"The Wildebeest Implementation" is an episode of The Big Bang Theory that first aired on May 5, 2011. Directed by Mark Cendrowski. Teleplay by Bill Prady, Eddie Gorodetsky and Maria Ferrari, based on a story by Chuck Lorre, Steven Molaro and Eric Kaplan.
Leonard and Priya (Aarti Mann) invite Howard and Bernadette to a couples' dinner. Amy hypothesizes that Bernadette is the "weakest" member of the group, and decides she would be a good double agent instead, feeding Priya false information about Penny while relaying information about Priya to Penny.
After relaying a snide comment Priya made about Penny's stalled acting career, Bernadette tells Priya that Penny will be shooting a movie in Prague, and also that Penny's dating an astronaut (the rumor was supposed to be that Penny's dating an architect).
Penny and Amy buy expensive shoes. Penny really likes the shoes she bought, but frets that they cost as much as a month's rent. She almost resolves to return the shoes.
Meanwhile, Raj, feeling very depressed about his loneliness caused by his inability to talk to women sober, tries out a new experimental drug for his social anxiety. It seems to work, and he even flirts with Angela (Tiffany Dupont), a woman at a coffee shop. But then, in an apparent side effect from the medication, Raj takes off all of his clothes.note
Throughout the whole episode, Sheldon works on a 3-player version of chess that also adds a few new pieces.note Sheldon claims to have solved "the balanced center combat area problem" through "transitional quadrilateral to triangular tessellation." Leonard concedes that's brilliant but is not interested in discussing further.
However, at the end of the episode, Leonard does play Sheldon's 3-player chess against Howard and Sheldon. Leonard moves his beekeeper to Sheldon's king's 12, capturing Sheldon's pope and releasing a swarm of bee, thus effecting checkmate against Sheldon.
A still naked Raj asks to play the winners.
Tropes
- Artistic License – Biology: A snake can be naturally venomous, but not poisonous. This is the kind of subtle detail that Sheldon enjoys explaining to others. Therefore, the serpent in his 3-player chess should be venomous, not poisonous.
- Calvinball: Sheldon is working on a three-person version of chess, with a lot of new pieces with complicated moves and associated rules. For example, "When the serpent slithers to an opposing player's piece, that piece is considered poisoned and will die after two more moves. [...] Unless, it gets to the old woman in time, in which case she sucks out the poison, turning her into the grand empress, a piece combining the power of the knight, queen and serpent." Sheldon demonstrates that when an old woman is turned into a grand empress, a tiara is added to the figurine.
- Color-Coded for Your Convenience: Sheldon explains that emotions have colors: yellow for fear, blue for sadness, etc. He notes that there is no color assigned to loneliness; Raj suggests orange, thinking it's lonely because nothing rhymes with it.
- Exact Words: Raj gives Sheldon money for a scone, but when the cashier says they're out of scones and offers a muffin, Sheldon declines because he was given the money for a scone.
- High Heel Hurt: Amy buys new high-heel shoes and is visibly awkward while wearing them.Amy: [while walking up the stairs] My metatarsals are barking!
- Ironic Echo Cut: When Amy is texting lies about Penny's acting career, she adds that she's acting in a 3D movie, to make it seem like the studio has faith in it. Which is exactly what Howard says when Bernadette passes it on.
- Naked People Are Funny: Raj takes off his clothes under the effects of the anxiety medication.
- Running Gag: Sheldon insisting that a hot beverage is non-optional when someone is upset.
- Scenery Censor: When Raj has an adverse reaction to the drug and takes off his clothes in a coffee shop, a random coffee shop customer's head prevents the camera from seeing Raj's genitals. A table similarly blocks the view of a fully naked Raj at the end of the episode.
- Shout-Out to Angelina Jolie: Penny comes up with the lie that she's going to Prague to shoot a movie with Angelina Jolie. Amy adds that the movie's going to be in 3D.
- Test Subject for Hire: Raj participates in a trial where get gets a new drug that's supposed to be "the next big thing" for sufferers of social anxiety. They decide to test them out and are delighted to find they work when Raj charms a girl in a coffee shop, but they work a little too well as Raj's libido has skyrocketed and he starts taking off his clothes in public until he's completely naked.
- Victoria's Secret Compartment: Amy suggests putting a listening device in Bernadette's "ample bosom".
