The Holographic Excitation

The Big Bang Theory"The Holographic Excitation"
Season 6
Number 5
Episode information
Directed by	Mark Cendrowski
Original air date	October 25, 2012
The Big Bang Theory Episodes
Previous	"The Re-Entry Minimization"
Next	"The Extract Obliteration"

"The Holographic Excitation" is the fifth episode of the sixth season of the American sitcom The Big Bang Theory. This episode first aired on Thursday, October 25, 2012.

In this episode, Raj becomes a party planner for Stuart's Halloween party while Sheldon and Amy consider what couple they so go as. Meanwhile, Penny takes an interest with Leonard's work where they make out later on, while Howard unintentionally bores Bernadette and his friends due to his non-stop talking about his space trip.

Plot

The episode starts with Howard presenting Stuart with his official NASA portrait (autographed, of course), [though Sheldon mentioned that he also gave one to the dry cleaners and Walgreen's drug store]. Leonard and Sheldon hypothesize that Howard will connect his trip into outer space with any subject, and decide to test their theory. Leonard succeeds immediately talking about dinner options; Sheldon initially appears to have failed, when he brings up lemons, but Howard meets their expectations moments later. Stuart decides to organize a Halloween party at his comic book store, so Raj decides to become the party planner.

Amy and Bernadette are attending ladies' night at the Cheesecake Factory bar while Penny serves them. Amy claims that life doesn't get any better than right now, to which Penny says to herself that she hopes it does gets better. Leonard texts Penny about going out costume shopping. Penny confides in the girls that she's going to the comic book store Halloween party even though the guys that hang around there can be creepy.

Amy and Bernadette then asks, like their better halves? Bernadette also says that Leonard does things that he doesn't like to make her happy and that maybe she should take more interest in his work. Penny says that that is true but she doesn't understand what he does, and their explanations about experimental physics don’t help, either. Later, Amy and Sheldon are discussing their Halloween costume ideas and Sheldon surprises Amy by agreeing to go in a couple’s costume because that is one of the great advantages of being in a relationship. Amy wants to go as something like Romeo and Juliet; however, Sheldon's ideas for great costumes are R2-D2 and C-3PO or Hewlett and Packard. Amy is unmoved by his choices, and states that they should at least compromise.

Meanwhile, Penny visits Leonard's Lab and he shows her some of his "high techy techy" equipment, including a system that scans objects and generates rotating holograms. First there is a floating pencil, which changes into a rotating Earth, then the solar system and finally, the whole galaxy. Leonard muses about some scientists who think that the whole universe is one large hologram. Penny remarks that she forgets how smart he really is, gets turned on, locks the door, and they start to fool around on the lab table.

In the cafeteria, Raj is discussing his Halloween–themed party foods and Howard keeps talking about his time in space. Leonard wanders in with his hair messed up and a smile on his face. Asked about what is going on and he replies "nothing." Howard says that he knows where there is a lot of nothing is and the three of the guys simultaneously answer "space".

Howard and Bernadette have just crawled into bed and things are starting to get romantic, but after six space metaphors, Bernadette stops to talk. She tells him that people are getting tired of hearing about it. Howard complains that he can't talk about the greatest adventure of his life, and she suggests that he wait until they bring it up.

Penny is again visiting Leonard's lab as he demonstrates a floating iron ball levitated by a large magnetic force. Penny thinks it's very neat until Leonard mentions that sometimes he feels like Magneto from the X-Men. Penny replies now it seems less neat, until Leonard mentions he's wearing the black underwear she bought him. "There ya go," she replies, and starts to kiss him again. In the cafeteria, Raj is getting a Doctor Who TARDIS police booth for the party which excites Sheldon, while Howard is being very quiet and noncommittal. He finds that Sheldon and Raj agree that he was talking too much about space. Leonard enters again, all messed up and very happy.

Amy and Sheldon, on Amy's proviso that the both of them should compromise, are still discussing their costumes. Sheldon suggests salt and pepper, but Amy has had a bad experience with both. She claims that there are three things that say that she doesn't have a made-up boyfriend: couples costumes, hickies, and sex tapes. She asks Sheldon to pick one, to which he asks what a hickey is.

At Howard and Bernadette's apartment, they are both dressed up as Smurfs. Howard isn't that excited to go since all his friends think he is boring. Bernadette asks if he is feeling blue, laughing that that's like the funniest thing she ever said. She then pushes him out the door since she just spent three hours painting herself blue and doesn't want people to think she is a short alien from Avatar.

Tonight at the Halloween party in Stuart's store, Penny dresses as a sexy cop and Leonard goes as Albert Einstein. Bernadette mistakes her for a slutty cop, but Penny explains that that costume only came with a skirt and two badges. Leonard says (in a German accent) that later she was going to arrest him for traveling faster than the speed of light. Penny reminds him about their no-accent rule, to which he replies, "Sorry, officer." Stuart as Willy Wonka tries to pick up a girl, claiming to have come up with all the party food and decorations, much to Raj's disgust. Raj is Indian Jones, the love child of Indiana Jones. Amy and Sheldon show up as "Raggedy C-3PO" and Raggedy Ann due to "a compromise" which Sheldon explains that he lost. Raj asks Howard about his space trip, which makes Howards to lose it. Bernadette takes Howard to an empty room and berates him for being rude, Howard points out that everyone including Bernadette is rude to him, and mimics Bernadette's voice. Howard then gets upset about not being about to talk about his space adventures because, otherwise, he is just plain old Howard Wolowitz. Bernadette reminds him that he is the best guy she knows and that she married him "on purpose." Penny and Leonard stumble out of the TARDIS all disheveled and Penny explains that there is nothing to see, only sexy police business. Leonard says that he was explaining to her the theory of relativity ...twice.

Later, Howard gets a YouTube video from Raj showing Buzz Aldrin, the second man on the moon, handing out Halloween candy to kids mentioning his trip to space to every kid who don't seem to be interested. Howard tells Bernadette that he now understands everybody's objections to his boasting.

Trivia

• Title Reference: Penny gets excited about how smart Leonard is when he shows her his holographic research.
• Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon after Neil Armstrong, makes his first (and currently only) guest appearance on the show in this episode.
• Raj now knows of Buzz Aldrin by now, as he thought the only astronaut named "Buzz" was Buzz Lightyear in "The Friendship Contraction".
• Raj wears an Indiana Jones costume and refers to himself as "Indian Jones" for the Halloween party (or "Koothra-party") at the comic book store, reaffirming the gang's love for that franchise first displayed in "The 21-Second Excitation".
• When Howard imitates Bernadette's squeaky voice, she replies back, "I don't sound like that..." in a lower voice that more closely resembles her actress Melissa Rauch's real voice.
• In reality, Holograms do not appear that bright in normal visible white light.

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Media The Big Bang Theory • Young Sheldon • Video Characters Main Characters: Leonard Hofstadter • Sheldon Cooper • Penny Hofstadter • Howard Wolowitz • Rajesh Koothrappali • Amy Farrah Fowler • Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz • Stuart Bloom • Emily Sweeney • Leslie Winkle Recurring Characters: Barry Kripke • Wil Wheaton • Althea • Kurt • Eric Gablehauser • Mary Cooper • Debbie Wolowitz • V.M. Koothrappali • Mrs. Koothrappali • Mike • Stephanie Barnett • Beverley Hofstadter • President Siebert • Zack Johnson • Priya Koothrappali • Wyatt • Mike Rostenkowski • Mrs. Rostenkowski • Alex Jensen • Janine Davis • Lucy • Professor Proton • David Gibbs • Claire • Stephen Hawking • Alfred Hofstadter • Colonel Richard Williams • Denise Minor Characters: Christy Vanderbel • Lalita Gupta • Toby Loobenfeld • Dennis Kim • Dimitri • Missy Cooper • Blain • Tom • Octavia • Maria • Lourdes • Ramona Nowitzki • Kathy O'Brian • David Underhill • Alicia • Mikayla • Captain Sweatpants • Lonely Larry • Dr. Crawley • Bethany • Sarah • Skeeter • Professor Laughlin • Abby • Martha • Officer Hackett • Sandy • Glen • Venkatesh Koothrappali • Sebastian • Louie/Louise • Joyce Kim • Mrs. Gunderson • Joy • Mrs. Fowler • Angela Page • Professor Glenn • Mrs. Latham • Todd Zarnecki • Susan • Randall • Colonel Richard Williams Episodes Season 1: Pilot • The Big Bran Hypothesis • The Fuzzy Boots Corollary • The Luminous Fish Effect • The Hamburger Postulate • The Middle-Earth Paradigm • The Dumpling Paradox • The Grasshopper Experiment • The Cooper-Hofstadter Polarization • The Loobenfeld Decay • The Pancake Batter Anomaly • The Jerusalem Duality • The Bat Jar Conjecture • The Nerdvana Annihilation • The Porkchop Indeterminacy • The Peanut Reaction • The Tangerine Factor Season 2: The Bad Fish Paradigm • The Codpiece Topology • The Barbarian Sublimation • The Griffin Equivalency • The Euclid Alternative • The Cooper-Nowitzki Theorem • The Panty Piñata Polarization • The Lizard-Spock Expansion • The White Asparagus Triangulation • The Vartabedian Conundrum • The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis • The Killer Robot Instability • The Friendship Algorithm • The Financial Permeability • The Maternal Capacitance • The Cushion Saturation • The Terminator Decoupling • The Work Song Nanocluster • The Dead Hooker Juxtaposition • The Hofstadter Isotope • The Vegas Renormalization • The Classified Materials Turbulence • The Monopolar Expedition Season 3: The Electric Can Opener Fluctuation • The Jiminy Conjecture • The Gothowitz Deviation • The Pirate Solution • The Creepy Candy Coating Corollary • The Cornhusker Vortex • The Guitarist Amplification • The Adhesive Duck Deficiency • The Vengeance Formulation • The Gorilla Experiment • The Maternal Congruence • The Psychic Vortex • The Bozeman Reaction • The Einstein Approximation • The Large Hadron Collision • The Excelsior Acquisition • The Precious Fragmentation • The Pants Alternative • The Wheaton Recurrence • The Spaghetti Catalyst • The Plimpton Stimulation • The Staircase Implementation • The Lunar Excitation Season 4: The Robotic Manipulation • The Cruciferous Vegetable Amplification • The Zazzy Substitution • The Hot Troll Deviation • The Desperation Emanation • The Irish Pub Formulation • The Apology Insufficiency • The 21-Second Excitation • The Boyfriend Complexity • The Alien Parasite Hypothesis • The Justice League Recombination • The Bus Pants Utilization • The Love Car Displacement • The Thespian Catalyst • The Benefactor Factor • The Cohabitation Formulation • The Toast Derivation • The Prestidigitation Approximation • The Zarnecki Incursion • The Herb Garden Germination • The Agreement Dissection • The Wildebeest Implementation • The Engagement Reaction • The Roommate Transmogrification Season 5: The Skank Reflex Analysis • The Infestation Hypothesis • The Pulled Groin Extrapolation • The Wiggly Finger Catalyst • The Russian Rocket Reaction • The Rhinitis Revelation • The Good Guy Fluctuation • The Isolation Permutation • The Ornithophobia Diffusion • The Flaming Spittoon Acquisition • The Speckerman Recurrence • The Shiny Trinket Maneuver • The Recombination Hypothesis • The Beta Test Initiation • The Friendship Contraction • The Vacation Solution • The Rothman Disintegration • The Werewolf Transformation • The Weekend Vortex • The Transporter Malfunction • The Hawking Excitation • The Stag Convergence • The Launch Acceleration • The Countdown Reflection Season 6: The Date Night Variable • The Decoupling Fluctuation • The Higgs Boson Observation • The Re-Entry Minimization • The Holographic Excitation • The Extract Obliteration • The Habitation Configuration • The 43 Peculiarity • The Parking Lot Escalation • The Fish Guts Displacement • The Santa Simulation • The Egg Salad Equivalency • The Bakersfield Expedition • The Cooper/Kripke Inversion • The Spoiler Alert Segmentation • The Tangible Affection Proof • The Monster Isolation • The Contractual Obligation Implementation • The Closet Reconfiguration • The Tenure Turbulence • The Closure Alternative • The Proton Resurgence • The Love Spell Potential • The Bon Voyage Reaction Season 7: The Hofstadter Insufficiency • The Deception Verification • The Scavenger Vortex • The Raiders Minimization • The Workplace Proximity • The Romance Resonance • The Proton Displacement • The Itchy Brain Simulation • The Thanksgiving Decoupling • The Discovery Dissipation • The Cooper Extraction • The Hesitation Ramification • The Occupation Recalibration • The Convention Conundrum • The Locomotive Manipulation • The Table Polarization • The Friendship Turbulence • The Mommy Observation • The Indecision Amalgamation • The Relationship Diremption • The Anything Can Happen Recurrence • The Proton Transmogrification • The Gorilla Dissolution • The Status Quo Combustion Season 8: The Locomotion Interruption • The Junior Professor Solution • The First Pitch Insufficiency • The Hook-up Reverberation • The Focus Attenuation • The Expedition Approximation • The Misinterpretation Agitation • The Prom Equivalency • The Septum Deviation • The Champagne Reflection • The Clean Room Infiltration • The Space Probe Disintegration • The Anxiety Optimization • The Troll Manifestation • The Comic Book Store Regeneration • The Intimacy Acceleration • The Colonization Application • The Leftover Thermalization • The Skywalker Incursion • The Fortification Implementation • The Communication Deterioration • The Graduation Transmission • The Maternal Combustion • The Commitment Determination Season 9: The Matrimonial Momentum • The Separation Oscillation • The Bachelor Party Corrosion • The 2003 Approximation • The Perspiration Implementation • The Helium Insufficiency • The Spock Resonance • The Mystery Date Observation • The Platonic Permutation • The Earworm Reverberation • The Opening Night Excitation • The Sales Call Sublimation • The Empathy Optimization • The Meemaw Materialization • The Valentino Submergence • The Positive Negative Reaction • The Celebration Experimentation • The Application Deterioration • The Solder Excursion Diversion • The Big Bear Precipitation • The Viewing Party Combustion • The Fermentation Bifurcation • The Line Substitution Solution • The Convergence-Convergence Season 10: The Conjugal Conjecture • The Military Miniaturization • The Dependence Transcendence • The Cohabitation Experimentation • The Hot Tub Contamination • The Fetal Kick Catalyst • The Veracity Elasticity • The Brain Bowl Incubation • The Geology Elevation • The Property Division Collision • The Birthday Synchronicity • The Holiday Summation • The Romance Recalibration • The Emotion Detection Automation • The Locomotion Reverberation • The Allowance Evaporation • The Comic-Con Conundrum • The Escape Hatch Identification • The Collaboration Fluctuation • The Recollection Dissipation • The Separation Agitation • The Cognition Regeneration • The Gyroscopic Collapse • The Long Distance Dissonance Season 11: The Proposal Proposal • The Retraction Reaction • The Relaxation Integration • The Explosion Implosion • The Collaboration Contamination • The Proton Regeneration • The Geology Methodology • The Tesla Recoil • The Bitcoin Entanglement • The Confidence Erosion • The Celebration Reverberation • The Matrimonial Metric • The Solo Oscillation • The Separation Triangulation • The Novelization Correlation • The Neonatal Nomenclature • The Athenaeum Allocation • The Gates Excitation • The Tenant Disassociation • The Reclusive Potential • The Comet Polarization • The Monetary Insufficiency • The Sibling Realignment • The Bow Tie Asymmetry Season 12: The Conjugal Configuration • The Wedding Gift Wormhole • The Procreation Calculation • The Tam Turbulence • The Planetarium Collision • The Imitation Perturbation • The Grant Allocation Derivation • The Consummation Deviation • The Citation Negation • The VCR Illumination • The Paintball Scattering • The Propagation Proposition • The Confirmation Polarization • The Meteorite Manifestation • The Donation Oscillation • The D & D Vortex • The Conference Valuation • The Laureate Accumulation • The Inspiration Deprivation • The Decision Reverberation • The Plagiarism Schism • The Maternal Conclusion • The Change Constant • The Stockholm Syndrome Locations The Apartment Building • Apartment 4A • Apartment 4B • The Elevator • California Institute of Technology • Wolowitz House • The Comic Center of Pasadena • Pasadena • The Cheesecake Factory • Raj's Apartment • Amy's Apartment • Howard and Bernadette's Apartment • The Stairs • Sheldon's Old Office • Raj's Old Office • Sheldon's New Office • Howard's Lab • The University Cafeteria • Kripke's Plasma Lab • International Space Station • The Kinetics Lab Songs Transportations See Also Unaired Pilot