Warning: Spoilers ahead for the most recent episode of The Big Bang Theory. Feel free to come back once you've caught up!
Well, it's finally happened, folks. William Shatner has finally had a guest appearance on The Big Bang Theory, and now we know how his episode went down. And, it turns out that it all revolved around a celebrity Dungeons and Dragons game that Wil Wheaton holds at his home on a regular basis. Here's what happened.
When the episode opened we were treated to a taping of the new Professor Proton show with Wil Wheaton. After a brief chat with the young audience at home, Wil introduces Amy and Sheldon so they can talk to the kids about their theory of super asymmetry, with a reminder that most of those watching are very young and they'll have to be careful of how they explain such a lofty topic. Amy, of course, does fine with this, but just as Sheldon is going off the deep end with terms and ideas that even most adults would have difficulty with, a doorbell rings and Wil asks Sheldon if he'd like to answer it.
Well, even though the moment is obviously staged and Wil drops a hint that it's a surprise he orchestrated just for Sheldon, the potential Nobel Prize recipient is having none of it. Sheldon takes the opportunity to tell Wil that he's sending a bad example to the audience by making it seem like it's OK to answer the door when they don't know who it is, instead of letting their parents handle it while they hide under their beds. Amy, tired of Sheldon's unnecessary histrionics, finally goes to answer the door, and to everyone's surprise it's William Shatner.
Sheldon is ecstatic and squeals "Captain on the bridge!" about 50 times before finally calming down and asking Shatner if he can call him captain. While he declines twice, telling Sheldon to call him Bill, he finally agrees and then Sheldon decides to be all Sheldon about it and ask if Shatner will refer to him as Science Officer Cooper. Knowing that this ridiculous line of questioning wouldn't end unless he relented, Shatner smiles, says hello to Science Officer Cooper and puts his hand out for a welcoming hand shake. Unfortunately, the camera then cuts to the guys at work in the cafeteria watching the episode on Leonard's phone. I say unfortunately and not shockingly, because what we then hear as the guys watch is Sheldon throwing up all over William Shatner and his out-stretched hand. Way to go on that first meeting, Sheldon!
As you might imagine, the guys make a bit of fun when Sheldon sits down for lunch, but he's not fazed. He simply says that he knows the first meeting didn't go as planned but the next time will be better. When Howard asks why he thinks there'll be another meeting between him and Shatner, Sheldon says that Wil thinks the world of him and will give him another chance to meet one of his idols.
We soon find out that this isn't quite true, though, when Sheldon later shows up at Wil's door saying he'd like to apologize. Wil, who doesn't answer his initial three knocks, is forced to go to the door when Sheldon begins obsessively ringing his doorbell and saying his name, but after he tells Sheldon that this isn't a good time "for him" we hear someone call for Wil to get back inside by saying a lot of D&D sounding things. When Sheldon asks if he's playing the classic game, Wil quickly says no, but the same voice pipes up and yells for Wil to hurry up because "this dungeon is full of dragons!" Not long after, we hear the very recognizable vocal cadence of one William Shatner come from within, and Wil quickly shuts the door in Sheldon's face when he asks if the sci-fi legend is inside.
Sheldon then runs to Penny and Leonard's place to tell the gang, who are assembled for dinner, that Wil has a D&D night filled with celebrities. While the guys begin to pepper him with questions to try and figure out who else might be there, Amy asks a very soggy Sheldon, "Why are you damp?" to which he replies that he actually tried to look into Wil's windows but had the sprinklers turned on him. Leonard then abandons his dinner and announces that they can try using graph theory to figure out what other famous people were in attendance. As the guys head to the white board, Penny laments that this is their night now, but Amy corrects her by saying, "No, this is the rest of our lives." True dat, girl.
In the middle of all their charts and equations, it occurs to the guys to check Wil's social media to see if he posted anything about the game, and not only did he, but he gave something interesting away by accident: Stuart is at his game night. The guys are confused as to why Wil would invite Stuart but not them, and make haste to head over to Howard's so they can be there when he gets back. As soon as Stuart walks into the kitchen, he finds all the guys there, and while he tries to lie about where he was, it doesn't work, they lay on the interrogation and Stuart begins to crack.
Later, Stuart, still shaken from the experience, calls Wil and tells him he can't do game night anymore because keeping the details secret is too much pressure now that everyone knows. A bit later Howard and Raj get the idea to call Wil and have Howard pretend to be Shatner to get details of the next game out of him, but Wil's not fooled at all. But, Wil isn't completely cold-hearted, and since there is now an empty spot in D&D night, he later rings up Leonard and asks him to play, noting that he can't tell anyone about it. Just as Wil is apologizing for making Leonard lie to his friends, though, Leonard cuts him off and says he'll be there.
Generally being a much more reserved person than Sheldon, even when he's excited, Leonard keep his cool at the game and we can now see everyone who's in attendance. Wil, Leonard and Shatner are joined by Kevin Smith, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Joe Manganiello, and when they get into a quandary over how to proceed in the game, Abdul-Jabbar asks what Leonard thinks and he tells the group that he thinks this is the best day of his life, to which Shatner replies, "It's all right, buddy. One day you'll meet a girl."
We know that Leonard does have a girl, and when he gets home we find out that he told Penny he was going to a lecture, but when he enthusiastically tells her that every aspect of said supposed lecture was great, she reveals that she no longer believes he was at a dry science lecture, but at the House of Pies again. He breaks then and tells her he was at Wil's game, and while Penny does ask if any other celebrities were there, she tells him she really doesn't care who they were or about any other details. But, Leonard is riding quite the high now, and the floodgates are opened so he spills all the details to Penny, who changes her mind about not being interested when she finds out basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Mike's Joe Manganiello were in attendance.
What could possibly happen next? We all know Penny can't keep a secret, so she immediately heads to Bernadette's house where she finds her with Amy, and tells them Joe Manganiello frequents this game night. Amy, in particular, is excited about her new proximity to a man who played a hot stripper, and once Bernadette gets a look at him on Penny's phone, the ladies hatch a plan. They head to the Professor Proton set and pretend that Sheldon left something behind last time, but Wil's on to them and knows they want in on his game night.
The next day at work, Howard can tell that something is different about Leonard, but he keeps his lips zipped until Wil calls and says he's no longer welcomed at game night cause he told Penny, who blabbed to Bernadette and Amy. The guys are pissed that Leonard didn't tell them, with Raj arguing that he told him about Scarlett Johansson being in his spin class, but Leonard points out that it wasn't even her. The bigger realization is that there is now another open seat for D&D, so everyone rushes over to Wil's, but he is not happy to see any of them. Wil chastises the guys for trying to use him to get to his famous friends, and when Sheldon says he doesn't actually consider Wil famous, he slams the door in their faces.
As a way to apologize to Wil, the guys decide to set up their own D&D night and invite him, but when Leonard calls he says he's busy. Of course, it turns out he's in the middle of his own D&D game with his famous friends...and Penny, Bernadette and Amy. Penny has actually gotten into the game, and when Shatner says he "likes her moxie" in a slightly suggestive way, she doesn't pick up on the flirtation at all and responds with, "Awww, and I like your grandpa words."
When Amy thanks Wil and says they won't tell the guys, he suggests they take a picture and send it to them, which they do. Penny is holding it together, but Amy is hanging all over Joe Manganiello with a goofy grin on her face, and Bernadette is lovingly staring up at Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, whose head has been totally cut off in the photo. When the guys see the picture, no one gets upset and all Leonard can say is, "We deserved that."
There will almost certainly be more William Shatner level guest stars on The Big Bang Theory as the final season continues on CBS, Thursdays at 8 p.m. EST, so be sure to tune in!
