The Romance Recalibration Season 10, Episode 13 -  Aired January 19, 2017

The Romance Recalibration

After Penny starts to feel like Leonard is taking her for granted, she chooses to go on a spa weekend with Amy. When Leonard and Sheldon gatecrash the trip, Sheldon offers to help Leonard and Penny improve their marriage by drafting their very own "relationship agreement."

Meanwhile, Howard and Raj think up inventive ways to try fix a squeaky floorboard in baby Halley's room.

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Writers: Chuck Lorre (Story), Dave Goetsch (Story), Anthony Del Broccolo (Story), Steven Molaro (Teleplay), Steve Holland (Teleplay), Saladin K. Patterson (Teleplay)

Director: Mark Cendrowski

Viewers: 15.15 million Households Rating: 10.2/16 Adults 18-49 Rating: 3.4/13

Available on iTunes

Episode Notes

  • The title refers to Leonard and Penny thinking about changing their married relationship.

> Relationship Agreement

As they try to work through problems in their relationship, Leonard and Penny ask Sheldon to write them up a Relationship Agreement tailored to their needs. The resulting document prohibits Leonard from playing video games in his underwear when Penny's at home, and stops Penny from saying things are "fine" if they're not.

After Amy comments that she remembers when they first drew up their Relationship Agreement, Sheldon reminds her of the "no nostalgia" clause.

Episode Quotes

Leonard: I would pull this car over and kick you out, but if Penny dumps me, you're all I got.

Sheldon: Amy is free. She had a harp lesson on Saturday, but it got canceled. Boy, when you take an interest in people, you really uncork a geyser of nonsense.

Leonard: It's not that I'd stopped trying, it's just how relationships progress. They start with infatuation, but over time mellow into something more comfortable.
Sheldon: Hmm. Yeah, you're right. It's like when I first encountered the Pythagorean Theorem. You know, I was blown away that the square of the hypotenuse was the sum of the squares of the opposite sides. Yeah, but now I'm just like "eh."

Raj: No offense to her father, but he's not an MIT-trained engineer. Thinking and building is what you do.
Howard: MIT's motto is "Mind and Hand," which just so happens was also my motto as a lonely teenager.

Bernadette: Things going well with you and Sheldon living together?
Amy: Better than ever. He asks about my day, takes an interest in my life. He's like my boyfriend in college, except he's real, so people can see him.
Bernadette: I've been seeing him for years. I'm still not convinced he's real.

News Stories

Title Date Posted
1013 'The Romance Recalibration' Press Release January 13, 2017

CBS has released the synopsis for the next episode of The Big Bang Theory, "The Romance Recalibration", which airs Thursday, January 19.  Full story

Recap

The apartment is dimly lit and decorated with flowers as Leonard pours a glass of wine for Penny, who arrives home from work after a tough day. Leonard says it’s easy to take each other for granted in their relationship and he doesn’t want to do that. A particularly loud burp from Leonard wakes Penny out of her daydreaming. There are no romantic decorations in sight as Penny looks over at Leonard in his underpants playing video games on the couch. 

As Sheldon and Leonard climb the stairs of the apartment building, Sheldon asks Leonard what size shoe Leonard wears - because he’s trying to take more of an interest in other people’s lives. When Sheldon asks him about his plans for the weekend, Leonard explains that Penny won a spa weekend from work and she is going to take him. When they get upstairs, Sheldon says they must still be having girls night across the hall, so Sheldon goes into Apartment 4A with Leonard. 

Over in Apartment 4B, Amy is pouring wine for Penny while Bernadette drinks water. Bernadette asks Amy about her living situation with Sheldon, which she describes as better than ever. Penny then asks Bernadette if it’s normal for the husband to just stop giving a crap. Penny admits that she feels like Leonard doesn’t try any more. 

When Howard goes into his kitchen where Raj is waiting for him, Howard tells Raj that when he put Halley to bed, the floor in the baby’s room was squeaking. The guys throw around ideas to fix the problem. 

Back in the apartment, Sheldon and Leonard are playing chess, although Sheldon’s comments on Leonard’s potential moves lead Leonard to throw the game. After Penny returns from girl’s night, Sheldon asks her about her evening. When Leonard tells Penny to just ignore Sheldon, Penny says at least Sheldon took an interest in her life. Penny confesses that she’s been feeling like Leonard is taking her for granted. Leonard is hurt and says he’s been the one who’s made all the effort in their relationship from day one. After Penny says she’ll take Amy to the spa instead of him, Leonard retreats to his room. 

Back home from girls’ night, Bernadette gets off the phone with her dad after asking his advice on how to fix the squeaky floor. He said the only way to fix it would be to tear it all up and replace the whole thing. Raj says Howard, as an MIT-trained engineer, should be able to find a better way. Raj says they need to be more creative: what if instead of stepping on the floor, Howard swung on a rope from the ceiling? Howard imagines it and it doesn’t end well. Raj then suggests rigging up a pulley system and moving across the room in a harness? Howard imagines falling to the floor with half the ceiling coming along with him. Bernadette ponders having a giant slingshot fire Howard across the room. Raj imagines it and concedes it’s a funny idea. 

Back in the apartment, Penny and Amy are ready to leave for the spa. Sheldon and Amy warmly say goodbye to each other, but Leonard and Penny’s relationship is still strained. 

Sheldon makes Leonard a hot beverage because he’s sad. Sheldon wants to try cheer Leonard up, but Leonard doesn’t want to play a game. Discussing his marital problems, Leonard says it’s not that he stopped trying with Penny, it’s just the natural progression of a relationship. 

In the baby’s room, Howard is drawing a grid of the room so they can map out where the floor squeaks. They’ve even made a grid on the floor. Howard checks for squeaks as Raj marks them down. Meanwhile, Leonard drives with Sheldon to the spa. Sheldon points out that Penny went to the spa to have some time away from Leonard, questioning whether it’s a good idea for him to be going there. Leonard says he doesn’t want to wait two days to work their problems out. 

In a hotel room, Penny and Amy are looking at the menu for the massage parlor. After there’s a knock, Penny opens the door to find Leonard and Sheldon. Leonard explains that he came to apologize, but Penny says she wants time to herself. When Penny admits she isn’t sure what she wants Leonard to do, Sheldon suggests he could whip up a quick relationship agreement for them to make things clearer. 

Back in Halley’s room, Howard shows Bernadette the grid with most of the squares marked as squeaking. Howard demonstrates how to get across the room on the few squares which don’t squeak. Bernadette can’t believe that Howard expects her to do that while holding a baby in the dark. When Raj turns the lights off to show that the grid is also glow-in-the-dark, Bernadette walks away. 

In the hotel lobby, Leonard and Penny come downstairs to meet Sheldon and Amy. Leonard and Penny realize they are facing new challenges as a married couple, so they ask Sheldon to draw up a relationship agreement, much to his excitement. 

Back in the apartment, Sheldon shows Leonard and Penny the agreement he drew up for them. They talk through some of Sheldon’s clauses, think it’s fine and then sign it. When Amy reminisces about signing their first relationship agreement, Sheldon reminds her about the “no nostalgia” clause.