'The Big Bang Theory' Season 8 Spoilers: Recap for Episode 16 'The Intimacy Acceleration'
This week on "The Big Bang Theory," Sheldon and Penny agree to be the test subjects in Amy's experiment, while Bernadette and Howard are at the airport and trying to find their lost suitcase containing Mrs. Wolowitz' ashes.
"The Intimacy Acceleration" starts with Amy sharing an article that claims that two people can fall in love in a matter of hours if they answer a few intimate questions, followed by four minutes of staring into each other's eyes. Sheldon disagrees, but Amy suggests conducting the experiment, and Sheldon and Penny are assigned to be the test subjects.
The experiment starts with the first question: If you could eat dinner with anyone in the world, who would it be? Sheldon chooses himself, and Penny chooses Robert Downey Jr. Sheldon laments that he didn't even think of Iron Man, and he asks Penny, "After myself and I have dinner, can we meet you two for dessert?"
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Meanwhile, Bernadette and Howard are at the airport and frantically trying to locate their suitcase, which contains Howard's mother's ashes. Later, Howard starts to feel guilty about being too busy to drive his mother to the airport the week she went to Florida, and at this Bernadette threatens the airline agent that one way or another, they would be walking out of the airport with a dead woman. The suitcase is located.
Back at Penny's place, Sheldon and Penny answer the next question: If you could wake up tomorrow and have gained any one quality or ability, what would it be? Penny answers that she would turn water into wine. Sheldon is annoyed by her answer and accuses her of using humor to avoid answering a question truthfully.
Penny finally reveals that she wishes she was smart. Sheldon reveals that he would like the ability to read people's minds, since he can't tell if someone is joking or being sarcastic. Penny wishes that she could take that burden away from Sheldon.
For their last question, Penny asks: If you died this evening, with no opportunity to communicate with anyone, what would you most regret not having told anyone? Sheldon says that he would be dying on his birthday.
For the last part of the experiment, they stare at each other for four minutes. Penny breaks the silence and says that this part of the exercise is creepy. Later, Sheldon tells Penny that he thinks of her as a sister, and sometimes a mother.
After the experiment, Penny says that while she feels closer to Sheldon, she's not in love with him. Sheldon agrees with her and says that psychology is the most ridiculous among all the sciences. They walk across the hall, and when Sheldon opens the door, he is greeted with a surprise birthday party.
"The Big Bang Theory" airs on Thursdays at 8 p.m. on CBS.
