Line #14 Recap/TheBigBangTheoryS4E12TheBusPantsUtilization


1	'''"The Bus Pants Utilization"''' is the 12th episode of the 4th season of ''Series/TheBigBangTheory''.
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3	Leonard gets an idea for an app that can read handwritten equations and solve them. At the school cafeteria, Leonard invites Howard, Raj and Sheldon to work on the app with him.
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5	The guys start working on the app at Apartment 4A. Sheldon predictably tries to take control of the project and is quickly kicked off the team.
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7	Leonard is still willing to drive Sheldon to work, but changes his mind when Sheldon continues to be a jerk about the app. No problem: Sheldon will use his "bus pants" to take the bus to work.
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9	Sheldon tries to disrupt the team's work by playing his theremin loudly and near the team. So Leonard kicks Sheldon out of the apartment.
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11	Penny finds Sheldon sadly playing his theremin on the stairs. Penny offers Sheldon an app idea the two of them can work on together: an app that can scan someone's shoes and tell you where to buy them.
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13	Sheldon reluctantly agrees to work with Penny on the shoe app at Apartment 4B, but of course he soon gets on her nerves. Penny figures out a way to get Sheldon to apologize to Leonard and get back on the equation app team, thus getting Sheldon out of her apartment.
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15	!! Tropes
16	* AuthorityInNameOnly: Basically how Sheldon wanted to hijack Leonard's idea. Sheldon accepts that this is Leonard's idea and that's why he is set as founder. But Leonard points out that Sheldon placed himself as Chief Executive, Financial, and Operations Officer.
17	* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: When Sheldon and Leonard argue in the apartment after Leonard stops Sheldon from sabotaging his project, Sheldon tries to act tough by telling Leonard not to beat around the bush and just tell him to leave if he wants him gone. A SmashCut immediately after he says this shows him outside the apartment with the door slamming shut behind him.
18	-->'''Sheldon:''' Could have beaten around the bush ''a little''.
19	* BlatantLies: Sheldon tries to get the app named after him twice. First he suggests the long name "The Surprisingly Helpful Equation-Linked Differential Optimized Numerator", which [[FunWithAcronyms spells out S.H.E.L.D.O.N]], and then suggests a "secret code" for the project and suggests "Project Nodlehs", which is just "Sheldon" [[SdrawkcabName spelled backwards]]. Both of these names are immediately seen through and he just smugly says it is a "happy accident". To his disappointment, both names are rejected.
20	* ComicallySmallBribe: After Sheldon is fired from the app team, he tries to get Howard and Raj to quit Leonard's team and join him by giving them coffee mugs he labeled with his label maker and gifts he bought from the Caltech giftshop. This obviously fails to impress them.
21	* CondescendingCompassion: Sheldon does this to Leonard in the opening scene when he is impressed by Leonard's app idea.
22	-->'''Sheldon:''' You know, Leonard, that’s actually a valid idea. Very good.\
23	'''Leonard:''' Can you say that and not make it sound like I’m a cat who learned how to use the toilet?\
24	'''Sheldon:''' ''({{beat}})'' No. The two achievements are equally surprising and equally admirable, though if pressed, I’d have to give a slight edge to the cat.
25	* {{Hypocrite}}: Sheldon accuses Penny of only befriending them so she can try to steal an idea of the group's for herself. However, he immediately tries to take control of Leonard's app idea himself, giving himself high ranking positions that deserve credit and giving the others menial or insulting positions.
26	* LaserGuidedKarma: Sheldon is kicked off the team for his annoying attitude and Leonard refuses any of his suggestions or improvements when he passes himself off as an "independent agent". When he tries to sabotage Leonard he is simply kicked out of the apartment. The ending scene shows he was kicked off the team ''again'' shortly after being brought back and is forced to work with Penny on her own app idea, which he just finds boring.
27	* TheMole: Sheldon accuses Penny of being this, believing that since she has no skills capable of letting her survive on her own she has integrated herself into their group to steal an idea of theirs and pass it off as her own, so he refused to let Leonard discuss the app idea in-front of her. Defied, since Penny doesn't care at all about their app, finding it "boring". When Sheldon asks what other reason she has for wanting to hangout with them she just reveals to mooch free food from them before leaving. Although this makes her a freeloader, it ''doesn't'' make her a mole like Sheldon accuses her.
28	* NoExceptYes: After Penny shares her own app idea with Sheldon, he gives an annoyed "that's your app idea?" to her. When Penny asks he doesn't like it, Sheldon says "I didn't say that. But no, I don't."
29	* SarcasmBlind: When Sheldon refuses to apologize to Leonard for his behavior, Penny tricks him into apologizing by telling him to do it "sarcastically" as a way of practicing his sarcasm. Sheldon thinks this means he is getting better at being sarcastic when really he was just lying.
30	* TheStarscream: Sheldon immediately tries to take control of the project himself, even though it was Leonard's idea. When Leonard asserts that ''he'' is in charge and not Sheldon, Sheldon begins insulting every choice he makes, tries to get the app named after himself, and tries to vote Leonard out when he won't give in to his demands. He later tries to persuade Raj and Howard to join his own team after Leonard fires him, and when they refuse he tries to sabotage them to prevent them from working at all.

Context Recap / TheBigBangTheoryS4E12TheBusPantsUtilization