Recap / The Big Bang Theory S 5 E 17 The Rothman Disintegration

Amy and Penny, best friends forever?

"The Rothman Disintegration" is an episode of The Big Bang Theory that first aired on February 16, 2012. Directed by Mark Cendrowski. Teleplay by Steven Molaro, Eric Kaplan and Jim Reynolds based on a story by Chuck Lorre, Bill Prady and Steve Holland.

After Prof. Rothman (Lynn Philip Seibel) is forced to retire from the university, Sheldon and his rival Barry Kripke (John Ross Bowie) fight over the availability of their former colleague's office.

Meanwhile, Amy brings Penny a painting of the two of them to Penny's apartment as a gift. Penny doesn't really like the painting but can't quite bring herself to say so. Making matters worse, Amy brought tools with which to install the painting.

Episode Tropes:

• Athletically Challenged: Sheldon and his Sitcom Arch-Nemesis Barry Kripke compete over a newly vacated office with a one-on-one game of basketball, on the reasoning that both being equally bad at sports gave them an even playing field. 45 minutes in, neither of them has sunk a single basket. They move on to a free throw contest, but that too is a bust. Sheldon finally wins when they resort to seeing who can bounce the ball highest. ("Who's 'unsatisfactory in PE' now?")
• Call-Back: This episode based on a one-off comment Kripke made during "The Beta Test Initiation".
• Continuity Nod: To settle who gets the office, Sheldon suggests a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors-Lizard-Spock.
• Don't You Dare Pity Me!: When Amy notices that Penny took the painting down, the former assumes (correctly) that the latter hates it, prompting Penny to insist that she doesn't hate it and asks Amy to help her put it back up, but Amy, devastated by what just happened, refuses, taking the painting out of the room and saying that she doesn't need Penny's pity.
  Amy: I'm just glad I didn't go for the sculpture!
• Duels Decide Everything: Sheldon suggests a duel with Kripke to decide who gets the office. Realizing that there are a lot of things they are equally good at, the guys suggest they do something they're both equally bad at: sports. They decide on a quick game of basketball, but... well, see Epic Fail.
• Epic Fail: The Sheldon vs. Kripke basketball game. It started off with a simple 5 to win game, but after both of them spend a half hour without getting a shot, it turned into single free throw challenge. That also proved to be problematic, and it devolved into highest bouncing contest.
• Funny Background Event: As Sheldon is listing off all the troubles he's had with his new office, the whiteboard in the background is shown to have the notes of the mockingbird and the windchimes scrawled on the left side.
• Glove Slap: Almost invoked by Sheldon when he challenges Kripke, saying he would choose to slap him with a glove, but he just put away his winter clothes.
• Hypocritical Humor:
  • Sheldon complains about Kripke having called dibs on Rothman's office months ago, while Leonard points out that Sheldon had just done the very same.
    Sheldon: This is a university, not a playground. Offices are not assigned because someone called dibs.
    Leonard: You just called dibs.
    Sheldon: Shut it!
  • While Sheldon and Kripke try to discuss who gets the office with President Seibert in the restroom, Kripke apologizes to Seibert about Sheldon's lack of respect for personal boundaries... while leaning on him while he's at the urinal.
• Jerkass Has a Point: After seeing how bad Sheldon and Kripke are at basketball, Leonards comments that he completely understands why jocks used to bully them so badly.
• Naked People Are Funny: Professor Rothman arrives at his office butt naked, still thinking he's working there. Also, he thinks it makes him invisible.
• Overly Long Gag: After Sheldon explains the rules of Rock-Paper-Scissors-Lizard-Spock, which take a considerably long time to say, Kripke keeps asking him to repeat them just to amuse himself.
• Pyrrhic Victory: Sheldon wins the office, but the office is marred by noises coming from the geology lab upstairs, the air conditioning being connected to his neighbor's office (who is currently going through hot flashes), wind chimes outside his window (which he does not like), and a mockingbird that will not sing in tune with the wind chimes. Despite this, he refuses to give up the office and let Kripke win.
• Rail Enthusiast: When Sheldon flips over his whiteboard so Kripke can't see what's written there, there's a drawing of "a really cool train" on the other side, which Sheldon also doesn't want Kripke to see.
• Reveal Shot: After Sheldon moves into Rothman's office, he closes the door... revealing a naked Rothman behind it.
• Sanity Slippage: Professor Rothman had gone insane and was forced to retire, which Leonard mentions happens to theoretical physicists all the time. When Sheldon gets his office, small details like a hole in the wall, the sound of windchimes outside, and a mockingbird whose singing is out of tune with the windchimes, start driving him crazy, which is implied to be the reason for Rothman's breakdown.
• Shoddy Knockoff Product: Raj complains that he ordered a handcrafted Harry Potter wand on eBay and instead got an ordinary stick. He cheers up when he finds out it's numbered.
• Shout-Out: The girls watch Grease. Amy remarks that her mother never let her see it because it might encourage her to join a gang; later, she asks to borrow it because "those hooligans really got my motor running."
• Tampering with Food and Drink: Sheldon invites Kripke to discuss the office situation like gentlemen. "And if that doesn't work, I'm going to poison his tea." Unfortunately for Sheldon, Kripke doesn't drink tea.
• This Is My Chair: As Kripke uses a urinal, Sheldon tells him "You're in my spot." Yes, Sheldon even has a spot on the university men's restroom!
• Unwanted Gift Plot: Amy gives Penny a big, tacky painting of the two of them. Both Penny and Bernadette think it's awful, with Bernadette pointing out that it makes Penny look like a man ("Good night, real Penny. Good night, transvestite Penny."). Amy is devastated when she catches Penny after she secretly took it down.