Warning: Spoilers ahead for the most recent episode of The Big Bang Theory. Look away until you've had a chance to catch up!
Amy and Sheldon have been having lots of trouble when it comes to the theory for super asymmetry that they first came up with at their wedding. After clearing some massive personal and professional hurdles when it came to writing their paper, finishing all the research and getting their theory published, the real battle seemingly began when another team of physicists, Dr. Pemberton and Dr. Campbell, accidentally confirmed their theory and then decided they wanted credit for it.
The last time we saw the gleeful doctors, who are very happy at all the undue attention that they're now getting because of Amy and Sheldon's theory, they were more than willing to share credit, but wanted to cut Amy out because she's not a physicist and only three people can share a Nobel for one idea. But, Sheldon went to bat for his wife, knowing that it might mean a fight with Pemberton, Campbell and Fermilab (where they work), and, a fight is exactly what they've now gotten.
When the episode opens, everyone is gathered for dinner at Leonard and Penny's place to watch Ellen, because Pemberton and Campbell are going to be on her show, and everyone wants to see what they have to say. Unfortunately for Amy and Sheldon, not only have the lying doctors been on a very successful publicity tour in an effort to win the public over to their side, they've also been posting funny videos that are going viral, which is how they come to be on Ellen.
And, even though Sheldon is counting on them screwing up and somehow being able to reveal that they don't actually know much about super asymmetry or understand it fully, all Ellen and the audience want them to do is be funny, charming and sing silly song parodies like in their videos, and that's exactly what they do. The two manage to leave their appearance on the talk show looking even better than they did before, and, as you might imagine, this upsets Sheldon a great deal.
In fact, it upsets him so much that he finds out where they're staying and heads to their hotel with a request. Sheldon wants Pemberton and Campbell to hold a press conference and admit that they blindly stumbled into super asymmetry, don't understand it and say it's completely Sheldon and Amy's discovery. Of course, they won't do it, and instead ask Sheldon if he'd like to come in and eat the hotel's expensive parfait with them. Obviously, these two are going to be no help.
At lunch the next day, Professor Siebert comes up to Sheldon while he's eating with Leonard, Raj and Howard to tell him not to worry about the impressive publicity tour that Pemberton and Campbell are on, because Caltech has a plan to make sure Amy and Sheldon get that Nobel Prize. They're planning to hold a luncheon for them and invite several Nobel Laureates, so that the couple can talk up the discovery, prove that they are the ones who actually made it and get the scientific and academic communities on their side. Sounds great right? Well, it turns out that there's a Sheldon shaped problem standing in the way of this marvelous idea.
And what could that be, you ask? Well, later, when Amy is reading off the list of Nobel Laureates who have been invited to this shindig, it becomes clear that Sheldon has managed to alienate literally all of them in the past. Not in small ways, either; oh no. Sheldon has done what he's so fond of doing and insulted each and every one of them on a deep professional level. Amy is not pleased about this, and yells at Sheldon for ruining what might be their one chance to get important physicists on their side because he couldn't keep his mouth shut about their accomplishments or lack thereof.
After trying to bribe the annoyed scientists with cookies (which does not work), it isn't long before Sheldon and Amy are, separately, talking about the problem with Leonard and Penny. Sheldon tells Leonard that he's upset that Amy didn't do anything wrong but is paying for his past mistakes, noting that he doesn't always know when he's gone too far. Leonard, being the good friend that he is who has also been on the receiving end of Sheldon's lack of decorum several times, offers to help when he can by just telling Sheldon to shut up when he can see he's about to cross a line.
Leonard and Penny also show how good they are as friends by going around to each of the physicists who were invited and declined to come and convincing them all not to hold Amy, or the solid scientific idea, at fault by not showing up and at least giving them a shot at explaining how they came up with and proved their theory. So, it worked, and toward the end everyone is at the luncheon, but...there's yet another problem.
As Amy, Sheldon, Leonard and Penny are mingling with the other physicists and Caltech luminaries, Pemberton and Campbell walk in, having been invited by one of the physicists. Amy is immediately furious and tells them to leave, but Sheldon actually says that they can stay, later revealing to Amy that he believes they'll prove themselves to be ignorant of the details of super asymmetry if they stick around and get asked about it. Amy, who's very eager to get the duo to take a hike, asks them to solve a quandary that she and Sheldon are having about the theory. When they can't answer, it looks like they'll be found out, but they're so good now at turning on the charm and getting people on their side, that that's exactly what they do.
When Pemberton starts talking about how odd it is to get so much attention now after toiling in obscurity for so long, and begins to reveal that he and Campbell have been feeling like fakes, everyone is drawn to him and clearly buying his sob story. But, Amy has had enough of these two, her rage boils over and she blows up at them. In front of everyone, she yells about how they are fakes, calling them imposters and frauds, and telling everyone that she and Sheldon are the ones who actually came up with the theory.
Now, the big question is, after making such a scene at the luncheon that was supposed to get everyone to support her and Sheldon to be nominated for the Nobel Prize, will Amy's behavior lead to her getting cut out, just so that Caltech can try and save face? I suspect that there might be some more tough times ahead after Amy's outburst, but the university has been behind her and Sheldon all the way, and Sheldon has also stood by her as well, despite the fact that it might stop him from reaching one of his main goals in life. I think, ultimately, that this super asymmetry saga will be solved by somehow having Amy and Sheldon come out on top. How annoying would it be if we watched these two struggle with all this an entire season, only to have to watch them lose such a major battle near (or at) the end of the entire series?
We can see how much trouble Amy might be in and how this all wraps up, when The Big Bang Theory airs Thursdays on CBS at 8 p.m. EST.
