"The Communication Deterioration" is an episode of The Big Bang Theory that first aired on April 16, 2015. Directed by Mark Cendrowski. Teleplay by Steven Molaro, Eric Kaplan and Jim Reynolds, based on a story by David Goetsch, Steve Holland and Jeremy Howe.
Raj asks his friends for help designing a message for extraterrestrials, but quickly rules out Howard and Sheldon on account of how they would take over the project. But with Leonard's help, Raj winds up coming up with pretty much the same things Howard and Sheldon had said earlier.
Meanwhile, Penny goes to an audition where a couple dozen blonde women are all auditioning for the same rôle. There, she runs into Chelsea (Kelli Goss), who remembers Penny from auditions some time ago. Chelsea characterizes auditions as "being treated like a piece of meat." But Chelsea's all smiles when the casting assistant (Phoebe Neidhardt) calls her name.
Talking with Amy and Bernadette, Penny says she would much rather be a pharmaceutical sales rep than an actress, and thanks Bernadette for getting her the job. Bernadette suggests they go to dinner at a nice restaurant, Penny's treat.
At the end of the episode, two extraterrestrials (Jeff Jingle and Mark Maitre) view Sheldon's message and conclude that Sheldon would be appetizing food.
Tropes
- Continuity Nod: The guys recall episodes in which two or three of them were left out of various activities.
- Raj complains that in "The Friendship Turbulence" Howard "took Sheldon to Texas and showed him all around NASA, you didn’t even think to ask me and Leonard."
- Howard complains that in "The Skywalker Incursion" Leonard and Sheldon "went to Skywalker Ranch without us," referring to himself and Raj.
- According to Leonard, in "The Convention Conundrum", "Sheldon spent a whole day with James Earl Jones and never told any of us." In Sheldon's defense, he did tell Leonard about it, but Leonard didn't think anything of it back then.
- Reverse Psychology: Bernadette reassures Howard that he's an alpha and lets him clean up after himself like a bossman.
- Running Gag: Sheldon rewrites a number of song lyrics to be more educational.
- Shout-Out:
- Sheldon actually asks Howard and Leonard whether either of them knows music superstar Beyoncé.
- Raj calls E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial a little brown MacGyver.
