- Leonard angers the University and the Physics Community when he gives an embarrassing radio interview. Bernadette and Amy compare their successes at work.
- On the university's want for more funding for the Physics Department, they've asked Leonard to appear on Ira Flatow's show on NPR to give the department some profile. The profile Leonard does give, however, is an unflattering one to the department, the university and physics in general. As such following the radio show, his job is in jeopardy, that is unless he signs a retraction to his comments on the show. He has to decide what to do as although he does realize in hindsight how unflattering his comments were, he still stands behind what he said. His comments also have an unintended consequence on Sheldon, Howard and Raj. Meanwhile, Bernadette and Amy lament that they can't share their professional successes with their significant others, who are more than willing to toot their own horns with any and every little success they achieve. This lamentation comes on the heels of Amy getting much new and expensive lab equipment, while she knows the financial difficulties the Physics Department is undergoing, which means that Sheldon has had no such new goodies of late. The alternative that Bernadette and Amy come up with to celebrate their respective successes doesn't quite turn out the way they envisioned.—Huggo
- Leonard's reputation is at stake, when he accidentally states that physics is a dead end on public radio and everyone at the university starts shunning Leonard for his statement. Mrs. Davis advises Leonard to write a retraction about his statement. Leonard and his friends become depressed over their ups and downs of their careers, they begin to drown their sorrows in Romulan Ale. Leonard, Sheldon, Raj, Howard, and Penny go to Richard Feynman's grave, but Sheldon gets sick after drinking too much Romulan Ale. Leonard drunkenly types up a retraction letter, which Mrs. Davis reads to Leonard the next day. Meanwhile, Amy and Bernadette bond over their success they are hiding from Sheldon and Howard.—dawsonpersi
- While the gang is having a meal in apartment 4A, Sheldon keeps aggravating the pregnant Bernadette with inappropriate comments. Leonard announces that he is going on NPR radio to discuss the world of physics to help promote Caltech. Sheldon wonders why the university picked Leonard until Amy whispered to Sheldon and he commented that the university picked the right person. Snicker.
Talking with Ira Flatow on NPR, Leonard is supposed to discuss all the exciting physics research that they are doing at the university. He describes the theoretical atomic particles the Squark, the Selectron and the Neutralino which have yet to be found. He wonders out loud what they are doing with all their money since they haven't found anything. His comments worry the rest of the gang who are listening in with dozens of other public radio listeners.
In the cafeteria, Howard and Raj want to be supportive of Leonard while Sheldon just scoffs at the guy that maligned his favorite woman, Lady Physics. Leonard feels that he is a scientist just telling the truth about the subject.
Bernadette shows up in Amy's new lab to have lunch with her. Amy hasn't mentioned about all the new fancy equipment to Sheldon because he would be jealous. Bernadette also hides her success from her significant other and didn't happen to mention her trip to Tahiti and last year's big fat bonus check.
Leonard is keeping an appointment with Janine Davis (Regina King) of Human Resources. Leonard realizes that his interview didn't go well, but he wonders how much damage it could have caused. Donors have been emailing them asking why they are giving the university money if physics is such a dead end. Mrs. Davis wants him to issue a statement that he misspoke and that he is confident that they will soon be making a breakthrough. Leonard interprets her request that she wants him to lie which she doesn't think is that hard.
Amy comes home and finds Sheldon hard at work on the biggest problems in physics. Not solving them, just figuring out that they are the biggest problems. Dark matter, super-symmetry and reconciling gravity and quantum mechanics. Sheldon denies that his motivation was what Leonard had said on the radio. Amy mentions that she has gotten some new lab equipment. Sheldon counters that he got some new markers that have a fruit flavor that he doesn't care for.
Over in apartment 4A, Penny brings a depressed Leonard a glass of wine. No one would talk to him in the physics department not unlike the time when he was in high school. Leonard describes his trip to the administration office and how he might get fired. No one else is going to hire the guy who said that physics is dead. He needs to work on his retraction and had to sell out to keep his job. Penny encourages him to get on it while she walks away with the bottle of wine.
While Sheldon is still working though not making any progress, Leonard come over and asks for help with his retraction statement. Now even Sheldon is agreeing with Leonard that not all science works out. Leonard now understands why everybody hates him. On the bright side, Sheldon tells him that after fifteen years, he was finally right about something. Since Leonard might be unemployed, his minor victory is bittersweet. Later they are writing about the Hadron Collider, but can't come up with any positive discovery to justify the cost. Leonard asks if he has any alcohol, so Sheldon breaks into his supply of Romulan ale from Star Trek. Penny, who just arrived, thinks that it looks like mouthwash.
Amy describes to Bernadette how the more she talked about her lab, the worse Sheldon got. Both agree that they should be able to brag about how successful they are just like their guys do. Then they agree that they could brag to each other though they start a game of one ups-man-ship. Bernadette mentions that she makes a tonne of money and has 2 assistants, and Amy says she has her integrity, they end up arguing which of their fields is better (Amy insults Bernadette by saying corporate pharmaceutical is trying to solve peripheral problems at best, like itchy hair).
Leonard and Sheldon have no idea where physics is going next so Penny tries to be supportive and ends up calling physics boring. Howard and Raj show asking everyone what they could do. Penny sums it up as science is dead thanks to Leonard and the Romulans whose ale she is drinking really know how to party. Raj exclaims that they sound like babies and no one wants to be stuck with two whiny babies. Now the expectant father Howard is depressed. Then realizes that he'll never have kids and everyone is depressed. Penny thanks them for coming.
Amy and Bernadette end up arguing whose work and careers are better and more important. Amy thinks her work will change the world while Bernadette plans on seeing that world from her yacht.
With everyone drinking, Leonard wonders what they would be if they weren't scientists. "Popular," suggests Howard. Penny says that they have just hit a rough patch and that they need to go out and get inspired. Howard wants everyone to go see Richard Feynman or rather his grave since he is dead. Next they are wandering around a cemetery in Altadena. They find Richard Feynman's grave and Leonard comments that he used to listen to his lectures as a kid. He states that Richard Feynman played musical instruments, learned foreign languages and just did physics for the fun of it. Leonard admits that science is only dead when they stop being excited about. To celebrate Richard Feynman's wisdom (All right, Sheldon said it!) they toast him and pour some Romulan ale onto Feynman's grave. Sheldon runs off to be sick & vomits on himself.
Leonard is called back into Mrs. Davis's office, and is shown the email he sent her while he was drunk. He wrote that physics is not dead like a zombie. If he came back as a zombie, Leonard would be cool about being bitten by Richard Feynman. And then he goes into Leonard having been being bitten by a squirrel when he was a kid. He finishes with a request for a ride home from the cemetery since Sheldon got sick.
Title reference: Leonard's depression while writing a retraction of his statements on the radio.
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