The Big Bang Theory (2007–…): Season 11, Episode 20 - The Reclusive Potential - full transcript

Sheldon takes the guys to a cabin in the middle of nowhere to meet a reclusive scientist; Penny and Bernadette improvise Amy's bachelorette party.

KOOTHRAPPALI:
If Bruce Banner's driving
a rental car
and turns into the Hulk,
do you think he's covered,
or does he need to add the Hulk
as an additional driver?
You really need
a girlfriend.
[gasps]
Mailman's here!
Aw. Remember when he used to
get that excited to see us?
Do you have any mail
for Dr. Sheldon Cooper?
I do, but I can't hand it
right to you--
I have to put it in the box.
And that is what separates
the U.S. Postal Service
from those hippies at FedEx.
Oh, goody!
What is so exciting?
It's a letter from Dr. Wolcott.
We've been corresponding
about my string theory research.
Wait. Robert Wolcott?
Like Wolcott's Theorem Wolcott?
The very same.
Didn't he go crazy
and cut off all
contact with people?
Yeah, he was driven mad
by a friend
who kept wanting to talk
about the Hulk's car insurance!
Oh. He's invited me to his cabin
for the weekend,
to discuss
a breakthrough he's had.
His cabin?Yes. He lives
off the grid,
up in the mountains.
So you're gonna go
to the middle of nowhere
and spend the weekend with
a crazy man you've never met?
Yes. Why?
No reason. Have fun.
♪ Our whole universe
was in a hot, dense state ♪
♪ Then nearly 14 billion years
ago expansion started... Wait! ♪
♪ The Earth began to cool
♪ The autotrophs began to drool,
Neanderthals developed tools ♪
♪ We built the Wall ♪ We built the pyramids♪
♪ Math, Science, History,
unraveling the mystery ♪
♪ That all started
with a big bang ♪
♪ Bang!♪
Hmm.
Oh.
[sniffs]
Hmm.
[chuckles]:
Oh, nice one.
Hey, Penny, that's what you
sound like when you read.
[giggles]
Hey!
What?
Hesaid it.
Sheldon, what are you doing?
I am decoding
Dr. Wolcott's letter
using this book as the key.
Aren't conversations more fun
when they're in code?
Yes. But I'm using a code
where "yes" means "no."
Oh. I got it!
He's given me directions
to his cabin.
He seems a little paranoid.
He is not paranoid.
What are you doing?
Following
his instructions.
Leonard, you are not letting
Sheldon go alone this weekend.
I am a grown man-- I don't need
somebody to chaperone me.
I just need him
to drop me off, pick me up,
and pack me a sack lunch.
Don't look at me.
When the music stopped,
you were holding Sheldon.
Amy can't take him-- it's her
bachelorette party this weekend.
Yes, it is--
because I'm getting married!
Are you gonna be doing that
all weekend?
Yes. Do you know why?
Because you're getting married!
[whooping]
All right, Leonard,
looks like you're driving me.
But maybe you could drop me
at the bottom of the mountain.
I want him to think I'm cool.
That's great,
everyone's got weekend plans.
Amy has her
bachelorette party,
and Sheldon's gonna go
to the woods and get
hunted for sport.
Yeah, as someone
who has to track him every time
he gets lost in IKEA, I feel
like I'd be really good at that.
Leonard, you
cannot drop him off.
You have to stay with him
and keep him safe.
Howard, you have to go
and keep Leonard safe.Fine.
I get it-- and you want me
to go and keep Howard safe.
Actually, I...Uh, just say yes,
or he's gonna want
to come to the
bachelorette party.
Are you sure you're
gonna be okay this weekend?
Of course.
No, I'm much more concerned
about you.
I know how you gals behave
when the men are away.
You do?
I've read The Bacchae
by Euripides.
Drinking wine,
riding panthers...
Proof that girls have gone wild
for over 2,500 years.
Well, I wish I could say
none of that is gonna happen,
but Penny is planning it,
and she is the reason
I own those underwear
with writing across the butt.
Well, just be careful,
and use protection.
What do you think
is gonna happen?
I don't know.
But it's going to be sunny,
and you burn easily.
It'll be fine.
I'm sure there'll be
some drinking and some dancing,
and then a mailman'll
probably show up
and take his clothes off...
Nicholas is going to
take his clothes off?
No, not ourmailman.
A dancer pretending
to be a mailman.
Impersonating a
federal employee?
Oh, where's the
after-party, prison?
It's sweet that
you're worried about me.
Well, of course
I'm worried about you--
I want you to be safe.
And I want you to be safe.
I will be. I'll have
my friends with me.
If anything should go wrong,
I can use them as human shields.
MAN [over speaker]:
For most of human history,
time was believed to be
an objective part of reality.
But with the contributions
of Immanuel Kant,
science and philosophy...[turns down volume]
When I said you should make
a playlist for the road trip,
I meant music.
This is better than music--
this is a lecture
on nonlinear time.
Sounds like it's
just on regular time.
Yes. But I put it
on shuffle.
This is nice.
The four of us haven't
taken a trip like this
since Leonard's
bachelor party.
And now here we are
for Sheldon's.
Yeah, uh,
Leonard...
As Sheldon's best man,
I need to inform you
that this is not
a bachelor party.
And tell them why.Because you're
a tiresome scold.
No. It's because
a bachelor party
is typically
a hedonistic blowout
where no pleasures
of the flesh are denied.
I'm not interested in that.
How is that not
exactly what I said?
Okay, now, I promised Sheldon
things weren't gonna get
too crazy tonight.
Should I be worried?
Oh, just about who
you're marrying.
Just come on.
Welcome to
your...
bachelorette
party!
Oh...
It's a quilting bee!
My bachelorette party's
a quilting bee! [forced chuckle]
Isn't it perfect?
Yeah, instead of oiled-up
strippers and sex toys,
we thought: what
does Amy like?
Amy likes the quilting bee!
Well, this place
is creepy.
Why?
Well, did you see
his vegetable garden?
Heirloom tomatoes in April.
Creepy.
Okay, listen.
Dr. Wolcott is
a brilliant topologist.
We need to set some ground rules
so that you don't embarrass me.
No magic.
No whining.
You-- just no.
[whiny]:
Hey...
Uh, how come
he gets to whine?
Dr. Wolcott?
Dr. Wolcott? Dr. Wolcott?
[locks clacking]
[locks continue clacking]
That's a lot of locks.
Mm. That was a lot of knocks--
they were made for each other.
Dr. Wolcott.Dr. Cooper.
Uh, who are these people?
Oh, these are my friends.
I wrote about them in my letter.
Oh, letter?
I didn't get a letter.
Well, that's because I just
sent it this morning, you know?
So score one
for linear time.[laughs]
Well, um, I don't normally
allow strangers into my house.
But when you do, you-you
let them out, right?
Dr. Cooper, if you
can promise me
these men share
your intellect
and academic rigor, yeah,
I suppose they can join us.
You guys might need
to wait in the car.
Well, let me
show you around.
This is the chair where
I do most of my thinking,
my thinking about work.
Now, my thinking about people
who have wrongedme,
I do over there.
I've always said that I
should get a grudge chair.
Leonard, have I
not always said that?Mm, you have--
but you were worried you'd
spend too much time in it.Yeah.
That was a real concern.
Oh, my God,
this tomato is amazing!
I can eat it like an apple.
My secret is I fertilize it
with my own manure.
The look on your face.
[chuckles]
It's a sort of grin.
You want to know what kind?
So, Dr. Wolcott,
in your letter, you said you had
a new mathematical approach
that would help me conceptualize
the dimensions in string theory?
Uh, yes, yes, yes, yes.
But before we get started,
I am going to need to collect
everybody's phone. Yeah.
Oh.Why?
Because they're little
listening devices, aren't they?
Yes, for people to spy on you
and steal your work.
Yeah, what happened
to the good old days
where if someone wanted
to steal your work,
they had to hire a
prostitute to seduce you?
Who told you about that?
Just making a joke.
Yeah, it's not funny
when it happens.
All right, now,
you're probably going to want to
start with this notebook here.
Oh. Oh, my.Here we are.
[laughs]:
Oh...
Um...
no offense, Dr. Wolcott, but I'm
not sure this makes any sense.
That's because I've
written it all backwards.
You... Wow.
That's "wow" backwards.
Hmm. You know...
I still don't get it.Well, plus the numbers
are letters
and the letters
are numbers.
Oh.
I love him.
[whirring]
[chuckles]
Are you having fun?
Yeah.
I just, uh, finished sewing this
top to bottom.
Now I'm gonna sew it
side to side.
Pace yourself.
[both chuckle]
Some more tea?
Oh, lovely.
Oh.
[both giggle]
Seriously? What the hell?
Huh?What?
This is my bachelorette party,
tea and quilts?Well, you said
you didn't want
anything crazy.Yes,
but I said it like, "I
don't want anything crazy."
Which clearly means
I wanted something crazy.
I mean, is this how boring
you think I am?
Penny, she asked
you a question.
Of course not.
So you thought that
I would like quilting?
Well, don't you?Of course I like quilting!
It's the slowest way
to make a blanket!
But this is
my bachelorette party!
It's supposed to be fun and wild
and full of bad decisions.
Hey, we can make
bad decisions.Yeah.
She had two kids back-to-back
and I thought you'd like this,
so we're off
to a good start.
Come on, let's go somewhere
we can do body shots
off shirtless bartenders.Yes.
I don't know.
That might be too much.
All right, you know what,
why don't we stay home,
have a little wine...
What are you not
getting about this?!
Dr. Wolcott, your work
on time is revolutionary.
I would say
thank you,
but, in my theory of time,
you've already called my work
revolutionary,
I've already thanked you,
and I hate repeating myself,
so let's move on.
Wait a minute,
are-are you saying that time
has multiple dimensions,
the same as space?
No. No, I'm
not saying it--
the math is
saying it.
Though it is the math
that I invented,
so, yes, I guess I am saying it.
You understanding
any of this?
I haven't understood
anything since poop tomato.
My goodness,
I-I'm just not seeing
where string theory fits
into all this, and that's
where I think that you and I
could be of help to each other.
Thank you. I'd be honored.
All right. Allow me to show you
my most recent journal.
Sheldon's right.
This guy, this guy's brilliant.
Yeah, I mean,
he's a little... kooky,
but a mind
that can reconceptualize time
probably has a reason
for keeping a jar
of toenail clippings
that we just don't understand.
I could spend months up here
just going through his math.
I think Sheldon might.
Great. Who's
gonna tell Amy
we lost her fiancé
to a madman in the mountains?
Hey, I drove.
This is so exciting.
Can we do a body shot?
I've always wanted
to do a body shot.
Also, what's a body shot?
It's when you take a drink out
of a stranger's belly button.Ew.
No, thanks.
What if they have an outie?
Does it just spill everywhere?
Okay, look,
we've got all night.
Let's just take it easy.
We can...
I'm getting married!
[cheering]
Here you go. First round
is on the house.
Ooh.Hey there.
Do you do body shots?
Oh, she said she
didn't want one.
Mind your business.
Cheers!
[whoops]
Amy?
Amy? Should we get her home?
Why? She's sound asleep,
and we have sliders coming.
One more round!
So, how would this work
in the context of
a singularity?
Yes, that's-that's
a tricky bit to explain.
I assume you're familiar
with non-abelian group theory.
Oh, and how.
You never forget your
first group theory.
Listen, I'm gonna put on
a pot of coffee,
because there is a lot
of math to go through.
And he said he didn't want
a wild bachelor party.
Excuse me?
Oh, uh, Sheldon's
getting married in a month.
Oh!
Congratulations.
Yeah, I'm a
married man myself.
Oh, really?
Is she here?
And alive?
A-And can people other than you
see her?
She lives in Munich.
It's a perfect marriage.
We focus
on our work
and send each other cards
every year on our birthdays.
Hey, wait,
what-what month is it?
Uh, April.
Most years.
The point is
we give each other space.
I give her Europe,
she gives me South America.
That's where she thinks
I'm living. [laughs]
I-I've never considered
a long-distance marriage.
Well, listen, if you want
to be a great scientist,
you can't afford
to be distracted.
Hey, where are
my manners?
You fellas
must be hungry.
Do you like rabbit?
Yeah.
Sure.Sounds good.
Okay.
But can you tell the difference
between rabbit and squirrel?
No.Don't think so.
Probably not.
Great!
We're having rabbit.
Be right back!
[door shuts]
It is amazing
how much he's accomplished
by isolating himself from the
distractions of day-to-day life.
Okay, please don't tell me
you want to live like this.
See, that's
the strange thing.
I don't.
What is wrong with me?
Why don't I want this?
Look at how cool
it all is.
Nothing is wrong with
you. You have friends,
you have a fiancée,
you have a full life.
You know what,
you're right.
Thank you
for bringing me up here.
But I think
I'm ready to go home now.
Really? You don't want
to stay for dinner
and talk more science?
No. No, we better go.
I miss Amy.
And my phone.
[gunshot in distance]
Also, I'm from Texas,
and I cantaste the difference
between rabbit and squirrel.
[dramatic music playing on TV]
[gasping]
Oh, look who's back!
There she is!
What happened?
How did we get here?
You don't remember anything?
I remember taking some shots,
and then...
that's it.
Oh, my gosh, did I pass out?
You kind of did.
At my own bachelorette party?
I'm so lame.
Well, you didn't pass out
before you did
all kinds of fun stuff.
What did I do?
What did you do?
What'd she do?
Um...
well, you don't remember
Riverdancing on top of the bar?
I did that?
Yeah, you did!
Mm-hmm.
But I don't know how
to Riverdance.
Didn't stop you from teaching
all those shirtless firemen.
I saw shirtless firemen?
Saw, smelled,
slid down like a pole.
Did I flash anybody?
How about everybody?
I can't believe it.
I'm so embarrassed.
You didn't take any pictures,
did you?
Oh, no, we would
never do that to you.
Yeah. But if there
were pictures,
they would be crazy.
You guys are good friends.PENNY: Mm.
[traditional Irish music
playing]
Dinner!
Guys?
I can't believe they left
without saying good-bye.
Wait a minute,
what if they stole my work?
Wait a minute!
What if they were never here
at all?
Wait a minute!
What if they haven't
gotten here yet
but they're on their way?!
I better tidy up.
Hello.
Welcome back. How'd it go?
Well, Dr. Wolcott's theories
of time
might save my new interpretation
of string theory.
Oh, well, that's exciting.
It is.
How was your
bachelorette party?
Well, I was in a bar,
and I saw
some shirtless men.
They were firemen,
and they fought over me.
But Penny and Bernadette
got me out of there
before the victor got my spoils.
I see.
What's the matter?
You look glum.
Amy, would you
still love me
if I wasn't who
you thought I was?
What are you talking about?
Well, what if it turns out
I'm not the single-minded,
science-obsessed recluse
who puts his work above
everything and everybody else
that you fell in love with?
What if I'm not
the straightlaced,
buttoned-up, quilting queen
you thought I was?
What if I'm a...
Riverdancing wild woman?
I'd still love you.
I'd still love you, too.
Do you really know
how to Riverdance?
You tell me.
I'm the only man
you do that for.
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