Recap / The Big Bang Theory S 3 E 4 The Pirate Solution

"The Pirate Solution" is an episode of The Big Bang Theory that first aired on October 12, 2009. Directed by Mark Cendrowski. Written by Steve Holland.

Penny's not going to Nebraska for Thanksgiving, on account of her brother's trial for his activities as "a chemist." So she's going to stay in Pasadena, and celebrate with Leonard. Penny invites Howard, Raj and Sheldon to the Thanksgiving dinner.

Raj is sad because he's about to get deported back to India. Six months ago, his research on transneptunian objects hit a dead end. For the past six months, Raj has been essentially goofing off. Sheldon has a solution: Raj should become a pirate. That solution has multiple advantages:

• No visa is needed to roam the high seas,
• Even today, all pirates are male, so Raj's inability to talk to women sober is not a problem,^note Sheldon seems to be unaware of women pirates like Anne Bonny and Mary Read, Cheng I Sao, Grace O'Malley and Rachel Wall, to name just five from history. There are also women pirates in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, though Sheldon does not have a high opinion of the movies after the first one. However, as the vast majority of pirates in real life and in fiction are men, Sheldon's point still stands.
• Piracy does not require integrity, which Raj seems to lack, as evidenced by his drawing a university paycheck as a researcher while not doing any actual research, etc.

Neither Raj nor the others put much stock in Sheldon's solution.

The next day, Howard tells Raj about an opportunity with Prof. Laughlin (Oliver Muirhead). Raj goes to interview with Laughlin, who offers Raj some sherry. Raj turns it down. Laughlin is impressed by Raj's knowledge, and says Raj will fit in at the department quite nicely.

Then Dr. Catherine Millstone (Elizabeth Bogush) comes in, prompting Raj to suddenly partake of Laughlin's sherry. With that bit of liquid courage, Raj can now talk to Millstone. Unfortunately, he makes an inappropriate invitation to Millstone: he wants her in his hot tub.

That night, Sheldon presents a much more practical solution to Raj's quandary than the pirate idea. The department has given Sheldon some money to get an astrophysicist's perspective on gamma rays and dark matter. The project is not off to a good start, as Raj and Sheldon can't even agree on whether Raj is working "for" or "with" Sheldon.

On the plus side for Leonard and Penny, they have Apartment 4A all to themselves as Raj and Sheldon work late. But on the minus side, Howard is lonely without Raj, and gloms on to Leonard and Penny, quickly becoming a third wheel.

Predictably, Sheldon is difficult to work "for" or "with". Raj has a correction for one of Sheldon's equations, but Sheldon rejects it out of hand. Raj quits and storms off.

Later, Sheldon goes to Raj's apartment and begrudgingly admits Raj was right, while refusing to admit he (Sheldon) was wrong. Still unwilling to make any concessions, Sheldon offers to take Raj back, and Raj accepts. Now Raj will drive Sheldon home, and they'll start thinking about how to detect 500 giga-electronvolts (GeV) particles.

Tropes

• Boomerang Bigot: Upon learning he's at risk of running out of grant money on his astrophysics research, Raj starts badmouthing his own native country (India) for being hot, loud and overpopulated when he fears getting deported there.
• The Drag-Along: Without Raj around, Howard gets real clingy to Leonard and Penny, a couple who want some privacy.
• Eloquent in My Native Tongue: Referenced when Raj is arguing with Sheldon.
  Raj: If we were discussing this in my native language, I would be winning right now.
  Sheldon: English is your native language!
  Raj: All right, you got me there, but you're still wrong about this!
• Good News, Bad News: After Raj emotionally went to the bathroom, Howard goes to check up on him and here what he tells the gang:
  Leonard: So, what’s going on with Raj?
  Howard: Well, the good news is, he has no problem with my mother’s tur-briska-fil.
  Penny: Hard to believe, but go on.
  Howard: The bad news is, he says he’s getting deported.
• Hard-Work Montage: One of the funniest moments of the season, with Sheldon and Raj staring at equations, set to "The Eye of the Tiger." Gets a reprise at the end, with Sheldon and Raj in a Team Power Walk.
• Insistent Terminology: Sheldon insists that Raj is working for him, not with him.
  • Being overly general, Raj claims astro means "space". Sheldon corrects him, saying astro means "star". Celestial means space.
• The Lancer: Sheldon references this stock character.
  Like the subordinate male protagonist in countless action movies who disappears halfway through the second reel, I have returned to save the day.
• In Vino Veritas: While interviewing for a position under Prof. Laughlin, Raj is offered a drink. Raj refuses on account of it being too early, but then Millstone, the woman who would work with him, comes by and he decides to drink a little to be able to talk with her. Then he drinks a little more and he offers to discuss things further at his hot tub. Needless to say, he doesn't get the job.
• Lethal Chef: Mrs. Wolowitz makes something called a tur-briske-fil (a turkey stuffed with a brisket stuffed with gefilte fish).
  It's not as good as it sounds.
• Mean Boss: Unsurprisingly, Sheldon is very unpleasant to have as an employer/boss.
• Moment Killer: Howard interrupting Leonard and Penny before they can have much of a make out session on Sheldon's spot.
• My Significance Sense Is Tingling: Parodied when Penny and Leonard start making out in Sheldon's spot on the couch. As they do, there's a knock on the door and Penny asks "How does he know?"^note It's actually Howard knocking on the door; Sheldon would say the names of the people he expects to see as he knocks on the door.
• Noodle Incident: Why Penny's brother is on trial.
  You'd like him. He's kind of a chemist...
• Operator from India: Raj's brother is "Dave from AT&T."
• Overpopulation Crisis: Raj complains that India is overcrowded with billions of people, and he’d hate to be deported back there.
• The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: Played with. Raj's research has stagnated, so for the past six months, he's done next to nothing at work. Sheldon suggests Raj become a pirate...because they do next to nothing.
• Reasonable Request Rejected: After Raj has to find a new department to work for at the University, lest he be deported, he decides to take Sheldon up on a job offer. But Raj has some conditions.
  Raj: First, at all times I am to be treated as a colleague and an equal. Second, my contributions shall be noted in all published materials. And third, you are never allowed to lecture me on Hinduism or my Indian culture.
  Sheldon: I'm impressed, Raj. Those are very cogent and reasonable conditions.
  Raj: Thank you.
  Sheldon: I reject them all.
  Raj: Then you leave me no choice. I accept.
• Shout-Out: Instead of any actual research, Raj has spent the past six months updating his Facebook status and vandalizing Wikipedia entries.
• Third Wheel: Howard wants to spend time with Leonard and Penny, interrupting their "couple's time." He even refers to the trope.
• Would Rather Suffer: Raj would rather swim naked across the Ganges River with paper cuts on his nipple and die a slow agonizing death from infection than work with Sheldon. Raj was, of course, exaggerating, because he then runs to Sheldon's office begging for the job.