits. She’s shocked. They are friends. Sheldon asks her about the whole concept. Can she have sex with men without being emotionally attached? She gets uncomfortable and wants to drop the subject.
Leonard and Raj lure Howard to the casino floor with the promise of shrimp the size of a baby’s arm. He wants to go back to the room. The hooker stares at the buffet and asks if they could have put out a brisket. Howard races toward her.
Penny brings out pillow and blanket for the sofa. Sheldon can’t do that. He’s too big for the sofa. He repeats a children’s nursery rhyme and demonstrates how he can’t fit on her love seat. She agrees to give him her bed, but only if he won’t rhyme anymore.
Howard is enthralled by the hooker as she talks about her Sabbath breaking with a bacon cheeseburger. Howard gets up from the table to visit Raj and Leonard at the bar. He knows she’s a hooker. He’s onto their game. He asks if they’ve already paid her. Leonard admits payment in advance. Howard thanks them profusely and runs back to his future lover.
Sheldon can’t sleep in the bed. He’s homesick. Penny can’t deal with him having his hole still open. She wanders into the bedroom. He asks her to sing “Soft Kitty.” She only does that when he’s sick. But he’s home sick. His alternate proposal is they spend the night talking. She gets on the bed and sings to him. It’s sweet. Even when he corrects her. He thanks her. It’s a touching and tender moment. But before the unthinkable happens, he declares he’s sleepy and she needs to get out.
Tonight’s episode is almost a summer movie preview. First there’s all the Spock mentions. Did you know Star Trek the movie is due out in a few weeks? But even more importantly is Steven Soderbergh’s The Girlfriend Experience. This is Sasha Grey’s first R-rated performance. How will her true fans react at a film that features her as a thespian? By the time this episode gets rerun, you’ll be thinking about these two movies.
Leonard opens his front door. Sheldon busts out of Penny’s apartment. He asks what he was doing in across the hall. Sheldon admits he and Penny had dinner, played games, sang and he slept over. He now has a better idea about friends with benefits. Leonard’s jaw drops as his roommate dashes into his domain.
This episode truly shows that these guys do care about each other. Remember how in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, poor Cameron gets ragged about how he needs to get laid. But does Ferris hook him up with any woman? Nope. He merely teases his pal with his hot girlfriend. Raj and Leonard understood that Howard needed more than their support on this trip.
My favorite element is the writers took us to the edge with Penny and Sheldon. These two would be hooking up in a lesser sitcom. They are compassionate without compromising their personalities.
Next week’s “The Classified Materials Turbulence” will be the season finale.
