"Big Bang Theory": More Cooperisms from Season 8 Quiz

Answer: A time traveler

While the guys are caught up with their flame war with Stephen Hawking in "The Troll Manifestation", the girls decide to watch the awful "Serial Apeist" sequel that Penny made previously. Penny starts playing Bernadette's "Miss California Quiznos 1999" beauty pageant video as a way to deflect attention from herself, which prompts Bernadette to reveal that Amy writes "Little House on the Prairie" fan fiction on the Internet. When Penny guesses that the story is about Amy and Sheldon, Amy quickly denies it. "It's about a young woman in the 1800s named Amelia, and the time-traveling physicist named Cooper she falls in love with," she explains unconvincingly. Penny proceeds to read the story out loud, to Bernadette's delight and Amy's obvious discomfort. It reads like a typical Harlequin romance with bits of sci-fi thrown in, but Penny and Bernadette are enthralled.

"It was just past dawn on the prairie, and like every morning, Amelia prepared to do her chores. Except something about this morning felt different," Penny recites. "Maybe it was the first whisper of winter in the air, or maybe it was the unconscious handsome man with porcelain skin and curious clothing she was about to discover lying in the field. A man who would open her mind to new possibilities and her body to new feelings." The story ends with Amelia helping to repair the time machine and Cooper preparing to return to the future, only to change his mind because, as he tells Amelia, "There is no future without you." The episode ends with Penny reading to Leonard the part of the story in which Amelia helps to bathe and dry Cooper, as they discuss his futuristic undergarments.

Answer: "Let it go."

In "The Comic Book Store Regeneration", Sheldon is upset with Amy for helping Kripke with his work on string theory, when he never benefited from her help while he was working in the same field. Penny doesn't think Sheldon is being reasonable. "Well, if I'm understanding this right, and all she did was help out another scientist, I'm thinking you might have to let this one go," she tells him.

When he asks her for help in doing just that, she guides him through an exercise in visualization. "Imagine your problems are a pen," she says. "Now imagine you're holding that pen." Sheldon close his eyes and clenches his hand into a fist as he plays along. "Now open your hand and let it go," Penny says, to Sheldon's surprise. "But I just got this pen," Sheldon protests. "It's got my initials on it and everything." Sheldon decides to turn the tables on Penny by informing her that Amy has been making her solve puzzles for the last few months in order to test her intelligence against chimpanzees. Thinking back, Penny recalls Amy asking her to reassemble a pair of scissors, sort coins in order of size, and open a bamboo puzzle box, and realizes that he is right. "It's incredibly insulting," she says, incensed. "Okay, maybe this will help. Imagine you're holding a pen," he tells her. "Before you go too far, not a special pen with your initials engraved on it, that'll make the next part really hard." Penny has had enough, and throws him out of her apartment. "I don't understand why you're mad at me," he says as he is shown the door. "You should be mad at Amy, like I was this afternoon." Sheldon suddenly realizes that he isn't mad with Amy anymore. "Hey, look at that," he tells Penny happily. "I let it go."

Answer: His birthday

Amy had just read about an experiment designed to make two people fall in love. The subjects of the experiment ask each other questions intended to promote intimacy, and then stare into each other's eyes for four minutes. Sheldon proposes that they conduct their own research, and agrees to try the experiment with Penny in the interest of science.

The test proceeds innocently enough, but when Sheldon accuses Penny of using humor as a defense mechanism to avoid vulnerability, it quickly turns serious. "I wish I could be as smart as you guys," Penny says, when asked what one quality or ability she would like to have. "Look, you may not be as academically inclined as are we," Sheldon replies, "But you possess an intelligence I envy, which leads me to my answer. I would choose the ability to read people's minds." When Penny tells him that she can't read minds, Sheldon expands on his answer. "I often misinterpret how others are feeling," he explains. "Like I can't always tell if someone is only joking or laughing at me. Like if they're mad at something I've done or just in a bad mood.

It's incredibly stressful." Penny is surprised by Sheldon's revelation, and starts feeling a wave of affection for him. Later, Sheldon is asked what regrets he would have if he were to die today, prompting him to comment, "I suppose there's something satisfying about dying on my birthday." Penny is amazed that Sheldon would reveal something to her that no one in the gang knows - not even Amy. "Well, I don't enjoy presents," Sheldon explains, "And the thought of people jumping out and yelling surprise fills me with more dread than the words 'George Lucas Director's Cut'." When asked why he finally told her, Sheldon says, "The point of the experiment is to be completely honest with each other." The episode ends with Penny walking Sheldon back to his apartment, where the rest of the gang are waiting to surprise him with an impromptu birthday party.

Answer: He applied to be a colonist on Mars.

In "The Colonization Application", Sheldon and Amy visit the pet store to pick out a turtle. "How'd you like to come home with us? You'll be living with me because we don't live in the same house," Sheldon says, when he finds a suitable specimen. "You'll stay with me when he's at Comic-Con or away for work," Amy explains. "Or if they accept Daddy's application to live on Mars," Sheldon quickly adds, to Amy's surprise.

When Amy asks Sheldon what he's talking about, he tells her that he submitted an application to a company that is working on establishing a colony on the red planet. Amy isn't sure if she heard him correctly. "You applied for a mission to be a colonist on another planet, and couldn't be bothered to tell me?" The fight continues even after they return to Sheldon's apartment. "I know the odds of you even going to Mars are incredibly small, but it still hurts that you would volunteer for something that would take you away from me forever," Amy says, before deciding to go home. "You know, Sheldon, at any other time, learning that you had plans to go live on Mars would be a slow news day," she says as she leaves. "But a couple of hours ago, we were getting a turtle. And silly as it sounds, I thought that meant something." Sheldon catches up with her as she rushes down the stairs. "Do you want me to withdraw my application?" he asks. "What I want is for us to be planning our future together," she replies, prompting Sheldon to ask Amy if she wants to go to Mars with him. "If I'm going to a barren, lifeless environment where the chances of survival are slim to none, I want you there with me," he explains.

The couple start imagining making a new beginning together on Mars, and realize that if they started a family there, their kids would be Martians.

Answer: The magazine doesn't credit Leonard for his work.

After reading Sheldon's interview in "Scientific American", Amy has to point out the obvious. "Sheldon, this article doesn't mention Leonard at all," she tells him. "It only refers to 'Dr. Cooper and his team'." When Sheldon doesn't see the problem, Amy has to explain. "Think about it. How would you feel if you were referred to as part of Leonard's team?" she asks. "Leonard is as much a part of this paper as you are, and he was overlooked. He's going to feel bad." Sheldon doesn't see how he is responsible. "But it wasn't my fault," he says. "I didn't exclude him, and I didn't write the article." Amy decides to try a different tack. "Remember that time you didn't get picked to pull the sword out of the stone at Disneyland and they let that other kid do it?" she asks. "Oh, that kid," Sheldon replies in exasperation, as realization dawns on his face. "Poor Leonard."

Sheldon attempts to break the news gently to Leonard, but only succeeds in bewildering him. Leonard becomes upset that Sheldon never corrected the reporter when he assumed that Sheldon was the lead scientist and they end up arguing through dinner at Howard's mother's place, until Bernadette puts them in their place. The episode ends with the gang fighting off a food coma in the living room of Howard's childhood home as Sheldon discovers that Leonard was mentioned in the "Physics Today" article about their paper, and everyone cheers.

Answer: He gets Tasered.

Leonard realizes that they are making such good time that they will get to the hotel too early to check in, so Sheldon suggests making a detour to visit Skywalker Ranch. "I don't think George Lucas put his headquarters in the middle of nowhere because he wanted people dropping in," Leonard says, but Sheldon isn't convinced. "Yoda's swamp was in the middle of nowhere. Tatooine was in the middle of nowhere. Hoth was in the middle of nowhere," he points out. "That's code, Leonard. He wants us to drop in."

They pull up to the gate and get cleared to enter the compound due to a speaker box malfunction, but the guard house is a different story. "I'm just gonna tell you the truth," Leonard says to the security guard as they pull up. "We don't have an appointment. We're just fans of Mr. Lucas's work, and we thought we'd take a shot and see if we could get in and look around." The guard can't let them in but appreciates their honesty, and offers them some hats and t-shirts instead. Just then, Sheldon leaves the car and makes a mad dash for the building. "I can see the ranch, Leonard," he yells as he runs. "Oh, it's rustic, it's lovely. I'd take a picture, but people are chasing me. I'm gonna make it. I'm gonna make it. They have Tasers, but they wouldn't dare use... Aaaaaaargh!" Sheldon and Leonard are detained, but eventually let off with a warning. They miss their lecture, and Sheldon has to convince Leonard that their day wasn't a total write-off. "Well, not only did we go to Skywalker Ranch, we got in, and no one we know can say that. And for all the times you find me irritating, today you got to watch someone shoot me with a Taser," Sheldon points out. "That part was pretty good," Leonard admits with a smile.

Answer: Their first sleepover

Sheldon almost ruins date night because he can't stop thinking about being excluded from the exclusive weekend shindig at Richard Feynman's house, but his crankiness stems from a deeper pain. "Do you think there comes a point in life when it stops feeling bad to be left out of things?" he asks Amy. "It reminds me of when my stupid brother and sister would build forts in the living room and wouldn't let me in. I hated that so much." Amy has an idea. "You know, there's nothing I can do about getting you invited to the symposium, but if you wanted, we could build a fort," she says.

They assemble the fort out of all the sheets and blankets in the house, and even string Christmas lights through it to complete the look. But ten o'clock comes much sooner than expected, marking the end of date night. "Well, wait," Sheldon says. "What if, just this once, we suspend the date night parameters and you stay later?" Amy has a better plan. "Well, as long as we're suspending the parameters, I could stay really late and we could have our first sleepover," she says.

Sheldon agrees to a G-rated sleepover with "a warning for families with babies and toddlers", and Amy whips out a spare set of pajamas and a toothbrush that she had hidden under a chair two years earlier. "How did you know we'd be in the living room?" Sheldon asks, to which Amy replies, "Who says this is the only one I hid?" The episode ends with Leonard coming home and getting invited by Sheldon to have a seat inside the fort. "Not there," Sheldon tells him as he settles in. "That's my spot."

Answer: By pretending to talk about trains

In "The Communication Deterioration", Raj is asked to work on a design proposal for NASA's new Discovery class missions, but he blows off Howard and Sheldon when they threaten to hijack the entire project. When Penny comes to Sheldon later for advice, he is uncharacteristically un-opinionated. "Here's the thing. I like pharmaceutical sales, it's going great, but I have an audition for a movie, and if I get it, it could screw everything up," she says. "Hmm. I know exactly what you should do. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you," he replies. "I'm attempting to turn over a new leaf. Earlier today, it was pointed out to me that I tend to force my ideas on people." Penny can't believe her ears. "You're really not gonna tell me?" she asks. "No, that train has left the station," he replies, and then proceeds to talk about trains.

Penny interrupts him to ask a question. "If I was at a train station and one train could take me to my current job and the other train could take me to an audition for a movie, which train should I get on?" she asks innocently. When Sheldon asks her if she is just using trains to trick her into giving her advice, Penny lies and says "no". "All right, then," Sheldon replies. "You should take a third train where you audition for the movie but hold off on making a career decision until you have more information." Penny realizes he's right and that her worries are premature, and calls Sheldon a "wise man". "Well, Penny, who's smarter, the wise man or the person who comes to him for advice?" he asks. "I guess you're right. Maybe it is the person who asks," she says with a knowing smile. "No, it's the wise man," Sheldon replies. "That's why he's called the wise man. You know how I know that? I'm the wise man."

Answer: Their mothers

In "The Maternal Combustion", Sheldon's and Leonard's mothers both arrive in Pasadena to see them receive an award, but the visit quickly descends into a battle for maternal attention. Mary Cooper has nothing but unconditional love for her son, while Beverly Hofstadter believes in only showing affection for Leonard as a reward for his achievements, which results in all the attention of both mothers focused squarely on Sheldon.

He gets complimented by Beverly on the paper, even though the hypothesis was Leonard's idea, and the conversation is dominated by tales of Sheldon's exploits as a boy genius growing up in Texas.

It's not long before Leonard pulls Sheldon aside to register his unhappiness. "Even with your mother here, you are deliberately hogging all the attention from my mom. You're like one of those elephant seal pups that steals the milk from two mothers," he complains. "Do you mean what marine biologists refer to as super weaning?" Sheldon asks. "Yes," Leonard replies in exasperation. "You are a super weaner." Sheldon ponders that comment for a moment, before saying, "Well, now I have to correct you.

As a bit of an elephant seal buff, the more accurate comparison would be when two mother seals actively seek to nourish the same pup. So I believe the term you're looking for is a 'double mother suckler'." The rivalry only ends after Beverly realizes from the example set by Mary and Sheldon that there is more than one way to raise a child, and resolves to shower Leonard with unconditional (if awkward) love.

Answer: She breaks up with Sheldon.

Sheldon and Amy are observing their five-year anniversary in "The Commitment Determination" with a make-out session on the couch, which Sheldon interrupts by asking Amy if she thinks he should start watching "The Flash" on TV. Amy is hurt that Sheldon's mind is on other things during their time together, and accuses him of "killing the mood" by talking about a stupid TV show. "Excuse me," he protests. "Starting to watch a television show that might run for years isn't a decision to take lightly. I'm wrestling with a big commitment issue here." Amy is flabbergasted. "That's the commitment issue you're wrestling with?" she asks. "Sheldon, do you understand the irony of your fixation on a man with super speed, while after five years all I can get out of you is a distracted make-out session on a couch?"

Sheldon speaks to Penny and Leonard to understand why Amy could be mad at him, but they take Amy's side, with Penny agreeing that Sheldon is taking things too slow with Amy. Sheldon resolves to do something about it. The episode ends with Sheldon calling Amy up on Skype to say that he has been thinking a lot about their relationship, but Amy interrupts him to say that she's been doing the same. "This isn't easy to say because I love you, but I need some time to take a step back and re-evaluate our situation," she tells him. "I hope you understand." After she hangs up, Sheldon addresses a maquette on his desk, as he retrieves a jewelry box from a drawer. "Well, Gollum, you're an expert on rings," he says, as he opens the box to reveal an engagement ring. "What do I do with this one?"