The Big Bang Theory: The Luminous Fish Effect

By Reggie's Take on January 7, 2013

Leonard and Sheldon are attending a party to meet the new department head, Eric Gablehauser. Displeased with Gablehauser, because he has written a series of popular books about science dumbed down to an average bowel movement. Sheldon introduces himself to Dr. Gablehauser as “An actual real scientist”, Sheldon is fired.

Back at the apartment, Leonard is confident that Sheldon will get his job back if he will just apologize to Mr. Gablehauser, but Sheldon refuses as he explains this is his first real day off in decades. He starts out by conducting experiments with scrambled eggs that don’t turn out to well since the eggs are not fresh.

Penny comes over and asks if Sheldon needs any thing from the market. Sheldon’s request for eggs of various types and sizes confuses her and decides to tags along. He manages to annoy her after lecturing her on the distance between cars, fun facts on tomatoes, multivitamins and his suggestion of buying tampons in bulk.

Leonard comes back to find Sheldon experimenting with Luminous Fish. Later, Leonard brings Sheldon’s Mother, Mary Cooper to Pasadena to help with Sheldon, who is making serapes and ponchos on a loom. This angers Sheldon, Leonard calling his mom and telling on him to his mother and runs to his room.

Mary makes dinner for the gang, and explains that Sheldon was always like this. Sheldon comes out of his room for some food, Mary, “you have to let him (Sheldon) come to you”, Leonard clearly ignores her warning and soon enough, Sheldon has locked himself in his room again.

The next day, Mary forces Sheldon to apologize to Mr. Gablehauser after reminding him (Sheldon) of a similar thing that happened when he was younger. At Caltech, Mary introduces herself to Mr. Gablehauser and prods Sheldon to apologize. Sheldon gets his job back in a manner suggesting sexual barter between Mr. Gablehauser and Mary Cooper.

In the final moments, Sheldon asks his mother if Dr. Gablehauser will become his new daddy, Mary answers cautiously “We’ll see”. Sheldon then goes to sleep as you see he has succeeded in making “Luminous Fish” nightlights.

The Big Bang Theory
Luminous Fish Effect
Season 1
DVD: Disc One
4th Epsiode
Aired: October 15, 2007

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Leonard: I didn’t know what else to do, he’s lost all focus, every day he’s got a new obsession. (They enter the apartment. Sheldon is weaving on a loom. He is wrapped in a poncho.) This is a particularly disturbing one.

Sheldon (looking round): Mommy.

Mrs Cooper: Hi baby.

Sheldon (mouths): You called my mother?

Mrs Cooper: Oh, you got yourself a loom, how nice.

Sheldon: Thank you.

Mrs Cooper: Honey, why did you get a loom?

Sheldon: I was working with luminous fish, and I thought, hey, loom! Mom, what are you doing here?

Mrs Cooper: Leonard called me.

Sheldon: I know, but why?

Leonard: Because one of the great minds of the twenty-first century is raising glow-in-the-dark fish and weaving sarapes.

Sheldon: This is not a sarape. This is a poncho. A sarape is open at the sides, a poncho is closed, this is a poncho, and neither is a reason to call someone’s mother.

Leonard: Really, when was the last time you left the house.

Sheldon: I went to the market with Penny.

Leonard: That was three weeks ago.

Sheldon: Well then buckle up, in the next four to eight days she’s going to get very crabby.

Mrs Cooper: Sweetheart, your little friend is concerned about you.

Sheldon: Yes, well I’m not a child, I’m a grown man capable of living my life as I see fit. And I certainly don’t need someone telling on me to my mother.

Leonard: Where are you going?

Sheldon: To my room, and no-one’s allowed in.

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[Sheldon is sitting in his room, working on a genetic sculpture, when his mom walks in]

Mary: Good Morning, Snickerdoodle!

Sheldon: Morning.

Mary: [looking at Sheldon’s sculpture] Aw, now that looks awful fancy – what is that?

Sheldon: It’s my idea of what DNA would look like in a silicon based life-form.

Mary: But intelligently designed by a creator, right?

Sheldon: What do you want, Mom?

Mary: You know how your Daddy always used to say that you can only fish for so long before you’ve gotta throw a stick of dynamite in the water?

Sheldon: Yes.

Mary: [Picking out a shirt, pants & shoes from Sheldon’s closet] Well, I’m done fishing. You, put those on.

Sheldon: What for?

Mary: Because you’re gonna go down to your office, and you’re gonna apologize to your boss, and get your job back.

Sheldon: No.

Mary: I’m sorry, did I start that sentence with the words, “If it pleases you your highness?”

Sheldon: I’m not going to apologize. I didn’t say anything that wasn’t true.

Mary: Now you listen here. I’ve been telling you since you were four years old, it’s okay to be smarter than everybody else but you can’t go around pointing it out.

Sheldon: And why not?

Mary: Because people don’t like it! Remember all the ass-kickings you got from the neighbor kids? Now let’s get cracking. Shower, shirt, shoes, and let’s shove off. [Leaves]

Sheldon: Wouldn’t have been any ass-kickings if that stupid Death-Ray had worked!

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