The Occupation Recalibration

• Title: The Big Bang Theory – The Occupation Recalibration
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While on forced vacation from the college Sheldon (Jim Parsons) spends the day with Penny (Kaley Cuoco) who has quit her job at the Cheesecake Factory to dedicate herself to acting full-time. Although he wants to be supportive, Leonard (Johnny Galecki) finds it difficult to get behind a decision he doesn’t agree with and has trouble understanding. After lying for most of the episode, Leonard finally finds a way to honestly support Penny’s decision despite how foreign such risk taking is to him.

With Sheldon away from work, Raj (Kunal Nayyar) and Howard (Simon Helberg) hit up Amy (Mayim Bialik) to be their new lunch companion only to discover that Sheldon’s girlfriend has an admirer in the over-sized and awkward geologist (Brian Posehn) who works down the hall. After making her aware of the situation Raj and Howard are forced to step-in to make sure he gets let down easy (while cracking several jokes about his size and manner).

And in the show’s other storyline Bernadette (Melissa Rauch) goes to Stuart (Kevin Sussman) for help when she accidentally destroys one of Howard’s comic books with her curling iron. Although I can’t figure out how the accident happened (seriously, did she set her burning curling iron down on stack of vintage comics?), the episode introduce a new character in a smuggly successful competitor comic book store owner (Josh Peck) who has the comic Bernadette needs.

Although only loosely tied together, the various offerings provide some nice laughs include the running joke of Sheldon being very much like a dog, Stuart’s envy at the other comic book store, and Raj’s repeated cracks about Bert’s size and manner. “The Occupation Recalibration” also takes time to deal with Penny’s drunken proposal and move the couple past any potential fallout together.