Recap / The Big Bang Theory S 3 E 5 The Creepy Candy Coating Corollary

"The Creepy Candy Coating Corollary" is an episode of The Big Bang Theory that first aired on Oct 19, 2009. Directed by Mark Cendrowski. Teleplay by Lee Aronsohn and Steven Molaro, based on a story by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady.

Howard reminds Leonard of their "girlfriend pact": If one of them ever found a hot girlfriend, he was obligated to set the other up with one of her hot friends. Leonard and Penny have sex, Leonard has gotten very good at it. Afterwards, Leonard asks Penny to find someone for Howard.

Reluctantly, Penny sets Howard up with Bernadette (marking the first appearance of Melissa Rauch, who later joins the main cast). At first, they don't seem to have much in common: she doesn't like magic, she finds Howard's jokes dull, etc. But they eventually bond over their terrible mothers.

Meanwhile, Sheldon agrees to participate in a role-playing tournament with Raj, but only because Wil Wheaton will be competing. Sheldon plots to beat him as revenge for Wheaton not showing up to a Star Trek convention that Sheldon traveled many miles to get to in 1995.

Sheldon is very good at the game, so he and Raj quickly move up the brackets to face Wheaton and Stuart (Kevin Sussman). Soon Sheldon has Wheaton on the ropes, and two moves away from defeat. Sheldon confronts Wheaton about his failure to appear at the convention.

Wheaton explains that his grandmother had just died. Wheaton plays Potion of Zancor as Sheldon had predicted. Given Sheldon's fondness for his own grandmother, he decides he can't beat Wheaton, and throws the game by playing Enchanted Bunny, which Wheaton then kills with a small rock. Wheaton lied about his grandmother just to win the game.

And with that, Wheaton's back on Sheldon's enemies list.

Tropes

• Alliterative Title: Except for the initial "The," the title of this episode consists only of words starting with C.
• As Himself / The Cameo: The first appearance by Wil Wheaton, playing a "bad guy" version of himself.
• Auto Erotica: Bernadette and Howard each lost their virginity in a Toyota.
• Double Date: Leonard and Penny with Howard and Bernadette; it's incredibly awkward at first, but it gets better.
• Early-Installment Weirdness: Bernadette's voice sounds almost normal in this episode, though some other traits of her that we will see in later episodes are already evident in this episode.
• Lost in Imitation: Throughout Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Khan repeatedly quotes Captain Ahab from Moby-Dick. Most of Sheldon's Wrath of Khan quotes were originally Moby-Dick quotes, more or less:
  Ahab: I'll chase him round Good Hope, and round the Horn, and round the Norway Maelstrom, and round perdition's flames before I give him up.
  Khan: I'll chase him round the Moons of Nibia, and round the Antares Maelstrom, and round perdition's flames before I give him up.
  Sheldon: I have chased you round the Moons of Nibia, and round the Antares Maelstrom, and round perdition’s flames.
• Nerds Speak Klingon: Referenced first when Penny says she told Bernadette Howard speaks five languages. He adds that he speaks six, if you count Klingon. Leonard and Penny both respond by saying that "Girls don't count Klingon". Later, during the tournament, Sheldon speaks Klingon, which Wil Wheaton understands to mean "Revenge is a dish best served cold."
• Only Known by Their Nickname : One of the comic book store's patrons is known as "Captain Sweatpants."
• Photographic Memory: Of course Sheldon corrects Leonard when Leonard says Sheldon has photographic memory, the correct term is eidetic memory. Sheldon demonstrates his eidetic memory by corroborating Howard's claim of a "girlfriend pact," agreed upon by Howard and Leonard on June 30, 2004, when he went with them and Raj to an AMC theater to watch Spider-Man 2 on opening night. Sheldon also remembers Raj was not party to the pact because he had gone to the men's room.
• Say My Name: "WHEATOOOON!"
• The Scream: Sheldon's Say My Name moment is accompanied by an Astronomic Zoom. It's a reference to Kirk's "KHAAAN!" scream from Wrath of Khan.
• Silence, You Fool!: Sheldon keeps telling Raj "Silence!" when he interrupts his rants against Wheaton.
• Your Mom: Raj makes a couple of these burns when he beats a tournament player.