The Grasshopper Experiment
Directed by Ted Wass
Story by: Dave Goetsch and Steven Molaro
Teleplay: Lee Aronsohn and Robert Cohen
Air Date: Novenber 12, 2007
The episode starts off with Leonard, Sheldon, Howard, and Raj in Leonard and Sheldon's apartment as Raj shows his computer with a web cam and introduces his friends to his parents. During the conversation his parents bring up a childhood friend of Raj's Lalita Gupta who is now a dental student in the U.S and his parents insist that he meets her hinting the possibility of marriage which terrifies Raj because of his inablity to talk to women. He refuses to ask her out so Howard takes Raj's phone and immitates his voice and plans a date for him. He gets frustrated and tries to ask his friends for help wondering how can he marry her if he can't talk to her and wonders if they will spend the rest of their life in silence. To which Howard responds. "worked with my parents" Raj gets frustrated when the gang focuses on Raj's parents reference to a classic T. V series that they watch and they start talking about show tunes and their lack of concern causes Raj to storm off in anger saying he should find new friends
The show then continues with Penny explaining to the others that she is working on being a bar tender and needs to practice so all the guys, Raj included who failed to find new friends or any help with his situation decides to suddenly take up drinking, go over to Penny's apartment where she serves drinks. Sheldon decides to order a diet coke which frustrates Penny who is trying to practice bartending and insists Sheldon orders something different so he orders a Virgin Cubalibre. Which is a coke with rum, without the rum. Then he asks if she can make it diet. She just hands him a drink and then proceeds to ignore him. Howard then orders a slippery nipple making an innuendo to Penny's low cut top and she then proceeds to ignore him. She then goes to Raj and asks for his order but obviously he can't give her one so she suggests a Grasshopper and he agrees takes it and then to the surprize of everyone looks at Penny and asks "where did my life go" leaving everyone open mouthed and amazed. He then in a drunken fit explains his frustrations to her and his problem of talking to women not realizing he is talking to Penny. She then brings up that he is talking to her which amazes him and he insists on getting a computer with a webcam to talk to his parents but he is stopped and Penny suggests he has the date at the Cheesecake factory so she can give him drinks and watch him and for him to see if he actually likes her before deciding not to marry her.
The next scene is the date and Raj is talking up a storm to her but is boring her as he comes off as obnoxious commenting on how she used to be fat and how dentists commit the most suicide of any career. She gets frustrated and Sheldon is transfixed on her as she looks like a fictional character he knows of named Princess Panchali in an Indian fairy tale. He talks to Lalita about Princess Panchali's features which makes her like Sheldon and leaves the resturant with him leaving everyone to wonder what just happened.
The next scene is Leonard explaining to Sheldon why leaving the resturant with Lalita was wrong and Sheldon apologizes to Raj. Her dislike of Raj upsets his parents as they scold him over it where Sheldon explains that she said he was "Drunk and Boring" which leaves Raj's parents wondering if he is an alcoholic and Raj tries to explain but is asked to go out to the hallway to talk to his parents alone. The next day Leonard asks if Sheldon will see Lalita again and Sheldon responds saying he already had a dentist.