The Mystery Date Observation

"The Mystery Date Observation" is the eighth episode of the ninth season of the American sitcom The Big Bang Theory. The episode aired on Thursday, November 12, 2015.

Summary

Amy has a formal date which Penny and Bernadette and a reluctant Leonard, secretly spy on. Sheldon has Howard and Raj help him find a new girlfriend since they originally found Amy for him.

Extended Plot

908 (1) — Penny and Leonard at breakfast talking with Sheldon.

Penny and Leonard are eating breakfast in 4A. Leonard is making Sheldon breakfast since he is having a rough time. Amy broke his heart, the DVR didn't record the last minute of Doctor Who and a crow followed him home. Even though it is oatmeal day, Leonard made him French Toast sticks and oatmeal. Sheldon walks in cheerily and greets Dr. and Mrs. Hofstadter. He announces that he is going to start looking for another woman. Sheldon observes that French toast and oatmeal might be a lot of carbohydrates for a man on the prowl and suggests the Leonard eat it because he is married and doesn't have to watch his weight anymore. Penny discourages that behavior.

Sheldon invited Howard and Raj over since they had originally found Amy for him; it is only logical for them to help him find a new female companion. Howard wonders if he is ready since Amy hurt him. Sheldon compares his time with Amy to a piece of Juicy Stripe chewing gum, sweet and enjoyable until it turns into a flavorless lump of sadness. he is looking for a woman who is educated, intelligent who shares his interests while retaining her own unique point of view. She has to be kind, patient and can't imagine her life without him by 10:00 PM.

Mys2 — Amy stepping out of her comfort zone.

Amy in trying on a new dress in 4B. She is a little shy to show her new dress to Penny and Bernadette because she is really stepping out of her comfort zone. Finally coming out in a very modest dress, Penny assures her that all of her comfort zones are covered. Amy says that there are many people who would consider the brain the sexiest organ. Penny tells her that nobody ever bought her a drink at a bar because her brain popped out of her shirt. They continue to press Amy for details about her upcoming date. The guy is British, named David Gibbs and they are going that night to an Italian restaurant. Amy asks if Penny has any high heel shoes with higher heels than the ones she was trying on. Penny said that she got rid of all of her high heels when she married Leonard. Bernadette convinces Penny to go spy on Amy to find out more about her date. She doesn't think that she is sneaky; because she is so short it's adorable.

Working on Sheldon's new girl, Howard wants to put him on every dating site available. Sheldon is worried that his page might be answered by a computer simulating a human being, but Raj wonders if that would bother him. he was afraid the computer would do a better job. Sheldon insists that no one does not do a better job of pretending to be a human than himself. As an alternative, Sheldon wants the women to battle for him in a battle of wits and for the winner to come through the door, sit down next to him and quietly watch Daredevil with him. To present Sheldon as a prize, they decide to set him up on Craigslist as an intelligent Caltech professor seeking a girlfriend and that she has to solve a series of puzzles to get his contact information. Raj and Howard are actually jealous of those candidates who get to solve the puzzles and they already have seen the prize.

Leonard and Penny are walking down the stairs. Leonard thinks that they are going to see a documentary on soda can recycling, but Penny insists that they are going to meet up with Bernadette for their surveillance of Amy and her date. Leonard wants to see what the Big Soda companies don't want you to know, while Penny wants to find out who Amy is with and she thinks that Leonard is a weird little guy.

Sheldon puts the Sheldon Cooper Girlfriend Challenge online. The questions requires the knowledge of science, fantasy, and flags facts. If she solves them, then she is intelligent, tenuous, and socially awkward and has nothing better to do on a Saturday night. That sounds too good to be true to Sheldon.

At the restaurant, Amy and Dave start talking about their previous relationships. Dave was married and left England after his divorce. He wanted children and she wanted a French pastry chef. Amy says that she had only one relationship that after five years was becoming more work than it should be. She describes him as Caltech theoretical physicist and calls him Sheldon. Dave asks if she means Dr. Sheldon Cooper. Dave would love Sheldon's job and had been following his work for years. He keeps asking Amy questions to her annoyance. The date then starts going downhill as Dave spends the rest of the night asking questions about Sheldon.

Bernadette, Penny, and Leonard are spying on the date from Bernadette's car across the street. Bernadette isn't a stalker, she is just a girl with military level spy equipment who kept tabs on her boyfriends. Penny thinks that he is cute, while Leonard comments that they are having fun and wishes that he could hear them. Bernadette forgot her parabolic microphone. Penny also thinks that he likes her, but he is just asking her about Sheldon. Bernadette returns with the videos she took. Leonard just wants to leave and go see the movie. Bernadette wonders why she even brought him. They're married so she has to take him everywhere. Bernadette remarks sarcastically, "I hear you."

The dinner date continues with more questions about Sheldon. He asks how long it took him to write a certain research paper. The answer was an hour and a half, one of her dates which is much like this one. Dave also wants to be introduced to him. He thinks that it would be weird to meet her ex-boyfriend, but keeps going back and forth about the invitation.

Back in the car, Leonard needs a bathroom break and Bernadette hands him a bottle.

The other guys are counting down to 10:00 PM. No one arrives at the apartment. Howard remarks that it was a fun experiment, while Sheldon is convinced that someone will show up. Raj wonders if he really wants someone who exactly like him. Opposites do attract. Sheldon comments that if that is true, he should spend his time with them.

When their dinner is over, Amy tells him that it's late and they should go. Dave apologizes that he has been stupid talking all night about her ex-boyfriend. He's not as smart as you know who. And he doesn't want her to forget to introduce him.

The girls notice that the couple under surveillance is coming toward them. Bernadette panics and backs into the car behind them which turns out to be Dave's car. "Hi, Ames!" squeaks Bernie. Amy wants to know what they are doing there and Bernadette turns the tables asking her the same thing. Leonard returns and Dave is excited to meet Dr. Leonard Hofstadter, though Leonard is reluctant to shake his hand considering where he came from.

Mys1 — The one other woman who shares Sheldon's interests.

At a minute to go, the guys count down the last sixty seconds. Sheldon is worried that it might be Jennifer Lawrence since he didn't like "The Hunger Games". Their watch ticks down and no one shows up. Raj consoles with that when it is supposed to happen, it will happen. A moment later there is a knock at the door and it is a beautiful girl named Vanessa Bennet. She is late because she was at a boring symposium on atomic spectroscopy and the puzzles saved her life. She knows Klingon, Sanskrit and facts about flags. They speak to each other in both languages and are smiling at each other. She just had to meet him. Sheldon calls her a special lady, but since she didn't complete the challenge on time Sheldon shuts the door in her face much to the shock and disbelief of Raj and Howard. Sheldon explains that not only was she late, but she found atomic spectroscopy boring.

Finally, Amy is in her car with Dave at the end of her date and she ends things with him. After he starts to talk about both he and Sheldon have kissed her and states it was kinda like he and Sheldon - Amy stops him from continuing and demands him to get out of her car.

Credits

Guest starring:
- Stephen Merchant as David Gibbs
- Lio Tipton as Vanessa Bennet
Teleplay: Chuck Lorre, Steve Holland & Tara Hernandez
Story: Steven Molaro, Eric Kaplan & Jim Reynolds

Notes

Title Reference: The title refers to Penny, Bernadette and Leonard spying on Amy's latest date.
Taping date: October 20, 2015
This episode was watched by 14.92 million people with a rating of 3.7 (adults 18–49).
Total viewers including DVR users 19.90 million.
This episode aired in Canada on November 12, 2015.
In the United Kingdom, this episode aired on Thursday, December 10, 2015.
Chuck Lorre's vanity card [1]
Episode transcript [2]

Critics

Jesse Schedeen at IGN - As Howard and Raj assisted Sheldon in finding a new partner, it became clear that what he really wants is Amy 2.0 - someone who's going to be intelligent enough to respect his genius but submissive enough to put up with his complicated rules and eccentricities. That lightning bolt isn't likely to strike twice...But surprisingly enough, his quest actually ended in a victory of sorts. The scene between Sheldon and his new potential love interest (Warm Bodies' Lio Tipton) was entertaining, if brief...Sheldon foolishly dismissed what is probably the only other woman in southern California who's a perfect match for him...Elsewhere, Penny and Bernadette became obsessed with spying on Amy and her new boyfriend, Dave (played by The Ricky Gervais Show's Stephen Merchant). Here again, the episode was amusing enough, but no moment really stood out...Luckily, Bernie is pretty reliable about keeping things entertaining when placed in the spotlight.
IMDb user reviews [3]

Trivia

Stephen Merchant ("David Gibbs") and Lio Tipton ("Vanessa Bennet") star as Amy and Sheldon's respective other halves.
Amy ends things with Dave after it is revealed he is obsessed with Sheldon.
Lio Tipton returns to The Big Bang Theory last appearing in "The Panty Piñata Polarization" (S2E7) as one of the models that Howard and Raj meet at the house they found used in "America's Top Model".
Per the title, Mystery Date is a board game from the Milton Bradley Company originally released in 1965. The object of the game is to be ready for a date by acquiring three matching color-coded cards to assemble an outfit. The outfit must then match the outfit of the date at the "mystery door". The date is revealed by spinning the door handle and opening the plastic door on the game board.
Bernadette and Amy share no scenes at Apartment 4A with the other three men (Sheldon, Raj and Howard) in this episode.
Raj and Howard share no scenes with Leonard and the girls (Amy, Bernadette and Penny) in this episode.
Raj and Howard help Sheldon find an online match for him, just as they did in "The Lunar Excitation".
Another episode with a "Previously on the Big Bang Theory" segment. It summarizes two clips from the previous episode (S9E7) and it is narrated by Kaley Cuoco.
Sheldon is only seen with Leonard and Penny in Apartment 4A a flashback of the previous episode (S9E7) and the opening Apartment 4A scene of this episode.
Sheldon shares no scenes with Bernadette and Amy in this episode.
Penny made Sheldon French Toast on oatmeal day in "The Gothowitz Deviation" (S3E3).

Quotes

Dave: You know, I once drove 500 miles to hear him speak at Stanford.

Amy: I have a DVD of that lecture.

Dave: Really? Wasn't it great?

Amy: Not as a Valentine's present, no.

Penny: Okay. Well, wait, what about Leonard?

Bernadette: He and his tiny bladder can take the bus!

Penny: I think it’s so adorable you’re making Sheldon breakfast.

Leonard: Well, he’s having a rough time. Amy broke his heart, the DVR cut off the last minute of Doctor Who. That crow followed him home.

Penny: Aren’t you worried you’re making French toast on oatmeal day?

Leonard: Ah, well, what’s this? A pot of oatmeal? Or, thanks to you, what I will now call gloatmeal.

Penny: Oh, I don’t want credit for that.

Sheldon: Oh, Dr. and Mrs. Hofstadter, lovely to see you this fine morning.

Leonard: You’re in a good mood.

Sheldon: Yeah, I am indeed. I have decided, instead of wallowing in sadness about Amy, it is time that I find myself a new female companion.

Penny: Oh. Good for you.

Leonard: What brought this on?

Sheldon: I realized something. When Amy was in my life, I was hyper-focused on my work and ignored her.

Penny: And you don’t want to make the same mistake with the next woman.

Sheldon: No, I need a new woman in my life to ignore so I can hyper-focus on my work again.

Leonard: Hey, I made French toast sticks.

Sheldon: On oatmeal day?

Leonard: Ah, I also made oatmeal.

Sheldon: Ooh, that’s a lot of carbohydrates for a man on the prowl. You know what? You eat it. You’re married, it doesn’t matter what you look like.

Penny: Don’t take advice from a man who threw his shoe at a crow.

Sheldon: All I'm looking for is an educated , intelligent woman who shares my interests while retaining her own unique point of view. She should be kind, patient and most important unable to imagine life without me by 10:00 tonight.

Penny: Come on, Amy, show us the dress.

Amy: Okay. But I'm really stepping outside of my comfort zone here.

Penny: I don't think any of your comfort zones are showing.

Bernadette: Yeah, it's your third date-- maybe you could go more sexy.

Amy: Well, some people think the sexiest organ is the brain.

Penny: No one ever bought me drinks at a bar because my brain just popped out of my shirt.

Amy: I'm gonna go look for other shoes.

Penny: Good luck. I threw out all my tall ones when I married Leonard.

Bernadette: Hey, you want to swing by that place tonight and get a look at this guy?

Penny: We don't even know what time they're gonna be there.

Bernadette: I'll just call the restaurant, pretend I'm Amy and check the reservation.

Penny: Damn, you're sneaky.

Bernadette: Yeah, but I'm little, so it's adorable.

(Bernadette now sips her wine crossly and Penny nods her head in agreement)

Sheldon: Can I help you?

Vanessa: Um, are you the physicist that placed the ad on Craigslist?

Sheldon: Yes.

Vanessa: Hi, I’m Vanessa Bennet. Sorry it took awhile for me to get here, but I was stuck in this boring lecture on atomic spectroscopy when I came across your ad and it saved my night. Some of your puzzles were... were really fun. I never had to translate Klingon into ancient Sanskrit before.

Sheldon: well, careful…it’s addictive.

Vanessa: (Klingon phrase). Or as they say in Sanskrit. (Sanskrit phrase).

Sheldon: And just like that you’re a Klingon-Sanskrit junkie.

Vanessa: Anyway I-I just had to meet the person responsible for such a brilliant idea. And I don’t need to tell you there aren’t a lot of men who loves, physics, archaic languages and the flags of the world.

Sheldon: I am a bit of a unicorn. Well, you certainly seem like a special lady. Uh, but as you know you missed the deadline, so thanks for playing.

Raj: How could you send her away?!

Sheldon: She was late. And... she found atomic spectroscopy boring. Well, I wouldn't coitus her with your genitals.

Dave: This is fun. I haven't dated much since my divorce.

Amy: Well, I'm having a good time, too. If you don't mind me asking, why did you and your wife split up?

Dave: Oh, you know how it is-- we wanted different things. I wanted children, and she wanted a pastry chef named Jean-Philippe.

Amy : Oh, I'm... I'm so sorry.

Dave: No, it's-it's fine. It's why I left England. It reminded me too much of her. Cold, gloomy and easily accessed by a Frenchman through a tunnel.

Dave: I'm sorry, just one more question about Sheldon.

Amy: Sure, why not?

Dave: It's more of a four-part question, really. When he wrote his paper on supersingular prime numbers, how long did it take?

Amy: Um... about an hour and half.

Dave: Wow! I mean, wow! And you were there to see it? Yes.

Amy: Yep. We were on a date. Very much like this one. Mm. I doubt it was like this one. I mean, he's a genius, and I wasn't even smart enough to figure out why my wife always smelled of croissants.

Amy: What was the rest of your question?

Dave: Do you think you could introduce me to him?

Amy: Really? You-you want me to introduce you to my ex-boyfriend?

Dave: You're right, it's-it's weird. No, wait. Do it. No. I changed my mind. I'd be too nervous. Oh! I don't know what to do.

Dave: Uh, thanks for driving me home.

Amy: No problem. I'm really sorry about your car.

Dave: Oh, it's all right. If you're free next weekend, I'd love to take you out again.

Amy: Um... listen, you're a really nice guy, but I just... I don't think this is working out.

Dave: Oh. Okay.

Amy: I'm... I'm really sorry.

Dave: No, it's... at least the same woman that rejected Sheldon Cooper rejected me.

Amy: There you go.