- Sheldon and Penny agree to participate in an unusual experiment. Leonard, Amy, Raj and Emily spend the evening trying to escape a room with a "zombie". Howard and Bernadette run into trouble at the airport after returning from Mrs. Wolowitz's funeral.
- Amy and Raj learn of a scientific experiment designed to see if it can make two people fall in love in the matter of hours. After the gang discusses the viability of the experiment's premise, Sheldon and Penny decide they will test it out to see if it can make them fall in love with each other. The nature of the experiment is to answer truthfully a series of questions followed by staring into each other's eyes without speaking for four minutes. Is there any chance that Sheldon and Penny will fall in love with each other, or at least get to know intimate details about the other that they didn't already know? With Sheldon and Penny occupied with the experiment, Leonard and Amy decide to tag along on Raj and Emily's date, the four who decide to go to an escape room: interactive theater where the participants have to figure out puzzles to escape. This particular room is filled with zombies. Meanwhile, Howard and Bernadette have just arrived at Los Angeles Airport having just returned from Howard's mother's funeral. However, they are missing one important item that was supposed to return to California with them.—Huggo
- At dinner, Amy mentions that she read a magazine article about how intimacy can be created between two people in an accelerated time frame. Sheldon considers dragging random people off the street to try it, but the others suggest he try the experiment on himself. Penny doesn't believe that Sheldon would answer intimate questions about himself and begs to be involved, assuring him that she won't fall in love with him.
Heading into Penny's apartment, Sheldon tells Penny that if they fall in love she must drive him to GaryCon (Dungeons and Dragons). Penny agrees and tells him she'll even throw in "all the dragon tee-shirts you want".
Raj thinks that Amy and Leonard are being calm about Penny and Sheldon possibly falling in love. He does not like to tempt fate. The other halves are not worried and decide to perform the experiment themselves. Question 1: "Given the choice of anyone in the world, who would you like to have dinner with?" Leonard says Penny. Amy replies that she'd pick the janitor because she's about to throw up. They quit. Howard and Bernadette are still traveling back from his mother's funeral in Florida.
Switch to the airport arrivals area and Howard is screaming at the clerk behind the desk who claims that the airline has lost the suitcase that contains his mother's ashes (urn) and he demands them back.
Starting the experiment, Penny asks Sheldon if he doesn't want wine. Sheldon doesn't want to drink when operating heavy machinery meaning his brain. The dinner guest question is first. Sheldon first mentions Euclid, the geometry founder, though he wears sandals and Sheldon can't eat dinner while looking at somebody's toes. Then he chooses himself, his own hero. Penny chooses Robert Downey Jr. a.k.a Iron Man. Sheldon then says he would like to join them for dessert.
Raj picks up Emily. Amy tells them to choose the evening's activity since she and Leonard are tagging along. Emily suggests the group visit an escape room where you have to solve puzzles to get out of a room which includes being locked in with a zombie.
Sheldon poses the next question to Penny which is to describe her perfect day. Penny replies that it would be sleep-in, yoga, beach, massage, Alcoholic drinks and dancing. Sheldon notes that she didn't mention Leonard and that he wouldn't enjoy any of that. Sheldon's perfect day would start with French toast and then he would travel to the future through a wormhole where his towering intellect is used to save the last remnants of humankind from a predatory alien race. Penny points out that he also didn't mention Amy. Sheldon says she made the French toast.
The guys are escorted into a room which contains remnants of the laboratory of the late Dr. David Saltzburg who experimented on slowing the aging process. He died in a laboratory accident... Inside is a huge lab and the door is locked. As they start to look for clues, out bursts a chained-up zombie which scares them.
The airline employee tells Howard that his bag did arrive at the airport. Unfortunately, maybe someone could have accidentally picked it up. The worst news is that this person could have gotten on an international flight. Howard again yells at her that her job is to find lost luggage and she has narrowed it down to the planet earth.
Next question: If you could wake up with any one quality or ability, what would it be? Penny mocks that she would like to turn water into wine, to which Sheldon complains that she is not taking the experiment seriously. So then she replies that she wishes she could be as smart as everyone else in their social group. Sheldon would like to be able to read minds because he misinterprets how people are feeling. Are people joking with him or making fun of him? Are they mad at him or just in a bad mood. Penny then has a wave of affection for him that passes after Sheldon asks if it's just too much Bible juice.
While the zombie cries out that he wants some brains, they solve the cipher code. Amy and Leonard use it to find a city on a globe to get the combination to the safe. The zombie wants them to slow down and not figure it out so fast.
At the airport, Howard is bothered that he didn't drive his mother to the airport on her way to Florida since that would have been the last time he would have ever seen her.
In the safe, they find a copy of Charles Darwin's "Origin of the Species" and in the book containing a black light. A riddle is hidden on the wall which Amy solves and Emily finds the key to open the door behind a picture. Emily had hoped the puzzles would have been harder, but the geniuses figured them out quickly and they spent $200 for six minutes of fun.
Back at Penny's apartment and while they are having dinner, Penny asks if Sheldon were to die today and couldn't communicate with anyone, what would he most regret not having told someone? Sheldon says that there is something satisfying dying on one's birthday. Today was Sheldon's birthday? Sheldon despises gift giving and dreads surprise parties. Sheldon told Penny because the point of the experiment was to be completely honest with somebody which really touches Penny. Penny promises not to tell anyone, though she wouldn't have thought he was a Pisces. Sheldon quips that she is making it hard for him to love her.
Finally, the airport finds Howard's bag. Howard apologizes to his mother that he didn't take her to the airport and that she'll remain close to him the rest of his life.
For the final part of the experiment, Penny and Sheldon then stare into each other's eyes without talking. They are supposed to keep eye contact for a full four minutes and both struggle with this. Both find the experience creepy though they both admit that they are comfortable around each other and that they look on each other like a brother and sister. Penny can't believe it's been eight years. Sheldon can't believe she is still eating their food and he can tell her how much she owes them. The alarm goes off. Sheldon says it is safe to say that they are not in love with each other, but they do feel closer to each other. Given their new intimacy, they have some tough choices to make. How are they going to get to Garycon? And who gets to be Gary?
Penny walks Sheldon home or across the hall to his place. Sheldon thanks her for a very interesting evening. Inside, the guys jump out at him shouting "Surprise!" with a makeshift birthday party, causing Sheldon to scream.
Title reference: The emotional intimacy test taken by Sheldon and Penny.
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