Plot
With prodding from Penny, Leonard decides to start making decisions on what he wants. However, he goes too far when he threatens to quit his job at the university if he doesn't get the position he wants. Meanwhile, Raj becomes a joke when he comments on the possibility of there being alien life.Tropes:
- Hands Go Down: The question-and-answer session at the planetarium goes awry when Raj mentions the possibility of aliens.Raj: Are there any more questions? [hands go up] Not about aliens. [all hands go down]
- Takes a Third Option: When Penny convinces Leonard to be more assertive in "The Decision Reverberation", Leonard makes decisions with the assertion that Penny approves, culminating in him demanding President Siebert in their meeting to approve of a plasma physics project idea, or he quits if his demand isn't met. In the end, his demand isn't met, but he's not quitting, either — Siebert gives him co-leadership over a photon entanglement project, which Leonard accepts.
- Yank the Dog's Chain: When confronted for considering aliens exist, Raj pitches a genuinely impressive defense for his case. Unfortunately, people decide to take one thing — that the Loch Ness Monster might be real — out of context to embarrass him again.
