The Big Bang Theory – The Cohabitation Experimentation

By: Jennifer Vintzileos

With the heat of the project off their backs, the guys return to some normalcy in this episode. Or so we are led to believe…What will Sheldon (Jim Parsons), Leonard (Johnny Galecki), Raj (Kunal Nayyar), and Howard (Simon Helberg) get up to next? Let’s find out!

As Penny (Kaley Cuoco) and Amy (Mayim Bialik) with Leonard in tow walk into the building, it seems Amy currently has an issue with her current apartment. A pipe burst, ruining all of her clothes and leaving her homeless for five weeks while they try to fix the problem. Penny makes the suggestion that Amy could move into Leonard’s room for the five weeks while her and Leonard stay in the other apartment. Amy, who has been wanting to take those next steps with Sheldon, is agreeable to the idea. Now, it’s just a matter of getting Sheldon to agree with the idea.

At first, Sheldon is skeptical of living with someone other than Leonard. But when Amy approaches the idea that maybe instead they try the five weeks as an experiment being a scientist, Sheldon takes the idea one step further and agrees to the five weeks as long as they use Penny’s apartment as a neutral ground to test out cohabitation. Penny agrees to the use of her apartment for the experiment and the arrangements are made.

Bernadette (Melissa Rauch) is progressing in her pregnancy. She, Howard and Raj return from an OBGYN appointment. Raj has been coming along to the appointments, much to Bernadette’s displeasure, because he feels that growing up with an OBGYN doctor as a father he could contribute to the appointment. Bernadette and Howard assure him though that the doctor views him as the creepy friend who always hangs around.  But that’s not the biggest matter at hand, as Bernadette and Howard can now find out the sex of their baby. They have chosen to be surprised instead. Unfortunately, Raj inadvertently took a peek at Bernadette’s chart and knows the sex of the baby, which upsets Howard and Bernadette that their friend knows and they don’t. The curiosity unsettles the loving couple and later that night, they go back and forth between asking Raj to find out. Poor Raj gets multiple phone calls that night from Bernadette and Howard, where they go back and forth between asking and ultimately hanging up on him.

Before the experiment can begin, Penny spends time giving Sheldon some insights on how to live with your spouse, as does Leonard with Amy. While Penny’s advice is more about compromise and understanding one another, Leonard tells Amy to avoid using flashes and to keep M&Ms in her pocket just in case. As both Amy and Sheldon are ready to start the five weeks, Penny hands over her key to the couple and tells them to have fun. Once they are in Penny’s apartment, both Penny and Leonard are heard giving yelps of excitement.

As Amy is getting ready for bed, Sheldon is impatiently waiting in bed to go to sleep. Between the grand discussion about who takes what side and what expectations both of them have with the experiment, it is clear that Sheldon is slightly uncomfortable. Amy emerges from the bathroom and proposes a new idea to Sheldon where while they agreed on no coitus, that maybe snuggling isn’t out of the question. Sheldon proposes a pillow wall, which Amy immediately shoots down.

Across the hall, Penny and Leonard try to decide what to do while Sheldon is “away.” Leonard suggests dancing in their underwear, which Penny tries to turn down. However, Leonard is not deterred and immediately starts pulling down his pants and shaking his booty. It isn’t long before Penny joins him and they are seen dancing around in the living room. Ultimately, it is Leonard injuring himself after attempting the worm that halts all further dancing.

Meanwhile, Amy is having difficulties sleeping while Sheldon starts to make strange noises in his sleep and move around frequently. When Amy attempts to snuggle with Sheldon, he starts to buck around in his sleep and pushes her off the bed. As he comes out of his sleep state and sees Amy on the floor, he is confused as to why she’s down there. Already upset with the night, Amy takes the opportunity to snap a picture of Sheldon. The flash scares him and he scampers out of bed.

The next morning, Penny and Amy are in Sheldon and Leonard’s kitchen talking about the night. Amy is sore from her injury, but clearly not as sexy as it seems. Leonard enters, still sore from his dance injury, which Penny quips is not what it seems. When Sheldon arrives, he is bright-eyed and fresh. The experiment has been going better for him than Amy, who is ready to give in after only 12 hours. This leads to a scientific insult match, which Leonard tries to explain to Penny. Clearly, the frustration comes to a climax as Amy angrily asks Sheldon if he wants to go make out, which he agrees to. They leave the apartment and leave behind a baffled Leonard and Penny.

How will the rest of the experiment go? Will Sheldon and Amy be able to cohabitate peacefully? Will Bernadette and Howard give in to wanting to know the sex of their baby? Join me next week to find out!