- When Raj is asked to create a message on the off chance a NASA mission discovers alien life, the guys fight over what he should do, while Penny contemplates returning to acting.
- Raj is one of a select group of scientists who has been asked to submit a proposal for sending a message out into space on one of the Discovery missions, in the possibility that the message is intercepted by alien life. Raj asks Howard, Leonard and Sheldon if they would like to help him. Based on their responses, Raj decides only to let Leonard help as Howard and Sheldon demonstrate that they would want to take over the project, whereas Leonard would be more of a collaborator. Howard and Sheldon react to Raj's decision in different ways, with the four ultimately discussing their group dynamic. A question becomes if Raj and Leonard can accomplish anything without Howard and Sheldon. Meanwhile Penny has been asked to audition for a major movie, which, if she gets it would put a crimp on her lucrative new life as a pharmaceutical sales rep. She asks for advice on what to do from an unlikely source. And Sheldon rewrites the lyrics to a number of popular songs to get children more interested in science.—Huggo
- In the Caltech cafeteria, Sheldon tells Leonard and Howard that he has been working on songs and changing the lyrics to get kids interested in the hard sciences. To the the tune of "B-I-N-G-O" he substitutes the name of physicist James Clark Maxwell. Leonard stops him when he removes the first letter of his name by clapping thus start the final seventeen verses. The second song was to "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" explaining in the song that it is not an insect since it has eight legs and a body with two parts. Leonard thinks that that one was cool. Raj joins them and starts talking about a NASA project to try to contact alien lifeforms. Raj had been asked to put in a proposal for a message and a delivery system and asked the guys if they wanted to help. Sheldon and Howard start spouting out ideas until Raj gets mad that they aren't asking him for ideas. He just wants to work with Leonard whom he considers a gentleman.
Leonard shows up at Raj's apartment excited to work on Raj's project. Raj is glad to have him since the others would have taken over the project and bossed them around. Just that morning, Sheldon wouldn't let Leonard put almond flavored soy milk on his Grape Nuts because the tastes conflicted. Leonard is all ready to begin though Raj who is in charge doesn't know how to start his project.
Penny approached the door of Apartment 4A, does a triple knock and smiles at her little joke. Leonard was not there, though Penny came to talk to Sheldon. He thought that that was nice and his favorite topics are quantum mechanics, trains, flags... Penny seeks advice on whether she should try out for the movie. That's not on Sheldon's Task list. Penny explains that she has to decide whether to take the audition and risk the job she likes if she should happen to get the movie. Sheldon knows what she should do, but can't tell her since earlier the guys told him that he tends to force his ideas on people and he is trying to turn over a new leaf.
Howard is in his late mother's kitchen making molecule-size cocktails contained in a pill size sphere. He offers on to Bernadette who has to put it in her mouth and pop it like a zit. She decides to have a beer instead. First Howard takes a picture of them and his mini-cocktail to send to Raj whom he had planned to do it with. He just wanted him to feel bad since he wasn't working on the space project with him. She then tells him that he is a leader and then tricks him into cleaning up the kitchen by himself. "That's my big boss man."
Back in apartment 4A, the topic is still trains and Sheldon is explaining about the cow catcher on antique locomotives. Penny then asks Sheldon that if she were in a train station and one train took her to her current job and the other one to an acting job, which train should she get on? Sheldon suggest a third train that goes to the audition and then she puts off a career decision until after she gets the part. Penny agrees with him and calls him a wise man.
Discussing their project, Leonard and Raj mention the Voyager gold record that was sent for aliens, but they needed to build a record player to listen to it. E.T. built a phone out of an umbrella and a Speak-and-Spell. Changing the subject, they want something simple that doesn't require outside machinery. Animals use their other senses to deliver messages like scent and touch. They could send out a system that has a video message and also delivers it in a matter that uses the sense of touch. This idea was also the one that Howard and Sheldon had.
Back at the Caltech cafeteria, Sheldon is demonstrating a song to Howard about animal senses to the tune of "The Eye of the Tiger" from "Rocky 3". Leonard and Raj join them and ask Sheldon and Howard to join the project. Leonard and Raj want them back because their idea sounded great. After Sheldon and Howard are back on the team, Leonard says that they should all get together tonight. Sheldon insists that it should be Raj's decision since it's his project. Raj wants to start immediately; however, Sheldon isn't available until tonight.
Penny shows up at the audition talking to herself that she can do this. She wonders why she ever gave it up, enters the casting room and finds twenty other blonde actresses also applying for the part.
Raj is explaining how they are going to work. The next speaker must respect what the last one had just said and build on it. Sheldon says he is going to build on it and now wants to order dinner. Raj and Leonard want them to get back on topic, but all they talk about is dinner.
Another actress recognizes Penny and asks where she has been. She tells her about her new job. Now she can act that inflamed heart is only a mild side effect. She does miss acting sometimes, while the other woman is sick of the humiliation and being treated like a piece of meat. She gets called and immediately perks up. "Wish me luck." The actress next to Penny says that she is sure she is pushing forty and everything is fake. Penny remembers starting that rumor.
After having decided on the delivery system they start to discuss the message. The Pioneer probe showed a naked man and woman though Sheldon thought that that showed to predator races how soft and squishy we are. Raj prefers a person waving and holding the severed head of a tiger. Howard thinks thinks that a passive-aggressive message is ridiculous. Their squabble includes going to San Diego Comic-Con as Jabba the Hutt and Leonard was the tail, Howard took Sheldon to NASA in Texas, Leonard and Sheldon went to Skywalker Ranch and Sheldon spent the night with James Earl Jones. In each example, Sheldon came out on top and loved it; therefore, when he is in charge, good things happen. Leonard insists that Raj is in charge.
At Penny's place, she explains to the girls how much she had forgotten how much she hated that world. The anxiety, the depression, the negativity. She felt she did a lousy reading for the part and then walked out. She never properly thanked Bernie for getting her her job. Bernadette suggests that Penny take her out to dinner as a more proper thank-you. Amy adds she should be invited too since they were discussing it in front of her. Penny cheerfully agrees.
Finally, a fleet of alien spaceships cruise by. A couple of extra-terrestrials with tentacles are watching Sheldon in his video. As the image changes, a 3D simulator full of pins also shows the image. Sheldon tells the universe where to find our planet. They think that the soft pink creature looks quite delicious and they want to feast upon him just like Sheldon thought they would.
Title reference: The breakdown of communication among the guys because of Raj's project and the attempt to communicate with aliens.
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