Season 1

The Tangerine Factor

Since Sheldon repeatedly has problems with a Chinese restaurant, he decides to learn Mandarin. For this, he asks Howard for advice. During a lesson, Penny comes storming into Sheldon and Leonard's apartment furious, and with a tantrum throws the iPod of her (ex) -boyfriend, Mike, out the window. She explains to the Nerds in tight and short sentences that she is angry about Mike, because he had unveiled intimate details of their sexual life on his internet blog. Just as the pretty neighbour goes away again, the Chinese lesson gets cancelled by Howard himself starting to look for Mike's blog. Leonard, who has become aware of this, decides to go over to Penny to stand by her side and to comfort her.

The first attempt at visiting fails, because Penny does not want to see anybody, Leonard get encouraged to try again. Done as said. By the second time, Leonard succeeds to come through to Penny, who has dedicated to eat out her frustrations. After words are exchanged, Penny challenges Leonard to read the blog to see what his opinion is so that she doesn't feel ashamed. The unfortunate choice of words from Leonard is completely misinterpreted by Penny. She is now of the opinion that Mike's art is expressing his senses. At the same moment Penny hops up and makes her way to Mike to apologize to him.

As Leonard, now somewhat irritated, comes back to his apartment, he begins to blame himself for bringing Penny and Mike back together. After a short time, the door flies open and Penny screams at Leonard: "I thank you very much for your stupid advice!" and disappears in her apartment. Since Leonard does not quite know what just happened, he follows Penny and finds this in her apartment. After gathering herself, Penny explains with a face full of tears that Mike has replaced her with another. As she falls into self-pity, she expresses her wish for getting to know a nice and decent guy who is simply different from the blokes she have gone out before. Out of the blue, Leonard asks her if she wants to go out with him. Somewhat perplexed, and after short consideration, she agrees to meet.

A few days later, Penny and Sheldon meet in the stairwell. There Penny had occasionally thought about time she would like to speak with Sheldon about Leonard. She has doubts that things between her and Leonard could work and wants an advice from Sheldon. In the course of the conversation Sheldon compares the situation with the neighbor with the "Schrödinger's Cat" thought experiment. Bottom line, that means something like: "Penny can only find out when they try it."

Shortly afterwards Leonard also comes to Sheldon, because he is as well not sure if relationship with Penny is such a good idea. Leonard facing him, Sheldon mentions only "Schrödinger's cat" without further elaboration on what is only classified by Leonard as brilliant. Spurred from his assumption, best friends can appear to themselves on the date. That night, when Leonard stands at the door of Penny, he tries at first to say things with her and asks her if she knows what Schrödinger's cat means. Then Penny approves the question with "much too much", she gives the physicist a heartfelt kiss. After the kiss, they both have the opinion: "the cat lives." and they go on their ways.

Season:
Episode no.: 17
Original Air DateUS:
Original Air Date germany:

Guest Actor:

T-shirts from the episode The Tangerine Factor