"The Gothowitz Deviation" is an episode of The Big Bang Theory that first aired on October 5, 2009. Directed by Mark Cendrowski. Teleplay by Bill Prady and Maria Ferrari, based on a story by Lee Aronsohn and Richard Rosenstock.
On a Monday morning at Apartment 4A, Penny's very happily making French toast for herself, Leonard and Sheldon. But of course Sheldon has to ruin Penny's good mood, because Monday is oatmeal day, not French toast day. Leonard asks Sheldon to figure out a better way to relate to Penny. Sheldon discards his share of the French toast even though he acknowledges it smells very good.
By night, Sheldon has figured out how to get along with Penny: he'll give Penny a piece of chocolate every time she does something he approves of. Penny does not seem to mind, but Leonard's annoyed. The three of them watch an episode of Oshikuru: Demon Samurai, until Penny gets a phone call from one of her coworkers at the Cheesecake Factory. She goes out to the hallway and talks on the phone for a very long time.
Penny comes back in and Sheldon decides to turn in for the night. Sheldon asks Penny to not be too loud during sex with Leonard. "Of course," Penny replies. But her new bed has just been delivered to Apartment 4B — the old one presumably broke while she was having sex with Leonard — and if Leonard helps her set it up, they can have sex as loudly as they want.
Meanwhile, Howard and Raj go to a goth club wearing tattoo sleeves on their arms. That way, they can look like they have tattoos without actually having tattoos. The two of them actually hit it off with two goth women, Bethany (Molly Morgan) and Sarah (Sarah Bueller).
Bethany decides the club is boring, and suggests she and Sarah should go somewhere else with Howard and Raj. They go to a tattoo parlor, where Bethany gets a new tattoo high up on her left arm. Howard decides to get a tattoo on his butt, he narrows the choices down to two designs.
As soon as tattoo technician Skeeter (Andy Mackenzie) puts rubbing alcohol on Howard's butt, Howard screams in agony. Next comes the stencil, and then the needle. But before it can get to that, Howard gets off the table and reveals that his arm tattoos are fake. Bethany's not impressed by Howard's "bold honesty" and leaves, followed by Sarah soon after.
Tropes
- Actor Allusion: After Penny mentions an anecdote about her work, Sheldon says, "Oh, Penny, it's as if The Cheesecake Factory was run by witches." Kaley Cuoco had just been on the last season of the TV show Charmed.
- Catchphrase: More to show Sarah's Emo-ness than something quotable. "Not that anyone cares."
- Crazy-Prepared: Howard has extra tattoo sleeves "in case I snag one on someone's nipple ring."
- Food as Bribe: Sheldon is secretly conditioning Penny by offering her chocolates whenever she does something he approves of.
- Goth: The style of the club, the patrons, and the style Howard and Raj dress in.
- Morning Routine: Penny makes French toast on oatmeal day. It doesn't go well.
- Perky Goth: The sort of goth Raj makes, of course.
- Shout-Out:
- To John Grisham: Raj says he's on a John Grisham kick. Soon after reading The Pelican Brief, he started reading The Client. "He was a lawyer himself so his novels are accurate as well as entertaining."
- To Hamlet: "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio..."
- Howard considers getting a Kermit the Frog tattoo. "Hi-ho! I'm on Howard's butt."
- To Walgreen's, where Howard will get more eyeliner.Leonard: They're gonna get beat up at that [goth] club.Penny: They're gonna get beat up at Walgreens.
