The Date Night Variable

"The Date Night Variable" is the first episode of the sixth season of the American sitcom The Big Bang Theory. This episode first aired on Thursday, September 27, 2012.^[1]

Summary

Couples Leonard and Penny and Sheldon and Amy both have dates that are interrupted by a lonely Raj. Meanwhile, in space, Howard is forced to deal with the conflicts of his mom and Bernadette wanting him to live with them once he returns.

Extended Plot

On comic book night, the gang is talking about Howard on the International Space Station. Howard gets to see the majesty of the universe unfolding before his eyes and Sheldon thinks it's a waste since he probably won't understand it. Leonard points out it's not all glamorous because the water that astronauts drink is made of recycled urine. The three then imagine how special life must be in space, such as conducting experiments in zero gravity or looking at the birth of a cosmos with a telescope.

At the International Space Station, Howard is ironically doing something very ordinary, which is a yelling phone call with his mother. Mrs. Wolowitz is happy to talk to her baby, and the two are talking about future living arrangements now that Howard and Bernadette are married. After Howard refuses to continue living with his mother, she calls him a "horrible son", and Howard realizes that "space is ruined" since everyone at the space station can hear their conversation.

At Apartment 4B, Penny is bleaching Amy's upper lip to get her ready for her second anniversary dinner date with Sheldon, which he established in their relationship agreement. Amy then asks Penny how long it takes, and it turns out Amy did it once in high school, but dozed off and suffered second-degree chemical burns, which Amy told others is herpes. Afterward, Amy asks about Leonard and Penny, Penny tells her that it still seems weird ever since Leonard's marriage proposal to her during sex. Amy replied that if Sheldon did that her ovaries would grab onto him and never let go.

At the cafeteria, Sheldon is asking Leonard's position on the anthropic principle, which Leonard doesn't know of and finds the question annoying. Raj then comes in and asks Leonard and Sheldon if they would want to go to fish spa with him, but both turns out to have dinner dates with their girlfriends. Raj then complains about how lonely he is, so Sheldon invites him out on his date with Amy. Sheldon says that though The Relationship Agreement states that he is responsible for conversation and casual physical contact with Amy, there is nothing that says he can't outsource that to an Indian. Leonard tells him that that is not a good idea.

At the space station, Howard is talking to Bernadette, and she is angry that Howard never told his mother about moving out. Howard is reluctant to discuss this and tries to distract her but talking about space, but it doesn't work. Bernadette tells Howard that if he doesn't fix this situation, she won't do what she promised to do to Howard after he gets back.

At a restaurant, Amy compliments how romantic the restaurant is and Sheldon points out that Raj picked it. When Amy tells him to thank Raj for her, Sheldon tells her to thank him herself as Raj calls them to the table he is at. Amy is confused by Raj's presence, and then becomes irritated that Sheldon invited him intentionally based on a loophole in the relationship agreement. Amy is in disbelief that she bleached her upper lips for this, and Raj tells her that his girl (presumably referring to Cinnamon) will knock out side burns for free. After a while, Raj tries to start conversation with Amy, but she tells him to go home. Raj orders champagne when he finds out that it's their second anniversary.

At Apartment 4A, Leonard puts together an evening to hang out with Penny which includes her favorite refreshments of beer, wings, and sliders, and they will be watching her choice of football or baseball on television. She appreciates it because she has had a hard day, and just wants to watch the game. Unfortunately, Leonard tries to get her to talk about their relationship, but Penny wants to be the girl for this night. Leonard relents and goes to make a plate for Penny when Raj shows up at their door. Not wanting to be a third wheel in Sheldon and Amy's date, Raj left the restaurant to ironically go and interrupt Leonard and Penny's night together. Leonard doesn't want Raj to stay since he wants to talk about relationship issues with Penny, but Penny welcomes Raj because she wants to avoid that issue. Leonard can't believe that he shaved his stomach for this.

Back at the space station, Howard is again talking to his mother, with her mother not willing to be near a computer since she doesn't want to catch a computer virus. Howard then breaks the news that he and Bernadette plan on living together away from her, and Mrs. Wolowitz breaks down hearing that her son is leaving her. Howard then caves and promises to talk to Bernadette, and when he tries to change the subject, Mrs. Wolowitz asks why he hasn't sent her a single letter or postcard since he has been gone. Dmitri is astonished that these people (Americans) won the Cold War.

At the apartment, Raj is starting to enjoy American football, though still not as good as badminton or cricket. Raj is enjoying his time watching the game, though Leonard clearly isn't and wants him to leave. When Leonard mentions some issues he wants to discuss with Penny, Raj underplays its importance since their relationship is fine. He then criticizes Penny for making Leonard "grovel for affection", then criticizes Leonard for proposing during sex. He then points out that the two are still together even after these hurdles, and the "crazy naked night" that he and Penny had in "The Roommate Transmogrification". He then says that at the end of the day, Leonard and Penny can still look into each other's eyes and say "I love you", unaware that Penny to this day still hasn't said it yet to Leonard. When Raj finds this out, he pressures Penny to say it, and is kicked out of the apartment.

After drinking, Amy mentions that Sheldon looks like a sexy praying mantis because they devour their mates and, after she unbuttons the top of her blouse, she says that dessert is served. After Sheldon says that he has already had cobbler, she says that she is done with him ignoring her and gets up to leave. He replies that she can't leave because he needs her. "You do?" she asks hopefully, but it was only because she was his ride. Amy tells him that if he doesn't say something meaningful and from the heart, then she is leaving him. Then he speaks romantically to her about when he sees her he gets stronger and weaker, excited and terrified, and that he doesn't know how he feels. She is touched until he explains that it came from the first Spider-Man movie. Reluctantly, she says that she'll "take it". Sheldon then asks if they are splitting the check.

Raj is now at the comic book store as Stuart is about to close. Raj apologizes and is about to leave when Stuart asks him to stay and hang out since he is his first customer. Stuart reveals that he is having a nightcap with coffee liquor in a Chewbacca mug, and invites Raj to join in, which Raj accepts. Stuart finds it nice not to drink alone, and Raj tells him that he sometimes adds Chardonnay to Cinnamon's water bowl. Stuart turns on some music, and Raj points out that you listen to Bossa Nova with both hips and ears. Raj then says that Latin music makes him feel like he is on a white sand beach in Rio, and Stuart starts imagining it with the sun, the waves, and the beautiful bodies "tanned and glistening with sweat". Raj begins to feel bothered by it and decides to leave, but not before offering Stuart to watch a movie tomorrow night. Stuart admits he is tight on funds, and Raj says it will be his treat, and Stuart accepts. After Raj leaves, Stuart is somewhat proud saying that he could have done worse.

At the space station, Howard is on video chat with Bernadette, who lied that he has talked to his mother about moving out. When Bernadette asks if his mother was upset, Howard jokes that he couldn't tell since she yells at everything. Bernadette thanks him for fixing the situation, and they greet each other good night. After the call ends, Dmitri asks Howard what he will do after going back to Earth since he just lied to both his wife and his mother, to which Howard replies that he is never going back.

Credits

• Guest starring:
  • Kevin Sussman as Stuart Bloom
  • Carol Ann Susi as Mrs. Wolowitz (Voice Only)
  • Pasha D. Lychnikoff as Dimitri Rezinov
• Teleplay: Steven Molaro, Jim Reynolds & Maria Ferrari
• Story: Chuck Lorre, Eric Kaplan & Steve Holland

Critics

• The TV Critic: "Outside of Raj there was little to enjoy here. The show’s dynamics are so well established that it was boring to hear the same old dialogue again. However, it’s only the first episode of the season so let’s see if it goes somewhere."^[2]
• The A.V. Club gave this episode a B.^[3]
• IMDb user reviews

Notes

• Title Reference: The title refers to Raj as the variable or odd man that shows up on both dates (Lenny & Shamy).
• Chuck Lorre's vanity card.
• The title sequence was updated with this episode to include Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch in the last image.^[4]
  • Also, the title sequence was updated so that the timeline now ends at 2020 instead of 2010.
• This episode was watched by 15.66 million people with a rating of 5.0 (adults 18–49)^[5]
• Total viewers including DVR users 19.57 million.
• This episode aired in Canada on September 27, 2012, with 4.242 million viewers and a weekly ranking of #1.^[6]
• In the United Kingdom, this episode aired on with 3.295 million total viewers.^[7]
• Episode transcript [1]

Costume Notes

• Sheldon wears his vintage Batman logo t-shirt (at the comic book store), his Kryptonian Translator t-shirt (at the university).

• Leonard wears a white on green "Recycle" t-shirt.

• Penny wears a blue "Cherry Blossom" dress by Free People (no longer available).

Trivia

• Kevin Sussman is billed among the main cast as Stuart as of this episode.
• This is the first episode to feature Bernadette and Amy, along with the other crew members in the intro. Prior to that, only Sheldon, Leonard, Penny, Raj, and Howard were in the intro.
  • Additionally, this is the first episode to also include the 2010s decade timeline in the intro.
• Bernadette only features in a flashback of the previous episode (S5E24) at the opening scene of this episode and she is seen in two scenes with chatting to Howard through zero gravity on Skype in this episode. She has no physical appearances in scenes with the other members of the gang (Raj, The "Shamy" duo, Stuart, Lenny) in this episode until the next episode (S6E2)
• Fifth episode to have a "Previously on "The Big Bang Theory" review of past events. It summarizes "The Countdown Reflection" (S5E24) and is narrated by Simon Helberg. The first four were "The Electric Can Opener Fluctuation" (S3E1), "The Cohabitation Formulation" (S4E16), "The Skank Reflex Analysis" (S5E1) and "The Countdown Reflection" (S5E24).
• Behind the scenes, the job of delivering Wolowitz to the orbiting space station didn't fall to a Russian rocket, but rather to The Big Bang Theory's production designer John Shaffner, set decorator Ann Shea and their teams. For the Soyuz, Shaffner and Shea received photos from NASA, turned to a Cosmosphere|Kansas museum to find dimensions, and scavenged parts from an aerospace junkyard in Los Angeles to piece together a realistic capsule. But in the course of his seeking out the spacecraft, Shaffner found a space station. From the outside, Wonder Works' space station set for rent looks more like an elongated shipping container, but inside are the replica science and equipment racks, panels and hand holds that form the general layout and appearance of the real space station's laboratory module. Shea's challenge was making it look lived in, like the orbiting complex.
• With only 20 feet or so (6 meters) of space station set to work with, Shaffner got together with the directors, visual effects supervisors, and cinematographers to use unique camera angles and creative framing to create more 'space' than there really was. They also added a section to the rented module to allow other actors — the other station crew members — to enter and exit, giving viewers a sense that a sprawling outpost continued beyond the lab. They examined ways they could re-imagine the spaces they added. Part of that was made possible by the way they achieved the appearance of weightlessness. Rather than raise the roof and suspend the actors by wires, the solution came from below. It was done by supporting the people from underneath. There was a very long, somewhat skinny platform that a person could lie on and it would almost look like they were swimming through in weightlessness. The actors mastered the motions of micro-gravity. (See How 'The Big Bang Theory' Sent Howard Wolowitz to Space.)
• Two allusions to Greek mythology are made. Raj states, "Right now, Howard’s staring down at our planet like a tiny Jewish-Greek god. Zeusowitz." Also, Sheldon gets chills when he says, "Release the Kraken!" The latter quote was originally a command by either Calibos or Zeus, depending on which incarnation of Clash of the Titans (franchise)|The Clash of the Titans one cares to apply.
• Howard has facial hair for the second time in the series; the first was "The Electric Can Opener Fluctuation". Interestingly enough, both were season premiere episodes. Both involve a scientific voyage to somewhere remote (the Arctic, then Outer space). Often, the actors don't shave over the summer or between tapings and they need a save to turn into their nerdy characters.
• Sheldon looks at Amy and says, "When I look in your eyes, and you’re looking back in mine, everything feels not quite normal. Because I feel stronger and weaker at the same time, I feel excited and at the same time, terrified. The truth is, I don’t know what I feel, except I know what kind of man I want to be." Amy responds, "Sheldon, that was beautiful," to which Sheldon replies, "I should hope so. That’s from the first Spider-Man movie." Peter Parker's full quote to Mary Jane as what he told Spider-Man about her is, "I said, um, Spider-Man, I said, uh, the great thing about M.J. is when you look in her eyes, and she’s looking back in yours, everything feels not quite normal, because you feel stronger, and weaker at the same time. You feel excited, and at the same time, terrified. The truth is you don’t know what you feel, except you know what kind of man you want to be. It’s as if you've reached the unreachable, and you weren't ready for it."
• Stuart sells Galerie Star Wars Ceramic Goblets of Chewbacca and Yoda at the comic book store.
• Raj mentions that he pours a little Chardonnay into his dog's water bowl, which in turn, makes her "kind of a mean drunk." This comment is a reference to the female Yorkie puppy he received from Bernadette and Howard in "The Transporter Malfunction".
• Amy states Sheldon looks like a praying mantis, as both Penny and Leonard have noted (see "The Stag Convergence" Trivia).
• Leonard sat on Sheldon's spot when Sheldon and Amy are on their Date.
• This season premiere episode takes place fairly shortly after the last episode (S5E24) of the previous season.
• The opening sequence from this episode onwards has been amended slightly, with the timeline history being extended from its original end point at 2010 to 2020, alongside a new shot of the gang, now including Bernadette and Amy, eating take-out in Leonard and Sheldon's apartment. The show did end in 2019, so the production company never had to extend it again.

Quotes

Stuart: So Howard is really in space?

Leonard: International space station... 250 miles away that way (points up).

Raj: Right now Howard's staring down on our planet like a tiny Jewish-Greek god... Zeus-o-Witz.

Sheldon: I must admit, I can't help but feel a twinge of envy... he can look out the window and watch the majesty of the universe unfolding before his eyes... His dim, uncomprehending eyes. It's like a cat in a airport carrying case.

Bernadette (on webcam): (out of vision) Howie? Howie?

Howard: Hey, there’s my beautiful bride. Can you see me?

Bernadette: I can. How are you?

Howard: I’m amazing. I mean, this is even better than I dreamed. I look out the window, and it’s all so unbelievable.

Bernadette: (out of vision) Good for you. (Scene of Bernadette on Skype) I just had a seemingly endless dinner with your mom.

Howard: Oh, yeah? That’s nice.

Bernadette: It was. Until I found out you never told her we’re not gonna live with her. Let’s talk about that for a minute.

Howard: Hey, look, this pen is floating. How crazy is that?

Bernadette: You said you told her, but you never did!

Howard: Okay, okay, I know you’re upset, but let me share something I’ve learned since I got here. You realize how small your problems are when you’re looking down on them from space. Now, come on, that’s got to make you feel better.

Bernadette: (asking him crossly) How clear is the image of me on that screen?

Howard: Pretty clear.

Bernadette: (very cross) Do I look like I feel better?

Howard: I mean, it’s not, like, HD quality.

Bernadette: (smiling crossly) Listen, mister, you’re gonna talk to your mother and you’re gonna fix this, or that thing I said I was gonna do to you the minute you got home, you can do to yourself.

Dimitri: Like he’s been doing since he got here.

(Howard looks at Dimitri floating to the walls)

Amy: Oh yes, according to our Relationship Agreement, on the anniversary of our first date, he must take me to a nice dinner, ask about my day, and engage in casual physical contact that a disinterested onlooker might mistake as intimacy.

Penny: That's hot. You kids better use protection.

Raj: You guys are like family to me, you know that, right?

Leonard: That's great! Get out.

Amy: You and I are done! (stands up and walk away)

Sheldon: You can't leave! I need you.

Amy: You do?

Sheldon: Yes....you're my ride.

Amy: Have I ever told you you're like a sexy praying mantis?

Sheldon: Every time you drink alcohol.

Mrs. Wolowitz: HOWAAAHD! CAN YOU HEAR ME?!​

Howard: I can hear you WITHOUT THE PHONE!

Mrs. Wolowitz: Don’t be snippy. I’m just excited to talk to my baby.

Howard: I’m excited to talk to you, too.

Mrs. Wolowitz: So, what’s this mishegas about you moving out to go live with the little Polish girl?

Howard: How about calling her my wife?

Mrs. Wolowitz: Wives don’t take boys from their mothahs.

Howard: They do. That’s why we marry them.

Mrs. Wolowitz: I just hope I’m not dead from a broken heart before you get back.

Howard: Ma, please. Everyone from NASA is listening to this phone call.

Mrs. Wolowitz: Good. They should know what a horrible son you ah.

Howard: Okay, Ma, great talking to you. Gotta go. (hangs up space phone.) Well, space is ruined.

Amy: Sheldon, you either say something meaningful and from the heart, or you and I are done.

Sheldon: All right. Please. Amy, when I look into your eyes and you're looking back in mine, everything feels not quite normal, because I feel stronger and weaker at the same time. I feel excited and, at the same time, terrified. The truth is, I don't know what I feel, except I know what kind of man I want to be.

Amy: Sheldon, that was beautiful.

Sheldon: I should hope so. That's from the first Spider-Man movie.

Amy: I'll take it.

Bernadette: (out of vision) Aw, that’s such good news, Howie. Thank you for telling her.

Howard: Hey, I’m a grown man. I’m gonna live with my wife. My mother’s just gonna have to learn to make do on her own.

Bernadette: Was she upset?

Howard: Who can tell? She yells everything. She might have been upset. She might have been hungry.

Bernadette: Thanks for fixing it. I love you.

Howard: I love you, too. Sweet dreams. I’ll talk to you tomorrow?

Bernadette: Good night, Rocket Man.

Howard: To infinity and beyond, baby.

Dimitri: Loops. You realize you just lied your ass off to your wife and your mother.

Howard: I know.

Dimitri: What are you gonna do when you get back to Earth?

Howard: Oh, I’m never going back.

Gallery

See also

• Taping report from Fanforum.com
• Picture of program sheet given during taping to audience is courtesy of Moyrani.

References