The Robotic Manipulation

"The Robotic Manipulation" is the first episode of the fourth season of the American sitcom The Big Bang Theory. This episode first aired on Thursday, September 23, 2010.^[1]

Summary

Sheldon embarks on his first date with Amy which was suggested by Penny who ends up chaperoning it. Howard discovers new uses for the robotic arm he "borrowed" from the JPL.

Extended Plot

At the apartment, Howard is using a robotic arm to unpack everyone's Chinese take-out, which only took 28 minutes. Sheldon warns that the machine might one day travel back in time and try to kill Sarah Connor (referring to The Terminator), and Penny arrives for dinner. She asks Howard what the robot is, and he tells her it's a Wolowitz Programmable Hand designed for extravehicular repairs on the International Space Station. Howards asks Penny to have the robot pass the soy sauce and she agrees, but it takes some time to enter the code. While waiting, Leonard asks Penny about work and she says it's good, but that she is kind of hungry, which Leonard replies that they all are having to wait so long for dinner. Sheldon then tells Penny that this technology would one day make unskilled food servers like herself obsolete, and Penny sarcastically asks if there's a robot that spits on hamburgers. Finally, the robot hand successfully passes the soy sauce to Penny's hand, though Sheldon downplays the robot's brilliance a "modest leap forward" from the technology of Country Bear Jamboree. Howard then programs some code and the robot raises the peace sign at Sheldon, but then Howard goes back to coding, implying he meant to give Sheldon the middle finger.

When Penny asks if NASA knows about Howard using the robot hand, he relents that he "borrowed" it from a secure locker at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Sheldon then gets a text message from Amy with a Science pun, and Penny asks the others about who Amy is. Penny is absolutely astonished after finding out that Sheldon has a girlfriend, and questions Leonard why he didn't tell her for four months. As the group discusses Sheldon and Amy as "Shamy", Sheldon stands up to announce that Amy is a female friend, but not his girlfriend. Penny asks what the two talk about, and Sheldon tells her that they discuss his work in Physics, her work in neurobiology, and also the possibility of having a child together. Penny is so surprised to hear this that she spits out her water, and the robot arm hands a napkin to her. Leonard asks Sheldon how they can consider having a child when the two have only communicated with email, text, and Twitter, though Sheldon believes that he and Amy possess genetic material capable with potential for an intellectually superior child. Howard sarcastically comments that future generations would condemn them for not taking this opportunity to kill Sheldon. Penny asks Sheldon how he will have sex if he can't take other people touching him, and Sheldon rejects the notion of using the natural human reproduction process, and prefers a clinical in-vitro fertilization. She then asks Penny if she would be willing to rent out her womb, leaving Penny disgusted. Penny then suggests that Sheldon spend some time with Amy instead before rushing to a fertility clinic, and convinces Sheldon to go on a date with Amy in order to get to know the future mother of his child.

Sheldon is knocking on the door in Penny's apartment, and Penny points out that the knock is a waste of time since she waits for him to finish, which he is aware of. Sheldon points out that their current conversation is equally a waste of time, and he announces to Penny that he has arranged a date with Amy. Penny is delighted at the news, but becomes peeved when Sheldon asks her to drive since he can't. Penny wanted to brush it off and tells him to get Leonard to drive him, but turns out he already asked and Leonard refused since it was Penny's "cockamamie" idea. Penny enquires as to whether Leonard actually said "cockamamie." Sheldon said that he grew up in a Christian home and was uncomfortable repeating the language Leonard actually used. Penny relents and asks when the date will be, and Sheldon reveals that they need to leave now. Penny asks Sheldon if he has considered that she may have other plans, and Sheldon asks if she has any. Penny admits that she doesn't and leaves to "get my cockamamie keys".

Meanwhile, Howard continues experimenting with the robotic arm, using it as a massager. He makes a comment about it feeling just like a real hand, then has an epiphany when he thinks of something else he could have his robotic arm do.

In Penny's car, Sheldon thanks Penny for driving him though he wishes she isn't wearing flip-flops because it's dangerous. Penny asks Sheldon if this is his first date and he says that it is, as long as a Teens for Jesus Fourth of July event with his sister doesn't count. Penny tries to give Sheldon some dating advice, though Sheldon points out that he has a date but she doesn't have anything else to do other than driving him to a date, and she admits that it's a fair point.

At the guys' apartment, Raj and Leonard are discussing how Aquaman poops when Leonard gets a call from Howard about getting the robot arm stuck in an awkward position. It is implied that Howard was using the arm to masturbate and it got caught in his genitals.

Back in the car, Penny has picked up Amy after meeting her for the first time and is trying to start a conversation. She asks Amy about her career in neuro-something-or-other, and Amy immediately points out the check engine light on the car, which Sheldon advises Amy not to bother since it will be futile. Penny again tries to start conversation by asking what shampoo Amy uses, which she replies is dandruff shampoo. Penny compliments that her hair looks nice, and Amy asks if Penny is a homosexual. To avoid more awkward conversation, Penny suggests some music, though both Sheldon and Amy reject, so uncomfortable silence it is. To continue conversation, Penny asks Sheldon to talk about his childhood in Texas, though he only replies shortly that "it was hell" and Amy does not want any follow-up. Penny then begins talking about her own childhood in Nebraska, though Sheldon cuts her off thinking it's not any better than awkward silence. The ride then continues in silence.

In Howard's Bedroom, Leonard and Raj are dealing with the robot arm situation. Leonard suggests using a lubricant, and Raj finds this situation hilarious. Leonard tries to restart the computer program, though Howard stops him since it's on a outer space screwdriver program and will start twisting after it's unpaused. After running out of serious ideas, Leonard and Raj start coming up with ridiculous ones, like trying to yank his penis out like they did when Winnie the Pooh got his head stuck in a honey tree, sawing it off using a electric saw, or using an acetylene torch. Just then, Howard's mom is sending cookies and Hawaiian Punch, and Howard tells her not to come upstairs not wanting his mother to know. Leonard and Raj admit they are out of ideas, and Raj can only think of the food.

Penny is now at a restaurant with Sheldon and Amy for their date, with Penny once again trying to bring up conversation. She talks about how this is a big night for Sheldon as his first date, though Sheldon doesn't think so. He does though think that the winter solstice is a big night because it's over 14 hours in Southern California, which Amy points out is an interesting factoid. Penny again points out this is Sheldon's first date, and Amy reveals that she dates only because she agreed with her mother to date once a year to exchange for her silence on the issue, and also to occasionally use her George Foreman grill that seals flavor without the fat. She then asks Penny if she goes on many dates, and when Penny says a few, Sheldon makes a strange laugh and calculates that Penny has went on dates with 171 men. Penny is shocked by this statistic, and Sheldon points out he used extrapolation based on his observation of Penny's behavior in three years with an initial dating age of 15. Penny rejects that she started dating at 15, and when Sheldon asks if it's 16, Penny admits it's actually 14, and Sheldon adjusts the new number to 193. Amy asks Penny if she had intercourse with all of these men, which Penny immediately denies, and Sheldon immediately begins calculating and arrives at the conclusion of 31 sexual partners. Penny again rejects this conclusion saying it's not even close, and then asks for a drink from a nearby waiter. Amy then outright asks Penny if she considers herself a "slut", and Penny denies it twice, but then is not so sure herself the third time she says no. Sheldon then asks Amy the number of sexual partners she has had, and Amy admits to having had many more orgasms during experiments by having the pleasure centers of her brain stimulated.

Leonard and Raj take Howard to the hospital emergency room (previously seen in The Peanut Reaction) along with the robotic arm. The nurse, Althea, calls on the PA stating the exact situation, which embarrasses Howard. When the nurse asks Howard if he turning the computer off and back on again, Howard tries to explain, but Althea simply turns off the computer that controlled the arm, and Howard is freed. Raj now wants cookies and Hawaiian Punch.

After the date, Penny and Sheldon are talking about it while on the stairs. Sheldon called the date "a very productive evening" as he understood more about Amy, though Penny is still fixated on her 31-guys statistic. Sheldon states that numbers don't lie, and then confirms that he is confident entering the next stage of his relationship with Amy, which is the IVF he talked about earlier. Penny then threatens to tell Sheldon's mother about this if he goes through, and when Sheldon rejects its relevance, Penny sarcastically questions if his deeply religious mother would want an out-of-wedlock test tube grandchild. Sheldon is left without a response, and Penny states that she could have saved herself this whole night if she had thought of that in the first place. After Sheldon returns to the apartment, Leonard then gets a call from Howard saying "it happened again".

Credits

• Guest starring:
  • Mayim Bialik as Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler
  • Vernee Watson as Althea
  • Carol Ann Susi as Mrs. Wolowitz (Voice Only)
• Teleplay: Steven Molaro, Eric Kaplan & Steve Holland
• Story: Chuck Lorre, Lee Aronsohn & Dave Goetsch

Critics

• The TV Critic: "The show still sparkles with fun banter and amusing lines that fellow traditional sitcoms just can't manage...The introduction of Amy Fowler as his "girlfriend" is a sensible idea for the show. It will allow the writers to mine the untapped area of his sex life which will be a lot of fun...It's just sad that the writers don't try to develop Sheldon or Penny's characters during these interactions. Penny is excellent here when her less than chaste behavior comes to light around the dinner table. It's revealed in a plausible manner and she is embarrassed...The show is back and I'm happy to see it. It could still be better but it's very good at what it does."^[2]
• The A.V. Club gave this episode a B.^[3]
• IMDb user reviews

Notes

• Title Reference: Howard "borrowed" a robotic arm from NASA and uses it in various ways.
• Chuck Lorre's vanity card.
• This episode was watched by 14.04 million people with a rating of 4.9 (adults 18–49).^[4]
• This episode aired in Canada on September 23, 2010, with 3.112 million viewers and a weekly ranking of #1.^[5]
• In the United Kingdom, this episode aired on November 4, 2010, with 1.143 million total viewers and a weekly ranking of #19.^[6]
• In Australia, it aired on October 20, 2010, with 1.179 million viewers and a weekly rank of #15.^[7]
• This is the first episode to air on a Thursday, as all previous episodes aired on Mondays. The airing schedules were moved to Thursdays due to growing popularity hence why CBS wanted to use it to compete with other long-standing comedy lineups from NBC on Thursday nights.
• Episode transcript [1]

Costume Notes

Triple Threat by Kirra	Optiblocks

• Leonard is spotted in his Little Timmy Robot shirt from Karl Addison (discontinued).

Trivia

• This episode and the next two episodes (S4E2 and S4E3) are the three episodes in this season (Season 4) to not feature any more guest appearances, Melissa Rauch as Bernadette before she becomes a main cast member in the fourth episode of this season.
• The Princess Leia Sideshow Premium Format Figure makes its first appearance in Howard's Bedroom on the shelf over his bed.
• Sheldon and Amy discuss about the possibility of having a child at the early stage of their interactions, quite like what Leslie Winkle asked Leonard in their short relationship in "The Codpiece Topology" (S2E2).
  • Sheldon does not seem to recognize that he and Amy are in a relationship at this stage, but that may seem to be a facade due to his fear of commitment (revealed in "The Desperation Emanation" (S4E5)).
• Interestingly, even though Penny admits she started dating at 14 years of age, in the Season 7 episode, "The Proton Displacement" (S7E7), Penny said that she ditched preschool because she was dating a second grader.
• In the Season 2 Episode "The Barbarian Sublimation" (S2E3), Penny states that she hasn't had sex in 6 months. Also, she was with Kurt for four years, and moved into the building after she broke up with him. These facts call into question Sheldon's attempt to calculate the numbers of Penny's dates and sexual partners. However, even though Penny insists that she has not had sex with 31 men, Sheldon simply retorts that numbers don't lie; however, it is vital that the data employed must be correct, and the facts above show that Sheldon's "data" about Penny's behavior and relationships is seriously flawed.
• Sheldon has his first date, since going square-dancing with his sister at a Teens for Jesus Fourth of July Hoedown did not count as one. He forgets that he did double date with Raj in "The Psychic Vortex" (S3E12). However, he showed no sign of realizing what was going on in that episode, so he may simply not realize that could count.
• The term Shamy, that represents a combination of the name Sheldon and Amy was first introduced in this episode, by Howard.
• Sheldon says, "Numbers don't lie." This phrase was the tagline for the CBS television series NUMB3RS.
• Althea (the nurse) said "Did you try turning it off and back on again?", a paraphrase of "Have you tried turning it off and on again?", a phrase often said by Roy on the similar British television series The IT Crowd.
• When Howard walks into the ER having the robot arm holding on to his penis, it is reminded of a situation in American Pie 2 when Jim Levenstein gets his hand stuck to his penis while trying to masturbate "accidentally" using superglue instead of lubricant.
• Sheldon mentions that the robot hand is the beginning of a technology that will eventually make Penny's profession as a waitress outdated.
• This season's premiere episode takes place three months after the last episode of the previous season.
• Leonard and Penny are still broken up.
• When Howard is irked by one of Sheldon's superior sneers, he painstakingly reprograms the robot hand to turn to Sheldon and make a vigorous derisive gesture. It is noticeable this is not the American middle finger - which the robot could so easily have done - but the comparable British gesture involving the raised two fingers in a "go screw yourself" v-sign. This is a shout-out to the British sci-fi comedy Red Dwarf. When one of the service robots - the skutters (which are an arm mounted on a mobile wheeled chassis) is provoked by a casual comment from Arnold Rimmer, it gives Rimmer a very derisive v-sign with its own hand. Rimmer's personality quirks, OCD, anal-retentiveness and general demeanor make him a disturbing and more irksome space-borne version of Sheldon, with no redeeming features. And we know the guys are Red Dwarf fans; Sheldon owns all the episodes on DVD. Unless Howard just messed it up and gave Sheldon two fingers instead of one.
• GOOF: Sheldon may call that night his first date; however, other women will deny that since he did have dinner with Lalita Gupta, Ramona Nowitzki did bring dinner to his apartment and he had two dates with Martha. Probably dates to them.
• It's unknown how Raj and Leonard were able to help Howard and the robot arm get to the hospital without Mrs. Wolowitz noticing.

  

• Penny meets Amy for the first time, her future "bestie".
• Raj states that Winnie the Pooh's friends pulled on him when he was stuck in a honey tree, when in the actual movie, Pooh was stuck in Rabbit's front door when that was the case. (He does eventually get stuck in an actual honey tree, but his friends don't pull on him to get him out when he does.)

Quotes

(Penny has just found out about Sheldon and Amy)

Penny: OK, well, what do you communicate about?

Sheldon: Well, my work in Physics, her work in Neurobiology and, most recently, the possibility of our having a child together.

(This shocks the others along with Penny, who sprays her drink everywhere. Howard controls the robot hand to give her a napkin.)

Penny: (cough) Thank You.

Leonard (To Sheldon): Wait a minute, a child? You never see this girl, you just email and text and twitter, now you're considering having a baby.

Sheldon: Amy pointed out, that between the two of us, our genetic material, has the potential of producing the first, in a line of intellectually, superior, benign overlords, to guide humanity to a brighter tomorrow.

Howard (To Raj): I'm guessing that future historians will condemn us, for not taking this opportunity to kill Sheldon.

---

(Penny is driving Amy and Sheldon to the restaurant for their date. All three are in an awkward silence.)

Penny (coughs a bit): So, um, Amy, Sheldon tells me you're a Neuro... something or other?

Amy: Neurobiologist. Your "check engine" light is on.

Penny (a bit annoyed): Yeah, it's OK.

Amy: But the light indicates...

Sheldon: Don't bother. I've wasted many an hour tilting at that particular windmill.

Penny (To Amy): Uh, what is that scent you're wearing? It smells great.

Amy: Dandruff Shampoo. (To Sheldon) I have dry scalp.

Penny: Ah, well your hair looks very nice.

Amy: Are you a homosexual?

Penny: No, No, I'm just, giving you a compliment.

Amy: Hm. Would have been more flattered if you were a homosexual.

Penny: Guys, how about some music?

Sheldon: Oh, I wouldn't care for that, Amy?

Amy: No, thank you.

Penny: OK. Uncomfortable silence it is. (After a short silence, Penny decides to speak) Hey, Sheldon, have you told Amy what it was like for you growing up in Texas?

Sheldon: No.

Penny: Well, why don't you tell her?

Sheldon: Alright. (To Amy) It was hell.

Penny: Any follow up, Amy?

Amy: No.

Penny: (tut) I, myself, grew up in Nebraska. Small town, outside of Omaha. Yeah, a nice place, mostly family farms, a few meth labs.

Sheldon: I'm sorry, how is this better than uncomfortable silence?

Penny: I don't know, I was just trying something.

Sheldon (To Amy): Muggles.

---

(Howard is in his bedroom, using the robot hand to massage himself.)

Howard: Oh, god that feels so good. Yeah, that's the spot, oh baby.

(Mrs. Wolowitz is shouting from the kitchen.)

Mrs. Wolowitz: HOWAAAHD, DINNAH'S READY!

Howard (To his mother): I'll eat later, I'M BUSY! (To the robot hand) Oh, yeah, just like a real hand.

(Howard suddenly realizes that he could use the hand for masturbation. He looks at it suspiciously.)

Howard: Hm?

---

(Leonard and Raj are at Leonard's apartment, looking through their comic books.)

Raj: You know, there's something that I've always wondered about Aquaman.

Leonard: Yeah?

Raj: Where does he poop?

Leonard (confused): What?

Raj: What would a toilet look like in Atlantis? How would you flush it? Oh, and when you did flush it; where would the poop go?

(Leonard's phone starts ringing.)

Leonard (To Raj): Hold that thought.

(Leonard sees that it is Howard calling.)

Leonard (To phone): Hey, Howard. What's up? Wait, slow down. I can't understand you. What? The robot hand is stuck on your what? (To Raj) You are not gonna believe this.

---

(It turns out that while using the robot hand for masturbating, the hand froze on Howard's penis and he called Leonard and Raj to come and help him and lied to them by saying he slipped and fell. Raj and Leonard are staring at him while he has a blanket over his stuck penis.)

Raj: You slipped and fell into a robot hand?

Howard (embarrassed): Yes.

Raj: Penis first?

Howard: Yes, now help me!

Leonard: I'd suggest a lubricant, but I have a feeling you fell on some of that as well.

(Both Leonard and Raj smirk.)

Howard: Not funny, Leonard.

Raj: Really? A robot hand's got a death grip on your junk, dude. That's funny, ask anyone.

(Leonard and Raj laugh.)

Howard: Please, before my mother walks in, g..., get this off me!

Leonard: OK, let's see.

(Leonard is about to touch the computer, when Howard stops him.)

Howard: No, No, don't touch, the program is paused!

Leonard: A, w..., w..., then..., let's unpause it?

Howard: No, No, I loaded the wrong program; the hand thinks it's holding a screwdriver in outer-space, if you continue the program, it's gonna start, twisting.

Raj: Oh, all, alright, um, oh, how, how about this, when, when, Winnie-the-Pooh, got his head stuck in the honey tree, his friends all grabbed onto him and pulled and pulled.

(Howard gives Raj a dirty look.)

Leonard (To Raj): You do whatever you want, I'm not touching another man's honey tree.

Raj: (sigh), Alright, uh, forget pulling, uh, how about we get an electric saw and cut it off?

Howard: What! No saws! One circumcision was enough.

Leonard: How about an acetylene torch?

Howard (Frustrated sigh): OK, I can't believe this needs to said out loud. No pulling, no saws, no torches.

Leonard: Well then, what do you want us to do?

Howard: I...

(Mrs. Wolowitz is shouting from the kitchen again and interrupts Howard.)

Mrs. Wolowitz: HOWAAAHD, I MADE COOKIES FOR YOU AND YOUR LITTLE FRIENDS!

Howard: THAT'S GREAT, MOM! THANKS!

Mrs. Wolowitz: I'LL BRING THEM UP WITH SOME HAWAIIAN PUNCH!

Howard: DON'T COME UP HERE!

Mrs. Wolowitz: WHY NOT?! ARE YOU ASHAMED OF YOUR MOTHAH?!

Howard (To his mother): YES, BUT THAT'S NOT THE POINT! (To Raj and Leonard in a panicked tone) Get me out of here!

Leonard: Oh, y...y... you have, any ideas, Raj?

Raj: Right now, all I can think about is cookies and Hawaiian punch.

(Howard looks frustrated at Raj.)

---

(Leonard and Raj have taken Howard to the hospital, with Leonard carrying the computer and the robot hand still attached to Howard's penis.)

Leonard (To Howard): OK, come on, almost there.

Howard (To Raj): Don't tug, no tugging.

Raj: Next time, take your own advice.

Leonard (To Althea the nurse): Excuse me, could you help us out?

(Althea looks up and is amused at what she sees.)

Althea: My, My, My, what do we have here?

Howard (To Althea): I slipped and fell.

Althea: Yeah, we get that a lot.

(She looks under the blanket.)

Althea: What is this?

Howard: It's, a, robot arm.

Althea: Where's the rest of the robot?

Howard: I only built the arm.

Althea (snickers): 'Cause that's all you needed, right?

(Leonard and Raj laugh at this remark.)

Howard: CAN YOU PLEASE, just, help me?!

Althea: Alright, alright, hang on, stay calm. (Over the intercom phone) I need an orderly with a wheelchair, I got a robot hand grasping a man's penis out here.

(Everyone turns and stares at Howard, who is embarrassed and frustrated.)

Howard (To Althea): You think you could be a little more discrete?!

Althea (To Howard): I'm sorry, we don't have a code for a robot hand grasping a man's penis. (To Leonard) Why is it hooked up to a computer?

Leonard (To Althea): Uh, it's what controls the arm.

Howard (To Althea): But it's frozen.

Althea: Did you try turning it off and back on again?

Howard: No, you see, it's more complicated than that...

(Althea turns the computer off.)

Howard: NO, WAIT!

(The robot hand turns off, and lets go of Howard's penis. Howard looks down at it.)

Howard (To the guys): Winnie-the-Pooh is out of the honey tree!

(Chuckles excitedly.)

Raj: Now, can we have cookies and Hawaiian punch?

---

Leonard: (on the phone) Howard, slow down. What do you mean it happened again?

Video

Gallery

References

Episodes | Season 4

"The Robotic Manipulation" • "The Cruciferous Vegetable Amplification" • "The Zazzy Substitution" • "The Hot Troll Deviation" • "The Desperation Emanation" • "The Irish Pub Formulation" • "The Apology Insufficiency" • "The 21-Second Excitation" • "The Boyfriend Complexity" • "The Alien Parasite Hypothesis" • "The Justice League Recombination" • "The Bus Pants Utilization" • "The Love Car Displacement" • "The Thespian Catalyst" • "The Benefactor Factor" • "The Cohabitation Formulation" • "The Toast Derivation" • "The Prestidigitation Approximation" • "The Zarnecki Incursion" • "The Herb Garden Germination" • "The Agreement Dissection" • "The Wildebeest Implementation" • "The Engagement Reaction" • "The Roommate Transmogrification"