The success of The Big Bang Theory can be measured in the fact that I rarely catch CBS hyping the show in the commercials between the five o’clock news and Entertainment Tonight. They’ll give clips from How I Met Your Mother and Accidentally On Purpose, but for The Bang, the announcer merely tells us if it’s a new episode. This soft sell strategy is paying off as the series is a major success in the demographics.
“Adhesive Duck Deficiency” reveals Leonard, Raj and Howard camping in the desert. It’s night time. They’re setting up a telescope for the meteor shower. Howard uses the computer to tap into HBO’s West Coast feed. It’s Real Sex. Raj is not impressed since it’s always the episode of an old woman putting condoms on fruit. They flip the East Coast feed to watch Dune. After staring at the desert shot, Howard switches back to Real Sex. They joke about how they wish Sheldon had come out with them.
Sheldon is alone in the apartment. He dictates into his cellphone a Captain Kirk-esque log about how he’s working on a paper on massive string strengths. He notes his pals camping out and claims to miss the warmth of human companionship. He cracks himself up.
While people declare Scorsese, Spielberg or Tarantino as the most influential American director, I say hogwash. The most influential director is Patti Kaplan. There are tons of people who after watching a segment of Real Sex say, “I’d like to try that out.” She also directs Cathouse. There are thousands of people influenced by that HBO series to drop by the Bunny Ranch outside Carson City, Nevada. Her work isn’t about recreating a cinematic moment, but living the dream. Her show was the inspiration for Lars and the Real Girl. Patti Kaplan should get a Nobel Prize for her explorations into the kinky side of life. She’s responsible for launching a lot fetish folks on the internet.
Sheldon calls up the Chinese restaurant and demands they cut various orders in half and quarters since the other guys aren’t around. They won’t do it. He mentions he took down a muffin store with his online comments. They could be next. He hangs up when Penny screams loud enough to be heard from her apartment. After knocking on every door in Penny’s apartment, he finds her laying in the tub. She’s slipped while showering and might have dislocated her arm. He gives her a talk about the importance of sticky ducks on the tub to keep from slipping. She begs him to help her up and take her to the hospital. He’s still got an issue with driving. She doesn’t want to wait on an ambulance. She needs his help.
Leonard wishes Penny had come out with them. Raj seems so thrilled at the prospect of Leonard and Penny getting frisky in the tent while Howard humps a cactus. Besides numerous scientists camped around them, Howard has found two middle aged teachers that might be up for a frisky romp. Leonard wonders if his friends are so hard up they’ll hook up with women in their 50s going through menopause? They are. The nice teachers gave Howard some cookies to eat while waiting for the meteor shower. They munch away. Howard mentions the nice ladies were driving a VW Microbus and wearing Grateful Dead t-shirts. Can we guess what makes the cookies so tasty?
Sheldon can’t figure out which panties Pennyy needs to wear since her draw is unorganized. She just wants shorts and a top. He insists she wear clean underwear since you never know when you’ll have an accident. As if she hasn’t already had an accident. She’s getting impatient as the pain grows. He has to help her get dressed without looking. He discusses the history of men who had to not look at a naked woman while he keeps his eyes shut. While getting her hand into a sleeve, he grabs the wrong body part. He carefully lets go.
Howard, Raj and Leonard are stoned and staring up at the stars. They can feel the earth is moving too fast. He needs Raj to slow it down. He squishes his eyes and grits his teeth. Leonard things its slowed down. Raj laughs at Leonard’s stupid American accent.
This episode is proving my belief that Sheldon and Penny are a much more entertaining couple than Leonard and Penny. Sheldon has that alien quality that makes him not turn into complete lapdog like Leonard.There’s so much more to play between the ubergeek and the waitress. Leonard merely an annoying boyfriend when they’re together. The look on Sheldon’s face when he grabs her breast doesn’t resemble the hero of a Cinemax After Dark epic from the ‘80s.
Sheldon and Penny are in her battered car. He warns her that this is his first time driving a real car after hours in a simulator. He must optimize the mirrors. He can’t find the passenger size mirror cause it’s in a parking lot in Hollywood. He proceeds to adjust his seat while Penny winces in pain. This isn’t going to be a quick trip.
Howard, Raj and Leonard are now laying on giant rocks. Raj talks of ruling a kingdom of rabbits. Leonard hates his name cause it has nerd in it. He wishes he was an Angelo. Howard confesses he lost his virginity to his cousin. They are so stoned.
Sheldon is bent over the steering wheel going slow. He panics over the noises and check engine light. She tells him, “Warp speed, Mr. Spock.” He corrects her that Mr. Spock did not pilot the Enterprise. During a stop, Sheldon asks why she has the Chinese character for soup on her rump. She swears its for “courage.” She gets a bit upset knowing Sheldon peeked. But he never promised he could keep his eyes shut the whole time. Even mythical heroes can’t do it.
Howard, Raj and Leonard dig through the cooler looking for food. They have an extreme case of the munchies. They are out of food. They contemplate even eating the blue ice stuff. This might end up being a Donner Party tribute.
Sheldon’s first crack at driving was covered in “Euclid Alternative” when he destroyed the simulator. Now they one up it with him behind the wheel of Penny’s heap. Nice to see that they are building upon episodes. Now it’s time for my PSA for the night: There is a vicious circle to pot laced baked goods. You eat them, get a little stoned, get the munchies, eat more pot laced baked goods, get more stoned, get bigger munchies and the circle grows and grows until you get “motion sensitive.” And the vicious cycle grows because you swear you’ll feel better if you can puke. Trouble is pot is anti-nausea drug. Another vicious circle has claimed your body. Those cookies seem sugary sweet, but they are wicked. Be careful accepting gingerbread men from Phish phreaks at Festivus parties.
At the emergency room Sheldon asks Penny questions from the hospital’s admissionn form. He lists the cause of accident “lack of adhesive ducks.” She gets upset when he asks about when her next menstrual cycle is. She won’t answer. He decides its in progress. He goes his own for the psychiatric answers. She begs him to be comforting. He is so out of his universe pointing out that “everything is going to be fine. Sheldon is here.”
Howard, Raj and Leonard have gone primitive. There faces are covered in dirt. Their shirts are over their head. They plot attacking a Boy Scout camp. Before they get busted for breaking and entering, Howard discovers his mom put a brisket in his backpack. They eat the meat like zombies gorging on brains and ignore the meteor shower.
Sheldon brings Penny home. He reminds her that she’s on powerful painkillers so no operating of heavy machinery and don’t choke on your drool. She begs him to take her to bed. She laughs at the notion of him really taking her to bed. She rambles about him being a machine. She compares him to Wall-E. She begs him to sing “Soft Kitty.” He swears that’s for when you’re sick. But she’s sick and full of happy pain killers. She wants to sing “Soft Kitty” as a round. It takes a moment for him to change up his singing routine. It’s a cute ending as they duet.
Raj holds a flashlight under his head and is telling a ghost story. The scary line is about how the girl woke up and discovered she was in bed with her cousin. Howard is not amused. Howard reminds them that she was his second cousin. Raj gives him the business and mocks his American accent.
The real relationship on TBBT is between Sheldon and Penny. Even through Sheldon was supposed to be the dysfunctional roomie for Leonard, he has the pure chemistry with Penny. Their interactions are always prime moments of any the episode. On a normal sitcom, the duo would eventual blossom into a romantic relationship or a denied one like Alex and Nardo on Taxi. But thankfully Sheldon and Penny’s strange magnetism isn’t completely directed from the libido. Sheldon’s comfort moment in the emergency room is blissfully awkward in his attempt to be human. He is Wall-E doing his best to comfort his friend.
